Psalm 79 — 80
Dan, Asher, and Naphtali bringing up the rear (see Num. 10). Asaph asked the Lord to "stir up [His] strength" (7:6; 78:65) and bring salvation to His people. This reminds us of the words of Moses whenever the camp set out, "Rise up, O Lord! May your enemies be scattered" (Num. 10:35 niv). The request "cause thy face to shine" of the refrain reminds us of the priestly benediction (Num. 6:22–27; and see 4:6; 31:16; 67:1; 119:135.) When God hides His face, there is trouble (13:1; 27:9; 30:7; 44:24; 69:17; 88:14). "Turn us again" (kjv) means "restore us to our former state of blessing and fellowship with the Lord." (See 85:4; 126:1,4; Lam. 5:21.)
covenant with Israel often uses the phrase "seven times" (Lev. 26:18, 21, 24, 28; Deut. 28:7, 25). The prophet Jeremiah promised that God would judge Babylon for her sins (Jer. 50—51), and if Asaph knew of these prophecies, then he was simply praying for God to accomplish His will on earth.
The people of Judah were but sheep (vv. 74:1; 77:20; 78:72; 95:7; 100:3), but they had been ruthlessly slaughtered by their enemies, and God's name had been slandered. God had called His people to praise Him and to bear witness to the heathen nations (Isa. 43:21), and this is what Asaph promised to do if God would only deliver the people. There were sons of Asaph who left Babylon for Judah when the captivity ended, so Asaph's promise to the Lord was fulfilled (Ezra 2:41; 3:10; Neh. 7:44; 11:17, 22; 12:35–36).
"Pity Your People" (vv. 4–7) The shepherd image blends in with the image of Israel as God's people: "We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture" (100:3). But the Lord was now angry with His people, and His anger smoldered like a fire about to erupt and consume them. (See 74:1; 79:5; Deut. 29:20; Isa. 65:5.) He was even angry at their prayers, or "in spite of" their prayers. (For "How long?" see 6:3. See also Lam. 3:8, 44, and recall that God told Jeremiah not to pray for His wayward people [Jer. 7:16; 11:14; 14:11; and see 1 John 5:16].) During Israel's wilderness wanderings, God provided bread from heaven and water from the rock (Ex. 16—17; Num. 20), but now His people had only tears as both their food and drink. (See 42:3; 102:9; Isa. 30:20.) To make matters worse, the neighboring peoples were laughing at God's people (44:13–16; 79:4). Again we read the plaintive refrain (v. 7), but note that the "O God" of verse 3 now becomes "O God of hosts" ("God Almighty," niv). Jehovah is the Lord of the armies of heaven and earth, but His people no longer marched in victory.