Slices
Prepare
‘I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people – for kings and all those in authority…’ (1 Timothy 2:1,2, NIV). We turn towards the Lord in prayer and lift up those who exercise authority over our land and the world.
Bible passage
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 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 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 with 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 to him.
May people ever pray for him
and bless him all day long.
16 May corn abound throughout the land;
on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops flourish like Lebanon
and thrive like the grass of the field.
17 May his name endure for ever;
may it continue as long as the sun.
Then all nations will be blessed through him,
and they will call him blessed.
18 Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does marvellous deeds.
19 Praise be to his glorious name for ever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and Amen.
20 This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.
Explore
The church has a long and complicated history when it comes to its relations with civic government. There have been times when church and state meant more or less the same thing and other periods when the church has been in the vanguard of protest. Sadly, there have been too many eras when the church has been silent when it should have raised its voice on issues of injustice, inequality, corruption and environmental damage.
There are many voices calling for the church to be more involved in the affairs of government. Some argue that we are to be a critical friend to the state, speaking truth to power. And this is how this psalm reads. Whilst the king is to be lauded and encouraged (eg vs 1,2,8), he is also urged to defend the afflicted (v 4), save the children (v 4), crush the oppressor (v 4), deliver the needy (vs 12,13), and take pity on the weak (v 13). God’s people must never give unqualified, uncritical support to their civic leaders.
Respond
As citizens we need to pray for our leaders but not worship them. They need our help in supporting them in prayer. Pray now that they and their institutions will govern well and implement God’s values of mercy, justice, peace and love.
Deeper Bible study
‘Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.’1
This is the only psalm that directly concerns Solomon, under whose reign Israel’s fortunes reached their zenith. It is a prayer for his prosperity and success, the extension of his kingdom, his renown among the nations and the subduing of his enemies. Behind this is the belief that what is good for the king is good for the people. Blessing on him is blessing on all.
The psalm is elaborate and somewhat triumphal. One might imagine it being sung in the Temple, built during Solomon’s reign, with the king basking in its positive words. If so, and if the king was paying attention, he might also have recognised an implicit criticism. Kings in Israel were like constitutional rather than absolute monarchs. They were subject to God’s Law. Their rights and duties were written down and deposited in the Temple.2 The king must have heard this psalm’s prayer that he might defend the afflicted and needy and crush the oppressor (v 4) and that he would deliver the needy and take pity on the weak (vs 12,13). Radical expectations indeed! The extent to which he, or any other ruler, does this is the true test of whether they are worthy of the praise they are offered.
Like every other king of Israel, Solomon was destined to disappoint. It was because of the failure of kingship to deliver in Israel that the hope arose of an ideal future king: an anointed one, a son of David, who would truly be what none of the others had been, even at their best. For the same reason, when disciples of Christ read this psalm they see in it the one who was to come and is to come again, the true King to whom all kings will bow down and whom nations will serve. This is a ruler of a different order.
Jesus said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world’.3
1 Ps 24:7 2 1 Sam 10:25 3 John 18:36
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Jeremiah 5,6; John 3
Pray for Scripture Union
Pray for the new First Nations Ministries project developed by SU South Australia, which aims to evangelise, disciple and support ministry to indigenous Australians. Their new indigenous staff member is leading the ministry. Pray for her and the new team being developed.
