Today’s liturgical reading includes Psalm 72.
As I read it, I couldn’t help but think, "What does a coronation hymn for a king in ancient Israel have to do with my life today?
It’s great that the Israelites wanted a king who relied on God, acted with righteousness, enacted justice, and cooperated with Creation so that everyone flourished.
But it also states, quite dramatically,
May he rule from sea to sea
and from the Euphrates
to the ends of the earth.
May desert tribes kneel before him
and his enemies lick the dust.
It’s confusing… how does that prayer help me grow as a Christian?
It also raises concerns about the prosperity gospel. Is it okay to ask God for a long life, gold from Sheba, blessings all day, abundant grain, and worldwide fame? (See Psalm 72:15-17).
But as I studied this Psalm on a deeper level, I found Beth Tanner’s commentary in The New International Commentary on the Old Testament to be riveting.
After providing her own translation of the Hebrew and engaging with the scholarship, she concludes on this note:
This hymn… defines the kingdom of God, be that kingdom the historical one of ancient Israel or the kingdom of God for which we pray, “thy kingdom come.” This prayer teaches us what righteous leadership is to be.
The lesson is as relevant today as it was three thousand years ago. In God’s kingdom, God’s ways of justice and righteousness are to be the norms.
In this way, we can avoid the traps of power and position that tempt humans to take the power into their own hands and to govern for some and ignore others.
This is the way that God intends the world to be; it was true in Abraham’s time, in the time of the kings, and in the world today. It is the kingdom to which we all press forward and the place in which our future hope is vested.
As I read her reflections, it reminded me that for nearly my entire life, I’ve prayed the Lord’s prayer - including “thy kingdom come, thy will be done” before going to bed each night.
But sometimes, this has been an empty, mindless prayer.
What does it mean to want God’s kingdom to come? And… do I want it to come? Or am I just reciting some memorized words?
Still, we need more than sentimental Bible connections.
How can we be sure that Psalm 72 is linked together with God’s kingdom today?
The answer comes from many places, but the best one is at the start of the Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus declares,
Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:17-19).
In other words, even though the theocratic kingdom of Israel is no longer around, Psalm 72 is still in effect!
But how?
By asking ourselves, What does it mean to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done”?
And how can we know what God’s kingdom should look like?
We can figure this out in part because Psalm 72 gives us an idealized example of how God’s representatives on earth should lead.
As Jesus explained, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20).
As disciples of Jesus, we should aspire to an even higher level of godliness than the kings of Israel - we aspire to be like Christ, the King of Kings.
No king has ever lived out the prayers of Psalm 72.
But try this exercise: read Psalm 72 as a prayer about Jesus.
Here are the first four verses:
God, give your justice to Jesus, and your righteousness to his sons and daughters.
Jesus will judge your people with righteousness and your afflicted ones with justice.
May the mountains bring well-being to the people and righteousness to the hills.
May Jesus vindicate the afflicted among the people, help the poor, and crush the oppressor.
- Who else rules from sea to sea but Jesus?
- Will his enemies not be forced to acknowledge his kingship one day?
- Doesn’t Jesus care for the poor and save them from oppression and violence?
- Do we not offer him our lives, gold, and worship?
So, how does Psalm 72 apply to us?
First, we recognized that this Psalm originally functioned as a coronation prayer for the new kings of Israel.
Second, we carefully connected this Psalm to the true King of Israel and of all people, Jesus.
Therefore, we can now see that this Psalm provides a template for our lives.
On the one hand, we dare not compete with Jesus as the King. We pray as the original worshippers did:
Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel,
who alone does wonders.
Blessed be his glorious name forever;
the whole earth is filled with his glory.
But because our lips and hearts honor God, we have to ask another question:
How will our lives demonstrate our commitment to God?
- Can we damage the Creation he governs?
- Take advantage of the poor that he cares for?
- Violate justice for personal advantage?
- Do as we please with no regard to righteousness?
In light of Psalm 72, it’s impossible to imagine a well-informed disciple of Jesus who doesn’t care for God’s Creation, the welfare of his or her society, and the good of his poorest and weakest neighbors.
In the balanced wisdom of Psalm 72, I think we gain a way of addressing the prosperity gospel.
Psalm 72 makes it evident that God wants to alleviate the suffering of the poor. The greatest need is for hope: the conviction that God is with them, for them, and will deliver them. But the second need, no less pressing, is for better circumstances.
This Psalm doesn’t justify piling up wealth for oneself at the expense of others. Instead, it envisions a society where everyone is flourishing. So it raises questions like, “How can you make a profit without exploitation?” and “When you have abundance, will you be generous?”
Psalm 72 is a complex prayer. It’s about how ancient Israelites installed a new king. It’s even more about who Jesus is, and what it means to honor him as the King of Kings. And therefore, it’s also about how we live today —as citizens of his kingdom.
So… what will we do to demonstrate that we are the loyal subjects of Jesus?
What needs to change in our lives, our work, our spending, and our priorities?
“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done” is a radical prayer of submission. It vows to God: I am totally aligned with your vision for society and completely obedient to your will.
But isn’t that exactly how we should live under the authority of Jesus, the King of Kings?