Psalm 72[1]
Prayer for Guidance and Support for the King
Of Solomon.
1 Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son.
2 May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice.
3 May the mountains yield 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 needy, and crush the oppressor.
5 May he live 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, l
ike showers that water the earth.
7 In his days may righteousness flourish
and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
8 May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 May his foes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute,
may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts.
11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service.
12 For he delivers the needy when they call,
the poor and those who have 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 day long.
16 May there be abundance of grain in the land;
may it wave on the tops of the mountains;
may its fruit be like Lebanon; and may people blossom in the cities
like the grass of the field.
17 May his name endure for ever, his fame continue as long as the sun.
May all nations be blessed in him; may they pronounce him happy.
18 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.
19 Blessed be his glorious name for ever; may his glory fill the whole earth.
Amen and Amen.
20 The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.
Twenty times the psalmist uses the simple request, ‘may’. It is a prayer to end the second book of the psalter. It is a prayer which seeks blessing upon blessing upon blessing to flow through the hands of the sovereign power – the king – to the people. And the sign of this blessing is not to be found in fine cities or great wealth for a few. It is to be found again and again in the health and wellbeing of the least, the last and the lost. The high standard expected of Israel’s godly king was that the poor are protected, the needy are defended and the oppressors are crushed (vs4).
The measure of a powerful leader anointed by God is not the size of the armies at his or her disposal, or the growth in GDP or spending on monuments or glory projects. No, the greatest praise to be lavished on a just monarch, president or prime minister is that ‘they deliver the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper’ (vs12). And that they have ‘pity on the weak and the needy, and save the lives of the needy,’ (vs 13). And finally that ‘from oppression and violence he redeems their life; and precious is their blood in his sight.’
Today the British Prime Minister was shamed into a U-turn by a footballer. Marcus Rashford, the talented 22-year-old Manchester United and England striker, was brought up in poverty by his single mother in Salford. He has spoken movingly about how they suffered food poverty in those years. And during the pandemic, he has donated £20m from his fortune to Fairshare, the food redistribution charity, to feed hungry families. In an open letter to MPs two days ago he called on the Government to ensure that school meal vouchers of £15 per week should be made available to all children eligible for free school meals through the summer holidays to ensure they do not go hungry.
In
an emotional two-page letter to MPs on Monday, he wrote: ‘Understand: without the kindness and generosity of the
community I had around me, there wouldn’t be the Marcus
Rashford you see today: a 22-year old
black man lucky enough to make a career playing a game I love. My story
to get here is all-too-familiar for families in England: my mum worked
full-time, earning minimum wage to make sure we always had a good evening meal
on the table. But it was not enough. The system was not built for families like
mine to succeed, regardless of how hard my mum worked.
‘As a family, we relied on breakfast clubs, free school meals,
and the kind actions of neighbours and coaches. Food banks and soup kitchens
were not alien to us; I recall very clearly our visits to Northern Moor to
collect our Christmas dinners every year. It’s only now that I really
understand the enormous sacrifice my mum made in sending me away to live in
digs aged 11, a decision no mother would ever make lightly.
‘This summer should have been filled with pride once more, parents and children waving their flags, but in reality, Wembley stadium could be filled more than twice with children who have had to skip meals during lockdown due to their families not being able to access food (200,000 children according to Food Foundation estimates).
‘As their stomachs grumble, I wonder if those 200,000 children will ever be proud enough of their country to pull on the England national team shirt one day and sing the national anthem from the stands. Ten years ago, I would have been one of those children, and you would never have heard my voice and seen my determination to become part of the solution.’ (https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jun/15/protect-the-vulnerable-marcus-rashfords-emotional-letter-to-mps)
A young black man’s hunger for justice borne out of his own remembered childhood experiences and a focused attention on the neediest and most vulnerable in our society has changed the policy of a government. Rashford has shown moral leadership. And the country’s most powerful man has had to listen. Here is Psalm 72 in action.
This prayer for the king to defend those who are poor and needy and to crush the oppressor is a prayer for “thy Kingdom come, thy will be done”. I am concerned with this week’s announcement by the Prime Minister that the government department responsible for overseas aid, the Department for International Development, is to be merged with the Foreign Office. Will this lead to our own national interest becoming the priority over poverty reduction and justice for the weakest in our world. Boris Johnson says it will provide “maximum value” for tax payers but what about maximum value for those who are the most vulnerable? On their website Patrick Watt, Christian Aid’s Director of policy, public affairs and campaigns says:
ReplyDelete“Today’s announcement is an act of political vandalism. Stripping the Department for International Development (DFID) of its independence and folding it into the Foreign and Commonwealth office threatens a double whammy to people in poverty, and to our standing in the world.
"The timing couldn’t be worse for people living in poverty, when for the first time in a generation, COVID-19 is driving a dramatic increase in extreme poverty. Far from being a symbol of ‘global Britain’, this move risks making Britain more parochial, and weakening its credibility in the rest of the world.
"Without an independent DFID the UK’s ability to help tackle poverty, and the impacts of the climate crisis and conflict, will be reduced. The government’s own independent aid watchdog shows that aid spent by DFID is more effective and transparent than aid being spent by other government departments. The UK has a moral responsibility towards the world’s poorest.”
The work of prayer for our leaders continues.