Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king's son.
Verse 2May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice.
Verse 3May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness.
Verse 4May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.
Verse 5May he live while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
Verse 6May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth.
Verse 7In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
Verse 18Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.
Verse 19Blessed be his glorious name forever; may his glory fill the whole earth. Amen and Amen.
Devotion
None of Israel’s and Judah’s kings, not even King David, could live up to the hope that Psalm 72 holds out for a righteous leader and his society. This psalm gives voice to mournful disappointment about the things that societies desperately need but have never been able to produce, even under history’s best circumstances and grandest governments. This psalm also keeps hope alive by reiterating that these things are exactly what God wants for us. The psalm describes our greatest needs while reaffirming God’s desire to transform human existence to fulfill those needs. Our hope is in the Lord, to whom we look during Advent to provide one more king—one unlike any the world has ever produced.
Prayer
God of justice, only you can fully cure the ills that plague human existence. Through your Son, our Savior, lead us to renounce oppression and serve the needy. Amen.