Sep-04-0505-The glory of the coming King
505_The glory of the coming King Psalm 72 Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son! 2 May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice! 3 Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness! 4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor! 5 May they fear you while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations! 6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth! 7 In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more! 8 May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth! 9 May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust! 10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! 11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him! The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 was among the greatest events of the century. It was broadcast to millions across the world—an unprecedented moment in television history. London streets overflowed with people, banners waved in the wind, and the sound of trumpets filled the air. Dignitaries, royalty, and leaders from around the globe gathered in Westminster Abbey to watch as the young queen received her crown. Yet, for all its grandeur, she was still a mortal, a monarch who was nevertheless subject to death. It was but a faint shadow of a greater coronation still to come— when the King of kings will take his power and reign, not over a single nation, but over all the earth. Psalm 72 describes that momentous time, with prophetic vision. Introduced as David’s psalm “Of Solomon,” it quickly becomes clear that its vision is too vast, too perfect, too enduring to be fulfilled by Solomon alone. Solomon’s reign began with promise and was marked by matchless wisdom, enduring peace, and dazzling prosperity. Yet he, like every human ruler, was flawed and finite. This psalm stretches beyond him to the only King who embodies the righteousness and justice that are the very foundation of God’s throne, as Psalm 89:14 declares. This great psalm begins: “Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son! May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice.” Solomon’s prayer closely resembled this, when God asked him, in a dream, what he desired most. At that time, he begged for neither wealth nor long life, but for wisdom to judge God’s people in righteousness. God was pleased with his prayer. For righteousness and justice are not merely admirable traits in the leader of the people. Rather, they are the reason he rules as a representative of God’s kingdom. Solomon ruled with justice and mercy. He foreshadowed the coming King who would defend the cause of the poor,