Psalm 80:17

Psalm 80:17

The son of man

This is a curious verse until we remember what we learned from verse 15 of this Psalm, where Israel as a nation, is given the earthly title of God’s firstborn – His son. Israel, as we saw, are the planted vine, planted by the right hand of God. We also discovered that the words “son” and “branch” are sometimes used interchangeably in Scripture in that a fruitful branch was an allegory for a fruitful son. In this context the psalmist is asking God to place His right hand on the man, or the son, at His side. That is Jacob, or Israel. Israel is the son of man that God has raised up for Himself.  As we have seen from past studies, the right hand symbolises favour, authority and power. Thus, God took Israel with His right hand and planted the nation in the land that He prepared for them. God tended the planted vine and prospered it so that it reached ripe fulfilment and became a fruitful vine.

It is no coincidence that Jesus often took the title “Son of Man” upon Himself. He was the human son that God raised up for Himself in the same way that Israel was the son of man. And, of course, the right hand of God rested upon the man at His right side. It still does! “The Lord says to my lord; “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”” Psalm 110:1.

So, we can contrast the nation that was the son of man, that was given the Law and the promises and that failed to keep them through unbelief and suffered God’s judgement, with the Son of Man who kept the Law and trusted His Father implicitly and who also suffered God’s judgement, but He did so on behalf of all those who had so miserably failed. 

It is because Jesus Christ and Israel are linked by their bloodline and by His heritage as a Jew that God cannot and will not reject His people. That is why the Gospel is for the Jew first and then for the Gentile. That is also why Paul was able to proudly proclaim that one day, “all Israel with be saved”. God cannot, and will not, reject His son, for in Christ Israel died and in Christ Israel was raised and will be saved. What is amazing, as we have seen, is that we Gentiles who believe are included in this divine transaction. We are brought into the heritage of the Son of Man.  Isn’t this amazing?

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