Psalm 80 (79):15Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

O God of might, I humbly ask You, O mighty Lord, to gaze upon the desolation of the vineyard and to heal its suffering; for even the previous blessings were granted through Your divine Providence.

O God of might, turn Your gaze from heaven, behold this vine, and come to its aid; let Your strong right hand accomplish this work and establish it. Therefore, I humbly ask You, O powerful Lord, to look down upon the devastation of the vine and bring healing to those who are in distress; for it flourished because of Your care in the past. The prophet refers to Your guiding hand as Providence. Through the Son of Man, whom You have empowered, the Prophet indicates that the Lord Christ emerged from this same vine; he petitions for the grapes to be nurtured for the sake of the temple derived from them, which he directly identifies as the Son of Man. Likewise, in the holy Gospel, in His dual nature, the Lord refers to Himself as the Son of Man, drawing upon His visible humanity.

O God of might, direct Your gaze from the heavens, and behold this vine, and nurture it. With Your mighty hand, plant it anew. God, who reigns over the powers of the mountains, mend and transform the vine of Israel, lifting it from sorrow to joy and from bondage to freedom, as we have previously discussed in verse 3 (Psalms 79:3). Tend to this vine, healing it in its weariness and brokenness; restore it to its former vitality, for this vine was established by Your mighty hand. Another suggests that with deep compassion, it is proclaimed, Tend to this vine. For You, the caretaker of this vine, witness its desolation; mere words cannot adequately express the devastation unless You intervene.

As neither the Law nor the prophets had led Israel to repentance, the prophet earnestly implores God for a transformation, seeking divine reformation. What constitutes this change? It occurs through God's gaze from Heaven, observing the situation. Yet, does God ever fail to perceive? At this moment, the prophet petitions for God to look upon His people with renewed compassion and to grant even greater favor than before. In what way is this realized? This is made clear in the subsequent plea: 'and visit this vine, and fulfill that which Thy right hand hath planted! (See) the Son of man, whom Thou hast strengthened unto Thyself.’ See v. 16.

O Lord God of might, behold from heaven and observe, visit this vine, and make it whole; let Your right hand establish it (Psalm 79:15-16). For You alone plant the good seed; You alone, though working through human efforts, cultivate, nurture, multiply, and safeguard the true and fruitful grapes. You alone, while involving us, construct the dwelling place—the one made by human hands where we reside in Your presence, and the one not made by hands, where You delight in residing within us.

In the image of a supplicant, the prophet conveys to the Israelites that even when God withdraws His presence and appears distant, they should not lose heart. If they turn to Him with a sincere desire for restoration, He will respond to their pleas, despite His current aloofness. The faithful, inspired by this hope, approach God empty-handed, without any claims to their own worthiness, humbly asking Him to regard them, requesting the return of His gracious favor. They plead, "Look, they say, from heaven, and see." This plea from heaven serves a dual purpose: first, to encourage the Israelites to maintain their faith, despite the distance from the God they had forsaken; and second, to direct their gaze upward toward heaven when all earthly avenues of salvation seem closed.

Ultimately, this represents the fulfillment of prophecy, notably in relation to Christ the Lord, as articulated in this psalm, which was inspired by the Holy Spirit through David. It speaks to the transformation of the Jewish people who have moved from righteousness to the fallen state of repentance against God, alongside those who have transitioned from wickedness to faith, from sinfulness to holiness. Particularly, it pertains to those wayward souls who have turned from the path of sin and now follow their true Shepherd, Christ, the living God.