Ps. 80.2 (shining forth)

O Cherubim-Enthroned-One / shine forth
before Ephraim / and Benjamin / and Manasseh.

Shining from darkness. The psalmist now moves from the image of the Shepherd-king to an image of profound power. And, importantly, to an image that is, in a way, more overtly regal and, as we will see, militaristic. An aspect of the previous verse we did not comment on but flows into the is verse and continues into the next is that of movement. The psalm is imploring God to emerge from a state of stasis and into a state of dynamic energy. The first verse speaks of God’s “guiding”. This one of his “shining forth”. The next of his “rousing” and “coming”. As we saw in the previous reflection, implicit within this petition is its reverse. In the first verse, he asks God to ‘hear’, indicating that God was currently in state of active indifference. Here, he calls for God to “shine forth”, indicating that God is withdrawn in darkness. To anticipate slightly, in verse 4 the psalmist asks “How long will you ‘fume at your holy people’s prayers?” Interestingly, the image of God’s fuming anger preventing his hearing of prayers is also found in Lamentations 3.44 where the speakers says, “Thou hast covered Thyself with a cloud of smoking wrath, so that no prayer can pass through.” When these images are combined we can surmise that the darkness that the petitioner is asking God to ‘shine forth’ from is that of the cloud of his wrath. This coheres well with verse 1 and with verse 4. It also coheres well with another observation we have made regarding God’s wrath: it creates a sense of duality in God. Just as anger divides a person, so too does it introduce in Israel a sense that God is both actively for and against his people at the same time. When his anger is alleviated, God’s “face shines” and he emerges from this seeming state of “active indifference” and somnolence. The ‘cloud of his wrath’ is removed from his face and it ‘shines’. God’s (re)unity becomes the basis for Israel’s (re)unity (her deliverance). The psalmist is then asking God to emerge from his anger in a powerful display of his kingly authority. This ‘emergence’ will consist in his turning away from his wrath and turning his ‘face toward’ his people once more. When this occurs, as we indicated in the previous reflection, Israel will once again experience the primordial blessing-power given by Jacob/Israel to his sons, the blessing-power that kept Israel as Israel. God’s deliverance will, in other words, be what delivers Israel and binds them together.

Cherubim-enthroned. Cherubim are creatures of tremendous strength. Ezekiel envisions them as astonishingly fast; so fast that they take on the appearance of burning coals and, in fact, can never really be identified fully because of their speed. They are stationed at the entrance to Eden to guard the tree of life. And, they are the beings that dwell over the arc of the covenant. Of all of these, it is probably Ezekiel’s vision that is most reminiscent of this verse. There, as here, God’s throne is carried by these awe inspiring creatures. They, and they alone, have been deigned to carry the presence of God, displaying his regal authority over the cosmos. The fact these creatures can withstand the weight of God’s glory is almost troubling in its vision of their power. They are able not only to abide in the presence of the holy, but to literally carry it, to be its vehicle. As indicated, they also are the beings of the arc. As the presence of God, the arc was often carried into battle, moving his throne into the fray. The cherubim are therefore not simply the mobility of God’s throne but the militaristic mobility of his throne. They are what carry God into the war for his people and his plans. They become the vehicle of his deliverance, by delivering his presence. This final observation is important because of the inclusion of names Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. These three tribes were often the first three listed when the arc was carried into battle. For God to “shine forth” in front of them, then, is a call for God to move into battle, upon the cherubim, in conquering power. So not only are these tribes the receivers (except for Benjamin) of the primordial blessing of Jacob/Israel, but they are the tribes that also stood at the front of God’s leading his people in victory—the battle that actually ‘enacted’ that primordial blessing, establishing Israel as the “kingdom of God”.