Why have You broken down its walls, so that all who pass by pick its fruit? Why have You broken down its wallsThe phrase begins with a poignant question, "Why," which reflects a deep sense of confusion and lament. The Hebrew root for "broken down" is "parats," which conveys a forceful breach or breaking. In the historical context of ancient Israel, walls were vital for protection against enemies and wild animals. The breaking down of walls symbolizes vulnerability and exposure to danger. Spiritually, this can be seen as a metaphor for divine protection being removed due to the people's disobedience or sin. The psalmist is addressing God directly, indicating a belief in His sovereignty and control over the nation's fate. This phrase invites reflection on the consequences of turning away from God and the resulting loss of His protective presence. so that all who pass by
The phrase "all who pass by" suggests a universal exposure to external threats. In the ancient Near Eastern context, travelers or passersby could include traders, nomads, or invading armies. The Hebrew word "abar" for "pass by" implies movement and transition, often without concern for the land they traverse. This highlights the nation's defenseless state, where even those with no vested interest in the land can exploit it. Spiritually, it can be seen as a warning of the dangers of spiritual neglect, where the absence of divine protection allows external influences to encroach upon and exploit the community of faith. pick its fruit
The imagery of "pick its fruit" is rich with meaning. In an agrarian society, fruit represents the yield of one's labor and the blessing of God. The Hebrew word "batsar" for "pick" can also mean to gather or harvest, often implying taking what is not rightfully one's own. This phrase suggests that the blessings and prosperity intended for God's people are being taken by others due to the lack of divine protection. Historically, this could refer to the plundering of Israel by foreign nations. Spiritually, it serves as a metaphor for the loss of spiritual blessings and the consequences of living outside of God's will. It is a call to return to faithfulness, seeking restoration and the rebuilding of the protective "walls" of divine favor. Persons / Places / Events 1. GodThe central figure in this verse, God is the one who has allowed the walls to be broken down. This reflects His sovereignty and control over the protection and judgment of His people. 2. IsraelRepresented metaphorically as a vineyard, Israel is the nation whose protective walls have been broken, leaving it vulnerable to external threats and exploitation. 3. PassersbyThese are the external forces or nations that take advantage of Israel's vulnerability, symbolized by picking its fruit. 4. VineyardA metaphor for Israel, often used in the Old Testament to describe God's chosen people and their relationship with Him. 5. WallsSymbolic of protection and security, the walls represent God's provision and safeguarding of Israel, which have been removed due to their disobedience. Teaching Points God's Protection and JudgmentGod provides protection to His people, but persistent disobedience can lead to the removal of that protection as a form of judgment. The Consequences of DisobedienceJust as Israel faced consequences for their unfaithfulness, believers today must be aware that turning away from God can lead to vulnerability and spiritual decline. The Importance of Spiritual WallsBuilding and maintaining spiritual walls through prayer, scripture, and community is essential for protection against spiritual attacks. God's Desire for FruitfulnessGod desires His people to be fruitful, reflecting His character and love. When we stray, we risk losing the ability to bear good fruit. Restoration and HopeEven when walls are broken, God offers restoration to those who repent and return to Him, emphasizing His mercy and grace. Bible Study Questions 1. What are the "walls" in your life that provide spiritual protection, and how can you ensure they remain strong? 2. How does the metaphor of a vineyard help you understand your relationship with God and His expectations for your life? 3. In what ways can you identify areas of disobedience that might be leading to vulnerability in your spiritual life? 4. How can the lessons from Israel's history in Psalm 80:12 encourage you to seek restoration and renewal in your relationship with God? 5. What practical steps can you take to ensure that you are bearing good fruit in your life, in line with God's desires? Connections to Other Scriptures Isaiah 5:1-7This passage also uses the vineyard metaphor to describe Israel and God's disappointment with their lack of faithfulness, leading to judgment. Jeremiah 2:21Here, Israel is described as a choice vine that has turned into a wild vine, illustrating their departure from God's ways. Matthew 21:33-41Jesus uses the parable of the tenants to describe Israel's rejection of God's messengers, leading to the removal of their protection. People Asaph, Benjamin, Joseph, Manasseh, PsalmistPlaces JerusalemTopics Along, Broke, Broken, Fences, Fruit, Grapes, Hands, Hast, Hedges, Pass, Passing, Pick, Pluck, Plucked, WallsDictionary of Bible Themes Psalm 80:12 5604 walls Psalm 80:1-19 8149 revival, nature of Psalm 80:8-17 4534 vine Psalm 80:8-19 4458 grape Psalm 80:12-16 5508 ruins Library One Antidote for Many Ills
This morning's sermon, then will be especially addressed to my own church, on the absolute necessity of true religion in our midst, and of revival from all apathy and indifference. We may ask of God multitudes of other things, but amongst them all, let this be our chief prayer: "Lord, revive us; Lord, revive us!" We have uttered it in song; let me stir up your pure minds, by way of remembrance, to utter it in your secret prayers, and make it the daily aspiration of your souls. I feel, beloved, that …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859Dishonest Tenants
'And He began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. 2. And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. 3. And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. 4. And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Blessing of God.
NUMB. VI. 22-27. We have already seen the grace of GOD making provision that His people, who had lost the privilege of priestly service, might draw near to Him by Nazarite separation and consecration. And not as the offence was the free gift: those who had forfeited the privilege of priestly service were the males only, but women and even children might be Nazarites; whosoever desired was free to come, and thus draw near to GOD. We now come to the concluding verses of Numb. vi, and see in them one …
James Hudson Taylor—Separation and Service Period iii. The Critical Period: A. D. 140 to A. D. 200
The interval between the close of the post-apostolic age and the end of the second century, or from about 140 to 200, may be called the Critical Period of Ancient Christianity. In this period there grew up conceptions of Christianity which were felt by the Church, as a whole, to be fundamentally opposed to its essential spirit and to constitute a serious menace to the Christian faith as it had been commonly received. These conceptions, which grew up both alongside of, and within the Church, have …
Joseph Cullen Ayer Jr., Ph.D.—A Source Book for Ancient Church History The Wicked Husbandmen.
"Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: and when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto …
William Arnot—The Parables of Our Lord Discourse on the Good Shepherd.
(Jerusalem, December, a.d. 29.) ^D John X. 1-21. ^d 1 Verily, verily, I say to you [unto the parties whom he was addressing in the last section], He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. [In this section Jesus proceeds to contrast his own care for humanity with that manifested by the Pharisees, who had just cast out the beggar. Old Testament prophecies were full of declarations that false shepherds would arise to …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Homiletical.
Twenty-four homilies on miscellaneous subjects, published under St. Basil's name, are generally accepted as genuine. They are conveniently classified as (i) Dogmatic and Exegetic, (ii) Moral, and (iii) Panegyric. To Class (i) will be referred III. In Illud, Attende tibi ipsi. VI. In Illud, Destruam horrea, etc. IX. In Illud, Quod Deus non est auctor malorum. XII. In principium Proverbiorum. XV. De Fide. XVI. In Illud, In principio erat Verbum. XXIV. Contra Sabellianos et Arium et Anomoeos. …
Basil—Basil: Letters and Select Works Rules to be Observed in Singing of Psalms.
1. Beware of singing divine psalms for an ordinary recreation, as do men of impure spirits, who sing holy psalms intermingled with profane ballads: They are God's word: take them not in thy mouth in vain. 2. Remember to sing David's psalms with David's spirit (Matt. xxii. 43.) 3. Practise St. Paul's rule--"I will sing with the spirit, but I will sing with the understanding also." (1 Cor. xiv. 15.) 4. As you sing uncover your heads (1 Cor. xi. 4), and behave yourselves in comely reverence as in the …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety The Shepherd of Our Souls.
"I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep."--John x. 11. Our Lord here appropriates to Himself the title under which He had been foretold by the Prophets. "David My servant shall be king over them," says Almighty God by the mouth of Ezekiel: "and they all shall have one Shepherd." And in the book of Zechariah, "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the man that is My fellow, saith the Lord of Hosts; smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered." …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII Farewell Discourse to Disciples.
(Jerusalem. Evening Before the Crucifixion.) ^D John XIV.-XVI. ^d 1 Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in me. [That one should betray him and one should deny him, that all should be offended, and that the Lord should depart, raised anxieties which Jesus here seeks to quiet. That they should go out as homeless wanderers without the presence of their Lord and be subjected to persecution, was also in their thoughts. But Jesus sustains their spirits by appealing to them to …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel The Barren Fig-Tree;
OR, THE DOOM AND DOWNFALL OF THE FRUITLESS PROFESSOR: SHOWING, THAT THE DAY OF GRACE MAY BE PAST WITH HIM LONG BEFORE HIS LIFE IS ENDED; THE SIGNS ALSO BY WHICH SUCH MISERABLE MORTALS MAY BE KNOWN. BY JOHN BUNYAN 'Who being dead, yet speaketh.'--Hebrews 11:4 London: Printed for J. Robinson, at the Golden Lion, in St. Paul's Churchyard, 1688. This Title has a broad Black Border. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. This solemn, searching, awful treatise, was published by Bunyan in 1682; but does not appear …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Psalm 80:12 NIVPsalm 80:12 NLTPsalm 80:12 ESVPsalm 80:12 NASBPsalm 80:12 KJV
Psalm 80:12 Commentaries
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