Skip to content Restore Us, O God: A Psalmist's Plea for God's Glory Jul 28 · 14 min ...more
Restore Us, O God: A Psalmist's Plea for God's Glory
July 28, 2026 · 14 min
Psalm 79–81: lament, repentance, and appealing to God's name for restoration so His face may shine and we be saved.
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Lament in Psalm 79: Appealing for God's Glory 0:09 Good morning, and welcome to the Oasis OASIS of Praise as our journey through the book of Psalms continues. Today we're looking at Psalms 79 through 81, verse 3 of chapter 80, restore us,0:21 oh God, cause your face to shine and we shall be saved. 3 Psalms this morning written in 3 different times for different occasions, but with all the0:33 same purpose, turning our eyes upon the Lord. Psalm 79, very similar to Psalm 74, it is a lamenting, imprecatory psalm written after0:46 Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in 5 86 BC. Now, the psalmist begins by taking his plea to the court of heaven. It's important. There's so much we can learn from the Psalms0:58 and how to approach God and the the power and authority we have to approach him. Verse 1. 0, God. The nations have come into your inheritance. Your holy temple they1:09 have defiled. They have laid Jerusalem in heaps. The dead bodies of your servants they have given as food for the birds of the heavens. The flesh of your saints to the beasts of the earth. Their blood they have shed like1:21 water all around Jerusalem, and there was no 1 to bury them. We have become a reproach to our neighbors, a scorn and derision to those who are around us. How long, Lord?1:33 Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire? Now notice how the psalmist draws God into the situation. Your inheritance, your holy1:45 temple, your servants, your saints. Now it's important to understand that it's not about us, it really is about God. Our purpose is to1:57 glorify God and to enjoy him. And we enjoy him when we bring glory to him by obedience and serving him. But having established the situation that this is about God, he now appeals for2:09 God to act. Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not know you and on the kingdoms that do not call on your name. For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his dwelling place.2:22 Now these 2 verses are found, in Jeremiah 10. But notice once again how the appeal is made to God as the psalmist asked for him to intervene in their2:33 situation. Look at verse 9. Help us, oh god of our salvation, for the glory of your name, and deliver us and provide atonement for our sins for your name's2:45 sake. Why should the nations say, where is their God? Let there be known among the nations in our sight the avenging of the blood of your servants which has been shed. Did you see it? On2:57 what basis did the psalmist appeal to God to act? His name, his reputation. This is how we are to appeal to God. Again, it's about him, it's not about us. Verse 12, and3:09 return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom the reproach which they have reproached you, oh God. It was our sin, but the reproach is upon God is what he was saying. And The3:21 Psalmist closes with a promise to do what they had been instructed to do to begin with, and had they done it, they wouldn't be in this situation. But they said, we're going to return and we're going to obey. See, we,3:32 your people and the sheep of your pasture will give thanks forever, we will show forth your praise to all generations. We will thank you, we'll have hearts of gratitude, we'll obey you, and wePsalm 80: Cry for Revival and Restoration 3:43 will pass that on to the next generation. Psalm 80 is believed to have been written after the northern tribes of Israel were taken into Assyrian captivity. Of course, that came before the fall3:55 and destruction of Jerusalem. Now the fall of the northern tribes sent a shockwave through the southern tribe of Judah. Should have been a wake up call, and it was to some degree. Look at4:07 verse 1. Give ear, oh shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like like a flock, you who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up your strength,4:19 and come and save us. Now these tribes had exalt exalted positions of marching next to the ark. They were the strength of Israel. Restore4:31 us, oh God, calls your face to shine and we shall be saved. Now this is the, the chorus of this psalm. It's repeated 3 times and then the refrain is significant. It recognizes that4:43 their strength and their security rested upon their spiritual well-being, and they were not well. This is important. America needs to quickly come to this understanding. You know, it's4:55 not our military strength, it's not our economy, the next election is not going to save us. Might help us, but it's not going to save us. We need the face of God to shine upon us and his5:07 hand to be upon us, which means his presence. How do we get his presence? Well, let's continue reading here. Verse 4. 0, Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry against the prayer of your people? You have fed them5:19 with the bread of tears and given them tears to drink in great measure. You have made us a strife to our neighbors and our enemies laugh among us. This was their state. He was laying out their present state, the present5:31 state of affairs. Verse 7, restore us, oh god of hosts. Restore your face to shine and we shall be saved. They recognized that they needed spiritual revival.5:42 Alright? Restore us. Restore or return us to you. Turn back means to turn from the sin that we chose to obey over God. We have to do5:54 that. What that, with that restoration that they were seeking, restore us, O God, comes, as they seek the face of God, that's6:06 the presence of God. The face of God represents his presence, his favor, and his blessing. When we when we begin the book of of Kings and the historical books, the prophets, we'll6:18 see this cycle. Alright? We'll we'll see the cycle. They trusted God. We saw a little bit, in the period of the Judges, but we're going to see it even more. They trusted God, God blessed them,6:30 their eyes shifted from God to the blessings, they became intoxicated with the blessings of God, and their focus shifted away until they had walked away from their allegiance and obedience to God. Then the blessing left,6:41 the trouble replaced it, then in their agony they turned back to God and the cycle began again. Send, repent, repeat. And and we're gonna see that cycle. Now the psalmist recounts God's hand in the past that6:53 guided and planted them as a nation. And, again, this is where history is so important, not not just as a nation, but as families. And we need to share this with our children, how God has blessed even7:05 when we've messed up. It's okay. I mean, and and you see this in the story of the nation of Israel. You have planted a you brought a vine out of Egypt, and you had cast7:17 out the nations and planted it. This is they the Lord drove out the nations that were in the promised land to give that land to them, planted this vine, it came out of Egypt, but something happened. Drop down to verse7:29 12. Why have you broken down our hedges, so that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit? The boar of the woods uproots it, and the wild beast of the field devours it. Return, we beseech7:41 you, oh god of hosts. Look down from heaven and see and visit the vines. Now what's happening here is the sin separated them from God and that divine protection and provision,7:53 and I would argue that's what I see happening in America today. You know, we we keep ramping up defense, national security because we're we are a prey.8:04 It step back and look at it. I just submit that to you to consider. Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand, upon the son of man whom you made strong for yourself. Then we8:16 will not turn back from you. Revive us and we will call on your name. Restore us, oh Lord God of hosts, cause your face to shine and we shall be saved. This is a chorus that we8:28 should be singing. Revive us. Revive us. Return us back to you. We'll call upon your name. Restore us, oh lord god of hosts. Cause your face to shine and we will be saved.8:41 Alright. Psalm 81 is a festival psalm most likely written for the Passover. It is a call to praise, to remember what God has done, what He requires, and it's a call to return to Him.Psalm 81: Praise, Obey, and Be Blessed 8:53 Sing aloud to God our strength. Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob. Raise a song and strike the timbrel, the present harp, the pleasant harp with the lute. Blow9:05 the trumpet at the time of the new moon, at the full moon, and on our solemn feast day, for this is a statute for Israel, a law of the God of Jacob. God instructed them to keep the Passover through the9:17 generations as a reminder of what? Of what he had done for them and who they were. They were a special people. Now, verse 5. This he established in Joseph as a testimony when we went through the land9:29 of Egypt, where I heard a language I did not understand. There's a change here as the psalmist now relates what he heard, which is a message from God. Verse 6. I removed his shoulder from the9:41 burden. His hands were freed from the baskets. You called in trouble, and I delivered you. I answered you in the secret place of thunder. I tested you at the waters of Meribah. God9:53 delivered them from the bondage of Egypt. And as the deliverer, as the 1 who established them, brought them out, set them free, he had the right to establish the10:05 rules. The same is true for us as believers, as followers of Jesus Christ. Look, 1st Corinthians chapter 6 verse 20, for you were bought at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body10:16 and in your spirit, which are God's. We belong to God. If you have accepted Jesus Christ and you've been redeemed from your sin and saved from eternal damnation,10:28 you've been bought with a price, the price of Jesus on the cross. We now belong to God. So we are to honor Him, bring glory to Him. Alright, back to Psalm 81 verse10:40 8, hear, O people, and I will admonish you, O Israel, if you will listen to me, if you will listen, verse 9, there shall be no foreign god among you, nor shall you worship any foreign god. I10:52 am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it. God says I will bless you and satisfy your needs if you will follow me.11:04 Reminds me of, once again, Matthew 6 33. Seek 1st the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all of these things will be added unto you. Verse 11. But my people would not heed my voice, and Israel would have none of11:16 me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart to walk in their own counsel. Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways. Now look what happens here11:28 when we walk in obedience to God. Okay, look at what happens. Verse 14, I would soon subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their adversaries. In the very last11:40 verse, verse 16, he would have fed them also with the finest of wheat, and with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you. God promises11:52 the best of provisions and blessings, even in the most barren and difficult circumstances, if we follow him. Now the spiritual principles that we we read here12:04 do not provide the theological support for the prosperity gospel. This is not we're not I'm not applying it to that. It is a clear message like the promised land that was freely12:16 given. The promised land was given to them, and this it's recounted here in this song. The same thing with salvation through Jesus Christ. It's given to us. But to enjoy it, to enjoy the12:28 abundant life that Jesus came to bring to us, we must listen and obey. Father, we thank you for your word. Thank you, Lord, for these12:40 Psalms and, Lord, we thank you for the abundance, the that you want to give us, the spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus, if we will just simply obey and walk according to12:51 your word and your ways. May the Holy Spirit strengthen us, that, Lord, we would not be drawn away, that we would not be intoxicated with the blessings that we have even in this13:03 nation. We thank you for them. I pray that we would have hearts of gratitude for all that you've given us. But Lord, I pray that our eyes would be upon you. Restore us, oh Lord, return us to13:15 you, and may your face shine upon us. And Lord, may we be restored and healed again as a nation. We pray and ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.13:27 Alright, thanks for joining me this morning and until next time, keep standing on the Word.13:34 Today's study comes from the Stand on the Word Bible Reading Plan available for free at frc dot org slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you13:46 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 Lament in Psalm 79: Appealing for God's Glory3:40 Psalm 80: Cry for Revival and Restoration8:45 Psalm 81: Praise, Obey, and Be Blessed16:48
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