They were God’s vineyard. As a vine brought out of Egypt, they had cast out the nations, been planted, and had taken deep root in the land prepared for them. And for a time they flourished. They had grown to such stature that the hills were covered with their shadow, and the mighty cedars were dwarfed by their boughs. The extent of their branches reached from the Sea to the River (Ps. 80:8-11) But that was then. Now, the hedges of the vineyard had been broken down. All who passed by took of the fruit as they pleased. Without protection, wild animals came and uprooted the vine and devoured it (80:12-13). The vineyard was being judged . . . it had run wild . . . turned it’s back on the One who had planted it, determined to follow it’s own course . . . and now the Vinedresser was undertaking some serious restorative pruning.

And what captures me this morning is the degree of desperation expressed by the Psalmist as he intercedes for the vineyard, for Israel. They had turned their back on their God and now, as they looked heavenward, all they saw was God’s back turned toward them. And so the Psalmist cries out for God’s face. Three times in this plea for restoration, the Psalmist writes on behalf of the vineyard,

“Restore us, O God of hosts; Cause Your face to shine and we shall be saved!” (Ps. 80:3, 7, 19)

Sin had severed fellowship to such an extent that, in His restorative purposes, God had determined it necessary to give Israel over to her enemies in order to turn back her heart. And that heart was now crying out to the “Shepherd of Israel” and to the One who dwells “between the cherubim” (80:1). And the plea of that heart? “Shine forth . . . cause Your face to shine!”

Their heart’s desire was that God would restore them . . . would turn them back to Himself . . . and would rescue them and save them from their enemies. And the means to accomplishing this restoration was for God to graciously cause His face to shine. To illumine their hearts with His presence. To dispel the darkness of self-will with the light of His being. What they wanted was to turn back and renew their relationship with their God . . . what they needed was His presence.

And while I’m not sitting here this morning as a vineyard stripped of it’s protection, there is something about the Psalmist’s plea that resonates within me . . . a certain connection with the desperate desire to have the face of God shine . . . that His face might ward off darkness . . . and dispel any complacency . . . and fan the flame . . . and reclaim a sometimes distracted heart solely for Himself. There’s value, I think, to periodic sanctified “panic attacks” that drive you back to the throne of grace wanting to know afresh His presence . . . seeking to be renewed and revived in the inner man . . . wanting our internal GPS recalibrated . . . . ensuring we don’t stray from the One who has called us to Himself.

Yeah, I’m thinking that to cry out to Him daily in desperate desire for His face to shine . . . for His Spirit to revive and restore . . . will have benefit in keeping this heart from wandering too far off. “Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself. Then we will not turn back from You; Revive us, and we will call upon Your name” (80:17-18).

“You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth!” (80:1b) . . . cause Your face to shine . . . that I might be revived . . . that I might remain faithful . . . that You might receive all the glory . . . amen!