In a couple of weeks my country will be inaugurating a new president, a new leader of our country. This typically happens every four years. Other countries elect new prime ministers on a periodic basis. Monarchies tend to have a changing of the guard on a less frequent basis. On occasions like these, Scripture instructs us to pray for our rulers and leaders, and not just during times of transition, but also at all times. Our psalm for this week is a prayer for our leaders and rulers of our country. Let’s take a quick look at what the Lord has to say to us here.
Psalm 72 was written by King Solomon, son of the great King David. Solomon may have been remembering some of the prayers of his father, prayers David made in preparation for when his son would step onto the throne. Now he was on the throne, and Solomon knew that he needed the Lord’s blessings in order to have an effective reign. There are five basic prayers or requests that Solomon made for his reign, asking for the Lord’s blessing. Let’s briefly look at each of these, as these are prayers that we, too, can pray for our national leaders, as well.
The first is a prayer that the king or ruler will show forth righteousness and justice during their reign (vs. 1-4). How many rulers, whether kings or elected officials, are corrupt, and use their position to gain personal power and money. They do not care about the people who are under their protection. They trample over the poor, the oppressed, and the needy, and do not bring them legal justice. Righteousness and justice are key characteristics of Yahweh, and will highlight the reign of the Messiah. Solomon prays that they will be keys of his reign and that of his descendants. We should be praying that righteousness and justice will also be key factors in how our political leaders guide their administrations, and that they care for the poor and oppressed, bringing them the justice they deserve.
The second prayer in our psalm is for Solomon’s reign to bring prosperity and peace (vs. 5-7). Every new administration makes these promises. “Vote for me and I will bring peace and prosperity”, is a frequent campaign promise. No one wants years of war and high inflation. As we read all throughout Scripture, these are blessings that come from following the Lord and obeying His Word. It was true during the days of the Old Testament kings, and it is still true today. God will not bless disobedience. Peace and prosperity will flourish during the reign of the Lord Jesus.
Next is a prayer for a universal reign (vs. 8-11). This one prayer is not something that we can actually pray for our earthly rulers or leaders today, as none of our leaders could or should have a universal rule. Even at the time of Solomon’s reign, though they might have wanted a nice, big, spread-out territory, God never promised them a world-encompassing country. However, that is what the reign of the Lord Jesus will be when He returns, and we can certainly pray for that to come quickly. His reign will be to the ends of the earth, and all the earthly rulers will bow to Him.
Solomon continues on with a renewed prayer for his reign to be marked with a compassion for the needy (vs. 12-14). Again, this is a prayer that we should continually be praying for our earthly leaders. Instead of our rulers making sure that their own pockets, and those of their cronies are well-filled with our tax dollars, they should be ensuring that they hear the cries of the poor and needy, and seeing they have justice from their oppressors. We can be sure that this will happen when Jesus reigns!
The final prayer that Solomon makes is one to ensure a good and enduring legacy (vs. 15-17). When a president, prime minister, king, or any other political leader’s time comes to an end, they always hope that their name will be remembered in a positive light, and not go down in infamy as a terrible ruler. Those who rule by following the ways of the Lord, and by obeying His Word can leave an enduring legacy. The only Name which will endure forever, though, is that of the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is in His Name that our earthly rulers can find blessing.
We can pray this psalm for our national leaders, that they will seek to follow the Lord Jesus and His Word as they serve their people with righteousness, justice, and compassion, and know that the ultimate fulfillment of this psalm is in the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone will bring perfect justice, peace, and prosperity.
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