Seder 24: Psalm 80---The Son of Man at God's Right Hand

 In Psalm 80, Israel prays for restoration and blessing at a time when it is threatened by enemies.  Those enemies may have been the Assyrians.  (The LXX adds the phrase "concerning the Assyrians" to the superscription, and there are references to the northern tribes in verses 1-2).

The refrain in verses 3 and 7 says, "Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!" These words remind us of the Aaronic blessing.  

The third stanza (vv 8-14a) likens Israel to a grapevine, with God as the vinedresser who had planted the vine in the land and guided its growth until it spread from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates (v 11) in the time of David and Solomon.

But at the time the psalm was written, the vine was threatened by "the boar from the forest" (v 13), an enemy nation.  Israel beseeches God to "visit this vine" (v 14).

The most striking verse in the prayer, especially for Christian readers, is verse 17:  "But let your hand be on the man of your right hand, the son of man you have made strong for yourself!"

When we hear of "the man of your right hand," we think of David's "Lord" in Ps 110:1.  When we hear about "the son of man", we think in part of the supernatural figure of Daniel 7.   Ps 80:17 is the first place in the Bible where the two figures are mentioned together.

In the prayer, Israel is asking for help through the Davidic king, and ultimately, praying for the coming of the Messiah. 

We know that Jesus later identified himself as both David's Lord and son of man.  He combines the two in Mark 14:62, for example, when he is asked at his trial if he is the Messiah.  Ps 80 may be in the background here.

Another place where Ps 80 may be in the background is in John 15, where Jesus describes himself as "the true vine", the one who personifies and completes Israel's mission.  Israel placed its hopes in the Messiah in Ps 80, and we still do so today.

 There is a fairly recent dissertation on Ps 80 and its possible New Testament connections, written by Christian scholar Andrew Streett. I would like to check it out when I have time.