Psalm 80:1 "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth."
"Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel." Have you ever had a time when you
felt God was not hearing your prayers? Did you ever feel like you
were wandering around with no purpose or goal in sight? Have you ever had that
spiritual emptiness inside? I think we all have those moments when we
feel like we are having to travel this road of life alone. Even when surrounded
by loving caring family, church family, and friends, there can be that feeling
of a need for fellowship with the Lord.
"Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a
flock." "The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want." I
know He provides every need. I know He has a plan to bring me to His place of
peace of heart and mind. I know He loves me. I know there is no lack of mercy
and grace that is found in my LORD. "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel."
You led Joseph to the place where you had prepared for him. Oh, but wait... he
first had to go into the pit where his brothers did away with him. He first had
to be falsely accused and imprisoned by those he had faithfully served. But
you, O Lord, shepherded him to the place where he was able to best serve you
and his brothers.
"Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that dwellest between the
cherubims." The cherubims, which are referred to in this verse, speak of
the cherubims that were carved out of the gold that made the mercy seat. It was
between these cherubims that the offering of blood was made once a year for the
atonement of the people of Israel. You and I are blessed to understand this was
pointing us toward the shed blood of the Good Shepherd of our souls, the Lord
Jesus Christ.
Let us summarize what we can see in these verses. The Lord is our Shepherd. He
leads us like a flock of sheep. Understand those sheep cannot know or
understand where their shepherd is taking them. They only know that there will
be green pastures, smooth flowing waters, and everything needed to sustain,
maintain, and even flourish in life. Joseph had no way of knowing the Lord had
a place prepared from the pit to the throne of Egypt. Neither those men who
carved the cherubim or the high priests who sprinkled the blood of the lambs on
the mercy seat could ever have known that they were ultimately being led to the
Shepherd of their souls. But God knew. God understood. God led them along the
path of life.
When I cry out, "Give ear, O Lord," I need to think upon these
things. I am a little lamb. The Lord Jesus Christ is my Shepherd. He knows
where He is taking me and He has the power to get me to that place. Yes,
ultimately heaven is where He is taking us, but I believe He has places
prepared along the way that reveal to us and remind us that His love is eternal
and His grace is supernal. I want to trust Him.