What do you think of having a king?
American history does not view kingship too fondly. The very reason this nation become a nation resulted from finding independence from a king. So when the Bible discusses kingship, it might take us more work to understand the intentions of the writers of scripture.
Psalm 72 seems to indicate a leadership transition. The description calls it a Psalm of Solomon, and the last verse says that it concludes the prayers of David. The arc of scripture would rank David and Solomon as the two greatest kings in Israel’s history.
These kings led remarkably, but their stories in scripture reveal their imperfections. David would murder, and other havoc ensued during his rule. Solomon took hundreds of wives and failed to execute a successful succession plan for the next generation of kings.
Human kings will fail us. The power of Psalm 72 points to an even grander king. When we read this scripture, we encounter King Jesus. Consider Psalm 72:17:
May his name endure forever;
Psalm 72:17
may it continue as long as the sun.
Then all nations will be blessed through him,
and they will call him blessed.
The writers of scripture anticipate the world receiving a blessing from a coming Messiah. Psalm 72:12-14 describes a King taking pity on the weak, needy, and afflicted. The writers of the gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – describe Jesus in that way. The gospel reveals a King who will rescue us from the tyranny of sin and brokenness (Psalm 72:14).
The pastor, Dr. S.M. Lockridge, describes Jesus as our King in this video below:
That’s my King. Pause to consider what it means that Jesus is your King.
We can white knuckle our week, grasping for our control. We can place the power in a human king. We can even worry our way out of a king. Yet, Jesus’s kingship frees us rather than oppresses us. Ultimately, Psalm 72 gives us the hope of the gospel. In our search for a king, we have finally found the perfect, just, and merciful Savior, Jesus.
As Dr. Lockridge says, “I wonder if you know Him.” Today, we have the invitation to give up our kingdoms in exchange to follow King Jesus. His sovereign rule and reign gives us life.
What would it look like today for Jesus to be King over your life? How would it change the way you see the challenges in front of you? What hope might you have?
Photo by Valario Davis on Unsplash