NOTES for Psa 72
1 Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son. |
2 He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. |
3 The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. |
4 He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. |
5 They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. |
6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth. |
7 In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. |
8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. |
9 They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. |
10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. |
11 Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. |
12 For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. |
13 He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. |
14 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight. |
15 And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised. |
16 There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. |
17 His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. |
18 Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. |
19 And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen. |
20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. |
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A prayerful petition is heard for righteous judgment and just rule. In every age, people have dreamed of the triumph of justice on earth, while soberly recognizing that it is seldom attainable in our sinful world. Yet even in their fallen state, there are many people who have managed, however faintly, to reflect a glimmer of the Lord’s mercy in their deeds. Not all Solomon’s actions were blameless; he stumbled more than once, and the Bible does not conceal his wrong steps. But in his finest hours, he followed the wisdom that he had received from above.
At the beginning of the psalm, it says that the king is given authority to judge the poor. One might ask: for what purpose? Surely not to condemn them? But what follows makes the meaning clear: if judgment is the triumph of justice, then judging the poor means treating them justly. Thus, in the image of the wise king, the psalmist sought to express an idea of the triumph of the highest truth.
But the highest justice will be established only when the Lord Himself reigns. Solomon’s majestic rule may have provided the colors for pictures of the coming triumph, but that triumph itself will surpass everything we can imagine.
Readings for 30 April 2007
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