Psalm 72 is a royal Psalm. The well-known hymns “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed” and “Jesus Shall Reign” find the inspiration here. This was a hymn sung at the time of the enthronement or coronation of the Davidic king. It asks for the blessing of God on the king and empowerment to bring a just rule. It may come from the time of Solomon.[1] Its superscription, Of Solomon, is a later addition describing the content of the Psalm, also found in Psalm 127. This ascription may be because it emphasizes qualities and events for which he was known, such as judicial wisdom, the great extent of the kingdom, and the gifts and tribute he collected, including Tarshish and Sheba (I Kings 10:10, 22). It concludes Book II of the Psalter, which some describe as the Davidic Psalter.[2] It approaches the enthronement from an ideal perspective. It has some affinity with prophetic eschatology. It becomes a prayer, using hyperbolic language as it asks God to grant wisdom and justice to the ruler of Israel. It celebrates the wealth and glory of Solomon, evoking images of the future ideal king. Early sacral kingship strongly associated the kingship of the Lord with the enthronement of the king. The king is entering the public life of the nation. The psalm expresses the hopes the people have in their monarch, who is also the representative of God. It dwells upon the health of the community. The act of God in sending a king and the responsibility of the king to protect the poor and weak unite in this hymn. The Septuagint sees it as referring to Solomon, while the Mishnah refers it to the Messiah. Jewish and Christian traditions view it as messianic.
In Psalm 72:1-7, we have a reminder that the kings of Israel never had absolute authority. He was subject to the covenant Israel had with the Lord. Righteousness must come first. Only later will power, peace, and salvation come. Behind the earthly king is the divine king. The responsibility of the king was to uphold and administer justice with divine assistance. 1 Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son (which would describe Solomon). The hymn places righteousness and justice parallel to each other, meaning that divine revelation in the covenant defined justice. Historically, this notion will contrast with the Enlightenment notion of justice finding its basis in natural law. The covenant expects justice and righteousness from all Israelites. It urges all Israelites not to side with the majority to pervert justice (Exodus 23:2). It urges all Israelites to render justice in their judgment, even to the point of refusing to be partial to the poor or to defer to the great, for they are to deal justly with their neighbor (Leviticus 19:15). All Israelites must reject justice and not show partiality (Deuteronomy 16:19). The Lord expected justice and righteousness, but instead saw violence and the cry of the oppressed (Isaiah 5:7). However, the king had the responsibility to practice such virtues due to his power and influence. 2 May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor (referring to God’s poor, only other occurrence in Psalm 74:19) with justice. The phrase may suggest that the general population has treated the poor as outsiders, and thus, they belong to God now. Eventually, the righteous remnant belongs to God, in distinction from the rest of the Israelite people.With other passages defining the most vulnerable as the alien, the orphan, and the widow. A curse resides upon anyone who deprives the alien, orphan, and widow justice (Deuteronomy 27:19). The prophet urges them not to oppress the alien, orphan, or widow (Jeremiah 7:6). Parents, as well as alien, orphan, and widow, suffer extortion (Ezekiel 22:7). The prophet urges them not to oppress the widow, orphan, alien, the poor, nor devise evil plans against each other (Zechariah 7:10,). The Lord will move swiftly against, sorcerers, adulterers, those who bear false witness, those who oppress hired workers, widow, orphan, and alien. (Malachi 3:5). Such sentiments were characteristic concern of surrounding cultures as well. Isaiah 1:17 has God commanding the entire people to seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, and plead for the widow. They do so in imitation of their heavenly ruler rather than their corrupt earthly king. Verses 3-4 suggest moral order in the world, such as justice for the poor and oppressed, brings about cosmic order, such as fertility and bounty. 3 May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness. Ancient Israel was a subsistence agrarian economy. It connects human moral behavior as having direct consequence in the natural world, as we also find in Deuteronomy 7:12-13. 4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor. Verses 5-7 give some specificity to defining a just rule by the king. 5 May he live while the sun endures (following the Septuagint, while the Hebrew reads, “May they fear you,” referring to the oppressors of the poor and the needy or to the people offering respect to the king), and as long as the moon, throughout all generations. The text is an example of poetic hyperbole, as in Psalm 61:6, 89:36-37, where the king is to live “throughout all generations.”6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, a good king ensures the prosperity of the people. Farmers needed such rain to mature crops after the clearing of weeds and before the onset of the summer drought. He prays the king will be like showers that water the earth. 7 In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, a unique phrasing in the Old Testament, until the moon is no more. The messianic age will last until the end of time.
The Septuagint thought of the hymn as referring to Solomon. However, the Mishnah saw it as referring to the reign of the Messiah. One can see why Jewish and Christian tradition viewed the hymn as messianic. For most churches who follow the lectionary, this psalm is the reading every year for Epiphany Day. The hymn by James Montgomery (1771-1854), “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed,” refers to “greater David’s greater Son,” as he comes to break oppression, set the captive free, and rule in equity. He comes to bring help for those who suffer wrong, such as the poor and needy. Such persons are precious in the sight of the Lord’s anointed. He shall be like a shower upon the fruitful earth of love, joy, and hope. Peace and righteousness will flow. His rule still increases and is without end. “The tide of time shall never his covenant remove, his name shall stand forever, that name to us is love.” In the hymn by Isaac Watts (1674-1748), “Jesus Shall Reign,” the final two verses have a special affinity with this psalm, as it suggests that blessings about wherever Jesus reigns, for prisoners lose their chains, the weary find rest, and those who suffer from want find blessing. Every creature is to bring honors to “our King.”
One could reflect upon the notion of the virtuous leader or the virtuous government. The effect of the behavior of powerful people in the economic, political, and cultural areas of society today is immense. It becomes important for them to have a sense of their responsibility to the health of society. When they act in ways that tear the slender threads of free societies apart, they do so to their own harm as well as to the harm of many others. Each of us, of course, shares in that responsibility, but it would be irresponsible not to place the weight of this responsibility upon those who have the power. One could do so with Machiavelli and Rousseau. One could also do so with Confucius. Confucius gave attention to two overarching matters: what makes for good government, and what makes for a morally good individual. His answers were elegant — and compelling — in their simplicity. Good government rules not by physical force but through moral force. The ideal ruler embodies virtue, which one expresses in unfailingly benevolent treatment of the people. In turn, the people voluntarily, even eagerly, choose to follow the ruler. Because government, to be good, requires a good ruler — and good officials — Confucius also characterizes what makes for a good person: someone who possesses a love of learning; strives to achieve benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom; treats others as he would wish to be treated; is trustworthy and loyal as a friend, filial as a son and obedient as a subject; and, reciprocally, is affectionate and caring as a parent or an official.[3] Confucius differed from the Psalm in that while he respect religion, he interpreted it ethically. Confucianism has little room for the divine. The psalmist clearly viewed the ruler as answerable to God. They may also differ in their views of human nature and eternal life.
We can see the concern of this psalm is for the king to endure. Such a prayer recognizes that certain types of human rulers are a force for good in the world. Government can be beastly, of course, but it can also contain elements of goodness, justice, and peace. Thus, I would hope and pray for the brief reign of Putin, or the Communist Party in China and North Korea. I would pray for the brief reign of dictators in Latin America. Of course, all of this suggests I would pray for the longevity of any nation that promotes freedom and justice, as America, along with many other nations, has done. Humanity has had to live under tyranny far too often. We need to cherish nations that hold to steadily expanding freedom, and with it respect for the worth and dignity of the individuals who live within the bounds of the nation. We can also pray that such nations will extend such respect to other nations and cultures as well. Freedom hangs by slender threads due to dangers from within and from tyrannical forces outside; it will always take vigilance to defend it.
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