Psalm 72 (KJV)1-15: He shall deliver the needy when he crieth

From Psalms

Psalm 72
(Of Solomon.)

¹Give the king thy judgments, O God,
      and thy righteousness unto the king's son.
²He shall judge thy people with righteousness,
      and thy poor with judgment.
³The mountains shall bring peace to the people,
      and the little hills, by righteousness.
⁴He shall judge the poor of the people,
      he shall save the children of the needy,
      and shall break in pieces the oppressor.
⁵They shall fear thee as long as the sun
      and moon endure, throughout all generations.
⁶He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass:
      as showers that water the earth.
⁷In his days shall the righteous flourish;
      and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.

⁸He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
      and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
⁹They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him;
      and his enemies shall lick the dust.
¹⁰The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
      shall bring presents:
the kings of Sheba and Seba
      shall offer gifts.
¹¹Yea, all kings shall fall down before him:
      all nations shall serve him.

¹²For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth;
      the poor also, and him that hath no helper.
¹³He shall spare the poor and needy,
      and shall save the souls of the needy.
¹⁴He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence:
      and precious shall their blood be in his sight.
¹⁵And he shall live,
      and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba:
prayer also shall be made for him continually;
      and daily shall he be praised.

Psalm 72 holds a special place for me because verse 3 was posted on a sign entering a small mountain town in the Rocky Mountains that I would vacation at with my family growing up.  Understanding the peace and beauty of such a place in the mountains is to understand God's creation...to understand what is meant by God's Country.  That is, country as land or rural setting, not as in the lines drawn up by people.  And in understanding we can see the truth in verse 3, "Mountains shall bring peace to the people."

But verse 3 is just a small part of psalm 72 and almost doesn't fit with the rest of the first 15 verses, which highlights God as the one that lifts up the needy, poor and afflicted in their time of need.  Indeed, he saves our souls, delivers us when we cry out, and redeem us from deceit and violence.  Precious are we too him, and is our blood in his sight.

Psalm 72 is about the hope and the promise that Jesus brought with him.  Peace, love, and holiness will rule the day in God's country...peace on earth, good will to men.  God works through people and so we need to reflect this hope and promise to the people we know and meet.  Often we need to pray to have this kind of hope and promise fill our hearts - but if we can pray God will help us find it.  He will help us heal and recover from past pains and mistakes.  Then we can move forward to allow us to serve him by serving others...and to reflect the love, hope and promise that Jesus brought to this world.

Thanks for letting me share.