Grow Guide | June 19, 2022
Word of Life
Psalm 80:1-3, 14-19
Connecting Questions
What does the term “restoration” bring to your mind?
Have you ever had a circumstance in your life when things have gotten so far out of control that you just want to start over? It could be as simple as too many weeds in a garden or any level of intensity you’d like to discuss. How did you feel? What did you do?
Context
We begin our summer Sermon Series: Word of Life – reflections on some of our favorite Bible passages. In this series each preacher will preach on their favorite Bible passage, talking about what it means to them and why. We invite you to find scripture that speaks to you in your life and consider its meaning.
This week, our preacher chose Psalm 80. We will only read a portion of it in worship, but let’s look at the entire Psalm in this study. A Psalm is a poem, and most likely a song that was intended to be sung by the congregation of Israel. This is meditation literature that invites you to dwell in the metaphors and poetic movement. Read it slowly and let it engage more than your rational mind. How does it affect your emotions and your body as you let the words flow over you?
Look at the Book
Read Psalm 80.
Note: Joseph was the 11th son of Jacob/Israel. He was sold into slavery by his brothers and rescued his family from a famine. Read his story in Genesis 37-50. Benjamin was his brother, and Ephraim and Manasseh were his sons.
List the various metaphors used to describe God and God’s relationship with Israel in this Psalm. Which one connects most with you? Why?
Read verses 3, 7, 14, and 19 again. What refrain is repeated? How is each repetition similar and unique? What do you think the Psalmist is trying to say in this repetition?
If Israel is a vine, and a vine is supposed to produce good grapes, how has Israel done as a vine, according to this poem’s self-description? What has been the consequence of their vine production (or lack of it)?
In verses 17 and 18 the Psalmist seems to be making a bargain with God. What are the terms of the bargain?
Read verse 19 slowly, out loud, a few times as a group. What does this repeated reading stir up in you?
Taking it Home
In what ways do you see your community--your family, your immediate neighborhood, your church, or your nation--in a similar situation to the author of this poem and the nation of Israel? If your community wrote a Psalm like this, what would it say?
When you think about restoration, is it a process that moves backwards, to the way things used to be, or forward to a new way of being? Discuss the implications of both perspectives.
In what ways do you need to feel God’s restoration in your own life?