A Prayer For The King
Psalms 72
May 24, 2020
Tonight we come upon the 72nd Psalm.
A Psalm that is pretty easy to grasp and understand.
The one confusing aspect comes from the sub-title
Which calls it “A Psalm of Solomon”
Some translations have easily picked upon the fact that this title is difficult because Solomon clearly didn’t write it.
• The last verse even says (20) “The prayers of David the son of Jesse are
ended.”
Clearly David is the author.
• This has led some translators to translate the sub-heading “A Psalm For
Solomon”
• And yet all the Hebrew experts in the commentaries I read say there is no
grounds for that translation.
Spurgeon says it, I think, best when he asserts that
This is David’s prayer, heard and recorded by Solomon
Who not only heard it, but adopted it for his own kingly reign.
But aside from that it is clear to us that it is a prayer for the King.
And this is good for us,
Because we are also called to pray for our leaders.
Certainly we understand the calling
To submit to our governing authorities.
Jesus was clear that we should “render to Caesar that which is Caesars”
Paul EXTENDED THAT COMMAND beyond taxes when he wrote:
Romans 13:7 “Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.”
Paul reminding us that we give more than just taxes,
We also give fear and honor to those whom God has placed in authority.
Peter certainly echoed this, even with the evil Nero on the throne, he wrote:
1 Peter 2:13-17 “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.”
So the submission to the governing authorities is clear to us.
God is the ultimate sovereign, and all authority comes from Him,
Therefore to rebel against any authority
Is ultimately to rebel against His authority.
And as I have shared with you, my belief in this
Has certainly been put to the test over the last few months.
I still believe it, but I have been given a taste of how difficult it can be,
And certainly have had to seek the Lord’s help to respond correctly.
But that is regarding our submission.
IN ADDITION to submission we are also called to pray for our leaders.
Paul wrote:
1 Timothy 2:1-2 “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”
• That verse is actually the basis for why we pray for the lost every Sunday night.
• God has called us to pray in that way, and especially for our leaders in this prayer.
To be specific Paul told us to pray for our rulers “so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”
The idea is that
• If you desire a culture that values righteousness…
• If you long for a society that finds evil repulsive…
• If you want a country that walks in moral integrity…
You do not achieve this
Through activism or protesting or social media debate.
Honestly, you don’t even achieve it through voting.
After all, there have been many nations to whom the Bible was also written who did not have the luxury of democracy or a vote to cast.
But rather, the weapon and tool of the believer for a righteous land is PRAYER
• Paul didn’t say to organize…
• Paul didn’t say to protest…
• Paul didn’t say to vote…
• Paul didn’t say to lobby…
• Paul said to pray.
If you want an example of that prayer, we simply look at Psalms 72.
If Spurgeon is correct then as David gave his final admonition to Solomon, this was the prayer he also prayed on his behalf.
1 Kings 2:1-4 “As David’s time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son, saying, “I am going the way of all the earth. Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man. “Keep the charge of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, so that the LORD may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons are careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’”
David’s charge to Solomon was clear.
Obey God so that God is free to bless you.
THAT IS GOOD ADVICE.
It is a foolish thing to seek to force the Lord to bless your wickedness.
And accompanied with that advice, must have been this prayer.
Now, as we said, it is clear that Solomon adopted this advice
And took it to heart for we see clear evidence of that in his life.
It wouldn’t be long before Solomon would become King and we remember his prayer to God.
TURN TO: 1 KINGS 3:3-14
• Solomon wanted wisdom.
• This pleased God and God granted it to him.
And of course we have famous stories of Solomon exercising that wisdom.
TURN TO: 1 KINGS 3:16-28
It wouldn’t be long before Solomon would build God’s temple and in dedication he would pray:
TURN TO: 1 KINGS 8:25-26
And when the prayer was over, God would reiterate the advice of David by saying:
TURN TO: 1 KINGS 9:1-9
And even though Solomon’s life would have some severe hiccups,
(mostly due to the influence of his many pagan wives,)
Solomon held to his understanding of what David had taught him;
Namely that he should not expect God to bless a wicked life.
And in the last book that Solomon wrote, as an old man giving advice to a younger man, Solomon completed his wisdom with these words:
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.”
And I just remind you of that to show you that
THIS PRAYER HAD A PROFOUND EFFECT UPON HIS LIFE.
And it is a prayer that is preserved for us
That we may also know how to pray for our leaders.
At the same time, it is also a tremendous Messianic Psalm
Since the only King who will ever fully live up to the standards set here,
Or see its truest fulfillment will be King Jesus.
So
• We pray this in faith for our worldly leaders
• And we sing this in hope as we wait for the One who will finally live up to it.
With that in mind, let’s look at this 72nd Psalm
And learn how to pray for the King.
There are 4 prayer requests here.
#1 REGARDING HIS GUIDE
Psalms 72:1-4
To put it plainly the request goes like this:
“Instruct his mind to judge justly”
David begins his prayer by saying, “Give the king Your judgments, O God, And Your righteousness to the king’s son.”
First you notice that the prayer here is for BOTH the king and his son.
• David, even though near the end, still prays that God would grant him His judgments,
• And that God would also extend that to Solomon.
In short, David is praying that both the current king and the coming king
Would be one who is guided by the judgments and righteousness of God.
It speaks of the importance that
The one who sits in authority over a nation
First be one who sits under the authority of God.
• God’s judgments are perfect wisdom.
• God’s word is perfect truth.
• God’s judgments are perfectly accurate.
Psalms 19:7-10 “The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.”
Time would certainly fail us if we referenced every passage in Scripture about the perfection of Scripture.
But the idea is clear.
There is no greater counsel on earth than the counsel of God’s word
And THEREFORE no wise ruler could do better
Than to know God’s word and submit to it as his guide.
In fact in the book of Deuteronomy Moses actually gave a small piece of instruction regarding any future king Israel might have.
Deuteronomy 17:14-20 “When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, and you possess it and live in it, and you say, ‘ I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me,’ you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman. “Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall never again return that way.’ “He shall not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; nor shall he greatly increase silver and gold for himself. “Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. “It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.”
The point is again clearly made.
THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS for any king in Israel
Is to first hand write his own copy of God’s word
So that he might be well versed in the wisdom of God.
That is David’s prayer both for himself and Solomon.
And WHEN the king so values the word of God,
THEN the effects become obvious.
God’s judgments become the king’s judgments.
(2-4) “May he judge Your people with righteousness And Your afflicted with justice. Let the mountains bring peace to the people, And the hills, in righteousness. May he vindicate the afflicted of the people, Save the children of the needy And crush the oppressor.”
When the king internalizes God’s judgments
Then one priority will rise above them all.
HE WILL JUDGE WITH JUSTICE.
• He will not cater to the ruthless, but rather will defend the weak.
• He will certainly know that God is a God who father’s the fatherless and who defends the orphan and the widow.
• He will certainly learn that God does not take a bribe, nor does He honor those who do.
By reading God’s word, he will be in touch with God’s heart
And will thus judge according to God’s will.
Micah 6:6-8 “With what shall I come to the LORD And bow myself before the God on high? Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings, With yearling calves? Does the LORD take delight in thousands of rams, In ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I present my firstborn for my rebellious acts, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?”
Isaiah 1:16-17 “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.”
Psalms 82:1-3 “God takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers. How long will you judge unjustly And show partiality to the wicked? Selah. Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.”
Many of you are familiar with Proverbs 31
• As the chapter about the Virtuous Woman.
• Most people begin studying that passage in verse 10.
• But it was written by King Lemuel’s mother and she had other advice for him besides what wife to choose.
Proverbs 31:1-9 “The words of King Lemuel, the oracle which his mother taught him: What, O my son? And what, O son of my womb? And what, O son of my vows? Do not give your strength to women, Or your ways to that which destroys kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Or for rulers to desire strong drink, For they will drink and forget what is decreed, And pervert the rights of all the afflicted. Give strong drink to him who is perishing, And wine to him whose life is bitter. Let him drink and forget his poverty And remember his trouble no more. Open your mouth for the mute, For the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.”
Her advice was filled with wisdom, clearly as a woman who understood God’s judgments and encouraged her son to follow suit.
Certainly you get the idea.
The first prayer for the king was that
He would be filled with and know what God’s will is.
• It is a prayer that God would enlighten the king with His truth and instruct the king with His wisdom.
• With the expectation that, having learned God’s will, the king would rule with God’s wisdom.
Do you want to pray for our leaders, this is a great place to start.
Incidentally, when King Jesus returns, this is precisely how He will rule.
Isaiah 11:1-5 “Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist.”
We pray for our current rulers to lead like this,
But we certainly rejoice that One is coming who most certainly will.
Regarding His Guide
#2 REGARDING HIS GOAL
Psalms 72:5-7
And if we were to state this a little more precisely, our prayer would be:
“Captivate His Heart To Encourage Righteousness.”
If you’ll notice verse 5, the request is for the fear of the Lord.
(5) “Let them fear You while the sun endures, And as long as the moon, throughout all generations.”
Who is “them”?
• It’s the king and the king’s son who were identified back in verse 1.
The second prayer request here is that the king would fear God.
And that he would fear Him forever (“while the sun endures”)
And we also understand the necessity of the fear of the Lord.
Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Proverbs 8:13 “The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverted mouth, I hate.”
Proverbs 10:27 “The fear of the LORD prolongs life, But the years of the wicked will be shortened.”
Proverbs 14:27 “The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, That one may avoid the snares of death.”
Proverbs 15:16 “Better is a little with the fear of the LORD Than great treasure and turmoil with it.”
Proverbs 22:4 “The reward of humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches, honor and life.”
The understanding here is that when a man fears God,
It dictates his behavior and his decisions and saves his life.
A king cannot condone evil if he fears God
And understands that one day
He will answer to God for his decisions.
You want a leader to have fear of God.
For when he does, he will crush evil and encourage righteousness.
(6-7) “May he come down like rain upon the mown grass, Like showers that water the earth. In his days may the righteous flourish, And abundance of peace till the moon is no more.”
That’s really the kind of ruler you want.
A ruler who fears God and so he judges justly
And the righteous can flourish.
• A ruler who fears God is far more valuable than a ruler with military expertise.
• A ruler who fears God is far more valuable than a ruler with economic strategy.
For those men may make a country secure or even financially strong,
But far more valuable is a king who elevates righteousness.
We certainly don’t desire a king who is corrupt.
We don’t desire a king who allows the wicked to flourish.
A king like that is one who clearly does not fear God.
So we pray for our rulers to fear God
That they might encourage the righteous and stop the wicked.
Let me remind you, that this is their job.
It is actually one of the few legitimate jobs of government according to Scripture.
• We know that we are not to take our own revenge.
• We know that we are not to deal out judgment.
• But God has appointed the governing authorities for this very purpose.
Romans 13:1-4 “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.”
Scripture teaches that God has entrusted the sword to the government
For the punishment of evil.
Our world has sort of been lost in this notion of not governing morality.
You hear that sometimes, “You can’t govern morality”.
Well what else are they supposed to govern?
The Bible says that the government is there to
“bring wrath on the one who practices evil.”
Since that is true we certainly pray that
They have a good grasp on what is evil and what is good.
Since they have the sword, we certainly pray they will know when and where to use it.
So we pray not only that they know God’s will,
But that they also fear God so that they will judge accurately.
We pray that they will punish the wicked and encourage the righteous.
And the very history of Israel will indicate how important this was.
For the king on the throne made all the difference for the nation.
In fact, the books of The Kings are two of the saddest books in Scripture
Because they lament how king after king after king
Led Israel away from God until they were finally destroyed.
Of particular notice would be Jeroboam
• Who was the first king of Israel after the kingdom split.
• He is the one who set up the golden calves and told Israel they no longer had
to travel to Jerusalem for worship.
• Every evil king after him reads with this distinction: “he did not turn away
from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat…”
One by one the kings led Israel into idolatry.
Having a king who doesn’t fear God is a tragedy.
But then how wonderful
When a king who feared God would step on the throne.
Consider Josiah.
2 Kings 23:19-25 “Josiah also removed all the houses of the high places which were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made provoking the LORD; and he did to them just as he had done in Bethel. All the priests of the high places who were there he slaughtered on the altars and burned human bones on them; then he returned to Jerusalem. Then the king commanded all the people saying, ” Celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God as it is written in this book of the covenant.” Surely such a Passover had not been celebrated from the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and of the kings of Judah. But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was observed to the LORD in Jerusalem. Moreover, Josiah removed the mediums and the spiritists and the teraphim and the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might confirm the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD. Before him there was no king like him who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him.”
WE PRAY FOR A KING LIKE THAT.
And again, as we pray for this now, WE LOOK FORWARD TO the day when Christ returns.
We already read about Him:
Isaiah 11:3 “And He will delight in the fear of the LORD…”
But we also understand that in His day
Peace will abound and righteousness will be encouraged.
Isaiah 11:6-9 “And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them. Also the cow and the bear will graze, Their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.”
When you have a righteous king who knows God’s word and fears God,
Then the result is justice, righteousness, and peace.
We pray for that now, we look for that at the return of Christ.
His Guide, His Goal
#3 HIS GOVERNMENT
Psalms 72:8-15
We might more specifically state this request as:
“Increase His Influence Across The World.”
Of course this request is predicated on the fact that the first two are fulfilled.
• But IF he is a king who knows God’s word
• And IF he is a king who fears God
• And IF justice and righteousness and peace are his goal
Then by all means, give him a global platform.
We saw that with Solomon, even as the Queen of Sheba came and was breathless at his wisdom and splendor.
But this is the prayer here.
Take this wise king and let the whole world listen to him.
(8-11) “May he also rule from sea to sea And from the River to the ends of the earth. Let the nomads of the desert bow before him, And his enemies lick the dust. Let the kings of Tarshish and of the islands bring presents; The kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. And let all kings bow down before him, All nations serve him.”
• That speaks of his global influence.
• That his wisdom is so amazing that God grants him global influence.
• Let this king be a king who changes the world.
And again, his credentials are listed.
(12-15) “For he will deliver the needy when he cries for help, The afflicted also, and him who has no helper. He will have compassion on the poor and needy, And the lives of the needy he will save. He will rescue their life from oppression and violence, And their blood will be precious in his sight; So may he live, and may the gold of Sheba be given to him; And let them pray for him continually; Let them bless him all day long.”
What a great description of the passions of a godly king.
• “he will deliver the needy”
• “he will have compassion on the poor”
• “he will rescue [the needy] from oppression and violence”
• “their blood will be precious in his sight”
• He cares about the shedding of innocent blood.
• He cares about injustice.
• He cares about the poor and the helpless.
When you have a king like that,
Then the prayer is for the whole world
To come and hear what he has to say.
Let this king’s government spread across the world.
And again, while we don’t see kings that live up to that billing today, we certainly pray for the One who will.
Isaiah 9:7 “There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”
Isaiah 11:10 “Then in that day The nations will resort to the root of Jesse, Who will stand as a signal for the peoples; And His resting place will be glorious.”
We certainly look to the coming of King Jesus
And pray for His global reign.
His guide, His goal, His government
#4 HIS GLORY
Psalms 72:16-17
And again to more specifically state the request we would pray:
“Reward His Faithfulness With Prosperity”
• When we have a king who knows God’s word and fears God.
• When we have a king who defends the helpless and cares about the shedding of innocent blood.
• When we have a king who crushes evil and encourages the righteous.
Then we pray that God blesses and honors that king
With prosperity and peace throughout his kingdom.
This is above all why David prayed this for Solomon.
• David knew that the only way in which Solomon could ever hope to have his nation blessed by God
• Was if Solomon was first filled with the knowledge of God and the fear of the Lord.
That was the pathway to a prosperous nation.
The right king would make all the difference.
And you see that prosperity spelled out here.
(16-17) “May there be abundance of grain in the earth on top of the mountains; Its fruit will wave like the cedars of Lebanon; And may those from the city flourish like vegetation of the earth. May his name endure forever; May his name increase as long as the sun shines; And let men bless themselves by him; Let all nations call him blessed.”
It is just two verses that speak of the glory of the king.
In fact we read about the response of his people.
(17b) “let men bless themselves by him;”
It’s not men running around shouting, “Not my king”,
It’s men honored to associate themselves with him.
We pray for a ruler like that.
And again, one day we will have Him.
Isaiah 65:17-25 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. “But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing And her people for gladness. “I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people; And there will no longer be heard in her The voice of weeping and the sound of crying. “No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Will be thought accursed. “They will build houses and inhabit them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. “They will not build and another inhabit, They will not plant and another eat; For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands. “They will not labor in vain, Or bear children for calamity; For they are the offspring of those blessed by the LORD, And their descendants with them. “It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. “The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,” says the LORD.”
One day we will have a king who will be so blessed.
And in the meantime, this is how we pray for our rulers.
We pray:
• God instruct his mind to judge justly.
• God captivate his heart to encourage righteousness.
• God, when he walks uprightly, increase his influence across the world.
• God, when he follows you, reward his faithfulness with prosperity
That is how David prayed for Solomon.
• That is how Israel was called to pray for their king.
• That is how we pray for our leaders.
In fact (15b) “And let them pray for him continually; let them bless him all day long.”
We are called to pray for our rulers.
And then we come to the closing of the second book of the Psalms.
David closed book 1 with a doxology.
Psalms 41:13 “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, From everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.”
And David closes book 2 with a doxology.
(18-19) “Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who alone works wonders. And blessed be His glorious name forever; And may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen.”
And the reminder is that regardless of LIFE, and regardless of STRUGGLE, and regardless of what we face (as so many Psalms address),
Ultimately we have a great God who we always turn to and worship.
For
• He “alone works wonders”
• And “His glorious name” is blessed forever.
• And “the whole earth” will be filled “with His glory”
He is always the focus of the Psalms.
He is always the focus of the worship.
The very point of each book of the Psalms is that we would focus upon God as our only source of hope.
• Rather that be deliverance from evil.
• Rather that be avenging of our foes.
• Rather that be encouraging us in distress.
• Rather that be molding our rulers.
Ultimately we lift all things to this great God who alone is to be glorified.
And if this indeed is the last Psalm David ever wrote,
WHAT A FITTING WAY TO END IT.
“The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.”
