Scripture:
[1] Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to the royal son!
[2] May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice!
[3] Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness!
[4] May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the children of the needy,
and crush the oppressor!
[5] May they fear you while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!
Observation:
This psalm is written by David for his son Solomon as he succeeds David as an earthly king. But it is also written directly referring to the coming Messiah.
David knows that Solomon needs God just as he did. This first part is prayer calling out for God to bless Solomon as a righteous ruler; a defender of the poor; a protector of the needy; and to have the power to crush any persecutors.
More importantly though, the prayer asks God to bless his Son, the King of kings, to be a righteous ruler; to defend the poor and needy; to have the power to crush any oppressors, and to rule forever – as long as the moon, throughout all generations!
Application:
While it may seem that our personal domains – our families, our work environments, our church – are much smaller than Solomon’s kingdom, they are no less important to God’s kingdom and it is no less important how we act. In our daily lives we all have opportunity to “rule righteously” by acting honorably in a holy way, or to act in dishonest or unjust ways. We are often confronted with opportunity to help those who have needs we may be able to help fulfill. Do we treat them with disdain because we feel it was their bad decisions that got them where they are, or do we treat them with respect, defend and protect them with a portion of provision or gifts God has provided for us? Let that sink in for a minute. None of us are immune from Satan’s temptation to fall on the irreverent side of a decision.
So, as we pray to God with our own versions of David’s prayer, we should pray this for ourselves and our own families as David did for Solomon. To make our daily decisions in God’s righteousness, to defend and protect the poor and needy, treating them with respect, and to stand firm as Satan tries to attack us. Pray we be more like Jesus.
Prayer:
Lord thank for your holy word to guide us. Thank you for the blessings you pour out on me daily. I don’t deserve them. Lord I know I’m not perfect so help me to always act and make decisions that you find holy and righteous. Help me not greedily withhold the worldly stuff you have provided me, or my spiritual gifts from helping the needy. In Jesus holy name I pray, Amen.