NOTE: This post is a lot drier than my usual posts, but I believe that the United States is at a critical stage in our democracy and it's important to seek guidance on how the government President Abraham Lincoln described as "of the people, by the people, for the people" should continue forward.
As an advocate for people who live with mental illness and their families, I work a lot in politics. Partisanship has no positive value in my job. I work with and against Democrats, Republicans, government workers, the military, government unions, government contractors, professional associations and anyone else remotely involved with the mental illness treatment system. We work together on one issue and disagree on the next. It's that way on the federal, state and local levels. Any other tactic or strategy is a disservice to the people that we're trying to help.
While there is a lot of general discussion of Christian values in politics, it's hard to distill how these values should guide complex policy decisions or even help determine we should vote for. The main reason for this is probably that Jesus was more concerned with saving souls than he was in establishing effective political mechanisms.
The New Testament offers the general guidance to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. It is the clear duty of each person to care for the poor, the oppressed and the excluded. However, there is no clear statement on what the government's role should be in carrying out these and other responsibilities? If there is a role, how do we balance it with Saint Paul's message that society should limit free-loading? 2 Thessalonians 3:10.
We have to turn back to the Old Testament to find an answers those questions. All the way back to Psalm 72.
What was Psalm 72 and Why Look to It for Guidance?
Like a multifaceted prism, Psalm 72 is open to multiple views and interpretations. The main controversies in these interpretations regard whether the Psalm is David’s prayer for his son Solomon’s reign, a prophecy of the Messiah, or some combination of the two. I don't want to wade into a theological battle which has divided some of history’s brightest theological minds. I ask the reader to read Psalm 72 as King David’s prayer for his son Solomon’s reign as King. This is not to deny any of the Messianic overtones that Saint Augustine, Martin Luther, Pope John Paul II, Martin Bucer and other preeminent theologians agree are there. One does not exclude the other, but this seems to be the interpretation favored by King David’s son Solomon and in that light the interpretation still has value.
The evidence of this is that the Biblical depiction of King Solomon’s reign specifically describe events prayed for in Psalm 72. The details of these events are so specific in both accounts that their congruence could not be a coincidence. As an example, Line 10 of Psalm 72 prays that the Kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute to the king while the kings of Arabia and Seba offer gifts. In its description of Solomon's rule, 2 Chronicles 9:21 states that Tarshish did end up sending King Solomon tributes of gold, silver, ivory, apes and monkey every three years. Similarly, 2 Chronicles 9:14 describes how the kings of Arabia also brought gold and silver to King Solomon.
The specific examples of how Psalm 72 guided portions of King Solomon's reign make it clear that it is not simply a Messianic prophesy. It was prayerfully used to guide government's roles and functioning. While some of the specific military and diplomatic lessons passed with King Solomon and his time, the broader statements of what makes a government legitimate and righteous are still valuable.
[I've underlined the relevant portions of Psalm 72 below.]
Psalm 72
Of Solomon
I.
O God, give your judgment to the king; your justice to the son of kings;
That he may govern your people with justice, your oppressed with right judgment,
That the mountains may yield their bounty for the people, and the hills great abundance,
That he may defend the oppressed among the people, save the poor and crush the oppressor.
II.
May he live as long as the sun endures, like the moon, through all generations,
May he be like rain coming down upon the fields, like showers watering the earth,
That abundance may flourish in his days, great bounty, till the moon be no more.
III.
May he rule from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the earth.
May his foes kneel before him, may his enemies lick the dust.
May the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute, the kings of Arabia and Sebia offer gifts.
May all kings bow before him, all nations serve him.
For he rescues the poor when they cry out, the oppressed who have no one to help.
He shows pity to the needy and the poor and saves the lives of the poor.
From extortion and violence he frees them, for precious is their blood in his sight.
IV.
Long may he live, receiving gold from Arabia, prayed for without cease, blessed be the day.
May wheat abound in the land, flourish even on the mountain heights.
May his fruit increase like Lebanon’s, his wheat like the grasses of the land.
May his name be blessed forever; as long as the sun, may his name endure.
May the tribes of the earth give blessings with his name; may all nations regard him as favored.
***
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wonderful deeds. Blessed be his glorious name forever; may all the earth be filled with the LORD’s glory. Amen and amen.
The end of the psalms of David, son of Jesse.
Broad Roles of Government in Described Psalm 72
As an advocate for people who live with mental illness and their families, I work a lot in politics. Partisanship has no positive value in my job. I work with and against Democrats, Republicans, government workers, the military, government unions, government contractors, professional associations and anyone else remotely involved with the mental illness treatment system. We work together on one issue and disagree on the next. It's that way on the federal, state and local levels. Any other tactic or strategy is a disservice to the people that we're trying to help.
While there is a lot of general discussion of Christian values in politics, it's hard to distill how these values should guide complex policy decisions or even help determine we should vote for. The main reason for this is probably that Jesus was more concerned with saving souls than he was in establishing effective political mechanisms.
The New Testament offers the general guidance to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. It is the clear duty of each person to care for the poor, the oppressed and the excluded. However, there is no clear statement on what the government's role should be in carrying out these and other responsibilities? If there is a role, how do we balance it with Saint Paul's message that society should limit free-loading? 2 Thessalonians 3:10.
We have to turn back to the Old Testament to find an answers those questions. All the way back to Psalm 72.
What was Psalm 72 and Why Look to It for Guidance?
Like a multifaceted prism, Psalm 72 is open to multiple views and interpretations. The main controversies in these interpretations regard whether the Psalm is David’s prayer for his son Solomon’s reign, a prophecy of the Messiah, or some combination of the two. I don't want to wade into a theological battle which has divided some of history’s brightest theological minds. I ask the reader to read Psalm 72 as King David’s prayer for his son Solomon’s reign as King. This is not to deny any of the Messianic overtones that Saint Augustine, Martin Luther, Pope John Paul II, Martin Bucer and other preeminent theologians agree are there. One does not exclude the other, but this seems to be the interpretation favored by King David’s son Solomon and in that light the interpretation still has value.
The evidence of this is that the Biblical depiction of King Solomon’s reign specifically describe events prayed for in Psalm 72. The details of these events are so specific in both accounts that their congruence could not be a coincidence. As an example, Line 10 of Psalm 72 prays that the Kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute to the king while the kings of Arabia and Seba offer gifts. In its description of Solomon's rule, 2 Chronicles 9:21 states that Tarshish did end up sending King Solomon tributes of gold, silver, ivory, apes and monkey every three years. Similarly, 2 Chronicles 9:14 describes how the kings of Arabia also brought gold and silver to King Solomon.
The specific examples of how Psalm 72 guided portions of King Solomon's reign make it clear that it is not simply a Messianic prophesy. It was prayerfully used to guide government's roles and functioning. While some of the specific military and diplomatic lessons passed with King Solomon and his time, the broader statements of what makes a government legitimate and righteous are still valuable.
[I've underlined the relevant portions of Psalm 72 below.]
Psalm 72
Of Solomon
I.
O God, give your judgment to the king; your justice to the son of kings;
That he may govern your people with justice, your oppressed with right judgment,
That the mountains may yield their bounty for the people, and the hills great abundance,
That he may defend the oppressed among the people, save the poor and crush the oppressor.
II.
May he live as long as the sun endures, like the moon, through all generations,
May he be like rain coming down upon the fields, like showers watering the earth,
That abundance may flourish in his days, great bounty, till the moon be no more.
III.
May he rule from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the earth.
May his foes kneel before him, may his enemies lick the dust.
May the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute, the kings of Arabia and Sebia offer gifts.
May all kings bow before him, all nations serve him.
For he rescues the poor when they cry out, the oppressed who have no one to help.
He shows pity to the needy and the poor and saves the lives of the poor.
From extortion and violence he frees them, for precious is their blood in his sight.
IV.
Long may he live, receiving gold from Arabia, prayed for without cease, blessed be the day.
May wheat abound in the land, flourish even on the mountain heights.
May his fruit increase like Lebanon’s, his wheat like the grasses of the land.
May his name be blessed forever; as long as the sun, may his name endure.
May the tribes of the earth give blessings with his name; may all nations regard him as favored.
***
Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wonderful deeds. Blessed be his glorious name forever; may all the earth be filled with the LORD’s glory. Amen and amen.
The end of the psalms of David, son of Jesse.
Broad Roles of Government in Described Psalm 72
- Ensuring justice, especially for the oppressed.
- Stop the powerful from oppressing the weak through violence and extortion (this includes oppressors within the government).
- Effectively managing natural resources.
- Caring for the sick and injured who cannot care for themselves.
- Rescuing the poor and oppressed.
- Having a strong enough defense and police force to stop potentially oppressive forces from both outside and inside the governed region.
- Supporting the economy.
Societies need both liberal and conservative view points in order to thrive and prosper. Brain scans reveal that the Creator purposefully imbued us each with different talents and insights into the interpretation of risk and other factors that help structure our political beliefs. These differences are just as essential in determining the means of justly governing a society as the differences between talents and insights in any other intellectual endeavor such as art, medicine, and science.
Yet, we need a basic foundation on which to build those political arguments. Psalm 72 is a great place to start.
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