Rev. Ted Strawbridge
Simple Worship
Joshua, part 1
Have you ever tried something too little in place of something too big? Being into Huskies as a little boy, I can assure you I have. I’ve also tried screws with threads too small, wrenches with metric sockets that didn’t really fit. Perhaps the worst attempt was extra front fork extensions on a sting ray bike that were too short to really attach. My front wheel, extension forks and all, flew off in a wheelie that left no good options at all. In fact now that I’m typing I could name a hundred things I’ve attempted that didn’t fit.
Sometimes what we need most in worship is a reminder that God is big. Psalm 72 is a psalm written for worship to remind weary people like us that God is doing things on a scale that is far too grand for our eyes to behold. It is a psalm to remind us that our present circumstances do not, cannot, define for us our reality. Psalm 72 anticipates a King who is coming that will be like no King ever before. It is easier for us too imagine such a King because we have Jesus to measure, but Israel knew what their King would be like long before Jesus ever came.
This Psalm extols the nature of Kingship by its fruit. The actions of a King tell you who and what He is. The psalmist implores the Lord to give to Israel’s King His justice. The King who sits in the line of David will rule with justice. He will judge the poor with justice. The poor have been looking for such a King since the beginning of the Fall. When Jesus comes He says that we should, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness…” In this place, the righteousness of which He speaks is not the substitutionary atonement of Christ dying in our place. It is not the foreign, or alien, righteousness which we rightly describe as being ours in Christ. As hard as we work to hold these before believers, and rightly so, the righteousness of Matt 6 and Psalm 72 is justice. Matt 6 points to our seeking first God’s Kingdom and His justice. This is what the King will do for Israel.
When the High King comes, in the line of David, he will rule in justice. Our eternal salvation is not removed from the coming of the kingdom. Rather, the coming of the King’s reign establishes God’s love for the poor and the oppressed. He will rule like no other King before. And look, because He reigns so obediently before the Lord, prosperity comes that is unimaginable. How do you measure a King’s reign? One answer is the prosperity of His Kingdom. When our King reigns the mountains will bear prosperity for the people. How do we receive the Lord’s blessing? We receive His blessing by our obedience. Such obedience never merits us as if we fulfilled the Law. Rather, Christ having fulfilled the Law for us, enables us to obey. By the filling of the Spirit, the High King makes us long to obey Him in our nature. The Spirit wars against the flesh and the flesh wars against the Spirit. Blessings come to Israel, because of the justice and obedience of this King.
When you are down and troubled, and you need a helping hand, when that old North wind begins to blow, etc. etc.… remember that there is a promise of a King for Israel whose reign brings prosperity. Jesus is great David’s greater Son. He has fulfilled the Law in such a way that justice has been poured out and righteousness flows like a never ending stream. If that is not your experience today then you need this Psalm to lift your eyes beyond the life you live and taste and gaze upon the life that you will one day surely see. The Davidic King will come for Israel. He will usher in peace, justice and mercy.
Psalm 72:8 begins a passage that describes how the righteous King will be not only for Israel, but for the nations. The Divine Warrior King will conquer all the nations. People from every tribe and tongue and language will see His rule. When He kneels to care for the children and the oppressed, all the other Kings will bow before Him. His dominion will be from sea to sea. This King will bring God’s glory to the whole earth. Every single thing that is functioning in creation will belong to Him and all of it will be for the purpose of His glory. It is the unfolding of this reign that conquered you. If you are in Christ today, and Gentile by birth, you are His because He conquered you. Your salvation is a function of the unfolding of the King’s reign. Like a wave it swept you up, regenerated your heart, and rekindled your soul. Christ the King conquered you to Himself. You were His enemy and now you are seated at His table. You, who were in mental enmity to all of God’s law and to His mercy, have been brought near. Along with all the nations, He has conquered sin and death, demons and powers, and you. This King wins.
Finally, when your world feels too small, when your resources don’t seem to fit, when your bun leaves burger hanging off of every side, what you need is a King big enough to make your life whole. The Psalmist comes to this conclusion;
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
Who alone does wondrous things.
Blessed be His glorious name forever;
May the whole Earth be filled with His glory!
Our worship is big. Your life has a purpose today. That purpose fits in a giant plan. That plan is for the glory of God to cover the earth as the water covers the sea. Nothing in your life or mine can separate us from the presence of the Holy Spirit. He guarantees to us the connection of God’s plan and my future and the reign of the King of justice in Psalm 72.
Worship needs to be simple, that is not striated or stratified. It needs to be authentic throughout. My life is, “one.” We live before God, each day is lived before His face. While worship must be simple in that sense, it also must be big. It must reflect and bear the fruit of contentment and a certainty that sees by faith what lies beyond. God has given to us a King who is just. He cares for the oppressed. He runs to the side of needy children. He will not leave us or forsake us. All the world will one day see the righteous justice of His reign, that reign will cover the whole earth!
Be still,
Ted
