The King and the Needy

(These notes were first written on 19Dec13, and expanded upon today)

Psalm 72, entitled, "A Prayer for the King", is the last Psalm in the second book of Psalms (Ps.42 - 72)

This Psalm closes with the words, "This is the end of the prayers of David son of Jesse" (GNT)

Two themes are seen in this Psalm:

• The King
• The Poor and Needy

The King:

He is  worshipped (bowed down to) by his enemies, and by those who are in the wilderness.

verse 9
The peoples of the desert will bow down before him;
his enemies will throw themselves to the ground.

He receives gifts from the King of Sheba in the south and the King of Seba across the Red Sea.

verse 10
The kings of Spain and of the islands will offer him gifts;
the kings of Sheba and Seba will bring him offerings.

In fact, all kings will fall down before him and all the nations will serve him

verse 11
All kings will bow down before him;
all nations will serve him.

Such a powerful king. He must be the wealthiest and the most feared of all kings on earth. One would expect such an absolute monarch to spend all his time ensuring that he maintains his hold on power and that his enemies will always be kept under his rule.

Would such a king be concerned with his poor and needy subjects?

The answer surprisingly is Yes.

The Needy

The word "poor" occurs three times in the GNT of this psalm, viz. verses 4, 12 and 13. The first two of these instances also carry the word "needy", as seen below:

4 May the king judge the poor fairly;
    may he help the needy
    and defeat their oppressors.

12 He rescues the poor who call to him,
    and those who are needy and neglected.

13 He has pity on the weak and poor;
    he saves the lives of those in need.

Such a powerful king, yet kind merciful to the needy. It is fitting therefore for him to receive the benediction in verse 15:

May the king's name never be forgotten;
may his fame last as long as the sun.
May all nations ask God to bless them
as he has blessed the king.

Finally, it is necessary to note that the successful reign of the King is made possible by the hand of God Almighty Himself:

verse 18, 19
Praise the Lord, the God of Israel!
He alone does these wonderful things.
Praise his glorious name forever!
May his glory fill the whole world.
Amen! Amen!

Now, who is this king, so powerful that all other kings will bow before him, and that all nations on earth will serve him? We know that King David did not accomplish such power. He did not rule over all the other peoples, nor did he have dominion over all other kings on earth.

Such a king must be the Anointed One, the chosen King of the Most High. Psalm 72 is a prophetic psalm about the Messiah, who will one day come and judge both the living and the dead. (2 Timothy 4:1)

Acts 10:42 ESV
And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.

Brothers and Sisters, let us heed the words of the ancient prophets and apostles. Let us watch and pray. Let us prepare ourselves for the coming King who rescues the poor and help the needy. He is coming to rule over all the nations of the earth.