Psalm Meditation 812
First Sunday After Epiphany
January 10, 2016

Psalm 72
1 Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son.
2 May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice.
3 May the mountains yield 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 needy, and crush the oppressor.
5 May he live while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth.
7 In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
8 May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 May his foes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts.
11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service.
12 For he delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy.
14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life; and precious is their blood in his sight.
15 Long may he live! May gold of Sheba be given to him. May prayer be made for him continually, and blessings invoked for him all day long.
16 May there be abundance of grain in the land; may it wave on the tops of the mountains; may its fruit be like Lebanon; and may people blossom in the cities like the grass of the field.
17 May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun. May all nations be blessed in him; may they pronounce him happy.
18 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.
19 Blessed be his glorious name forever; may his glory fill the whole earth. Amen and Amen.
20 The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.
(NRSV)

I read this as King David praying for himself, in his roles as agent of God and protector of the people over whom he reigns. He treats God as he has gotten used to being treated as king. ‘Since I have done these things for you, will you now do these things for me?’ Because David has been a faithful agent of God he would appreciate it if God would do him the favor of giving his enemies and adversaries over to him. While it may be David who will receive the tribute payments of these vanquished kings, David will be sure to give the glory to God as the one who is finally the one who does all good things.

I understand that in cultures in which the ruler holds absolute power over the people being ruled there is no question as to who owns any and all assets of the realm. The ruler controls everything. However, the companion understanding is that with those assets the ruler meets the needs of all the people. When a person or group misses out on that care it is each person’s right to petition for the meeting of those needs. A good ruler, especially one who is seen as an agent of God, is then expected to repair this oversight in the care of the people of the realm.

I believe that God cares for us no matter what. I also believe that clans, tribes and nations have a responsibility to care for the people who make up the group. While there is considerable disagreement on how that is done and who is included in that care, I know that we are invited to care for those who need is great. We care because of our own compassion and because we have received the care of God.

January 4, 2016
LCM