Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
Starting in verse 3, we find a line that is repeated two more times in the prayer almost word for word. The only thing that changes is more is added to God with each repetition. Note the following repetitions and the words in bold to show the additions.
Psa 80:7 Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
Psa 80:19 Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
After the initial request for God to come save them as He did in the days of old, now the request is repeated. It’s the theme of the Psalm: God must save us for we have no strength or ability of our own to do so.
“Turn us again”
The words ‘turn us again’ can be seen in two different ways:
1. It can be read as ‘return’. A request for God to come back, as was the unfortunate naming of Ichabod (the glory has departed from Israel). God has left His people, and now they request for Him to come back. I think there one can very much read the passage in this light as it is how the original word is most often translated. It also matches with the request for God to shine, implying that He was not shining.
To add further support to it being better translated as ‘return’ is that in verse 14, the exact same word is used, but here is translated as ‘return’.
This request should not be mistaken with an accusation that God has abandoned His people in negligence. An interesting theme that we will examine later in the Psalm is that there is a description given of the hard times and devastation, and no direct mention of the people’s wrong doing, yet, there is implicit the idea that what has happened is a result of their wrongdoing. It’s mentioned right at the end in verse 18, ‘So will not we go back from Thee.’ Simplified – We will not backslide from Thee. Thus it’s apparent that God’s lack of presence amongst His people is a result of sin – see Joshua 7:11-12 where God tells Joshua that He will not be with them until they had removed the cursed thing.
2. That God must turn the people back. While I believe that the text is more accurately read, Return, O God, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved, it can be read the other way as well with just as much truth to it.
Consider the following:
– In Luke 1:17, John the Baptist is sent before the Christ to ‘turn the hearts’ in preparation for Christ
– God’s active role is exactly the same, just with different images. In both, He is the active party with the active will. In the first image, He is the one who left. In the second, the people are the ones who left. Perhaps it’s a case that both parties left. The people left their God, and God in response, left them. The definitely is a case that is supported by Jer 6:8, Jer 23:33, and Hos 9:12
“O God”
In the future we will look at the progression of God’s name/description. Suffice to say, there is a constant appeal with lots of detail to make it clear to whom they are appealing. This God is not just a god. He is Elohiym – the God of all gods. The God who surpasses language to describe Him.
“And cause Thy face to shine”
Implied in this sentence is the idea of God being light. It’s the self-revelation of Day 1 in Genesis. It’s the Word of God, the light to path (Ps 119:105). It is the unapproachable light of 1 Ti 6:16. It’s the light that lights every man that comes into the world. (John 1:4)
There is the idea presented in Jeremiah 18:17 that God will show the back and not the face in the day of trouble, but, in line with the idea of God coming back to His people vs causing the people to return to Him, in Jeremiah 2:27 & 32:33, we read that the people turned their backs to God.
When we take Jeremiah into view with Psalms 80, what we may then deduce is the people of God had turned their back on God, He responds by turning from them after they insist on going their way. Now the people, having realized their error, have turned back as they best can and call for deliverance.
It’s a pattern that we see time and again, especially in the book of Judges.
There is something else that I believe is worth mentioning in relation to this request: we need to be seeking the face of God, not His hand. God is spirit. He has no specific body. The face refers to intimacy, attention, knowing. The hand refers to power and might. Is it possible that we can fall into the trap of looking for the hand of God instead of His face? Is it possible we get caught up with what God can do, that we forget to know Him for who He is?
There is a danger that we can end up like the prodigal son, focused on the inheritance and not the relationship. The things we have are from Him. If the relationship between Him and us is cut off, then nothing can save us.
So now we come to the end: “And we shall be saved.”
There is no hope outside of the intervention of the God of gods. There is no hope without the name of Jesus, the name above every name in heaven and earth, the only name by which men can be saved.
O that we would seek the face of God. That we would have the humility to recognize our need for divine revelation and pray, O God, cause Thy face to shine!
Psalms 27:8
When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.
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