09/01/2022 – Day 186 – Psalm 78 – 80 // Thrice repeated in Chapter 80, verses 3, 7 and 19…
The verse: “Restore us, Lord God of Hosts; look on us with favor , and we will be saved.” The footnote for this verse in my “Apologetics Study Bible – Holman CSB” is: “The refrain of the psalm is drawn from the high priestly blessing of Numbers 6: 22-27. If God’s face shines on the people — if He, their Shepherd (Psalm 80:1), is gracious to them — they will be saved.”
And a good fyi for us in 80:1 on the reference to the cherubim and the ark of the covenant:
“80:1 The Lord sits enthroned “on the cherubim.” The reference is to the presence of the Lord in the most holy place in the sactuary, where the ark of the covenant was considered the footstool of his invisible throne (see 132: 7-8) Molded on the lid of the box at each end were the cherubim, powerful composite figures with both human and animal featurres (see Ezekiel 1: 5-11). The glory of the Lord hovered above this cover (sometimes called the “Mercy seat” in English versions).
Overall: Seemingly, many christians cannot accept the “angry” God of the Old Testament. Well, there is an angry God of the New Testament as well, but regardless, the Bible is one, His Holy Word. And if we reject an angry God and a God of justice, we are left with a god that is too small, and bereft of love. (God is not just unfathomably loving but God is love!)
Soli Deo Gloria!