God's Anointed

Today we will look at Psalm 72, a Royal Psalm, and consider what it means to rule as God’s Anointed. Here the psalmist asks God to bless the king of Israel, to offer the king guidance and support. The psalm also reminds the king of his/her responsibilities with the promise of a continued presence. But even though these royal psalms sometimes take on a kind of “political propaganda” slant, they still remind us what God expects from God’s anointed.  Indeed, sometimes these psalms even remind us of what will happen if Israel (or any nation for that matter) does not follow the way of the Lord.  God will anoint a king to rule over Israel, but that king is answerable to God.  The king of Israel must fulfill God’s will for Israel.  The king of Israel must care about those issues that God cares about.  And if the king doesn’t—well, then the kingdom will fail.  Wise words, although presidents and kings may not like to hear them, for the Lord will have God’s justice.

Click here to read the entire Psalm 72.

¹Give the king your justice, O God,
   and your righteousness

   to a king’s son.
²May he judge your people

   with righteousness,
   and your poor with justice.
³May the mountains yield

   prosperity for the people,
   and the hills,

   in righteousness.
⁴May he defend the cause of

   the poor of the people,
   give deliverance to the

   needy, and crush

   the oppressor

What are the things God wants to see from God’s anointed king?  From the nation of Israel?  What did you hear?

• Justice
• Righteousness
• Concern for poor—justice again.
• Mountains yield prosperity (or peace); hills righteousness
• Defend cause of the poor
• Deliver the needy
• Crush the oppressor

Is it starting to sink in what this king, God’s anointed must be about?  Justice and caring for the little guy?  God has always held a special place in God’s heart for the poor, for the widow and the orphan; the Lord told the people not to oppress the alien, for they were once aliens.

And here’s the thing: the king must be concerned about such matters—about the poor, about justice, about making sure there is fairness and that no one is left without.  God’s anointed must ensure that no one is in need, that the blessings of God are shared with equity, with justice.  And if the nations of the world do not care for the most vulnerable, if they turn a blind eye to the needs of the poor and downcast, if they neglect the widow and the orphan, then they are answerable to God and God will step in to establish justice, even if God has to move against God’s own people.  Even Israel is not above the law of the Lord.  Even those nations who claim to be “God fearing,” if their practices are not in line with what God wants, they will fall.

In the book Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, author Paul Kennedy comments on the rise and fall of superpowers (Portugal, Netherlands, Great Britain) from 16th century to present day.  And his thesis is basically this: Every nation has just so much population, territory, and chemical resources to work with and to keep in balance, and if the nation militarily over-extends themselves, then the great power disappears.  It has happened to every superpower.  Whenever you get too swept up with military conquests and protecting your national interests, whenever you are motivated by greed and profit, then you are doomed to fail.

Although it is interesting to look at history, for although we often fail to learn from history and thus repeat it, there is an even more important source of guidance.  It’s the Word of God, and over and over again, God reminds us that if a nation is not concerned about justice and about caring for the least fortunate, if a nation gets wrapped up in itself, neglecting the widow and the poor and the orphan, it will fail.

Dr. Walter Brueggemann, from a lecture on the three prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, reminds us that superpowers like to think of themselves as the ultimate power in the universe.  It’s very easy to do.  Indeed, often nations even with the most noble and God-fearing intentions, with the rise of success and wealth and power, begin to think of themselves as outside the normal rules of justice and fairness.  This has happened many times throughout the history of Israel, and every time, God called them to accountability.

Although powers think of themselves as the ultimate power, they must remember—they must remember that God is the ultimate power.

Even the United States is not above the Lord’s justice, and we must never forget that, although, sadly, I must confess, I believe we already have.   

But let us put our trust in the Lord, for God is the one who is the ultimate power in the world and in our lives, who will see justice established and the poor taken care of.

The Lord is pouring God’s Spirit upon us, anointing us for God’s work: to establish justice and help the downtrodden, to work for a society that takes care of the least fortunate.

As the Psalmist tells us in verse 12 of God’s anointed:

¹²For he delivers the needy

     when they call,
     the poor and those

     who have no helper.
¹³He has pity on the weak

     and the needy,
     and saves the lives

     of the needy.
¹⁴From oppression and violence

     he redeems their life;
     and precious is their

     blood in his sight.

God cares about justice, about equity, about helping folks who cry out for deliverance.  It is in God’s nature to bring salvation.  Let us trust in the Lord, our true sovereign.

Ron Trimmer is pastor of Hope United, a new church in Georgetown, Texas. Click here to visit Hope United's website.