Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Psalm 72:12-20 - The Enduring Name of the King

Psalm 72:12-20

For he will deliver the needy when he cries for help, the afflicted also, and him who has no helper. He will have compassion on the poor and needy, and the lives of the needy he will save. He will rescue their life from oppression and violence, and their blood will be precious in his sight; so may he live, and may the gold of Sheba be given to him; and let them pray for him continually; let them bless him all day long. May there be abundance of grain in the earth on top of the mountains; its fruit will wave like the cedars of Lebanon; and may those from the city flourish like vegetation of the earth. May his name endure forever; may his name increase as long as the sun shines; and let men bless themselves by him; let all nations call him blessed. Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel,
Who alone works wonders. And blessed be His glorious name forever; and may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen.


The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.


Message: The Enduring Name of 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:

We need to intercede for all of our rulers. 

Rescuing the helpless
Verse 12 presents ideas from previous Psalm 72 verses, but now as if the requests had already been carried out. In those verses the prayer was that the king would defend the cause of the helpless and now Solomon speaks as if these requests have been fulfilled. For he will deliver the needy when he cries for help, the afflicted also, and him who has no helper. He will have compassion on the poor and needy, and the lives of the needy he will save. He will rescue their life from oppression and violence, and their blood will be precious in his sight. Or it could be that he is still praying, but praying with much more confidence now.

A life of praise and gratitude
so may he live, and may the gold of Sheba be given to him; and let them pray for him continually; let them bless him all day long. So may he live. Those are amazing words. The cry of the forgiven, the saved, the redeemed -- it is a glorious thing. I think of that song by Mylon LeFevre, Stranger to Danger that I have always loved. It speaks of a life that was being lived, but then was found, new life in Christ. "I'm finally free." Lord, my prayers are rarely for the oppressed. Instead, I am often praying the comfortable would be more comfortable or the safe would be more safe.

Everyone is valuable. The gold of Sheba is obviously something of great value that can now be offered to God. and let them pray for him continually; I am to pray that this leader, who has this power, would have a great reign and be able to protect and keep safe the oppressed. let them bless him all day long. From Albert Barnes - "Their lives are lives of praise and gratitude. From their dwellings daily praise ascends to him; from their hearts praise is constant; praise uttered in the closet and in the family; praise breathed forth from the heart, whether on the farm, in the workshop, on a journey, or in the busy marts of commerce. The time will come when this shall be universal; when he who can take in at a glance the condition of the world, will see it to be a world of praise; when he who looks on all hearts at the same moment will see a world full of thankfulness." It is interesting how wonderful and contagious is praise time. And yet, we have lives to live and so we must live those lives. I struggle sometimes living in this praise because it does feel segmented from the other ways of life. And then I struggle thinking what it could be live for eternity. Yet, maybe eternity will be praising God. And that experience may be eternal, but actually feel momentary. We will be caught up in blessing God all day long. But, also here is the idea that the leader is blessed for saving his people. 
Abundance of vegetation
I move to verse 16 and continue to break this down: May there be abundance of grain in the earth on top of the mountains; its fruit will wave like the cedars of Lebanon; and may those from the city flourish like vegetation of the earth. As he continues to pray, he remarks that the grain and produce of the world will be abundant. He mentions that vegetation will produce. He prays that life will be healthy.

His name endures forever
May his name endure forever; may his name increase as long as the sun shines; and let men bless themselves by him; let all nations call him blessed. I dream of a day when God's name is cherished more. I can't help but see more and more as I walk around in life and how the name of God is just not praised and blessed more. God is an afterthought or something that is just a part of our lives, but not our entire lives. It is sad to see. But, one day "his name endure forever." Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone works wonders. And blessed be His glorious name forever; and may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen.

Promise: Even the best rulers do not fulfill the task of peace and justice. The failure of earthly leaders point us to to the only king who will never fail -- Jesus Christ.


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