"Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. Awaken your might; come and save us. Restore us, O Lord, God of the host; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved."

Psalm 80:1-3

The very fact that God is the Shepherd of Israel is enough to guarantee her security (v. 1). This is the Good Shepherd of whom David speaks in Psalm 23. Under his loving care, everything the people required to be a prosperous nation at peace with itself and with their neighbors was richly provided for them. That was the previous enviable state for which the psalmist now pines (vv. 3, 7, 14). The mention of Ephraim and Manasseh in verse 2 would seem to indicate that it is the northern kingdom that is in question here, perhaps when it was under the yoke of the Assyrians.

How did it come to this? Sadly, Israel demonstrated time and again that it had failed to learn its lesson from the fate of Nadab and Abihu on the consequences of disobedience. This was especially true of the northern kingdom under its unbroken succession of godless kings. The people rebelled against the God of their salvation and he abandoned them just as they had been warned in the Law given to them by Moses (vv. 12, 13).

We too must take the same lesson to heart. In the Lord Jesus Christ we have blessings which are the envy of the watching world. Our conduct, however, is not always in keeping with what we know and proclaim. Mahatma Gandhi of India once explained to the Christian missionary, Dr E. Stanley Jones: ‘Oh, I don’t reject your Christ. I love your Christ. It is just that so many of you Christians are so unlike your Christ.’4 How sad!

APPLY

Paul enjoined other believers to imitate him, just as he imitated Christ (1 Cor 11:1). Are there areas in your life that are unworthy of imitation? What can you do to change them?

CLOSING PRAYER

Almighty God, make my life a testimony to the world around me. May others see in me your love, grace, and mercy—and be drawn to you.

(Edited from Encounter with God)