"O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people? Thou feedest them with the bread of tears, and givest them tears to drink in great measure."
Psalm 80:4-5
Part 2
Yesterday: God is Good to the Children of Israel!
Jehovah is their Shepherd. He loves them and takes care of their needs.
Today: Israel is in Trouble with Her Shepherd
After verse one in Psalm 80, Asaph’s tone quickly changes, and we can see that the Children of Israel are in deep trouble. Their problems are not with other people, but this time with God Himself! By their sin, they have reached a point in their relationship with God that He has stopped answering their prayers.
“O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?” (Psalm 80:4).
Have you ever heard another believer say something like this? “When I pray, it seems like the heavens are brass!” They are saying that God is not listening to their prayers. The idea comes from Deuteronomy 28:23,
“And thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee shall be iron” (Deuteronomy 28:23).[1]
No rain is falling, the blessing cannot penetrate the brass clouds, the earth is dried up, and the crops have failed! Today “the heavens are brass,” is said when a person feels their prayers are not making it to God or that for some reason, He is not listening. Consequently, He is not sending His blessings. In Israel, He did not listen to their prayers because of their sin.
“Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2).
But why can’t God just forget about their sin? He made them, and He knows they are only human. Humans are going to sin. “What’s the big deal?” What does the last part of verse 1 say?
“…thou that dwellest between the cherubims shine forth.”
God is holy. He dwells in heaven, away from sin. He is seated on the “mercy seat” between the cherubim. He can never ignore sin, but He is willing to forgive it. If He were to excuse sin, He would no longer be the Holy God. He loves His creatures, and so He sent Jesus, His Son, to pay for our sin, that we might be forgiven.
So to answer Asaph’s question, “O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?” We must answer, “as long as you let your sin come between you and your God, He can have no fellowship with you.”
Not only did Israel’s sin anger God and stop His blessings, but in turn, “Thou feedest them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure” (v. 5).
This seems awfully harsh of God to do. At first, this does not seem to be “loving.” We need a closer look at what God is doing for His people. Come back tomorrow, and let’s see what we can learn from God’s relationship with His “Children of Israel.”
Quote: “Effective prayer is the fruit of a relationship with God, not a technique for acquiring blessings”[2] (D.A. Carson).
[1] In chapter 28 of Deuteronomy, the first part is telling of God’s promise of His blessings when the Children of Israel are obedient to Him and His Word (vv. 1-14). The rest of the chapter tells of God curses for their disobedience (vv. 15-68).
[2] Carson’s quote is from his book. D. A. Carson (1992). “A Call to Spiritual Reformation: Priorities from Paul and His Prayers”, p.33, Baker Academic. Downloaded: Friday, February 26, 2021. From: https://www.azquotes.com/quote/869400?ref=relationship-with-god.