Ps 80 17 Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand,

the son of man you have raised up for yourself.

18 Then we will not turn away from you;

revive us, and we will call on your name."

This Psalm is teaching that God dwelt with Israel in the tabernacle as He led them out of Egypt and established them as a nation. But it is also describing God who creates all things by the word of His mouth as the one who must be satisfied in order to uphold and sustain nations. Specifically the nation of Israel. Some people have a very narrow view of Christ incarnation in His work to satisfy the laws demands. But this Psalm is teaching that Christ future work was eternally sufficient to rule and sustain all nations in the time sequence.

To simplify the teaching lets look at the nation of Israel as a single man.The question is, what is necessary for promoting success in a man? As Gods people we have a Shepherd who leads us and provides for our needs. In this Psalm the Shepherd is not just a leader with a gentle hand. But this Shepherd is also the Lord of host.A lot of people miss interpret the identity of the Shepherd in the Psalms. They describe the Shepherd as a personal guide who addresses our individual needs. But in the Psalms the Shepherd who guides His people also destroys their enemies. In order for the glory of God to dwell in Israel, He must rule with a rod of Iron. His glory must be absolutely successful in blinding the nations. When the Psalms describe the glory of God it is always in His presence in the battle that comes to give Israel victories by blinding the enemy with His glory.

You see God is the giver of life because He controls every event. Man is completely unable to share in Gods glory. In this sense all nations are successful when God moves to breath new life. If God did not exist there would be no love. There would be no hope. Man would destroy the earth. The only thing that provides sustenance on the earth is Gods creative breath.Austin says that man is restless until he has found God We are completely dependent upon someone else work in order to be able to carry out our task.

We are tempted to put the cart before the horse. We believe that God will act if we clean up our lives. But here the Psalmist is saying that we cannot even breath without Gods breath. Just like our existence in this life is determined by breathing so our spiritual success that spreads into the earth is dependent upon being revived. The number 1 purpose of the wicked and corruption is to use the curse to destroy our new birth. That first experience when we became spiritually alive. We are fighting an enemy who is out to kill our spiritual health and destroy our lives. He does this through guilt, shame, fear and sorrow. Our great fight is not a moral one but a life and death fight.

So God has given us the righteous curse that prevents us from being cut of from our first experience of God breathing new life. We see here that God is described as the governor over all creation. There is a God Man in heaven who has obtained new life for His elect. We find that the Father is not only the Shepherd but He is our judge and defender.The only reason that the accusations of the enemies of God do not destroy the new birth is because the Father moves to restore all nations by the work of His Son. This petition is for Father to breath new life by looking on His Son. We must understand that the blessing that flows to Gods elect is never destroyed. It is always determined by the Father showing the glory of the Son by reviving His elect.

You will find the teaching in the Psalms that the pronouncements are answers to the law and the commands. We are taught that the wicked do not have thoughts of God. They do not pronounce Gods covenants and His laws. In their silence they are under the curse of sin. They are condemned and held under guilt, shame, fear and sorrow. We must understand that the Psalms are the only direct opposition to the culture of wicked communication. Communication of God is becoming what is pronounced. So when people teach we are to apply the scriptures,,the Psalmist pronounces the applications millions of times. This is why you see the command , the warning , the pronouncement and the receiving of the blessing. I have been teaching that the word contains the reality. The Psalms make professional warriors out of people.