“Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son! … May his … fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!” – Psalm 72:1, 17
Scripture reading: Psalm 72:1-20
Sin isn’t fair. Mr. Greed says, “Finders keepers, losers weepers!” Ms. Gossip wrecks her neighbour’s reputation with the excuse, “Well, it’s true!” Mr. Lust destroys marriage with the mindset, “It can’t be wrong if it feels so right.”
Psalm 72 is a prayer for King Jesus to make all things just – to defend the poor, to rescue starving kids, to crush oppressors! (72:4). Book 2 (Psalms 42-72) confronts the mess that sin makes when bullies take advantage of others. Psalms 42-44 sigh under sin’s bitterness. Immediately, Psalm 45 presents Jesus as the valiant Groom Who rescues His bride from her bullies. He leads His army (46) to defeat His enemies (47) and to live peacefully with His bride in the royal city (48).
Therefore, don’t fear when the wicked prosper (Psalm 49) because God comes as judge to execute them (50). Instead, we must return to God with the sacrifice of genuine sorrow over sin (51) and continue to trust Him in all our troubles (52-64). Then we will rejoice with others in His world-wide mission to gather broken, miserable sinners (65-67); and we will live confidently in God Who continues to defeat our enemies (68) and to rescue us from sin (69-70) – even to old age (71).
By praying Psalm 72, we trust in Jesus and delight in His kingdom. Only He can bring us to our destination – the place of standing before God in the congregation of the righteous (see introduction). King Jesus makes all things right.
Suggestions for prayer
Pray for the justice of Christ’s kingdom by reading Psalm 72:1-7. Pray for the expanse of His kingdom with verses 8-14. Pray for its continuation with verses 15-17. Praise His glorious kingdom with verses 18-19.
Rev. Ken Anema currently serves as an instructor for Divine Hope Reformed Bible Seminary which is a prison discipleship ministry structured as a school. Prior to that, he pastored the Messiah’s Independent Reformed Church in Holland, MI (1993-2014) after graduating from Mid-America Reformed Seminary. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. It is also available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.
