What should I learn from this chapter:

• The High Holy Days and their prophetic significance.
• The relationship between Jesus’ tomb and the ark of the covenant.
• The relationship between Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh.
• How Israel is compared to a vine.
• How God works with the Jews and the Gentiles in a simple timeline.

Introduction:

A Prophetic Psalm concerning God’s plan for Israel: The Messiah, the tribulation, and the millennium, all of which are illustrated by the High Holy Days of the Jewish Feasts. The High Holy Days last ten days: the first two days are The Feast of Trumpets and the Last Day is the Day of Atonement. In between these two feast are seven days in which they are instructed to afflict their souls. Anyone who does not afflict their souls will be cut off of the assembly. Since the seven year tribulation is called the Days of Affliction there is a pattern surfacing indicating: The Rapture and Resurrections when the last of 100 trumps are sounded, then the seven year tribulation, followed by Jesus’ return with the saints on the Day of Atonement. See chart below.l

Prayer for Israel’s Restoration

To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Lilies. (Heb. Shoshannim)” A Testimony (Heb. Eduth) of Asaph.

A Psalm.

Psalm 80:¹ Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
You who lead Joseph like a flock;

The Shepherd of Israel (Jesus) is the One who dwells between the cherubim on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant in the Jewish temple.

• ^{Matthew 2:6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”}
• ^{John 10:11 “I (Jesus) am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.}

You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!

It is Jesus who dwells on the mercy seat between the cherubim. It is Jesus who is the Ark (literally: coffin) of the Covenant (the Oath), whose blood atones for men’s sins according to the acacia wood (meaning “scraped clean” or “atonement”), whose blood covered the law inside the Ark, who was laid in a tomb (coffin) with an angel (cherubim) at the head and the foot where He was laid. It is Jesus whose glory filled the temple in the holy of holies.

• ^{Ezekiel 43:5 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple.}
• ^{John 20:12 And she saw two angels (cherubim) in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.}

Psalm 80:² Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh,

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Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh were united by the tie of common descent from Jacob’s beloved wife Rachel, who is regarded by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:15) as the mother of the Northern Kingdom, and they are named as representatives of that Kingdom.

Stir up Your strength, and come and save us!

The Hebrew of the Greek name “Jesus” is Yeshua translated: “Salvation”.

Joseph (see verse 1) was the father of Ephraim and Manasseh and the full blooded brother of Benjamin – all of which are related to Rachel. Joseph saved Israel/Jacob and his brethren from a seven year famine (symbolic of the 7 year tribulation). The tribulation is called the time of Jacob’s (Israel’s) troubles when there will be a famine of God’s Word.

• ^{Amos 8:11 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God, “That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the Lord.}

Joseph, like Jesus, saves the Hebrew nation.

Psalm 80:³ Restore us, O God;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!

Psalm 80:⁴ O Lord God of hosts,
How long will You be angry
Against the prayer of Your people?

Psalm 80:⁵ You have fed them with the bread of tears,
And given them tears to drink in great measure.

• ^{Isaiah 25:8 He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken.}
• ^{Revelation 21:4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”}

Psalm 80:⁶ You have made us a strife to our neighbors,
And our enemies laugh among themselves.

The strife surrounding Israel will never be greater than it will be during the seven year tribulation in the future.

• ^{For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. Matthew 24:21}

Psalm 80:⁷ Restore us, O God of hosts; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!

The Hebrews Transplanted From Egypt To Canaan

Psalm 80:⁸ You have brought a vine (the Jews) out of Egypt; You have cast out the nations (Gentiles), and planted it.

God brought the Hebrews out of Egypt, led by Moses. They are God’s vine.

God has prepared His garden. He plowed up the godless Gentiles, He piled up them up like weeds, and He took them to the dump and cast them out.

Now, the soil has been turn over, it is rich and ripe for planting.

Egypt is symbolic of the world/worldliness. God brought the Jews out of worldliness with a higher level and expectation of Godliness.

Psalm 80:⁹ You prepared room for it,
And caused it to take deep root,
And it filled the land.

His vine, the Hebrews, grew and filled the spiritual land with the greenery of life.

Psalm 80:¹⁰ The hills were covered with its shadow,

The vine is majestic, it has reached amazing heights, so big it casts a shadow over all the foreign vines (nations).

And the mighty cedars (Lit. cedars of God) with its boughs.

The influence of the tall, straight, and upright leaders of God reaches out over the land.

Psalm 80:¹¹ She sent out her boughs to the Sea (The Mediterranean), and her branches to the River (The Euphrates).

And yet, in spite of this there is a problem. The Vine isn’t bearing fruit. The Vine isn’t giving what is expected of her.

@Personal Application: Have you met up to God’s expectations? Review Daniel 5 in regard to Belshazzar who didn’t meet up to God’s expectations.

God Removes His Garden

Psalm 80:¹² Why have You broken down her hedges (walls or fences),
So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit?

God has removed His protection. Foreign nations are taking advantage of her past blessings.

Psalm 80:¹³ The boar out of the woods uproots it,
And the wild beast of the field devours it.

They no longer can prosper, whether in the woods or in the field. A boar is “unclean” according to God’s word. The boar is a male pig and represents the ungodly, unclean gentile people who wallow in their ungodly deeds and who are uprooting or plowing the land, turning it into a pig sty.

The Jews are now begging God to Return to them because when God withdraws, destruction moves in. There is no such thing as a spiritual vacuum; when God withdraws, Satan fills the space.

This verse is foreshadow of the seven year tribulation to come. The land will be given over to the gentiles who will devastate the Jewish people and the land.

Psalm 80:¹⁴ Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts;
Look down from heaven and see,
And visit this vine

The plea for a Return speaks not only to their current tribulation but is prophetic of the seven year tribulation to come when the Jews call out for their Savior:

• ^{Hosea 5:15 I will return again to My place Till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”}

God in the flesh will literally “return” at the end of their time of tribulation.

Psalm 80:¹⁵ And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted,

God’s right hand planted the Jews in the Promised Land. Jesus is described as the Prince. The Prince of a King is called the King’s right Arm.

• ^{Psalm 44:3 For they did not gain possession of the land by their own sword,
  Nor did their own arm save them;
  But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance,
  Because You favored them.}

And the branch that You made strong for Yourself.

The Jewish nation used God’s blessings, like fertilizer, to produce bad fruit. But there is one strong branch, one branch strong enough for God’s purpose because this Branch will be obedient.

This is a Branch which will produce much fruit.

King David is the branch God made strong for His purpose. Out of King David’s branch will come “THE BRANCH” who is Jesus, obedient to the Father, and hence He will produce much good fruit.

• ^{Isaiah 11:1 [The Branch From Jesse] A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.}
• ^{Isaiah 4:2 [The Branch of the Lord] In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors in Israel.}

Psalm 80:¹⁶ It is burned with fire, it is cut down;
They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.

Just as God burns the weeds and brush, He will also burn His vine when it doesn’t produce.

@moral of the story: Be fruitful or burn in destruction.

Psalm 80:¹⁷ Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,
Upon the Son of Man whom You made strong for Yourself.

The Man of Your right hand and The Son of Man are both King David and Jesus.

Psalm 80:¹⁸ Then we will not turn back from You;
Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.

Note the pattern: The Return, The Revival, The Restoration…

The Jews return to God and Jesus returns to the Jews as illustrated by the Jewish Feast Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement celebrated on Tishri 10^th on the Jewish calendar. Since Jesus fulfilled all the Spring Feasts on their exact same day, it is not unreasonable to believe that He will fulfill the Autumn feasts on their exact same day also.

The Return is Yom Kippur and the Revival and Restoration is the 1,000 year reign of Jesus on earth from Jerusalem.

Psalm 80:¹⁹ Restore us, O Lord God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!

Jesus’ name literally means “Salvation”, and He loves to use it.

BELOW: Overall Simple Timeline: God calls the Jews as His chosen people to carry His Light to the world. When the leaders reject their Messiah – the Gentiles are graphed into “the Branch” (Jesus) and the Jews are dispersed among the nations. In the future, during the seven year tribulation God will once again focus on the Jews. In their affliction they will earnestly seek God for “Salvation”. Jesus returns to earth and sets up His kingdom on earth during His 1,000 year reign.

@Personal Application: As people with a sin nature we tend to abuse God’s blessings instead of continuing toward prosperity. Thanking God each day for His blessings helps us to remember them.

Gratitude is the “seed” for reaping a harvest of more blessings.