Restore us, O God; cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved! (Psalm 80:3) As the psalm continues, the theme of exile and prayers for deliverance is recurring. In fact, these same words in the verse above are invoked three different times in this psalm  (Ps...

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth! Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up Your strength, and come and save us! (Psalm 80:1-2) When Jacob blessed Joseph from his deathbed, he...

Do not remember former iniquities against us! Let Your tender mercies come speedily to meet us, for we have been brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name. (Psalm 79:8-9) Throughout history, philosophers and the man on the street...

How long, Lord? Will You be angry forever? Will Your jealousy burn like fire? (Psalm 79:5) Anyone who has been married for any length of time knows the value of peace in a relationship. As far as I'm concerned, having contention with one's spouse -- especially when it...

O God, the nations have come into Your inheritance; Your holy temple they have defiled. They have laid Jerusalem in heaps. (Psalm 79:1) This psalm is, in reality, a dirge about the destruction of Jerusalem and the Sanctuary. Being such, it is not something one would...

He also chose David His servant, and took him from the sheepfolds; from following the ewes that had young He brought him, to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance. (Psalm 78:70-71) In the previous devotion we addressed the fact that David was regarded...

He also chose David His servant, and took him from the sheepfolds; from following the ewes that had young He brought him, to shepherd Jacob His people, and Israel His inheritance. (Psalm 78:70-71) Just as God's choice of Zion is eternal, so too is His selection of...

He built His sanctuary like the heights, like the earth which He has established forever. (Psalm 78:69) In the Hebrew scriptures, the very first letter is ב beit which, pictographically, is a house. Thus it is understood that, from the initial point of Creation, God's...

He forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent He had placed among men, and delivered His strength into captivity, and His glory into the enemy’s hand. (Psalm 78:60-61) In the days of Eli the High Priest, the people of Israel were steadily moving away from God and...

Many a time He turned His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath; for He remembered that they were but flesh, a breath that passes away and does not come again. (Psalm 78:38-39) Who can understand man's frailties more than the One who created mankind? As it is...

They flattered Him with their mouth, and they lied to Him with their tongue; for their heart was not steadfast with Him, nor were they faithful in His covenant. But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them. (Psalm 78:36-38) In...

When He slew them, then they sought Him; and they returned and sought earnestly for God. Then they remembered that God was their rock, and the Most High God their Redeemer. (Psalm 78:34-35) In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul referred to events that transpired...