Psalm 45, Psalm 47-48, Psalm 87, Psalm 110, Psalm 72:20
Ryan: “This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.” (Psalm 72:20). I found this verse to be absurd in its existence. What would have been more accurate perhaps, is “This concludes the written prayers of David son of Jesse.” The “psalter” includes at least 73 psalms written by David, but there are several others which have no author recorded, but are likely to be David’s as well. As of today, I have written down at least 20 prayers. But that in no way “concludes the prayers” of myself. How many prayers have I offered to God in a group setting that were impromptu? How many blessings offered to God before a meal? And then, to multiply that number by factor unknowable but to God, how many prayers have I offered up silently? As we have all learned by now, David was a man after God’s own heart. I can guarantee that David spent more time in prayer than I ever will in my lifetime. To think that 73 psalms could even possibly come close to “concluding” his prayers is ridiculous. You could almost substitute David’s name in the last verse of the book of John: “[David offered] many other [prayers] as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25, with changes to subject and direct object).
Samantha: How fitting to end the Messianic psalms with a psalm about the majesty of the eternal king! I noticed some parallels between David’s psalm and John’s vision of heaven in Revelation. Psalm 45:3-7 paints a picture of a great warrior who is victorious in his pursuit of truth and justice; girded with sword and clothed with splendor and majesty, nations fall beneath his feet. This description made me think of the picture of Jesus in Revelation 19:11-16, who is called Faithful and True, riding a horse, leading the armies of heaven, and out of his mouth is a sword to strike down nations as he delivers his perfect justice. Likewise, the bride wearing a beautiful gown adorned with gold in Psalm 45:7-15 made me think of the wedding feast of the Lamb in Revelation 19:6-8, where the bride (us, the church!) is brought before the groom in fine linen. These two parallels were just the ones that initially caught my eye–there are plenty more in this psalm. Nothing puts things in perspective like thinking about eternity in heaven with the king!
Tags: Discipleship
