Summer in the Psalms (Psalm 72)

Psalm 72

Messiah?

When I grew up in the Church I used to think that Christ was simply Jesus’s surname. In the same why that I am called John Wilson I thought that Jesus’ Second name was Christ. If someone was to write him a letter it would be adressed to Mr Christ. But the designation Christ is not simply a surname it is a title. It was a roundabout way of saying Jesus, who is the Christ.

What does the title Christ mean?

Well it comes from the Greek adjective Christos, which means to smear with oil. The Israelites used to smear or anoint a person with oil when they would be set apart as a king (2 Sam 23:1; Ps 2:2) or priest (Lev 6:15; 21:10, 12) before God. But the OT also spoke of a comming messiah which means anointed one he would be a everlasting King and a priest before God, in fact the whole OT might be summed up in the phrase, someone is comming. Thus messiah was often translated in the Greek as Christos. So when Jesus is reffered to as the Christ, it is a title meaning messiah the anointed one.

Psalm 72.

I say this because Today we are going to study Psalm 72 A Psalm which speaks of Gods Messiah and the blessing of his Kingdom, it is a poem and song written hundreds of years before Jesus walked the earth in his incarnation.

Of course there are differnt Kinds of Psalms in the bible, this one is often said by Scholars to be both Royal and Messianic

Royal, because in its origional context it refers to the monarchy in ancient isreal, most likely, it was composed by King David under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and recited to his Son Solomon after him who recorded it in its present form. However solomon and the kings after him never lived up to the Poems Ideal.

Therefore it is also came to be understood as messeainic, messianic in the sense that it anticipates and fortells the comming of the truly anointed king, the Messiah the Christ. This is not just a christian interpretation of the Psalm, Early Jewish thinking took the same viewpoint, as the Targum began to insert the word messiah in front of the word king on account of the Psalms similarlty prophetic texts like Zechariah 9:9–13

Big Idea

This morning I want us to explore together what this ancient royal, messianinc Psalm reveals us about the comming King of Kings and his Kingdom? My aim is to help you understand what the bible means when it talks about the Kingdom of God, I fear it is a term we christians are very familiar with because we read about it in the Gospels and recite it in the Lord’s prayer without any real consideration to its OT background or its implication on our lives and witness to our friends and families.

Non Christians

Can I ask you? What kind of world do you want to live in? Do you long for a better world? A world that isnt filled with so much violence, war, opression, peversion, poverty,and injustice.. If your hoping for a better word then what is your hope in? Is it technology, undoubtedly human enginuity and technology has improved the lives and wellbeing of countless millions (but are we more happy for the time we spend on our phones and on netflix amusing ourselves to death). Perhaps your hope for a better world is in the in progress of science and medicine (Viruses and plague are as old as dirt, they will always be around, what we are experienceing is not unprecedented its happend before and will happen again). Science can not stop both you and yourloved ones from dying, it can only delay the process. Maybe your hope for a better world is in humanity itself, but let me tell you its the human heart which is the fundemental underlying problem. For out of the human heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander messiah Jesus taught us. Technology van build wheel chairs or atom bombs, technology itself is not the problem, its the human heart that is willing to pull the trigger and press the button.

What you will find in this psalm is a compelling vision and promise of a better world than we have at present under the Rule of Gods messaih. Ask yourself the question. “Do I not want this better world?” Does my heart not long for a world like this. you may think, ahh its just a poem, its just fanciful thinking. Make no mistake this is Gods prophetic word, and the good news is that much of it has already begun to take place despite the chaos we see around us, The Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Gods messiah which this psalm speaks of has already broken in with the arrival of Jesus in the fisrt century, and it will soon come in all its fullness when Jesus the king the Christ returns and he will return. We live in the now and the not yet.......We are living in the end times and we have been since Jesus ascended to heaven. Now some may scoff at this idea in fact the bible tells us 2 Pet 3:3-7

2 Peter 3:3–7 NIV

Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

Christians

Now most of you tuning in this morning I suspect are already believers, you know who Gods chosen king is, you know the promises of the Bible concerning the messasiah and the kindgom of God, but you are contending with all kinds of stresses and anxieties just now, wether it be work, marriage, singleness, Children finances, you name it, you might be wondering how is this poem even relevent, I need God’s wisdom for living today. People have always been anxious about life, thier health and wealth and realtionships. Jesus teaches on these things in Mat 6:25-23 but crusially for us this morning the solution on how to deal with theses things is found in verse 33. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Exposition

What does this psalm tell us about Gods Kingdom under the rule of the messiah. Jim Boice identified things which we will look at in turn

The Character of Gods Kingdom.

The Duration of the Kingdom.

The Expanse of God’s Kingdom.

The Nature of Gods Kingdom.

The Blessings of God’s Kingdom.

1) The Character of Gods Kingdom will fundementally be one Rightousness.

Notice rightousness is mentioned in three opening verses, Davids prayer for Gods chosen king is that he will rule with God’s own Character. Righteousness as it pertains to God has to do with God doing all things rightly and justly. So its Davids prayer that Gods chosen King will have the ability to carry out justice because he himself is rightous as God is rightous. The ability to do justice will be divnly attributed. It was Davids wish that Solomons judgment would be absolutely fair, right, and just, reflecting the covenant God made with Israel. Psalm 72:1-3

Psalm 72:1–3 NIV

Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness. May he judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. May the mountains bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness.

Solomon started out well, he lived rightously and asked God for wisdom that he could administer Justice, but ultimatley failed to live up to this ideal, though sometimes he was given wisdom to administer Justice, he also lived a an imoral life, given over to idolitary and the chasing after false gods of the pagan nations.

The people are mentioned three times in Davids prayer. Thus the if the king rules rightously with Justice the people will prosper. As goes with the King, so goes with the people. But Solomon Taxed the people heavily and layed huge burdens upon their backs.

Unlike King Solomon Messiah Jesus was perfectly rightous, he never sinned against God nor against his fellow man and he gives The rightousness that God requires of his people to them through faith.

Aplication.

Psalms 1–72, Volume 1 Teaching the Text

While the defense of the afflicted and needy falls within the king’s responsibilities, we may speak also of the message of the prophets who, while not denying the monarch’s obligation toward the disadvantaged and oppressed, emphasize the duty of the society to fulfill this role (see “Theological Insights”).

So if this is

This is far more an exciting vision that arguing about buildings.- We have forsken the weightier matters of the Gospel. Cafes, buildings, music, hymns psalms, We have nullified the word of god for the sake of our traditions new and old.

Prosperity and Peace (Shalom)

Landing

The Book of Psalms & The Book of Proverbs Commentary

This psalm prompts us to look forward to the day when King Jesus will come again. On that day “the mountains [will] yield prosperity for all, and … the hills [will] be fruitful.… The king’s rule [will] be refreshing like spring rain … like the showers that water the earth.… He [will] reign from sea to sea.… All nations will serve him.… All nations [will] be blessed through him and bring him praise.” Until that day, we pray that God would give us his justice and righteousness, and that we might do the will of God in bringing blessing to those who are in need and cannot do for themselves what God can do for them through us.

How many of you gorwing up were taught that fundementally Christianity was about going to heaven and not hell when you die.

But findementally it is about god comming to earth.

Psalms, Volume 2: (Psalms 42–106): An Expositional Commentary David’s Son and David’s Greater Son

Charles Hodge wrote in his Systematic Theology,

The Seventy-second Psalm contains a description of an exalted king, and of the blessings of his reign. These blessings are of such a nature as to prove that the subject of the psalm must be a divine person. (1) His kingdom is to be everlasting. (2) Universal. (3) It secures perfect peace with God and good-will among men. (4) All men are to be brought to submit to him through love. (5) In him all the nations of the earth are to be blessed.… The subject of this psalm is, therefore, the Redeemer of the world.

LANDING

When he shakes his main we will have spring again.

Revelation 11:15 ESV

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”