“12. Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her? 13. The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it. 14. Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine; 15. And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch that thou madest strong for thyself.”
“Why hast thou broken down her hedges…” Reading Psalm 80, you can quickly identify with “her” as being the nation of Israel. At one point they were given the land flowing with milk and honey, but now through their prosperity they have found themselves with their back turned from the face of the Lord! Galatians 6:7-8 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
Israel has chosen to sow to their flesh, and in return they have found their hedge of protection broken. Their great land is now being destroyed and devoured by the boar and the beast! Have you ever saw the destruction of a wild boar? Though boar can be fun to hunt, they are a very destructive animal. If you talk to land owners in states with wild boar, you will see their response of disgust because they are so destructive. Crops, plants, and fields suffer great damage from these nuisance animals!
Does this context of scripture remind you of any other nation? Have you noticed how God is no longer in schools? Hunting on Sunday is more important than worshipping Jesus Christ? Sports events are more important than Sunday worship and church outreach? Houses, trucks, and hot rods are more important than sending missionaries to the field or taking care of financial needs in the local church! Most believers sit back and identify with all these problems, but yet do nothing about it in their own life or community. How sad it is! Scott Pauley said, “Most people don’t really want revival. They want nice sermons, great music, full buildings, and everyone else to get right with God. When real revival comes we see our own sinfulness and God begins to change everything in us that is not like Jesus.”
There is a center piece in Psalm 80 that we must all take very seriously: “Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.” (Psalm 80:3) “Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.” (Psalm 80:7) “Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.” (Psalm 80:19) Could it be that we can’t see God’s face shining in our lives because we have turned our back to Him? Matthew 23:25,27 “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess…Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleaness.” What is keeping you from revival today? Notice how we see this turning again Psalm 85:4,6-7 “Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease…Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.” Before we can ever see revival again, we must examine our own individual heart and seek God in repentance! Psalm 80:18-19 “So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name. Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine: and we shall be saved.” Do you really want your life, your family, your church, and your country to look like the destruction of a boar or beast? Its already taking on that appearance! What will you do about it? Psalm 138:7 “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.” The underline to “revive me” was added! Hint! Hint! Have a great day!
Memory Verse
Psalm 138:7
“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.”
