'TILL I REST IN YOU

 

May 24, 2024

We are going to conclude our week of a mini “Prayer Retreat” by reading Psalm 72.

This psalm is one of the nine Royal Psalms (2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 89, 110, 132) these are Psalms that sing praise to the king as God’s chosen representative on earth. They are prayers from the worship life of God’s people for the king and his role as earthly ruler. You may recall that in Israel’s history the king represented the ruling presence of God among the people. So, with this backdrop the Psalm begins with “Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son” (v. 1).

Psalm 72

1 Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to a king’s son.
2 May he judge your people with righteousness
and your poor with justice.
3 May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy,
and crush the oppressor.

5 May he live while the sun endures
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth.
7 In his days may righteousness flourish
and peace abound, until the moon is no more.

8 May he have dominion from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 May his foes bow down before him,
and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles
render him tribute;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
bring gifts.
11 May all kings fall down before him,
all nations give him service.

12 For he delivers the needy when they call,
the poor and those who have no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy
and saves the lives of the needy.
14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
and precious is their blood in his sight.

15 Long may he live!
May gold of Sheba be given to him.
May prayer be made for him continually
and blessings invoked for him all day long.
16 May there be abundance of grain in the land;
may it wave on the tops of the mountains;
may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people blossom in the cities
like the grass of the field.
17 May his name endure forever,
his fame continue as long as the sun.
May all nations be blessed in him;
may they pronounce him happy.

18 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
19 Blessed be his glorious name forever;
may his glory fill the whole earth.
Amen and Amen.

'TILL I REST IN YOU

I suspect in your reading of Psalm 72 you recognize these words as a vision of the rule and reign of our Messiah Jesus. Indeed, the vision of the king who saved the poor and needy was completed in Jesus.

The righteous rule of the Davidic king in Psalm 72 is signalled as a ruler over all, including nature, demon possession, and even death. Jesus is the one who calms the storm as he crosses the Sea of Galilee with his disciples (Mark 4:35-41), exorcises the demon-possessed man as they reach the Gentile shore (Mark 5:1-20), heals a woman with an issue of blood (Mark 5:24b-34) while he is on the way to heal Jairus’ daughter, who in the delay of healing the woman, has since died, and Jesus raises her from death (Mark 5:21-24a, 35-43).

Psalm 72 is not only about kings and kingdoms, it also illustrates an important universal principle: trust placed in anyone or anything that is not eternal is ultimately doomed to fail. How many of us have thought that a new job, increased wealth, or an intimate friendship will bring us the peace we so deeply long for? Yet, we discover these are not sufficient. True enough, we might be fortunate enough to encounter a few moments of delight, even a few years perhaps, but eventually everything loses its shine and fails to satisfy and despair sets in. Our heart becomes restless.

I believe, the message of Psalm 72 is that hopes placed into anything earthly will never satisfy, but hopes placed in God will always bring fulfillment. As Augustine famously put it: “Thou has made us for thyself, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”

May we all find our rest and hope in the eternal God. Amen