WATCHING AND LISTENING – Though we read of the royal pomp and circumstance characteristic of enthronement psalms, this psalm balances such liturgy with an acute sensitivity for the poor--defend the poor, rescue the children of the needy, etc. The psalmist has eyes focused on the royal enthronement, but his ears are listening to the cries of the needy. Such a psalm forms the foundational basis for the Prayer that Jesus and many others since have prayed, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

ROYAL DISPARITY – it’s one thing to proclaim lofty wishes and intents for a rising king and the actual performance of kingly reign. It is precisely this disparity between portrayal and actual that leads readers to an eschatological and messianic vision of this psalm. By the time this psalm was codified into its present form and place in the Psalms, post-exilic Jews had already begun to anticipate a King who would one day fulfill the lofty wishes of this psalm. And later, when Christian faith shared this psalm, [1] Christians also saw Jesus as the fulfillment as the only one who could give justice . . . and treat the poor fairly.

THE REIGN OF GOD – For us here and now in our place in time, this psalm can still effectively call us as citizens of God’s realm to "remind every human ruler, politician, and government that ‘the way to peace and well-being is found only when power assumes responsibility for justice and is clothed in compassion, regarding as precious and valuable the life of every citizen in the land.’" [2]

From our Christian perspective, we can see how Jesus fulfilled this vision. He responded to the poor and needy, healed the sick and preached a new kingdom where the first would be last and the last first. How do you see your daily actions as fulfilling part of that vision as a citizen of God’s reign?

When you write out a check to a charity, or take food to a local shelter, or serve in a way that helps others, offer the prayer that this psalm provides: God, may you constantly help those who have no one to defend them, the weak and the needy (v. 12).

Use this psalm liturgically for the Epiphany of the Lord Sunday.

If used as the primary material for a homily, you may want to recover its background--that it was originally used in the enthronement liturgy that inaugurated a new king in Judah and Israel. High expectations. High anticipation of a new era that this king would usher in. Yet in the actual reigns of Davidic kings, dismal performance was only exceeded by the avariciousness and military madness of its leaders. Exile finally ended such underachieving reigns in Israel and Judah.

Move to an eschatological assessment and understanding of Psalm 72. Look at the psalm through later Jewish eyes, but especially through Christian faith--that in Christ Jesus, God continued to move among the people and acted to rescue the poor and help the oppressed.

Finally, move to your own congregation--how do we, as citizens of God’s realm, extend the ministry that this psalm suggests? Use several concrete examples from your denomination or from your congregation that will help listeners to envisage how God even now saves.

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[1] The New Interpreter’s Bible IV (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1996), page 964.
[2]  Ibid, page 965.