THE PRIMORDIAL MESSIAH
Opening Prayer
God in heaven, thank you for Jesus—my Savior, my Redeemer, my Liberator—the King of Kings.
Read PSALM 72
Psalm 72
Of Solomon.
1 Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
2 May he judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.
3 May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
4 May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
may he crush the oppressor.
5 May he endure[a] as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.
6 May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.
7 In his days may the righteous flourish
and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.
8 May he rule from sea to sea
and from the River[b] to the ends of the earth.
9 May the desert tribes bow before him
and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores
bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba and Seba
present him gifts.
11 May all kings bow down to him
and all nations serve him.
12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help.
13 He will take pity on the weak and the needy
and save the needy from death.
14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
for precious is their blood in his sight.
15 Long may he live!
May gold from Sheba be given him.
May people ever pray for him
and bless him all day long.
16 May grain abound throughout the land;
on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops flourish like Lebanon
and thrive[c] like the grass of the field.
17 May his name endure forever;
may it continue as long as the sun.
Then all nations will be blessed through him,[d]
and they will call him blessed.
18 Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does marvelous deeds.
19 Praise be to his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and Amen.
20 This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.
Footnotes
- Psalm 72:5 Septuagint; Hebrew You will be feared
- Psalm 72:8 That is, the Euphrates
- Psalm 72:16 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text; Masoretic Text Lebanon, / from the city
- Psalm 72:17 Or will use his name in blessings (see Gen. 48:20)
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
‘Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, / almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.’1
Has there ever been a leader so illustrious, so victorious and so magnificent as in this psalm? Among these proclamations of glory are hopes for the qualities we wish world leaders would display today, but which few attain – upholding justice and righteousness, helping the weak and marginalized, protecting the oppressed and needy. Psalm 72 was written for a coronation, possibly by David for the coronation of his son Solomon. It contains the exaggerated language traditionally used at coronations. In my youth, before Australia changed its national anthem, we sang ‘God Save the King,’ calling upon God to give him victory over his foes, to make him ‘glorious’ and to give him long Iife.
Although Psalm 72 originated as a celebration of this earthly king, its lyrics dare to touch eternity. This King’s name will outlive the sun. This monarch will be eternally revered. Although the time- bound Jewish monarchy ended, the psalm lived on because of this eternal dimension, the hope of a holy and just regime which would last forever. Verse 17 is quoted in the Talmud, the ancient Jewish interpretation of Scripture, as proof that the name of the Primordial Messiah, the Christ before time, was known before the universe began and will live beyond it into eternity.2 For Christians, verses like this leap from the pages of Scripture. We understand that Jesus, the true Messiah, was not just known about before time but existed before time. We also know that the Messiah became human. A King was born in Bethlehem, whose origins were ‘from of old, from ancient times’,3 that is, from eternity. Jesus rightly named himself the Primordial Messiah – ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’.4
Apply
The Lord of eternity cares about us. The Lord leads us safely through the perils of this world. Thank God that, when life ends, he will grant us eternal life.
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for the countless blessings, both temporal and eternal, that you have showered on me. Help me to use those blessings to testify to who you are, what you have done, and what you have promised yet to do.
1 Walter Smith, 1824–1908, ‘Immortal, invisible, God only wise’ 2 Talmud Bavli, Nedarim 39b 3 Mic 5:2 4 John 8:58
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