The original hearers of this song were the people of Israel facing being overcome by the Assyrian army. They turn to the Lord, "You brought a vine out of Egypt, you planted it in a place you had prepared for it. The vine flourished. O Lord, why have you turned against your vine. Why have you broken down the walls that protected us so that just anybody could reach in and take our grapes? O God, we pray to you. Come back to us. Restore us and this time, we'll be faithful to you."
The psalmist is attributing all good and bad to the Lord. Everything that happens through human actions begins with God. We are being punished because we deserve to be. Even after our sins, we can expect God to care for us and to restore us to well-being.
The Dallas Morning News has a section, Texas Faith, that each week discusses matters of religion, politics, and culture. They take a break from politics this week. The past seven days have been notable for examples of human suffering large and small: Hurricane Ike affects millions. And a 17-month-old boy whose family escaped the storm in Dallas is killed in an accident. Trains collide in California, killing dozens. Suicide bombers in Yemen, Pakistan and Iraq murder innocent bystanders. The genocide in Darfur continues unabated. Etc etc etc.
Here's the panel's discussion: How faith explains suffering
Lectio Divina: Psalm 80:14-15
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