Psalm 80 (79):4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Was His countenance obscured? No, His countenance was not veiled, but He placed a covering of humanity before it, resembling an enshroudment of weakness; and when He was suspended on the cross, He was not perceived as He was afterwards recognized when He took His seat in Glory. This is the unfolding of events. Christ walked among us and performed wonders, which Asaph did not comprehend; but upon His death, resurrection, and ascension into Glory, he came to know Him. His heart was troubled, and he may have uttered that proclamation which we now acknowledge in this Psalm: “Thou hast shut Thy face, and we were sick: enlighten Thou, and we shall be well.”

In the beginning, we see in verse 5 that God will assist him at the break of dawn (Psalm 45:6). This signifies that the resurrection, which occurred early in the morning, provides us with divine support; it has dispelled the night and restored the day, as Scripture proclaims, “Arise, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall lighten thee” (Eph. 5:14). Reflect on this mystery! Christ endured suffering in the evening; thus, in accordance with the law, a lamb is sacrificed by night. In the morning, Christ triumphantly rose again; it is recorded, “On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb at dawn, while it was still dark, and saw the stone rolled away from the tomb” (John 20:1).

O God of might, transform us. Free us from bondage and allow us to come back. Then He reveals the significance of this task. Shine Your countenance upon us, and we will be delivered. Simply showing Yourself to us is sufficient to bring an end to our suffering.

The Lord invites us to move from sadness to joy, from evading our foes to standing firm against them, from bondage to liberty, from a distant land to our homeland, or to direct our gaze towards you and your desires with your assistance. For the Lord proclaims, "Turn unto me, saith the Lord, and I will turn unto you" (Zechariah 1:3); merely revealing Your presence is enough for our salvation. This phrase is metaphorical, drawing from the analogy that when a commander and conqueror arrives for battle, his troops find courage while his opponents are routed and overcome. Likewise, the Lord assures us that as soon as you manifest yourself, we will find strength, and our adversaries will be vanquished.

The prophet clarifies his message, illustrating the purpose and significance of Christ’s arrival. The purpose of this coming is our conversion and renewal; the significance is His revelation, enabling us to encounter Him directly. Without this divine manifestation, our salvation would not be possible. This is reflected in Jacob's declaration, “I have seen God face to face, and my soul is preserved” (Genesis 32:30). Similarly, Moses sought to behold Him, driven not by mere curiosity but by a prophetic understanding that such a vision holds the key to humanity's salvation. He did not desire to witness the essence of pure deity, which is the face of God that no mortal can endure, as stated by God Himself (Exodus 33:20).

If our return to God required merely understanding, and did not also necessitate God's turn towards us, we would not find the need for expressions such as “Turn not Thy face away from me” (Psalm 26:9) and “Show Thy face and we shall be saved” (Psalm 79:4). These passages illustrate that His life-giving grace is directed towards us by His benevolence.

What is obscured or hidden from view remains unseen. We cannot glimpse the sun obscured by clouds. A face veiled by a shawl or garment is likewise invisible to us. The realities concealed behind the veil are not visible, and this applies similarly to those who live in sin. Every unrepentant transgressor—including fornicators, adulterers, embezzlers, thieves, liars, and dishonest individuals—has a veil shielding their sight and their soul’s understanding, preventing them from perceiving the blessings they forfeit and the looming peril leading to destruction. They tread towards a pit, oblivious to its presence, and will fall into it unless they choose to look around.

God sometimes appears distant from us, and this is understandable: we often avert our gaze from Him and seek solace in created things. However, recognizing that we cannot turn back to Him without His divine assistance, the Prophet, representing God’s people, implores Him with two petitions. He cries out, "O God, turn us," requesting that He fill our hearts with His love so that we may forsake worldly distractions and return to Him. Furthermore, he asks, "turn Thy face to us" so that, united in the sacred bond of love, we may be delivered from all adversaries that oppose us. For when You withdraw Your gaze, we become weary and face destruction; yet when You look upon us once more, we are uplifted and restored.

Ultimately, this represents the realization of prophecy, particularly in relation to Christ our Lord, as conveyed in this psalm, which was inspired by the Holy Spirit for David to compose. It speaks of the Jews who have transitioned from righteousness to repentance against God and of others who have moved from sinfulness to faith, from iniquity to holiness, specifically those eloquent sheep who have turned from the mistakes of sin to follow their good shepherd, Christ, the one true God.