Psalms 80:12-13

“Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her? The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.”

After the call to remembrance of God’s past deeds, the current plight of the nation is brought before Him in the form of a question. Why have you broken down her hedges?

It’s interesting to note that at no point in the narrative is God’s direct hand on them. His judgement fell by removing the hedge that protected them from the external threats. A similar scenario can be seen with Saul. The Scripture tells us an evil Spirit was sent to trouble him, but that could also be seen as God removing His protecting Spirit from Saul, making him vulnerable to the spirits that were trying to trouble him. It’s a little off-topic, but in Ephesians 6:12, we see that the spiritual world is set up in a similar fashion to the physical with increasing areas of control and as such, the leaders of our physical world would be specifically targeted because they are pivotal.

The mention of hedge echoes in another passage: Ezekiel 22:30 where God looks for a man to fill the gap in the hedge, but none could be found. This actually draws a very interesting question when combined with Psalms: who broke down the hedge? In Ezekiel, it’s clear that the gap in the hedge is a result of the corruption and evil present in the land. So too, when we read this passage perhaps we can understand that the breaking down of the hedge was not because of God’s failure to hold His promise, but rather He held to His word. When His people failed to keep their end of the covenant, God gradually allowed for the hedge to be broken down as He said would happen in the blessings and curses of Deuteronomy.

It is of worth to note that the question asked here is not asked in pride, or as if to question God’s actions. If anything, it’s not even a question asked with the intention of receiving an answer. It appears to be more a question of despair, for if the hedge is broken down, then there is no defense for the vine. This reading fits in line with the tone and previous statements of the prayer.

As we are now rapidly approaching the end of the prayer, we will see with this admission of powerlessness will once again come the request for God to return. It is these repeated requests that make clear the tone of the question. There is no hope for the vine if the Existing One, the God of gods, the God of armies, does not intervene.

Oh that we would remember to seek Him early, that we would be the kind of people that fill the gap in the hedge so that we do not find ourselves in such a sorry state. But if and when we do, may we remember that it is in Christ alone that our hope is found.