His Glorious Riches

Psalm 72 - Amplified Bible

1GIVE THE king [knowledge of] Your [way of] judging, O God, and [the spirit of] Your righteousness to the king's son [to control all his actions]. 2Let him judge and govern Your people with righteousness, and Your poor and afflicted ones with judgment and justice.3The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the hills, through [the general establishment of] righteousness. 4May he judge and defend the poor of the people, deliver the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor,5So that they may revere and fear You while the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.6May he [Solomon as a type of King David's greater Son] be like rain that comes down upon the mown grass, like showers that water the earth.

In the first six verses of this royal psalm, Solomon prays for the king's reign. This really convicted me that we need to pray for our leaders here in this country, especially our President. In a relatively short time, President Obama has been catapaulted to unprecedented fame, power and authority in the earthly realm. Winning the Nobel Peace Prize this week was just another milestone in what --even his critics must concede-- has been an unbelievable rise from anonymity. Regardless of our opinions about him, he needs our prayers. I have not been faithful in this area and I was convicted about that today.

7In His [Christ's] days shall the [uncompromisingly] righteous flourish and peace abound till there is a moon no longer. 8He [Christ] shall have dominion also from sea to sea and from the River [Euphrates] to the ends of the earth. 9Those who dwell in the wilderness shall bow before Him and His enemies shall lick the dust. 10The kings of Tarshish and of the coasts shall bring offerings; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. 11Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him, all nations shall serve Him. 12For He delivers the needy when he calls out, the poor also and him who has no helper. 13He will have pity on the poor and weak and needy and will save the lives of the needy. 14He will redeem their lives from oppression and fraud and violence, and precious and costly shall their blood be in His sight. 15And He shall live; and to Him shall be given gold of Sheba; prayer also shall be made for Him and through Him continually, and they shall bless and praise Him all the day long. 16There shall be abundance of grain in the soil upon the top of the mountains [the least fruitful places in the land]; the fruit of it shall wave like [the forests of] Lebanon, and [the inhabitants of] the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. 17His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun [indeed, His name continues before the sun]. And men shall be blessed and bless themselves by Him; all nations shall call Him blessed! 18Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who alone does wondrous things! 19Blessed be His glorious name forever; let the whole earth be filled with His glory! Amen and Amen! 20The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.

The remainder of this Psalm speaks to life when Christ returns and establishes dominion once again. This is our future and our hope and it is exciting, indeed! The thought that struck me while reading these verses was how we are to be Jesus' representives now, until He returns. Verses 12-14 provide some specific ideas as to how we can do this: help the needy; have compassion on the poor; and, assist the oppressed.

Lord, thank you for the hope you provide through Christ. May we be faithful to pray for all men (1Timothy 2:1-3) and minister to the afflicted until your return. Amen.