March 13, 2017: Day 72 – Psalm 72

This is a classic royal psalm.  A royal psalm is geared to praise and adoration for the king.  It is one where the king is uplifted and his protection and prowess is praised and prayers are offered for his prosperity and safety.  Did you notice the prologue to the psalm?  It is called: Of Solomon.  So, this is not categorized as a psalm which David wrote, but rather it seems more like a psalm which is written for Solomon, the son of David who actually constructed the temple.  This psalm is written for the person who is in power over the nation of Israel.  Read through it again.  Then put it in this perspective.  This psalm is written for the person who is ruling over the United States.  Does that change anything?  I think it should.  Let’s highlight some of the attributes that the President of the United States should have.  We are not getting political, this is written specifically for the person who is ruling the country in which we live.  If we lived in Italy it would be for the Prime Minister etc.   As we see that elections are taking place all over Europe we need to remember that this psalm points out to who one should vote for in Holland, and in France and in any country which elects its leaders.  

I hope you know what I’m going to point out…  Look at vss.1-2, 4, 12-14.  What is the theme, and I would argue the primary responsibility, of the king?  What is the purpose of the government as a whole if we take this psalm at face value and use it to construct a government of which God would be proud.  Its primary responsibility is to rule in righteousness, look to the poor with justice (ie in a positive light), defend the cause of the poor, deliver the needy, deliver the needy (yes, I know that I repeated that), the poor, those who have no helper, has pity upon the weak and needy, saves the lives of the needy, redeems their life from oppression.  In the end, look at vs. 14, the most needy are precious in the sight of the government, in the sight of the king, in the sight of whoever is ruling the land.  That is the way God wants it to be according to this psalm.  I’m going to agree with that.