Numbers 28.
REVIEW. It has been forty years since leaving Egypt, and Moses is nearing his death. In this chapter and the next Moses summarizes for the people the calendar of regular public sacrifices. These daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly offerings needed to continue when they entered the land.
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Psalm 72.
"May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!" (Psalm 72:17)
LEADERSHIP. We may not always know what good leadership looks like, but we usually recognize bad leadership when we see it. From the despotic kings of the ancient near east, to all the dictators down through history, and even to the elected officials of the western world today, nations suffer when there is not integrity, consistency, justice, and compassion in their rulers. It has been the story of humanity that so many peoples have labored under rulers who are corrupt, self-serving, and capricious, or who are indecisive, passive, and uncaring. Rulers often neglect to uphold law and order, provide for public safety, exercise impartiality, and care for their most poor and vulnerable citizens.
THY KINGDOM COME. Yesterday, we read of David's heart for the next generation and of the legacy he wanted to leave behind. This psalm -- concluding the second collection of psalms -- is his prayer for his son Solomon, who will accede to the throne after David. On one level this is a father's prayer for the success of his son in the next reign over Israel -- that there would be justice, prosperity, and peace in the land. But on a deeper level it reflects a yearning for the Promised One to come and reign over us (See Ps 2 and Ps 110). Whenever we pray, "Your Kingdom come..." in the Lord's prayer we are echoing the same petition. Our Lord Jesus is the one who will finally usher in a glorious, eternal kingdom of righteousness.
COME AND REIGN OVER US. Read Psalm 72 again and ask: what are David's main concerns for his son Solomon's reign? In what ways will these be fulfilled only (and ultimately) when our Lord Jesus returns?
"Come, Thou Almighty King,
Help us Thy name to sing,
Help us to praise.
Father, all glorious,
O’er all victorious,
Come, and reign over us,
Ancient of Days."
(Charles Wesley, 1757)
Image credit: Photo by Pro Church Media on Unsplash.
We are following the Robert Murray M'Cheyne (RMM) two-year reading schedule, as arranged by D. A. Carson.
Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The NET Bible is a free, online resource, and a ministry of bible.org.
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