Prayer Day: An Earnest Supplication for God’s Mercy Upon Israel

This is a psalm which may have a historical occasion. Some say that this psalm was written at the time of the destruction of the holy city, Jerusalem, by the Chaldeans. Others say that it was written on the occasion of the carrying away of the ten tribes, and still others say that it was written at the time of the invasion of Sennacherib, the Assyrian. If this psalm is to be considered as a prophetical one, then it is suitable to the church in any and all distressing circumstances, and I believe that this is applicable to this psalm.

It speaks of the vine. A vine is a plant which is weak and needs support. When supported, and restrained by the pruning knife, it is capable of producing the most valuable fruit. If the vine is left to itself, however, it is the most unprofitable among all trees. This vine was an emblem of Israel which was brought out of Egypt, to whom the Lord had given the line of promise. It is also a lively emblem of the church of all ages. The prophet speaks of it, “For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant plant” (Isa. 5:7).

The poet here speaks of a vine which the Lord had planted Himself. He had removed the mighty nations which would have been a hindrance to Israel’s settlement in Canaan. After planting this vine, Israel, He caused it to grow. He Himself was a wall of perfection roundabout this vine. He put a hedge about them. He was their Protector. But when He withdrew that protection, they were sadly exposed to enmity and destruction by their enemies.

The question is: How could God who is wise and just, having planted this vine Himself, have left it exposed to utter destruction? The poet says, “The enemies have destroyed it” — the king of Assyria, Nebuchadnezzar, Sennacherib, or whoever it might have been. Israel, the vine, had been destroyed by that fierce and cruel enemy. Then the poet pleads, “Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts” (Psa. 80:14). This is the same verb as we find in verses 3, 7 and 19. Sometimes it is translated as “turn us,” that is, “restore us,” or “rescue us.” If translated as “return,” then it is a plea for the restoration of God’s presence. It is as if the poet says, “Lord, do not withdraw Thyself. Didst Thou depart from us forever? Come back to us and don’t hide Thy face from us any longer!”

What a blessing it would be on Prayer Day if our petition would be that the Lord would no longer hide His face, that He would return, that He would cause us to turn unto Him! We have left Him as a nation, but also as churches, as families and as individuals. We left Him in Paradise. We left Him as the prodigal son left his father’s house. We are prone to depart from Him time and again. God’s children are often like Israel, a backsliding and an unfaithful people. Then the Lord hides His face.

May it be our petition that He might return to us. He returns when He again manifests Himself and shows His face in favor and when He grants His gracious presence. Then there is no reason to fear. Then there is security and safety, and in His presence is life. To live apart from Him is death!

This is the prayer of Israel to the great Shepherd who led them, cared for them, carried them in His arms and planted this vine. It is a prayer to the Lord of hosts, to the mighty God who is faithful. He speaks and it is done, He commands and it stands firm. It seemed as though the Lord had for-saken them, as though the Lord did not want to dwell with them anymore. Turn us! Bring us back! Receive and renew us, refresh us, bring life unto us! Show unto us Thy presence!

The church was in a backsliding condition, just as in the days of Eli: “Ichabod... The glory is departed from Israel.” Is not that a sad picture of the church today? Does not the fault lie with us? Did we not leave the Lord and grieve Him days without number? Does not the Lord justly complain about His people and “have something against them”? Thou hast left thy first love! The Lord sees our country and our churches. He sees the decay, the guilt, the worldliness, and the divisions. He is the omniscient God. May He also look upon us and view the condition as it is and take notice of it, how ruined the sanctuaries are. The walls of Jerusalem are broken down. Materialism and false religion creep in and God’s people are backsliding far from their place. It was so with Israel; it is so with us. The fences are broken down. We are no longer a separate people. Fellowship among God’s people is missing. Humility, tenderness, and the practice of godliness are more often discussed than experienced. This waywardness is not God’s fault. We have not been on our guard. We have not been faithful. We have not been humble. We have become self-satisfied and content with ourselves. We see our churches grow in number, our schools seem to prosper, we have our organizations; we have become something. May the Lord bring us to nothing in self, to beg “Lord, look upon us, return us.”

The poet continues with a supplication for a visit. He says, “and visit this vine.” When the Lord visits, He often does this with the rod, with His judgments, and with His chastisements. We can read that in the Word of God. Sometimes He also visits in mercy. We know that from Genesis 21:1, “And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as He had spoken.” He makes such visits in order to help, to comfort, to heal the wounds, to refresh, to nourish, to feed His flock, and to bring back that which was lost. The psalmist says, “and visit this vine.” Visit us in mercy and in Thy kind providence. Visit us. Do not pass us by, but do with us as with the two men going to Emmaus. They constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And then we read that He went in to tarry with them. The poet says, as it were, “Visit this vine; visit us, in order to deliver us from our enemies, to restore us to former glory, and to build the broken walls. Be Thou our wall of protection again. Dwell with us with Thy gracious presence, cause Thy face to shine upon us and save us.”

May the Lord visit His church with His Spirit; then the fruit will be repentance. There will be broken hearts and there will be abasement and humiliation. When the enmity is broken, guilt will be confessed; supplications will be made. Then true conversion will be seen. Idols will be broken down and true worship will be restored. There will be a hunger and thirst after God’s salvation; there will be the need for a Savior.

Oh, didn’t God visit His people when they were sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death? Didn’t He come in the fullness of time? Didn’t He come, the Sun of His Righteousness, with healing in His wings?

Oh, visit us with Thy salvation! When He visits us with His Spirit, fruits will be seen in our life; there will be humility and uprightness. Then there will be self-denial and a true confession of our guilt. We will bow before God and under each other. We will understand the truth with our heart. Then we will be abased most deeply and God will be exalted. Christ will receive His rightful place in our heart. When the Spirit comes and visits us, we will become like Asaph — as a great beast before God. Then those beasts will also be led by the Spirit to Bethlehem’s manger, to the Bread of Life, laid in the feeding box, and become poor, great beasts! When the Lord visits with His Spirit, there will also be fellowship. Then our mouths will be opened and God will be adored. His Name and honor will be uppermost. God’s work will come in the foreground and we will fall to the background. Then it will be nothing in us, but all in Him; God’s people will be a light upon the candlestick; there will be necessity instead of inactivity. “Visit us.”

May He give us a Prayer Day in the dust, in humiliation before Him, pleading, “Do it for Thy Name’s sake.”

Isn’t this prayer also suitable and applicable in our days? Then what is the pleading ground in this petition? There are no reasons in Israel, no reasons in this vine. There are no reasons in us either. They and we have sinned everything away. The pleading ground is not Israel. He says it is the vineyard which Thy right hand has planted. Thy right hand is the hand of power and wisdom. Thy right hand is the hand of skill and strength. God has shown great wisdom and power in establishing the Jewish nation. He says, “Lord, that was Thine own work. This is the people which Thou hast formed for Thyself and which Thou hast planted.” That is the first pleading ground. He pleads on God’s own work, not on anything that Israel has done.

He also says, “and the branch that Thou madest strong for Thyself; the branch, or it can also be translated “son.” Who is this branch? Who is this son? This son is first of all, Israel. Israel is called the son of God. Israel is His people, the son or the people that Thou madest strong for Thyself. Did not the Lord do that with Israel? Did He not cause it to grow? Did He not make the branch strong? Did He not make it a prosperous and strong nation in the days of David and Solomon? The psalmist says, “This people is Thy son,” but we can only be His son because of another Son. He can only set that people apart for reasons in Himself, for His own Son’s sake. He is the Branch, the Lord Jesus Christ We read in Isaiah 11:1, “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of His roots.” It is only for Christ’s sake, for His Son’s sake, for the Son of God’s right hand, for the greater Benjamin, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, that God can have gracious dealings with a sinful people. He can only do it for His work’s, for His Name’s, for His honor’s sake.

Jesus Christ was the true Vine which was cast out and was thrown into the fire of God’s wrath and displeasure, as if He were an utterly useless and unprofitable tree. His walls were broken down. Everyone could mock Him and despise Him; yet He was, and is, the Son of God’s good pleasure. He is the mighty One upon whom the Lord has laid help. He is the Victor in the battle and gives unto His people the victory. He gives rich blessings, merited by His blood and sacrifice. The Lord made the branch strong for Himself. He protected it by laws and caused it to grow in strength. He had a special delight in this vine, in this people; but above all, He has a special delight in the Branch of the covenant, in this Son of His right hand. Christ is the Son of God in whom He is well-pleased. He delights in Him. He is pleased with His work. In Him He also has a delight in His people. Christ is the willing Servant whom He has chosen. His work is perfect. He glorified God and paid the price. Therefore, there is also a willing people in the day of His power who serve Him, not as slaves, but willingly. Christ is the Savior who sought the honor of God. His work is the exaltation of God. All honor is given to God for His good pleasure. Now Israel is made strong for God’s honor. “This people have I formed for Myself, they shall show forth My praise.”

The pleading ground is not in that people or in anything they did. They are utterly unworthy, but it is the people who are called after His Name. That is the pleading ground for the church, then and now. Did this already become our petition? “Lord, we beseech Thee, return, and turn us unto Thee; look down from heaven, and behold, and visit me, this corrupt vine. Visit this poor, lost sinner. Speak unto me one word and it will be done. Oh, visit me with Thy salvation. Open my prison. Return, and turn me unto Thee. I have left Thee days without number. I have left Thee so often. I can never return unto Thee anymore, but return Thou unto me. Oh Lord, my pleading ground is not from anything in myself, neither in any work I have done. My righteousnesses are as filthy rags. I have lost all my merits. I deserve nothing but hell, but Lord, do it for Thy Name’s sake, for Thine honor’s sake.”

This should also be the prayer for the church, for God’s cause, and for God’s work all over the world. May He visit that which He has planted. May He revive His own work in the midst of the years. May He in wrath remember mercy. May He give us a Prayer Day in the dust, in humiliation before Him, pleading, “Do it for Thy Name’s sake.” That would be a Prayer Day to His honor indeed. Then it would also be, “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.” Then God would receive all the honor.

Rev. C. Vogelaar is pastor of the Ebenezer Netherlands Reformed Church of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.

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