Third Sunday In Advent. Series

Psalm 80:1-7, Isaiah 35:1-10, 1 Corinthians 4:1-5, Matthew 11:2-10

A). TURN US, SHINE FORTH, SAVE US.

Psalm 80:1-7.

Belief in the God of Israel is not blind faith, but an informed trust. One expression of our confidence that the LORD is in control of all things is to make our complaints known to Him. In Psalm 80 the writer bemoans the plight of the divided tribes of Israel, and boldly expresses his perplexity at God’s dealings with them.

The Psalmist uses two metaphors: that of God as shepherd (Psalm 80:1-7; Psalm 80:17-19), and that of Israel as a vine (Psalm 80:8-16). Both of these Jesus applies to Himself (John 10:11; John 10:14; John 15:1). He as the God-man embraces both.

Asaph begins his prayer with an appeal that God will hear (Psalm 80:1). Sometimes our Shepherd seems distant, and deaf to our cries. We might need, like the Psalmist, to remind ourselves just who He is - “the one who dwells between the cherubim” - and what He has done on behalf of His church in the past (1 Samuel 7:12).

It is customary to think of our salvation as a single event, ‘when I got saved’. In one sense this is true, but it is also an ongoing event in our lives. The changes and so-called chances of life may present us with new problems as we grow from one level in our Christianity to another, so we need to call on God anew to continue His saving work within us (Psalm 80:2).

There is a refrain throughout the Psalm, growing in intensity and boldness. The appeal for our restoration is first addressed to “God” (Psalm 80:3), then to “God of hosts” (Psalm 80:7), and finally to the “LORD God of hosts” (Psalm 80:19). The prayer that God’s face would shine upon us reminds us of the Aaronic blessing (Numbers 6:24-26), and of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ transfiguration.

There is a picture in the Hebrew language of the LORD “fuming” against the prayers of His people (Psalm 80:4): “How long You fume?” This may not be anger on God’s part, but rather an expression of the Psalmist’s frustration that his prayers seem unable to penetrate the cloud of God’s glory. Sometimes our prayers might seem to reach no higher than the ceiling: nevertheless we must still pray, and tell Him about it!

This Psalm is different to another great Shepherd song, Psalm 23. There the LORD sets a table before us, but here He allegedly feeds us with the bread of tears (Psalm 80:5). God is unchangeable, but our experience of His Providence may vary from time to time.

Sometimes our neighbours bring us strife, or our enemies laugh at us (Psalm 80:6). Or, as Jesus warned us, a man’s foes may be those of his own household (Matthew 10:36). The solution is the same: we must look to Him to shine upon us, “turn us” and save us (Psalm 80:3; Psalm 80:7; Psalm 80:19) - and “return” to us (Psalm 80:14).

B). A HAPPY HOMECOMING.

Isaiah 35:1-10.

Isaiah foresees a time ahead of time, when Israel would again be released from captivity, and would undertake another journey through the wilderness. Unlike when they left Egypt, on this occasion they would not be left wandering for forty years, but would make the journey home from Babylon in record time, by a route already prepared by the LORD (Isaiah 35:8). Seen through the prism of prophecy, this becomes a portal for a deeper meaning (cf. Matthew 7:13-14) - foreshadowing Messiah; anticipating the gathering of the nations; announcing restoration for all of Creation; and informing the spiritual journey of every Christian.

Romans 8:22 speaks of the groaning of Creation, and yet Isaiah sees the same Creation in celebration with the people of God. The wilderness is no longer a threatening place, a barrier to progress, but a garden of rejoicing (Isaiah 35:1). [Fast forwarding to the present, some modern irrigation schemes are virtually reclaiming the desert, causing it to blossom (Isaiah 35:2).]

The returning exiles would relish the sight of Lebanon’s snow-capped hills, and the luxuriant growth on the mountain ridges of the Mediterranean coast. Such happy homecoming views reminded them anew of “the glory of the LORD, the excellency of our God” (Isaiah 35:2). This is not the only time when Creation joins in the singing of God’s people (cf. Isaiah 55:12-13).

The expectation of the homecoming is an occasion for celebration, for renewing strength and taking courage (Isaiah 35:3). For those who are afflicted, who have waited, who have prayed and longed for deliverance: take heart, God will avenge, God will recompense, God will save you (Isaiah 35:4). The restoration of sight and hearing (Isaiah 35:5) is Messiah’s work (cf. Isaiah 42:18; Isaiah 43:8), and identifies Jesus as the Christ (Luke 7:22).