1 Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
2 May he judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.
3 May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
4 May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
may he crush the oppressor.
5 May he endure as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.
6 May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.
7 In his days may the righteous flourish
and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.
8 May he rule from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 May the desert tribes bow before him
and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores
bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba and Seba
present him gifts.
11 May all kings bow down to him
and all nations serve him.
_________
What is striking to me in this blessing for the king is what it says about the king’s responsibilities and priorities. He is to be concerned for justice, especially for those who are afflicted. He is to oppose those who would oppress the people. Instead he is to defend the afflicted and save the children of the needy.
What does it mean that these are the only activities and duties that are mentioned for the king? Clearly this is an indication of the priorities of our God. He looks with favor especially on the downtrodden and the oppressed. As I mentioned in the devotion from a couple of days ago, the scriptures frequently point to God’s concern for the widows and orphans and the poor. Today we would include in that list the disabled, the unborn, the elderly, the terminally ill, and any other group that society would push to the side as being not as important.
Luther once commented that God is far-sighted. The farther down you are from His perspective the more clearly He sees you.
But what does this mean for us? Clearly if this is an indication of the priorities of our God, it is a description of the priorities that we are to emulate. So my prayer today is for those who are afflicted and needy, those who are oppressed and forgotten. I pray to my King to care for them, to bring them justice and deliverance. I also pray that He lead me and other Christians in what He would have us do to be part of the answer to this prayer.
Live Stream worship each Sunday at 9:30 AM and Wednesdays at 7:00 PM. Please go to this page for more information: https://stjohnslutheran.net/live-streaming-worship-at-st-johns/
Leave a Reply