Psalm Meditation 1113 ¶Proper 24 ¶October 17, 2021 ¶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) ¶Many of us want what the psalmist wants here; to be governed by people who look out for all of the people they have been entrusted with governing. We want to know that someone is concerned with justice for all, with leading the nation into prosperity, and keeping greedy folks from crushing those who are unable to defend themselves. We have a variety of thoughts on what all of this means, however we do want those who govern us to do so with the interests of all the people in their heart and mind. ¶No matter where we are we want to know that the nation in which we live is the best in a variety of ways. And while we can’t each live in the best place on earth we find ways to make it the place we like the best. We want to believe that our nation is the most biggest and most powerful no matter how much evidence there might be to the contrary. Israel of the psalmist’s day was neither a political nor military powerhouse in the area, despite the psalms that state otherwise. ¶At our best, we will continue to depend on God to point us to and provide those who will lead us in the best of directions. We will pray that our leaders follow the direction they receive from God, even when we do not see the hand of God at work in their lives. We will pray for those who agree with us, as well as for those with whom we disagree, enemies included. “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be his glorious name forever; may his glory fill the whole earth. Amen and Amen.” ¶October 11, 2021 ¶LCM