Psalm 72:1-11 - Praying for the King

Psalm 72:1-11

Give the king Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness to the king’s son. May he judge your people with righteousness and your afflicted with justice. Let the mountains bring peace to the people, and the hills, in righteousness. May he vindicate the afflicted of the people, save the children of the needy and crush the oppressor. Let them fear You while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations. May he come down like rain upon the mown grass, like showers that water the earth. In his days may the righteous flourish, and abundance of peace till the moon is no more. May he also rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. Let the nomads of the desert bow before him, and his enemies lick the dust. Let the kings of Tarshish and of the islands bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. And let all kings bow down before him, all nations serve him.

Message: Praying for the King

Time:  The psalms were written by many different people across a period of a thousand years in Israel's history. They are thought to have been compiled and put together in their present form by some unknown editor shortly after the captivity ended about 537 B.C.

What the Lord is Saying:

The idea in this passage, in relation to kings, was originally praying for a king who came from the line of David. Therefore, he was presumed to already have an association with Israel and then there was the expectation that the king would adhere to divine covenants. But, there is also conjecture that this is a Psalm meant for the Messiah and his reign.

So how would we apply this today? Our kings or presidents very often do not have any direct affiliation with God nor do they desire to be obedient to God's commands. And yet we still must pray for them. We could also think about our church leaders, that in a way mirror a king, and so we can pray for them with these words.

Leaders are to rule by God's ways
Give the king Your judgments, O God, A king is a maker of laws and the primary role of a king is to exert justice upon his kingdom. The king is to dispense right to all of his subjects.

and Your righteousness to the king’s son. The king's righteousness is not simply to be of his own doing, but a righteousness that mirror's God's righteousness. A king is to display God's righteousness. He is to mirror the laws of the Bible. And may this sort of administration and righteousness pass on from son king to son, so future reigns have the same focus.

Those in need be delivered
May he judge your people with righteousness and your afflicted with justice. May your judgments be free from sin and have abundance of fairness.  Let the mountains bring peace to the people, and the hills, in righteousness. As I read this I am thinking not just about me and where I am, in a big city metropolis, but also all people in all walks of life -- those at school, living in rural areas, primitive situations, poor monetary environments, in all of these we are to think about the idea that the mountains are meant to be peaceful. The land in which we reside are meant to be places of peace. Instead of mountains it could say tall buildings; it could say a large barn or a tree. Let these surroundings be pleasing to us. Righteousness is to be free from sin. To have peace and freedom from sin is not necessarily an easy life free of problems. 

May he vindicate the afflicted of the people, save the children of the needy and crush the oppressor. May he deal with those that do not seek peace. A leader needs to deal with evil. We are in an election time right now and the issues are not necessarily along these lines. The injustices of our life are often more about our comfort, education, and keeping our land free from others. We are now trying to defend all people's rights and yet not everyone can have the same rights and we are redefining right and wrong. We do not seem to focus on taking care of the poor and needy. Those are not the big issues.

An All Encompassing movement of God
Let them fear You while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations. 

Men everywhere are to fear you, no matter what; keep the empire of the Messiah present; don't let there be any different sort of reign. May he come down like rain upon the mown grass, like showers that water the earth. God, your influence should always be present. Even if the ground is eaten up and the land has been devoured, descend on us like a rain, and shower us with what we need. In his days may the righteous flourish, and abundance of peace till the moon is no more. May it be that righteous ones flourish. May God fearing people and God praising people multiply and fill the earth. And may the things which produce peace not be few, but numerous. May they be found in towns and village, and private dwellings; in the calm and just administration of the affairs of the State; in abundant harvests; in intelligence, in education, in industry; to the rights of all -- until the moon ceases to shine upon the earth. May he also rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. And Lord, may your dominion be far reaching, and cover throughout the universe. Let the nomads of the desert bow before him, and his enemies lick the dust. And let those that are unreached or unknown, or live in the outskirts or desolate places -- may they all bow before him; and may his enemies bow in submission licking the dust of the ground. Let the kings of Tarshish and of the islands bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. And let all kings bow down before him, all nations serve him. May your dominion be far reaching. 

My Words:
O God, give kings and leaders justice over their kingdom and people so their ways are right. May the source of his/her justice be righteousness according to your laws and standards. May this be present for future generations as well. Make our leaders order with your righteousness and rule fair; may those who are afflicted be treated equitably; make our leaders live and act free from any taint or form of sin. The land in which we reside are meant to be places of peace. Make peace in the big structures of life, the tall buildings, airports, stadiums, theaters, subways, trains and everywhere many people gather. May those that are receiving wrong and experience afflictions be cleared of any wrong doing; God, save the children of the needy and crush the oppressor; protect children and for those that are doing wrong to children, may they get unwelcome outcomes. Deal with those that are creating conflict instead of making peace. Men everywhere are to fear you, no matter what; keep the empire of the Messiah present; don't let there be any different sort of reign. Even if the ground is eaten up and the land has been devoured, descend on us like a rain, and shower us with what we need. May it be that righteous ones flourish. May God fearing people and God praising people multiply and fill the earth. And may the things which produce peace not be few, but numerous. May they be found in towns and village, and private dwellings; in the calm and just administration of the affairs of the State; in abundant harvests; in intelligence, in education, in industry; to the rights of all -- until the moon ceases to shine upon the earth. And Lord, may your dominion be far reaching, and cover throughout the universe. And let those that are unreached or unknown, or live in the outskirts or desolate places -- may they all bow before him; and may his enemies bow in submission licking the dust of the ground. May your dominion be far reaching.

Promise: Leaders are to rule by God's ways. Those in need will be delivered. And there will be an all encompassing movement of God throughout the earth.

Job 1 - The Trials of Job

Job 1
    There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil. Seven sons and three daughters were born to him. His possessions also were 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and very many servants; and that man was the greatest of all the men of the east. His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.
    Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.” The Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.” Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.” So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.
    Now on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans attacked and took them. They also slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, and  behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.

Message: The Trials of Job

Time: The time of Job is unclear and commonly debated. Often the language of the book can give clues. It seems to be that Job had a lifespan of close to 200 years as Job 42:16 says he lived 140 years after the events in the book.

What the Lord is Saying:

I've always enjoyed this chapter and studied it often. I have many notes in my Bible about it. There is much debate as to the dating of this book. I'm not sure what to conclude. It's possible that this is a story and not even true. Would that matter?

Description of Job
I often like how Job is described in verse 1. He is (1) blameless, (2) upright, (3) fearing God, (4) turning away from evil. He almost sounds like a Christlike figure. He is blameless so he is innocent of wrongdoing. He is upright or honest and true to His word. He fears God. He turns from evil.

He has 10 children and his possessions are not measured by gold or silver, but by the number of livestock that he has. He had many servants. He was a wealthy businessman.

Job was a man of piety. He loves his children and he prayed for them. He made offerings for them on their account. Their sins were his responsibility. He sought pardon for them, for their known sin and what he did not know of them. They were children. They had wealth and they loved feasts. They drank aplenty.

God and Satan Talk
Again, Job was blameless, upright, feared God, and turned from evil. And evil was brought against him often. Verse 6 picks up on a meeting, probably from above, in the invisible world, between Satan and God. Satan and his entourage have been roaming about the earth, looking for people to sway away from the Lord and worship Satan and his ways. God diverts their attention to Job. The text doesn't say that Satan is looking for people, but he is roaming, so I think it is inferred.

This is interesting. God shows Satan Job. Could it be that because Job was upright, he could handle Satan's work? Satan is fallen and will work, so God turns Job to him. He knows that the strong one will not be swayed. Satan is challenged to do his worst; man to do his best.

Satan makes a guess as to why Job is so great: he has been given a lot of good, family, and possessions and he has protection from God's enemies. Satan thinks he may have faith because he has great provision. God gives him permission to put him to the test.

The Trial
Job's messengers come to him while he is feasting with his family and begins to tell him bad news.(1) The oxens and donkeys have been taken and the servants have been killed by Sabeans; (2) fire burned up the sheep and servants, killing them; (3) the Chaldeans took the camels and servants and slew them; (4) a strong wind came and struck a house with your children in it and they died.

The Response
Job worshiped God and said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.

Promise: Job understands that God is sovereign and everything we gain and everything we lose falls under the sovereign ordination of our Creator.