Let us turn again to the psalm
that we read, Psalm 80, the 80th psalm, and reading once more
the first three verses of the psalm. Give ear, O shepherd of
Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock, thou that dwellest
between the cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim and Benjamin and
Manasseh, stir up thy strength. and come and save us. Turn us again, O God, and cause
thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. I want us to take these
verses in for a text to consider the content of this portion of
God's holy works. And the subject matter, of course,
is that of the shepherd of Israel, Leviah. O Shepherd of Israel. The psalm in that sense is in
the form of a prayer to God. Asaph will call upon the God,
the Shepherd of Israel. And yet, It seems that the complaint
is that God is not hearing their prayers. God is not answering
them when they cry to Him. Verse 4, O Lord God of hosts,
how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people? It does appear that the psalm
has to do with that period in the history of Israel when the
Assyrians came and attacked from the north and literally destroyed
that northern kingdom of Israel. Remember how after the days of
King Solomon there'd been the division and the northern tribes
had rebelled against Rehoboam and the house of David. They'd
chosen Jeroboam to be their king and he established his capital
there in Samaria in the north and ten of the tribes attached
themselves to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. Just Judah and Benjamin
in the south remained faithful to Rehoboam. In many ways the
division was Rehoboam's own fault he acted so unwisely. unlike
his father, the wise man that Solomon was and so there'd been
a division and it's that northern kingdom in particular that we're
to think of here that was the kingdom at that time that was
completely scattered to the four winds, the ten tribes the Assyrians
did move further south and we can read of course in the historic
books and in Isaiah of that gracious king in Judah called Hezekiah. When the Assyrians came south
and they were laying siege even to Jerusalem, it seemed that
Jerusalem would also fall, that the southern kingdom of Judah
would also be scattered. But now Hezekiah persevered in
his prayers to God and there was a glorious deliverance for
that southern kingdom. But as I say, this psalm seems
to be principally taken up with what had happened in the north. We have mentioned then of Israel,
of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh. And it was particularly the tribe
of Ephraim Ephraim being one of the sons of Joseph, Manasseh
another of his sons. Remember how in a sense Joseph
had that double portion amongst the tribes of Israel. And Ephraim
was the prominent tribe it seems in the north. These are the people
that are being spoken of here. God who is pleading with to stir up his
strength before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh and to appear and
to save them. Now, we see in the psalm how
this particular figure of a vine is being used. Verse 8, Thou
hast brought a vine out of Egypt. Thou hast cast out the heathen
and planted it. And then verse 12, Why hast thou
then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by
the way do pluck her, the boar out of the wood doth waste it,
and the wild beast of the field doth devour it? Verse 16, It
is burned with fire, it is cut down, they perish at the rebuke
of thy countenance. It's very much the destruction
of that nation, the destruction of that kingdom of Israel. And it's interesting the figure
that is used because we have the same figure of course in
that other portion, that short portion in Isaiah 5 that we read. Now will I sing to my well-beloved
a song of my beloved touching his vineyards. My well-beloved
hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill and he fenced it. and gathered
out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choices vine, and
built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress
therein. And he looked that it should
bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And God asked the question himself,
What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not
done in it? Wherefore, when I looked, that
it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes.
This is a figure. And what does it represent? Well,
we're told there in Isaiah 5-7, The vineyard of the Lord of Hosts
is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah is pleasant
plants. There we have the two kingdoms
after the division. and the house of Israel there
in the north spoken of as God's vineyard and little Judah in
the south as God's pleasant plant. Well, the figure is a lovely figure
really and of course it's one that is also taken up by the
Lord Jesus in the New Testament. Was Israel being brought out
of Egypt, God's vine, that he was going to plant in a vineyard?
Well, of course, Israel in the Old Testament is a type of the
spiritual Israel, the true Israel, the church of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And remember the language that we have in John 15, where
the Lord declares, I am the true vine, and my father is the husband. One of those great I Am statements.
Here is Jehovah Jesus, He is the Lord, He is the great I Am.
I am the true vine, He says. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me and I in
him the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without me ye can
do nothing. Ultimately then we are to look
to the Lord Jesus. He is that one who is the Vine. But then we have another figure
here really. We have the figure of the Vine. It's fulfillment ultimately in
the Lord Jesus Christ, but we also have this figure of the
Lord God as a shepherd. And it's that really that I want
to take up principally tonight. Give ear, O shepherd of Israel,
it says. And that's a figure, of course,
that we see repeatedly throughout the Scriptures. God is that one
who is the good shepherd. Isaiah 40, 11, He shall feed
His flock like a shepherd. He shall gather them with His
arm and carry them in His bosom and shall gently lead those that
are with young. And we just sang Isaac Watts'
paraphrase of the 23rd Psalm, the Shepherd Psalm. The Lord
is my shepherd, says David there. David the shepherd boy. But here
we come to consider the Shepherd of Israel. The Lord God is that
One who is the Great Shepherd. Or when we see that revelation
in the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, what a
Shepherd is this. There were those in the Old Testament
who were to be the shepherds of God's covenant people. He'd appointed the office of
the priests. They were priests who were to
make the sacrifices. And there was also, of course,
the office of the prophet. There were those men who were
raised up who would speak to the people the Word of God. And then there was the office
of the king. There were those who were raised
up in the kingdom, those princes. And these were three offices
that God had appointed for the good of His people that they
might be rightly governed, that they might understand His Word.
But remember how the Lord God rebukes the wicked shepherds
of Israel in that 34th chapter of the prophecy of Ezekiel. That solemn chapter in which
God upbraids those men God says to him, Son of Man, prophesy
against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say unto them, Thus
saith the Lord God unto the shepherds, Woe be to the shepherds of Israel,
that do feed themselves, should not the shepherds feed the flock. And so the prophet Ezekiel goes
on speaking as the mouthpiece of God. The solemn charges that
he lays against those wicked kings, and those false prophets,
and those priests who were abusing their position. And what does
God say? He gives that promise. Verse 22, Therefore will I save
my flock, and they shall no more be a prey, and I will judge between
cattle and cattle, and I will set up one shepherd over them,
and he shall feed them, even my servant David. He shall feed
them, And he shall be their shepherd, and I, the Lord's, will be their
God. And my servant David, a prince
among them, I, the Lord, have spoken." Words spoken, of course,
many, many years after David had been the king. David that's
being spoken of is David's son, David's greatest son, the Lord
Jesus Christ. the shepherds of Israel. This is what I want us to consider
then, something of that ministry of the good shepherd, the one
who gives his life for the sheep, there in John chapter 10. Looking
then at these words, the first three verses of the psalm, Give
ear, O shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock,
thou that dwellest between the cherubim shine forth, before
Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up thy strength and come
and save us. Turn us again, O God, and cause
thy face to shine, and we shall be saved." And I want to divide
the subject into three parts. First of all, to speak about
God is the one who will lead His sheep lead His people by
His providence. And then secondly, God is that
One who dwells in mercy. And finally, He is that One who
shines forth in grace. Those three headings. First of
all, how God leads. Thou that leadest Joseph like
a flock. This is the work of the shepherd
to lead his sheep. And Eastern shepherds would do
that very thing. They would lead their flocks.
They would go before their flocks. They wouldn't use dogs to round
up the flock and to drive them, as would be the practice here
in the West. They were different sort of shepherds. And as I already intimated, the
Lord Himself takes up that figure there in that 10th chapter of
John's Gospel. And remember what the Lord says
concerning the shepherd. He that entereth in by the door,
He says, is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth,
and the sheep hear his voice, And he calleth his own sheep
by name, and leadeth them out. He knows them, he calls them,
they follow him. When he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth
before them. And the sheep follow him, for
they know his voice. He leads them. He doesn't drive
them. The shepherd then is that one
who has such a tender care of the sheep. And this is how the
Lord cares for his people, going before them in the way, opening
doors for them. in his sovereign providence,
sometimes closing doors. Sure, these are things that we
are familiar with. And now, the shepherd has such
a tender care of his sheep that he watches over them. He's not
only the shepherd, he's also the door to the sheep pen. And going there in that 10th
chapter, doesn't the Lord bring that out? Verily, verily, it
says, I am the door of the sheep. All these wonderful statements
that we have in John's Gospel, these I Am passages. And the
significance, of course, of that statement, I Am, that I Am, that
is the very name of God. That is the name that God revealed
Himself by to Moses back in Exodus chapter 3. And the Lord, as it
were, revealing to us something of the significance of the name.
I Am the good shepherd or the good shepherd give us his life
for the sheep I am the door he says what a shepherd he is, he is
never far off how is he the door? well the pen would have an opening
where the sheep would enter in but he would sleep there through
the night watches he would be with the with the sheep we read
But the birth of the Lord Jesus of those shepherds in the fields
of Bethlehem watching over their flocks by night. Always there,
always on hand to protect them. And now all of that is unfolded
of course in what we read of David the shepherd boy and how
he would fight for the sheep, he would fight the bear, he would
fight the lion to deliver the sheep out of the mouth of those
beasts of prey. that it's all a wonderful picture
of the Lord Jesus Christ God himself in Christ is never far
off has he not come where we are? is he not bone of our bone
and flesh of our flesh? is he not one who is able to
feel for us? and sympathize with us? that
one who is our great high priest as well as our shepherd though
the Lord does guide his people Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
thou that leadest Joseph like the flock. How does he guide
his people? Well, we know that he is a sovereign
God and he is the God of providence. And all power, all authority
has been committed into the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
are we not taught here in Scripture the importance of being observant
of God's providences? Think of the 107th psalm that
speaks so much of providence in a whole variety of the situations
that men and women might find themselves in. And when we come
to the concluding verse of that great psalm, what does it say? "...who so is wise." who so is
wise and will observe these things even they shall understand the
loving kindness of the Lord all friends to be wise to be observant
of God's providences that the things that come to us none of
them come by mere chance things might come that are so strange
and difficult for us but how we need to be aware of God in
all these events and we are to pray to him this is a prayer
give ear as if he is addressing God pleading
with God that he would hear him and help him and we need God
to help us to understand his providences it is interesting
that we have here in the opening verse Israel and Joseph O shepherd
of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph. Now, as I've already
said, after the division of the nation, the division of the kingdom,
with those ten tribes in the north, Ephraim, and the tribe
of Ephraim, of course, were those descended from Joseph's son. Ephraim was the principal tribe
in Israel, in the Northern Kingdom. And we see it in the book of
Hosea, where Hosea is ministering principally to those ten tribes,
to Israel, and often times he addresses them as Ephraim. Now
the Lord God there through the Prophet says, how shall I give
thee up? Ephraim! How shall I deliver
the Israel? Sometimes our Israel, sometimes
our Ephraim. And so we have these two names
brought together here at the beginning of our text. The Shepherd
of Israel, the one who leads Joseph like a flock. And think
of Joseph for a while. Joseph, the father of Ephraim.
Joseph is such a remarkable example of God's providence. And we have the history of Joseph
in some detail there at the end of the book of Genesis. Remember
at the end in the last chapter when Jacob has died and all is
now known and Joseph is the chief man next to the Pharaoh in Egypt
and Joseph's brethren who had treated him so cruelly they are
fearful as to what Joseph will do. What does Joseph say to them? Fear not, am I in the place of
God? Ye thought evil against me, but
God meant it unto good to save much people alive. All their
evil designs were but the outworking of the strange providences of
God. Again, do we not read of Joseph there in the 105th Psalm? And look at the words that we
have in verse 19, we're told concerning Joseph, until the
time that his word came, the word of the Lord tried him. How
God's word came to that man, was real in that man's life,
in that man's experience, but what a trial that word was to
Joseph. Now God had communicated with
him by way of dreams, which was not uncommon of course, there
was no complete canon of scripture. God was still revealing himself
by the ministry of prophets, by visions, by dreams, and God
had certainly given that young man his word by means of dreams
and he was to be exalted. He wasn't always wise, maybe,
in the way he spoke with his brethren concerning these things,
but it was evident that God was going to raise him to some position
of authority. But how did he come to pass?
And you don't need me to go into all the detail of that young
man's life, how he was sold into slavery by his brethren, taken
into Egypt, He's a servant there in the house of Potiphar, that
wicked wife of Potiphar casts her lustful eyes upon him. He
refuses to have any dealings with that wicked woman. She then
lays false charges against him. He's languishing in prison. He's
forgotten. Though he's able to interpret
dreams. You see, he's a dreamer. God speaks to him by dreams.
He has the power to interpret dreams. He interprets a dream
for the butler. The butler is reinstated. But
Joseph is forgotten. and still is in prison and then
the Lord God sends dreams to the Pharaoh and there's none
can interpret the dreams and the butler remembers Joseph and
Joseph is summoned and so in God's strange providences he
is in that exalted place until the time that his word came there's
a time you know for the word of God We want God's time always
to be now. Sometimes we have to simply wait
God's time, and look to God, and commit our course to God,
and be observant, watching the hand of God in providence. And
how God does move in strange ways. Oh, God moves in a mysterious
way. He's wondrous to perform. Plants
his footsteps in the sea, rides upon the storm. What does the
psalmist say? Thy way is in the sea, thy path
in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not snow. Oh, there
is such a strange mystery to the ways of God. All the time
seems to be so contrary. Doesn't seem to be right, what
God is doing. And this is the case here, is
it not? Look at the language. Verse 4 again, 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. Thou makest us to strife
unto our neighbours, and our enemies laugh among themselves. God's ways with his people, contrary
ways, mysterious ways, and you know when the Lord speaks
of himself there in John 10 as the shepherd and as the door
also what does he say? I am the door by me if any man
enter in he shall be saved and go in and out and find pasture
or there's a going in and there's a going out it's a life of strange
varieties really it's an up and down experience and in and out
experience Well, we cannot always praise the ways, understand the
ways of God, but we can pray. Give ear, O shepherd of Israel,
thou that leadest Joseph like a flock. As this assurance in the midst
of all that is happening, the Lord is there. The Lord is the
one who leads his people. Let us not doubt that the Lord
leads his people. And isn't this God who leads
his people such a merciful God? Where does God dwell? Let us
turn then in the second place to consider how God dwells in
mercy. Thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth. Thou that dwellest between the
cherubims, What does this mean? The reference here of course
is to the Mercy Seat. The Mercy Seat. We refer this
morning to Exodus 25 where as Moses is receiving all that
instruction and direction with regards to the tabernacle and
the furniture of the tabernacle he is commanded as to how the
Ark of the Covenant is to be made that Ark that will contain
the two tables of the Law, the Covenant and upon that Ark as
a covering there is to be the Mercy Seat and upon each end
of the Mercy Seat there is the figure of the Angel, the Cherubim
with his wings outstretched, looking over the mercy seat,
as it were, one on each hand. And what does God say? What is
the promise of God? I will meet with thee and I will
commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between
at the cherubims, upon the ark of the testimony. That's God's
promise. It's repeated again, Leviticus
16.2, I will appear in the clouds over or upon the mercy seat,
he says. The cloud, the Shekinah glory,
the presence of God, had he not gone before the people in a cloudy
pillar during the day and a fiery pillar at night. And here There
in the Tabernacle, in the Holy of Holies, is the Shekinah Glory,
God appearing in the clouds upon the Mercy Seat. And it was there
on that great day of Atonement that the High Priest was to enter
and he was to offer sacrifices to reconcile sinners to God. It was the day of atonement. Thou that dwellest between the
cherubims. God dwells in the place of mercy. God dwells in that place of mercy. And how is it that God dwells
in the place of mercy? It is in the person of His only
begotten Son. It's in the person of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Romans 3.25 Paul speaks of the
Lord Jesus, he says, of him whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation
through faith in his blood. What was it that the high priest
was doing on that great day of atonement? He was taking blood
and it was the blood of propitiation. Now, it is a technical word,
it's a theological word But it's a word that's in our Bibles.
It's a word that's in our Bibles. It's there in Romans chapter
3, I've just quoted it, but it's there also in John's first epistle,
in chapter 2, and again in chapter 4, the word propitiation. Let
us not be afraid of technical words. What does it mean? That's
the important thing. What does it mean? Well, it speaks
of God as a holy God, a righteous God, a just God, a God who can
by no means clear the guilt. God's justice, God's holiness
must be satisfied. Without the shedding of blood
there is no remission. Without the shedding of blood
no pardon, no forgiveness of sins. Sin must be punished. And what
has Christ done He has received the punishment of the sins of
all His people in His own person. He is the propitiation. He has
borne all that holy wrath of God against the sins of His people
whom God has set forth to be a propitiation. Now, the word
that we have there, Romans 3.25, That word is repeated on just
one other occasion in the New Testament and it's there in Hebrews
9 verse 5 where Moses describing some of the furniture in the
tabernacle speaks of the mercy seat. It's exactly the same word. It's rendered mercy seat in Hebrews
9 It's rendered propitiation in Romans 3. But you see, the mercy seat is
the place where the blood is sprinkled. On the great day of
atonement, the high priest goes, he takes the blood, and he sprinkles
the blood of sacrifice before and upon the mercy seat. Or where is it that God dwells
in mercy? It's in the Lord Jesus Christ,
whom God has set forth to be a mercy seat. We might render
those words in Romans 3.25. Whom God has set forth to be
a mercy seat. God dwells in mercy. Or we see
it in the Lord Jesus. We have not an High Priest which
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. but was tempted
in all points like as we are yet without sin. Let us therefore
come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy
and find grace to help in time of need." What is the throne
of grace? It's the mercy seat. It's the place we obtain mercy. And here you see the Lord Jesus
is in this psalm you know. This psalm is messianic It's
prophetic, it speaks of the Lord Jesus. Verse 17, Let thy hand
be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the Son of Man, whom
thou madest strong for thyself. Who is this one? The Son of Man,
made strong, able to say. What does Asaph go on to say
in verse 2? Stir up thy strength and come
and save us. It's in that man, you see, that
he's spoken of in verse 17. That's the Lord Jesus Christ.
Again, look at the language that we find later. In Psalm 84, verse 9, Behold,
O God, our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed. Who
is the anointed? Isn't that Christ? Isn't that
what Christ means, the anointed, the Messiah? all the Lord Jesus
Christ is here and the Lord Jesus Christ is that one who is salvation
that one in whom is the forgiveness of sins that one in whom there
is safety for sinners this is where we are to look
then where does God dwell between the cherubim All those cherubims,
one each end of the mercy seat with their wings outspread, covering
the mercy seat with their wings. And that's where we're to go.
Hide me under the shadow of thy wings, says the psalmist. In
the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, says the psalmist
again. This is the one where to go to
then. This is the place of salvation, this is the place of safety where
God dwells and God in His mercy dwells in the Lord Jesus Christ
give ear O Shepherd of Israel thou that leadest Joseph like
a flock thou that dwellest between the cherubims shine forth before
Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up thy strength and come
and save us. Turn us again, O God, and cause
thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. And so finally this
evening we see here how God shines forth in grace. There is the
petition, the end of verse 1, shine forth where? All before
Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. who need salvation. Turn us again O God, cause thy
face to shine is the prayer in verse 3. Cause thy face to shine
and we shall be saved. It is the shining of the face
of God. Or there be many who say, Who
will show us any good Lord? Lift thou up the light of thy
countenance upon us. We read in Psalm 4, that's God's
face shining, lifting up the light of His countenance, looking
upon us, beholding us. Wasn't that the great blessing
that was to be pronounced upon the children of Israel, that
lovely Aaronic blessing? The end of Numbers chapter 6.
What was the point and the purpose of the blessing? It's put in
God's name. And it's a triune name. The Lord, three times. The Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak unto Aaron, and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye
shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The Lord bless
thee and keep thee. The Lord make His face shine
upon them, and be gracious unto them. The Lord lift up His countenance
upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put my name upon
the children of Israel, and I will bless them. Oh, what is this? It's God making His face to shine. It's God lifting up the light
of His countenance upon His people. How is that name of God revealed?
Again, it is revealed to us in the Lord Christ. We see God in
the person of Christ. We see God in the work of the
Lord Jesus Christ. He is the image of the invisible
God. God in these last days has spoken
unto us by His Son. and those words that we have
in the fourth chapter of 2nd Corinthians where Paul speaks
of God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness he says
that's shine in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ is shine in our
hearts the light of the knowledge of God's glory where? in the
face, that's the person in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. God shines forth in grace, and
grace and truth have come by the Lord Jesus Christ. Or look at the way in which Asaphir
is repeating his prayer. Verse 3, he says, Turn us again,
O God, and cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
Verse 7, Turn us again, O God of hosts, and cause thy face
to shine, and we shall be saved. Verse 19, Turn us again, O Lord
God of hosts, cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. They're not vain repetitions.
Here we have indicated something of the earnestness of this man.
He wants to know those smilings. Oh, he wants to know those smilings
of the face of God. That's the answer to everything,
is it not? when we know that the Lord is looking upon us.
Or think of Peter, how he had denied his Lord three times. And you know he denied Him with
bitter curses. And the Lord, we are told, turned
and looked upon Peter. And Peter went out and wept bitter
tears. All those were tears of real
repentance. Where did they come from, that look of the Lord?
It's when the Lord turns and looks upon us that we're turned. Turn us again is the prayer.
Turn us again, turn us again. That's repentance. A change of
mind. Life turned about. Life turned
upside down. Life turned inside out. That's
repentance. The man is changed, you see.
And the Lord Jesus is that one who is exalted with God's right
hand to give repentance to Israel and the forgiveness of sins.
It's all through the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's the Lord Jesus
Christ, as I said, who is here in the psalm. He is that One
who is the Good Shepherd, the Shepherd of His Israel. In Him we see how God dwells
in the place of mercy. In him we see how God shines
forth in all the grace of the gospel. Oh, what a blessing,
friends, if we know him, and if we can address him as our
shepherd. David could do that. The Lord
is my shepherd, he says. I shall not want. Oh, that we
might know him then, of whom not only David speaks, but of
whom also Asaph is speaking here in our psalm. Give ear, O Shepherd
of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock, thou that
dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth, before Ephraim and
Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up thy strength and come
and save us. Turn us again, O God, and cause
thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. We need time and time
and time and time again to know that great salvation. that is
found only in Christ. The Lord bless this word to us.