Psalm 72
January 2, 2022
preached by Pastor Ryan Bouton
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Time of Reflection Quotations

“Only the humble believe him and rejoice that God is so free and so marvelous that he does wonders where people despair, that he takes what is little and lowly and makes it marvelous. And that is the wonder of all wonders, that God loves the lowly…. God is not ashamed of the lowliness of human beings. God marches right in. He chooses people as his instruments and performs his wonders where one would least expect them. God is near to lowliness; he loves the lost, the neglected, the unseemly, the excluded, the weak and broken.”

~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), German pastor-theologian executed for his opposition to the Nazis

“The [Christian] message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity – hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory – because at the Father’s will Jesus became poor, and was born in a stable so that thirty years later He might hang on a cross.”

~ J.I. Packer (1926-2020), Theologian, cleric, and author

“They say Aslan is on the move—perhaps has already landed.”

~ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis

Sermon Passage

Psalm 72 (ESV)

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!
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!
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!

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.

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.