Opening Prayer
Lord, give us Your Word in our hearts. We belong to You; save us. Amen.
Text: Psalm 72:1-8
Give the king Your judgments, O God, And Your righteousness to the king’s Son. He will judge Your people with righteousness, And Your poor with justice. The mountains will bring peace to the people, And the little hills, by righteousness. He will bring justice to the poor of the people; He will save the children of the needy, And will break in pieces the oppressor. They shall fear You As long as the sun and moon endure, Throughout all generations. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass, Like showers that water the earth. In His days the righteous shall flourish, And abundance of peace, Until the moon is no more. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.
Devotion
Solomon was a foreshadowing of Christ, and his kingdom of peace was a model of the Christian Church. In this psalm God’s people pray for the coming of Christ’s kingdom, and they sing of the glory of this kingdom, its advancement, and its eternal duration. Christ is the righteous King, who gives justice to the poor and needy, but crushes the haughty. He rejects and condemns those who love sin and live in unrighteousness, but He saves those who humble themselves before God’s Law and seek His help against sin. The poor who cries out and the wretched who has no helper He shall surely save. Admit that God is right in His judgment, humble yourself to the chastening justice of His Law, but also acknowledge that He is right in the Gospel concerning the Son’s obedience and satisfaction for you: then you are righteous and enjoy the peace that comes by grace. The Prince of Peace frees you from all accusation, and you shall live with Him and reign with Him. Everything depends on faith. It is in faith that Christ is known. Train yourself in the faith, and don’t let yourself be led astray by your own human reason or by appearance and feelings. As surely as God lives, whoever from the heart gives assent to His Word is righteous and well-pleasing in His sight.
The proud children of the world who resist God’s purpose and righteousness try to destroy this King’s kingdom. But His throne stands, and He is seated on it until the sun and the moon are no more. Kingdoms of gold and silver, kingdoms of copper and iron, will end, but the kingdom of peace will never end. It advances without stopping. Our heavenly Solomon shall rule “from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth.” How good and glorious this is! With holy fear and joy we accept this and see all kings bow before Him and all nations serve Him.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, give us humble and believing hearts, so that we may taste Your precious peace in all our trouble and strife on earth. God, give the King Your judgment and the King’s Son Your righteousness. Save Your people, and bless Your heritage; govern them and lift them up forever (Psa 28:9). Amen.
Hymn
Rejoice, then, ye sad-hearted,
Who sit in deepest gloom,
Who mourn o’er joys departed,
And tremble at your doom;
Despair not, He is near you,
Yea, standing at the door,
Who best can help and cheer you,
And bid you weep no more.
No care nor effort either
Is needed day or night,
How ye may draw Him hither
In your own strength and might.
He comes, He comes with gladness,
Moved by His love alone,
To calm your fear and sadness,
To Him they well are known.
Gerhardt: O how shall I receive Thee L 98:6-7 ELH 94:6-7 tr. C. Winkworth;
tune: Wie soll ich dich empfangen