Psalm 72 Devotional

The King Who Hears the Needy

“For he will deliver the needy who cry out and the afflicted who have no helper.”Psalm 72:12 (BSB)

Psalm 72, headed as Solomon's, is a prayer for the king. It asks God to give him God's own justice, so that he will defend the afflicted, save poor families, and break the oppressor (72:1-4). It asks that his reign refresh like rain (72:6), stretch across the earth, and draw gifts from distant kings (72:8-11).

The reason for all this honor is surprising. He will rescue the poor when they call and the suffering who have no one else, because their lives are precious to him (72:12-14). This king's greatness is measured by how he treats the weak. The psalm even prays that all nations will be blessed through him (72:17). No king of Israel fully lived up to this prayer. Jesus said that someone greater than Solomon had come (Matthew 12:42), and the picture of a king who treasures the weak describes him best. The psalm closes by blessing God, who alone does wonders (72:18-19).

To think about: How does it change your picture of Jesus to see him as the King who treasures those with no one else to help them?