The boar from the forest ravages it, and the creatures of the field feed upon it. The boar from the forestThe imagery of a "boar from the forest" is a powerful symbol of destruction and chaos. In the Hebrew text, the word for "boar" is "חֲזִיר" (chazir), which is a wild and untamed animal, often associated with uncleanliness and devastation. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, wild boars were known for their strength and ferocity, making them a fitting metaphor for invading forces or destructive powers that threaten the people of God. This phrase evokes a sense of vulnerability and the need for divine protection against external threats. ravages it
The Hebrew root for "ravages" is "שָׁחַת" (shachat), which means to destroy, ruin, or corrupt. This word conveys a sense of complete devastation, as if the vineyard, representing Israel, is being laid waste by an uncontrollable force. The use of this term highlights the severity of the situation faced by the people of God, emphasizing their desperate need for deliverance and restoration. It serves as a call to God to intervene and protect His people from those who seek to harm them. and the creatures of the field
The phrase "creatures of the field" refers to various animals that inhabit the open country. In Hebrew, "זִיז" (ziz) is used, which can denote small animals or birds. This imagery suggests that not only are there significant threats like the boar, but also numerous smaller, persistent challenges that continually afflict the people. It paints a picture of a land overrun by adversaries, both great and small, symbolizing the comprehensive nature of the trials faced by the nation. feed upon it
The act of feeding upon the vineyard signifies exploitation and consumption. The Hebrew word "רָעָה" (ra'ah) means to graze or feed, often used in the context of shepherding. Here, it implies that the vineyard, once a place of beauty and productivity, is now being consumed by those who have no rightful claim to it. This serves as a metaphor for the spiritual and physical desolation experienced by the people of Israel, as they are stripped of their blessings and heritage. It underscores the urgency of their plea for God's intervention to restore and protect His chosen people. Persons / Places / Events 1. The Boar from the ForestSymbolic of destructive forces or enemies that threaten the people of Israel. In the context of the psalm, it represents external threats that have come to ravage the nation. 2. The Creatures of the FieldThese represent smaller, perhaps more insidious threats that continue to exploit the vulnerability of Israel after the initial devastation by the boar. 3. Israel (The Vine)The nation of Israel is often symbolized as a vine in the Old Testament, representing God's chosen people who are meant to bear fruit and flourish under His care. 4. The Psalmist (Asaph)Traditionally attributed to Asaph, a leader of one of the temple choirs, who is calling out to God for restoration and protection of Israel. 5. God as the ShepherdEarlier in the psalm, God is depicted as the Shepherd of Israel, highlighting His role as protector and guide, which contrasts with the current state of vulnerability. Teaching Points Recognizing Spiritual VulnerabilityJust as Israel was vulnerable to external threats, Christians must be aware of spiritual vulnerabilities and seek God's protection. The Consequences of UnfaithfulnessThe devastation described in the psalm serves as a warning of the consequences of turning away from God and His commandments. God's Role as ProtectorDespite the current state of destruction, believers are reminded of God's ultimate role as protector and restorer, encouraging trust in His sovereignty. The Importance of Spiritual FruitfulnessLike the vine, Christians are called to bear fruit. This requires remaining connected to Christ, the true vine, and living in obedience to His word. Intercession for RestorationThe psalmist's plea for restoration encourages believers to intercede for their communities and nations, seeking God's intervention and healing. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the imagery of the boar and the creatures of the field in Psalm 80:13 reflect the spiritual challenges we face today? 2. In what ways can we ensure that we remain connected to the true vine, as described in John 15, to prevent spiritual devastation? 3. Reflect on a time when you felt spiritually vulnerable. How did you seek God's protection and restoration? 4. How can the church today act as a protective community to guard against spiritual threats, similar to the role of God as the Shepherd in Psalm 80? 5. What practical steps can we take to intercede for our communities, asking for God's restoration and protection, as modeled by the psalmist? Connections to Other Scriptures Isaiah 5:1-7This passage also uses the imagery of a vineyard to describe Israel, emphasizing God's care and the expectation of fruitfulness, yet lamenting the resulting wild grapes, symbolizing Israel's unfaithfulness. John 15:1-8Jesus refers to Himself as the true vine, and His followers as branches, drawing a parallel to the vine imagery in Psalm 80, and emphasizing the need for connection to Him for spiritual vitality and protection. Jeremiah 12:10This verse speaks of shepherds (leaders) who have destroyed God's vineyard, paralleling the destructive forces mentioned in Psalm 80:13. People Asaph, Benjamin, Joseph, Manasseh, PsalmistPlaces JerusalemTopics Animals, Beast, Beasts, Boar, Consumeth, Creatures, Devour, Eats, Feed, Feedeth, Feeds, Field, Fields, Forest, Move, Moves, Moveth, Pigs, Ravage, Ravages, Uprooted, Waste, Whatever, Wild, Wood, WoodsDictionary of Bible Themes Psalm 80:13 4448 forests Psalm 80:1-19 8149 revival, nature of Psalm 80:8-17 4534 vine Psalm 80:8-19 4458 grape Psalm 80:12-16 5508 ruins Library One Antidote for Many Ills
This morning's sermon, then will be especially addressed to my own church, on the absolute necessity of true religion in our midst, and of revival from all apathy and indifference. We may ask of God multitudes of other things, but amongst them all, let this be our chief prayer: "Lord, revive us; Lord, revive us!" We have uttered it in song; let me stir up your pure minds, by way of remembrance, to utter it in your secret prayers, and make it the daily aspiration of your souls. I feel, beloved, that …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859Dishonest Tenants
'And He began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. 2. And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. 3. And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. 4. And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Blessing of God.
NUMB. VI. 22-27. We have already seen the grace of GOD making provision that His people, who had lost the privilege of priestly service, might draw near to Him by Nazarite separation and consecration. And not as the offence was the free gift: those who had forfeited the privilege of priestly service were the males only, but women and even children might be Nazarites; whosoever desired was free to come, and thus draw near to GOD. We now come to the concluding verses of Numb. vi, and see in them one …
James Hudson Taylor—Separation and Service Period iii. The Critical Period: A. D. 140 to A. D. 200
The interval between the close of the post-apostolic age and the end of the second century, or from about 140 to 200, may be called the Critical Period of Ancient Christianity. In this period there grew up conceptions of Christianity which were felt by the Church, as a whole, to be fundamentally opposed to its essential spirit and to constitute a serious menace to the Christian faith as it had been commonly received. These conceptions, which grew up both alongside of, and within the Church, have …
Joseph Cullen Ayer Jr., Ph.D.—A Source Book for Ancient Church History The Wicked Husbandmen.
"Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: and when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto …
William Arnot—The Parables of Our Lord Discourse on the Good Shepherd.
(Jerusalem, December, a.d. 29.) ^D John X. 1-21. ^d 1 Verily, verily, I say to you [unto the parties whom he was addressing in the last section], He that entereth not by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. [In this section Jesus proceeds to contrast his own care for humanity with that manifested by the Pharisees, who had just cast out the beggar. Old Testament prophecies were full of declarations that false shepherds would arise to …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Homiletical.
Twenty-four homilies on miscellaneous subjects, published under St. Basil's name, are generally accepted as genuine. They are conveniently classified as (i) Dogmatic and Exegetic, (ii) Moral, and (iii) Panegyric. To Class (i) will be referred III. In Illud, Attende tibi ipsi. VI. In Illud, Destruam horrea, etc. IX. In Illud, Quod Deus non est auctor malorum. XII. In principium Proverbiorum. XV. De Fide. XVI. In Illud, In principio erat Verbum. XXIV. Contra Sabellianos et Arium et Anomoeos. …
Basil—Basil: Letters and Select Works Rules to be Observed in Singing of Psalms.
1. Beware of singing divine psalms for an ordinary recreation, as do men of impure spirits, who sing holy psalms intermingled with profane ballads: They are God's word: take them not in thy mouth in vain. 2. Remember to sing David's psalms with David's spirit (Matt. xxii. 43.) 3. Practise St. Paul's rule--"I will sing with the spirit, but I will sing with the understanding also." (1 Cor. xiv. 15.) 4. As you sing uncover your heads (1 Cor. xi. 4), and behave yourselves in comely reverence as in the …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety The Shepherd of Our Souls.
"I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep."--John x. 11. Our Lord here appropriates to Himself the title under which He had been foretold by the Prophets. "David My servant shall be king over them," says Almighty God by the mouth of Ezekiel: "and they all shall have one Shepherd." And in the book of Zechariah, "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the man that is My fellow, saith the Lord of Hosts; smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered." …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII Farewell Discourse to Disciples.
(Jerusalem. Evening Before the Crucifixion.) ^D John XIV.-XVI. ^d 1 Let not your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in me. [That one should betray him and one should deny him, that all should be offended, and that the Lord should depart, raised anxieties which Jesus here seeks to quiet. That they should go out as homeless wanderers without the presence of their Lord and be subjected to persecution, was also in their thoughts. But Jesus sustains their spirits by appealing to them to …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel The Barren Fig-Tree;
OR, THE DOOM AND DOWNFALL OF THE FRUITLESS PROFESSOR: SHOWING, THAT THE DAY OF GRACE MAY BE PAST WITH HIM LONG BEFORE HIS LIFE IS ENDED; THE SIGNS ALSO BY WHICH SUCH MISERABLE MORTALS MAY BE KNOWN. BY JOHN BUNYAN 'Who being dead, yet speaketh.'--Hebrews 11:4 London: Printed for J. Robinson, at the Golden Lion, in St. Paul's Churchyard, 1688. This Title has a broad Black Border. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. This solemn, searching, awful treatise, was published by Bunyan in 1682; but does not appear …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Psalm 80:13 NIVPsalm 80:13 NLTPsalm 80:13 ESVPsalm 80:13 NASBPsalm 80:13 KJV
Psalm 80:13 Commentaries
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