Psalm 72 – A Prayer for Justice
In his first letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul urged God’s people to pray for our leadership:
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. (I Timothy 2:1-2)
Praying for our leaders is something we all should do, and it is incredibly important because if our leaders and government go off track, it becomes more and more difficult to “lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”
The book of Proverbs puts it this way:
When the righteous increase, the people rejoice,
but when the wicked rule, the people groan. (Proverbs 29:2)
King Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived, and so it is perhaps not surprising that he sets the example for us in this area. We are so blessed to have Psalm 72 to instruct us on how to pray for our leaders, to teach us about the relationship between justice and the people, and to shine as an example of righteousness for our nation today.
This Psalm is a prayer which teaches us first of all how to pray for our leaders.
Psalm 72:
1 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!
Justice is extremely important. When a leader does what is right (righteousness) they must act with justice. A society cannot thrive without justice.
Over the past few years our culture has talked a lot about justice. But mostly it has been very surface-level stuff — the kind of talk that goes well on bumper stickers. But have you ever wondered what justice really means? Have you ever wondered where justice comes from?
Some people attempt to define justice as being fair, or nice, or loving. Some define it as whatever the committee decides, or as the decisions of a Congress or a court, or the decision of fifty-one percent (a majority) of the people. Some even define justice as the rules made collectively by the people and their elected representatives. The Greek philosopher Plato said justice was whatever is best for the State, or government.
Unfortunately, all of these definitions fall woefully short, since they are based purely on human wisdom. The idea that if we all just put our heads together we could, using Reason, solve humanity’s problems is an Enlightenment philosophy called Secular Humanism. And it leads to terrible pain and suffering for the people.
This Psalm teaches something quite different: the Biblical view that justice actually comes from God. Justice is defined by God. It is not defined by the king, or the government, or the majority, or the elite philosophers (Exodus 1:15-22, Matthew 22:21, Colossians 2:8). Neither does justice have its origin in the king, or the government, or the philosophers. Real justice comes from God because justice is an attribute of His character.
The Rock, his work is perfect,
for all his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,
just and upright is he.
Deuteronomy 32:4
This is why we must pray that God Himself will give His justice to our leaders.
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!
Enacting justice is the main job God gave to governments! (I Peter 2:13-14). In verses 3-11, Solomon paints a picture using illustrations from nature to show what happens in a society where true justice and righteousness are put into action. The mountains and hills symbolize prosperity. The sun and moon illustrate long and fulfilled life. The rain is a picture of the leadership bringing blessing to their communities. The seas, rivers, and deserts reflect the widespread influence of this blessing. Psalm 72 teaches that God’s justice truly does bring peace and life to a culture. It brings joy, blessing, and the ability to “lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”
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!
Not only is justice good for the the populace of the land, it is good for the king, as well. When the leaders follow the Lord’s design (righteousness) and enact justice, they are blessed, even by other world leaders. Verses 10-11 show that the king himself is blessed, and his territory is expanded.
12 For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy.
14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight.
So what is justice? Simply put, justice is treating everyone exactly as they deserve (Proverbs 31:31, Colossians 3:25, Revelation 16:5-6).
Biblical justice is characterized by the following three pillars:
Justice treats everyone equally (no partiality or favoritism; Leviticus 19:15)
Justice requires equal restitution (“an eye for an eye”; Exodus 21:23-25)
Justice institutes individual responsibility (it never punishes someone for the offenses of another; Ezekiel 18:20)
When these three elements are in place and the government is fulfilling its God-given mandate, oppression will be crushed and the people will thrive.
The conclusion of Psalm 72 illustrates the blessings that follow justice and righteousness:
15 Long may he live; may gold of Sheba be given to him! May prayer be made for him continually, and blessings invoked for him all the day!
16 May there be abundance of grain in the land; on the tops of the mountains may it wave; may its fruit be like Lebanon; and may people blossom in the cities like the grass of the field!
17 May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!
18 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.
19 Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!
20 The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.
Let us all pray for our leaders. Pray that they would turn from their natural sinful ways, seek the Lord, and enact His justice. Pray that God would give His righteousness to our leaders today. Pray that our government would indeed be a just government that treats everyone equally, that enforces equal restitution, and that champions individual responsibility. (And let us also vote for leaders who will do these things!)
Perhaps the most incredible thing about Psalm 72 is that it is King Solomon himself who is praying for the king. If you are a leader, be like Solomon and seek the Lord and His wisdom! If you are someone who seeks after God and His ways, please consider running for office. We need godly leaders in all levels of government in our land, who will direct our government towards justice, in order that we will be able to “lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” But as Christians, we also must remember that all earthly leaders will fail us. Our prayer for a righteous leader who will judge with justice will only truly be fulfilled in Jesus Christ himself.
The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:30-31)
So we also pray, “Come [quickly], Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20)
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