Read: Psalm 72:1–11 [Titus 2:11–14]
The King We Need
Psalm 72:8 – “May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!”
By Dick Wynia
King Solomon wrote Psalm 72 as a prayer for Israel’s kings, starting with himself. In the surrounding nations it was understood that kings would use their authority to enrich themselves and secure their throne. But Solomon was not like those kings. He asked God to bless him so that he would be a blessing to his people, especially the poor and the needy.
We know the sad outcome of Solomon’s life. The Lord gave him everything he asked for, but after a good beginning, he lost his way, building high places for the abominable gods of Canaan to please his foreign wives (1 Kings 11:7–8).
The failure of Solomon and his kingship taught Israel a lesson that we still need to learn: earthly kings and rulers will not bring true peace, prosperity, or justice to this world. We need a king who is greater than Solomon.
Around this time of the year, we look back over the past year, to see if we’ve made any progress toward peace and righteousness and justice. And we look ahead, wondering whether we have any reason to expect that the new year will bring the long-awaited and desperately needed improvements in the circumstances of the poor and needy. Can the world solve such problems and make genuine progress toward peace? We have no faith that they can—it all seems so discouraging.
But don’t forget what we recently celebrated—the birth of Jesus Christ! Let’s remember the angel’s promise, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32–33). Jesus is the King we need, the King who can bring real peace and prosperity!
And Christ’s first coming is the guarantee of his return. Paul says, “The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11–13). Christ already rules from sea to sea and soon his full peace will arrive. In this certain hope, we welcome the new year.
Photo by kinshuksunil 