January 2008 Lectio Divina
Psalm 72
The Messiah’s royal power
Opening their treasures, they offered him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh (Matthew 2:11)
O God, give your judgment to the king,
to a king’s son your justice,
that he may judge our people in justice
and your poor in right judgment.
May the mountains bring forth peace for the people
and the hills, justice.
May he defend the poor of the people
and save the children of the needy
and crush the oppressor.
He shall endure like the sun and the moon
from age to age.
He shall descend like rain on the meadow,
like raindrops on the earth.
In his days justice shall flourish
and peace till the moon fails.
He shall rule from sea to sea,
from the Great River to earth’s bounds.
Before him his enemies shall fall,
his foes lick the dust.
The kings of Tarshish and the sea coasts
shall pay him tribute.
The kings of Sheba and Seba
shall bring him gifts.
Before him all kings shall fall prostrate,
all nations shall serve him.
For he shall save the poor when they cry
and the needy who are helpless.
He will have pity on the weak
and save the lives of the poor.
From oppression he will rescue their lives,
to him their blood is dear.
Long may he live,
may the gold of Sheba be given him.
They shall pray for him without ceasing
and bless him all the day.
May corn be abundant in the land
to the peaks of the mountains.
May its fruit rustle like Lebanon;
may men flourish in the cities
like grass on the earth.
May his name be blessed for ever
and endure like the sun.
Every tribe shall be blessed in him,
all nations bless his name.
Blessed be the Lord, God of Israel,
who alone works wonders,
ever blessed his glorious name.
Let his glory fill the earth.
Amen! Amen!
*************
PRAYERS FOR THE KING
Psalm 72
The Messiah’s royal power
Opening their treasures, they offered him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh (Matthew 2:11)
O God, give your judgment to the king,
to a king’s son your justice,
that he may judge our people in justice
and your poor in right judgment.
May the mountains bring forth peace for the people
and the hills, justice.
May he defend the poor of the people
and save the children of the needy
and crush the oppressor.
He shall endure like the sun and the moon
from age to age.
He shall descend like rain on the meadow,
like raindrops on the earth.
In his days justice shall flourish
and peace till the moon fails.
He shall rule from sea to sea,
from the Great River to earth’s bounds.
Before him his enemies shall fall,
his foes lick the dust.
The kings of Tarshish and the sea coasts
shall pay him tribute.
The kings of Sheba and Seba
shall bring him gifts.
Before him all kings shall fall prostrate,
all nations shall serve him.
For he shall save the poor when they cry
and the needy who are helpless.
He will have pity on the weak
and save the lives of the poor.
From oppression he will rescue their lives,
to him their blood is dear.
Long may he live,
may the gold of Sheba be given him.
They shall pray for him without ceasing
and bless him all the day.
May corn be abundant in the land
to the peaks of the mountains.
May its fruit rustle like Lebanon;
may men flourish in the cities
like grass on the earth.
May his name be blessed for ever
and endure like the sun.
Every tribe shall be blessed in him,
all nations bless his name.
Blessed be the Lord, God of Israel,
who alone works wonders,
ever blessed his glorious name.
Let his glory fill the earth.
Amen! Amen!
*************
PRAYERS FOR THE KING
Psalm 72 (week 2, Thursday Evening) is a prayer for King Solomon, whose wealth, glory and just rule it extols. Jewish Messianic interpretation read it as a psalm celebrating the future ideal King foretold by the prophet Isaiah (9:6-7; 11:1-5). Christians soon applied it to Christ.
O God, give your judgment to the king,
to a king’s son your justice,
that he may judge your people in justice
and your poor in right judgment.
May the mountains bring forth peace for the people
and the hills, justice.
May he defend the poor of the people
and save the children of the needy
and crush the oppressor.
The way as Christians we should pray the psalm is indicated by the antiphons, the heading and the sentence. The first set of antiphons for Holy Week and Eastertide highlights the theme of Christ the just ruler, the one whose final triumph we pray and long for.
Holy Week: Christ is the First-born from the dead, the Ruler of the kings of the earth.
He has made us a kingdom for his God and Father.
Eastertide: God has appointed him to judge all men, both living and dead, alleluia.
The second set of antiphons highlights Christ’s present work of bringing good news to the poor:
Ant. 2: The Lord will save the poor; from oppression he will rescue their lives.
And God’s deliverance of Christ from suffering and death:
Holy Week: The Lord will save the poor when they cry and the needy who are helpless.
The theme of the Messiah’s universal rule is picked up by the first antiphon for use during the year, Ant. 1: I will make you the light of the nations to bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.
The psalm celebrates this universal rule of the Messiah in verses like:
Before him all kings shall fall prostrate,
all nations shall serve him.
Every tribe shall be blessed in him,
all nations bless his name.
Finally, the sentence for the psalm indicates how the gifts of the wise men, the ‘three Kings,’ to the infant Jesus are anticipated in the psalm. The sentence is: They opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh (Matthew 2:11). The psalm has this verse:
The kings of Sheba and Seba
shall bring him gifts.
Before him all kings shall fall prostrate.
Commentary from ‘The School of Prayer’ – an Introduction to the Divine Office for All Christians, by John Brook, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota (1992).
posted by Lynden Rodriguez, OCDS at 7:08 AM
