Return, O God of Hosts, we pray! Look down from heaven and see! Attend to this vine-- Return, O God of Hosts, we pray!This phrase is a plea for divine intervention and restoration. The title "God of Hosts" emphasizes God's sovereignty and command over the heavenly armies, suggesting a call for powerful assistance. The Israelites often invoked this title in times of national distress, reflecting their understanding of God as a mighty warrior who could deliver them from their enemies. This plea for God to "return" indicates a perceived distance or absence of God's favor, possibly due to the nation's sin or disobedience. The call for God to return is reminiscent of other biblical prayers for restoration, such as in 2 Chronicles 7:14, where God promises to heal the land if His people humble themselves and pray. Look down from heaven and see!
This phrase underscores the belief in God's omniscience and His ability to observe all things from His heavenly throne. It is a request for God to take notice of the plight of His people, suggesting that their suffering has reached a point where divine intervention is necessary. The imagery of God looking down from heaven is common in the Psalms and other biblical texts, such as Psalm 33:13-14, where God is depicted as observing all of humanity. This appeal for God to "see" implies a desire for Him to act with compassion and justice, as seen in Exodus 3:7, where God sees the affliction of the Israelites in Egypt and decides to deliver them. Attend to this vine—
The "vine" is a metaphor for Israel, a common symbol in the Old Testament representing the nation as God's chosen people. This imagery is rooted in passages like Isaiah 5:1-7, where Israel is depicted as a vineyard planted and tended by God. The request for God to "attend" to the vine suggests a need for care and restoration, indicating that the nation is in a state of spiritual or physical decline. This metaphor also foreshadows the New Testament, where Jesus refers to Himself as the true vine in John 15:1, establishing a connection between the care God provides to Israel and the spiritual nourishment found in Christ. The vine imagery highlights the covenant relationship between God and His people, emphasizing their dependence on Him for sustenance and growth. Persons / Places / Events 1. God of HostsThis title emphasizes God's sovereignty and command over the heavenly armies, highlighting His power and authority. 2. HeavenThe dwelling place of God, symbolizing His transcendence and omniscience. 3. The VineRepresents Israel, God's chosen people, often depicted as a vineyard in the Old Testament, symbolizing their relationship with God and their need for His care and protection. Teaching Points God's Sovereignty and CareRecognize that God is in control and has the power to intervene in our lives. Just as He is the "God of Hosts," He commands all things and can bring restoration. The Importance of PrayerThe psalmist's plea for God to "return" and "look down" is a model for us to earnestly seek God's presence and intervention in our lives through prayer. Spiritual FruitfulnessLike the vine, we are called to bear fruit. Reflect on your spiritual life and consider how you can remain connected to Christ, the true vine, to produce good fruit. God's Faithfulness to His PeopleTrust in God's faithfulness to His covenant people. He has not abandoned us and will attend to our needs when we call upon Him. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the title "God of Hosts" influence your understanding of God's power and authority in your life? 2. In what ways can you relate the imagery of the vine to your personal spiritual journey? 3. How does the plea for God to "look down from heaven and see" encourage you in your prayer life? 4. What are some practical steps you can take to ensure you remain connected to Christ, the true vine, in your daily life? 5. How can the themes of God's sovereignty and care in Psalm 80:14 be applied to current challenges you are facing? Connections to Other Scriptures Isaiah 5:1-7This passage also uses the imagery of a vineyard to describe Israel, emphasizing God's care and the people's failure to produce good fruit. John 15:1-8Jesus refers to Himself as the true vine, connecting believers to the source of spiritual life and fruitfulness. Exodus 3:16God sees the affliction of His people and responds, similar to the plea in Psalm 80:14 for God to look down and attend to His people. People Asaph, Benjamin, Joseph, Manasseh, PsalmistPlaces JerusalemTopics Almighty, Armies, Beg, Behold, Beseech, Care, Heaven, Heavens, Hosts, Inspect, Mind, Mindful, O, Regard, Return, Turn, Vine, Visit, WatchDictionary of Bible Themes 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 Psalm 80:14-15 4504 roots
8151 revival, corporate 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 80:14 NIVPsalm 80:14 NLTPsalm 80:14 ESVPsalm 80:14 NASBPsalm 80:14 KJV
Psalm 80:14 Commentaries
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