O LORD God of Hosts, how long will Your anger smolder against the prayers of Your people? O LORD God of HostsThis title emphasizes God's supreme authority and power over the heavenly armies. It reflects His sovereignty and might, often invoked in times of national crisis or spiritual need. The term "Hosts" refers to the angelic beings and celestial bodies under God's command, highlighting His control over both the spiritual and physical realms. This title is used frequently in the Old Testament, especially in the prophetic books, to remind Israel of God's ability to protect and deliver them. how long will Your anger smolder
The phrase "how long" is a common lament in the Psalms, expressing a deep yearning for God's intervention and relief from suffering. The imagery of anger "smoldering" suggests a prolonged period of divine displeasure, akin to a fire that continues to burn without being extinguished. This reflects the covenant relationship between God and Israel, where disobedience leads to divine discipline. The persistence of God's anger indicates a serious breach in this relationship, often due to idolatry or injustice. against the prayers of Your people?
The mention of "prayers" indicates that the people are actively seeking reconciliation and relief from their distress. This suggests a communal lament, where the nation collectively cries out to God. The fact that God's anger is directed "against the prayers" implies a situation where the people's petitions are not being answered, possibly due to unrepentant sin or a need for genuine repentance. This echoes other biblical instances where God withholds His response until there is a turning back to Him, as seen in the prophetic calls to repentance throughout the Old Testament. Persons / Places / Events 1. LORD God of HostsThis title emphasizes God's sovereignty and power over the heavenly armies. It reflects His authority and might, often invoked in times of national distress or warfare. 2. The People of IsraelThe recipients of God's anger in this context. They are God's chosen people, often depicted in the Old Testament as struggling with faithfulness to God. 3. The Psalmist (Asaph)Traditionally attributed to Asaph, a leader of one of the temple choirs. He is known for his role in worship and his contributions to the Psalms. 4. The Context of DistressThe psalm is set in a time of national calamity or divine displeasure, where the people feel abandoned and seek God's intervention. 5. The TempleWhile not directly mentioned in this verse, the temple is the central place of worship and prayer, where the people would have directed their prayers. Teaching Points Understanding Divine AngerGod's anger is not arbitrary but a response to persistent sin and rebellion. It serves as a call to repentance and renewal. The Role of Prayer in Times of DistressEven when it seems God is not listening, prayer remains a vital connection to Him. It is an expression of faith and dependence on His mercy. The Importance of Sincere WorshipGod desires genuine worship and obedience, not just ritualistic practices. Our hearts must align with our actions. Seeking God's Face in RepentanceWhen faced with divine displeasure, the appropriate response is to seek God's forgiveness and turn back to Him wholeheartedly. Community IntercessionThe collective prayers of a community can be powerful. Believers are encouraged to come together in prayer, especially in times of national or communal distress. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the title "LORD God of Hosts" influence our understanding of God's character and His response to the prayers of His people? 2. In what ways can we ensure that our prayers are sincere and not merely ritualistic, as warned against in Isaiah 1? 3. Reflect on a time when you felt your prayers were not being heard. How can Psalm 80:4 guide your response in such situations? 4. How can the community of believers today act as intercessors for nations or groups experiencing divine displeasure? 5. What steps can we take to align our hearts with God's will, ensuring that our worship and prayers are pleasing to Him? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 32The anger of God against the Israelites for their idolatry with the golden calf parallels the divine displeasure mentioned in Psalm 80:4. Isaiah 1The prophet Isaiah speaks of God's weariness with the people's sacrifices and prayers due to their insincere hearts, similar to the theme of divine anger in Psalm 80:4. James 5:16This New Testament verse emphasizes the power of righteous prayer, contrasting with the ineffective prayers mentioned in Psalm 80:4 due to the people's sin. People Asaph, Benjamin, Joseph, Manasseh, PsalmistPlaces JerusalemTopics Almighty, Anger, Angry, Armies, Burned, Burning, Hast, Hosts, O, People's, Prayer, Prayers, Rest, Smoke, Smolder, Till, Wilt, WrathDictionary of Bible Themes Psalm 80:4 1205 God, titles of Psalm 80:1-19 8149 revival, nature of Psalm 80:4-5 5198 weeping Psalm 80:4-6 5821 criticism, among believers
8615 prayer, doubts Psalm 80:4-7 8610 prayer, asking God 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 80:4 NIVPsalm 80:4 NLTPsalm 80:4 ESVPsalm 80:4 NASBPsalm 80:4 KJV
Psalm 80:4 Commentaries
Bible Hub |
