Give the king your justice, O God!

Psalm 72 at Christmastime -- and beyond.

Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to a king’s son.
May he judge your people with righteousness
and your poor with justice.
May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy,
and crush the oppressor.

In his days may righteousness flourish
and peace abound, until the moon is no more.

May he have dominion from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.

For he delivers the needy when they call,
the poor and those who have no helper.
He has pity on the weak and the needy
and saves the lives of the needy.
From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
and precious is their blood in his sight.

May his name endure forever,
his fame continue as long as the sun.
May all nations be blessed in him;
may they pronounce him happy.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
Blessed be his glorious name forever;
may his glory fill the whole earth. —Ps 72:1-4, 7-8, 12-13, 17-19

Over the last two days, the lectionary’s daily readings have featured these verses from Psalm 72. In my experience, is not common for the lectionary to use the same psalm two days in a row. But I notice this every year at Advent. As Christmas Day draws nearer, Church authorities curate the Psalms so as to put Psalm 72 in front of worshippers with uncommon frequency.

At one level, it is easy to understand why. The Church is trying to prepare for the celebration of Christ’s nativity. Part of what the Church wants to say about Christ is that he is King. Texts situating Christ as a fulfillment of Hebrew Bible prophecies about a renewal of the royal line of David are commonly selected.

But this text is not about that. This is a royal psalm associated with Solomon, and it may have been used as a coronation psalm. What I find most striking about this psalm is the way the psalmist combines prayers for blessing on the king with prayers for him to be a just king.

Justice here, as in many other places in the Hebrew Bible, has to do especially with acting on behalf of the poor and afflicted, the lowly and powerless. Justice means acting to elevate those “below” to level ground, intervening so that those who are mistreated receive fair treatment.

The psalmist is asking for a king who has a heart for, and an active commitment to, those on the margins, those who need help the most. That is, a king who is committed to justice.

Note: Don’t let anyone tell you the Bible doesn’t teach about justice.

The stanzas essentially alternate, on the one hand praying for the king to have a long reign, expanding territory, and victory over enemies, and on the other hand praying for the king to act on behalf of the poor and marginalized.

I don’t think it’s too much to say that there is almost a conditional, and therefore quietly subversive, quality to this royal psalm. The prayer really seems to be: May you be honored and successful, O King, to the very extent that you do justice on behalf of the poor, afflicted, and needy.

As Advent nears its end and Christmas Day approaches, we celebrate a coming King and a coming kingdom in which merciful justice of this type prevails.

As new leaders are inaugurated in several lands in 2025, Psalm 72 gives us a solid biblical paradigm for how to pray – and how to assess – and how to act in relation to – those leaders.

O God, may you give all earthly sovereigns a heart for justice.

O earthly sovereigns, may you be honored and successful to the very extent that you do justice.