Advent 2009 M ESSIAH IN THE P SALMS Psalm 72

“Books” in the Book of Psalms From “Book I” to “Book V” Book I1-41 Book II42-72 Book III73-89 Book IV Book V Psalm 72 is the last psalm in Book II – it marks the hopeful transition from David to Solomon. Psalm 89 (next week) is the last psalm in Book III.

Psalm 72 Of Solomon. God promised David that his dynasty would never end. King Solomon, the son of David and Bathsheba, takes the throne at David’s death. God uses Solomon to establish a lasting and prosperous peace in Israel.

Psalm 72 Of Solomon. 1 Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness. 2 He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.

Solomon’s Request (1 Kings 3) 9 “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” Solomon’s Wisdom (1 Kings 3) 28 When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.

The Queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10) 9 “Because of the LORD's eternal love for Israel, he has made you king, to maintain justice and righteousness.”

Psalm 72 4 He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor. 12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. 13 He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. 14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.

Psalm 72 makes clear that the Davidic King Messiah would bring justice to the land. He would protect and help the poor, weak, and oppressed. He would punish those who oppress.

Psalm 72 guides us in understanding three aspects of the New Covenant era: 1.Jesus’ First Advent 2.The Church as the People of Jesus 3.Jesus’ Second Advent

1.Jesus’ First Advent At Jesus’ first Advent he fulfills the ideal that neither Solomon nor any other Davidic king ever achieved.

Solomon’s Failure 1 King Solomon... loved many foreign women... 4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.

Matthew The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon's wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here.

The Old Testament anticipates the coming of a righteous and just ruler from David’s line.

Isaiah 9:6-7 (200 years after Solomon) For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

2.The Church as the People of Jesus Just as Jesus was sent by the Father into the world with a mission, so Jesus sends the church into the world. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. John 17:18 Central to our mission, as it was to his, is justice.

Psalm 72 (paraphrased) 4 We will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; we will crush the oppressor. 12 For we will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. 13 We will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. 14 We will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.

Some challenges to the church fulfilling its mission today: A reaction against the “social gospel” A reaction against the political left Devaluing the created world Individualism and narcissism “Excessive preoccupation with self and lack of empathy for others.”

If the gospel is good news in relation to all that sin has turned into bad news, then the gospel must be big enough, and our mission wide enough, to include the power of God to transform disease, hunger, brutality, human trafficking, slavery, gender violence, poverty, injustice, ethnic cleansing, and all forms of tribal, caste, and ethnic hatreds and oppression. Christopher J. H. Wright in Christianity Today

Lest what Wright says seems too lofty – we must also be agents of justice in our homes our schools our businesses our sports our community and even in our church

3.Jesus’ Second Advent We look forward to and long for Jesus’ return, when he will fully establish justice on a renewed earth. Psalm 72 presents us with a picture of what this “heavenly” time will be like. We must allow the multitude of Old Testament pictures of God’s future to form our imaginations.

When Messiah returns: The land will flourish. The righteous will prosper. All nations will bow down to him. His reign will never end.

Psalm 72 (paraphrase) 5 Jesus will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations. 6 Jesus will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth. 7 In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more.

Psalm 72 (paraphrase) 8 Jesus will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. 11 All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him.

Psalm 72 (paraphrase) 17 All nations will be blessed through Jesus, and they will call him blessed. You and I are those who have been blessed through Jesus, not because of our moral achievements or religious commitment, but by God’s gracious choice of us. It is right to confess our failings as we prepare to receive Jesus’ symbol of God’s eternal gift to us.

P RAYER OF C ONFESSION Most merciful God, I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done, and by what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved my neighbor as myself.

I am truly sorry and I humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and forgive me; that I may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.