The Old King lay on his death bed surrounded by attendants, scribes, officials, warriors, and family...and one very important young man in particular stood in the corner paying particular attention - his son.
It wouldn't be long now…David’s 40 year reign as king about to come to a close as would his life but not before he sang his last song…offered his last prayer...
And with those words – at least the way I imagine it…he breathed his last breath.
- What was this prayer…this song? What was its purpose?
- His last words ever recorded we're intended for two people... His son Solomon (it was, after all, about him... And the all the people of Israel...
- To give them hope...
Psalm 72
- what this have to do with Christmas? ... Hang on..stay with me
1Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness.2He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.3The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness.4He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.
- so for Solomon he was hearing his job description … his mission
- Son…you are to be all about justice (Vs. 1)
- you are to concern yourself for the afflicted ones (Vs. 2)
- you are to ensure that they experience prosperity (Vs. 3)
- you will defend the oppressed (Vs.4)
- for the people…when these words would be read out loud (which no doubt they were) this would give them hope.
- That God would hear David’s prayer and turn their king into their hero (in those days people put great stock in their kings)
But…It’s a ridiculous set of expectations…how could one man do this:
- justice, prosperity, help for the afflicted and the oppressed?
but, you know for a few shining years David’s prayer was answered.
There was hope and it was found in a human being!
For a few years…maybe the first half of his 40 year reign he did his best
- asked for wisdom (perhaps as a direct result of hearing his dad’s prayer) and was granted it
- the world was in awe of him – came from 1000s of miles just to hear him talk and deliberate
- he was sold out to the God of his father – built a Temple
- gold was like dust … prosperity like never experienced
But alas…it was short lived
- he equivocated – fudged with his faith
- married 700 women and took another 300 as concubines
- turned to polytheist
- in his old age … devolved into cynicism
- …in time …he diminished…faltered…and ended his life scattered and cynical
- And his kingdom devolved into chaos and civil war
when Solomon did – so did hope.
- what followed for the next 1000 years was a series of clowns, evil maniacs, and a ton of would be Messiahs
- occasionally a hero would step up: Josiah, Isaiah, Esther, Nehemiah
But their influence was short lived…
- and as the song says (which we will soon sing) “…long lay the world in sin and error pining”
- little justice, scant prosperity, plenty of affliction and oppression
- no hope
That was until the events we celebrate tonight...
- in a non descript town… to a nobody teenage girl…Jesus was born
- hope entered the world
- David’s prayer (1000 years before on his death bed)was answered
Now look back at Psalm 72… consider that it was intended ultimately for Jesus the King:
5He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations.6He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.7In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more.
11All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him.12For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.13He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.14He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.
17May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.18Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.19Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.
It’s a song about Jesus the King
- a song he embraced as his mandate (do you ever wonder how Jesus felt when he heard things like this read aloud?)
- I have come to give life
- I have come to set captives free
- I have come to heal the sick, blind and oppressed
- I have come to bring hope.
- then one day…in his 33rdyear of life …this King’s coronation day arrived … rode a donkey into the capital
- Zion – the city of God – the king came to ascend his throne
- Hope was about to take center stage again for the people of God!
- but wait... something went wrong…
- in matter of days he went from adored to reviled
- from perched upon a donkey to hanging from a cross beam
- from adoring voices of hallelujahs to screaming spitting shouts of crucify him
- and he died and Hope died…or did it?
- Did Psalm 72 … this prophet prayer fizzle again?
No, it didn’t… because a few weeks later the King returned
- And when he did something quite mysterious happened.... Of all the miracles perhaps this one was the Staggering miracle...The King returned not with flesh and blood but in fire and spirit
- he came back…in a fire…as a spirit… the King returned … diffused…dispersed…among his people
- filled them…he turned them all into royalty … they became emissaries…ambassadors…receptacles
And they became hope…the followers of the king became the fulfillment of Psalm 72...the great dying words of David
- the nobodies became brilliant
- the King no longer confined by cells and geography
- the King released from his skin took on the skin and bones of his followers
- you will do greater things than I – of course!
- conferred authority
- conferred power
- gave them geographical capacity
- one human being could never bring hope to the world but millions could!
And so…Psalm 72 – the great last prayer of David came true – not just in one person, Jesus, man but in millions of men and women for the last 2000 years.
Psalm 72 is about you…you who follow Jesus. Listen to it again…with that in mind…
Endow your followers with your justice, your children with your righteousness.2They will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.3Through them the mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness.4They will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor
On his death bed 3000 years ago…the old man was thinking about you…
There is hope…There is hope for this groaning world as the King lives through you.
12For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.13He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.14He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.
17May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.18Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.19Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.