Friday, March 18, 2016

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.


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