We Three Kings?

Some Christmas Carols are so familiar that, were the screens to suddenly go out at church, we could still make our way through them. We Three Kings is not one of them. We might get the first line without help: “We three kings of orient are, bearing gifts we travel so far…” After that, we’d all be mumbling about fields and fountains. The good news is, you don’t need many more of the lyrics to get the gist of the song. It’s all about the glory of King Jesus at Christmas: he’s so great that other rulers and wise men traveled great distances to serve and honor him. That actually happened in the story of the wise men, of course, but it is rooted in David’s prophecy here in Psalm 72.

As David lays dying, he rules over Israel, just a narrow little strip of land. But in v8–11, he dreams of his son Solomon expanding that domain: “May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust! May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!” You know those dads who dream of their sons playing Major League Baseball? David seems to go way beyond that here—he thinks Solomon is going to rule the world! But this is just what God told him in that 2 Samuel 7 Covenant: his anointed descendant would rule all nations. Psalm 2 also spoke of God’s King restoring God’s rule in our rebellious world, which is what David envisions in these lines: God’s enemies lick the dust before the king; very ruler of every nation bows down, bringing him tribute, serving the Lord’s anointed. All things in the creation are under this King’s feet, just like Psalm 8 described!

That kind of global power could be a scary thing if the King was a sinful tyrant. But v12–14 show us the heart of the king to come: “For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight.” This king is WORTHY of worldwide worship! He’s not just great, but good. He has all power and glory, but uses it to serve nobodies and weaklings. His heart is compassionate and kind to the forgotten and failed and broken and troubled. He does not view their lives as cheap and expendable but sees them as God does! Their blood is precious in his sight. So he delivers, helps, saves, redeems.

At his best, King David was like this. Just think about how he treated Mephibosheth, the crippled grandson of David’s enemy, Saul. But King David could also be cold, cruel, arrogant, and abusive. Just think about how he treated Bathsheba, and her husband Uriah. Uriah’s blood certainly wasn’t precious to David, not when Uriah was standing in the way of what David wanted. I think that memory must haunt him here. David dreams of a King who will be better than he has been. Whose heart will be just like God’s. But while Solomon turns out to be a pretty decent king, he doesn’t live up to this dream.

That’s why it’s so important when the Magi show up with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They’re giving us the signal that David’s dream is finally coming true! The Psalm 72 King has arrived! Just watch the way he treats the lowest and least: is he not worthy of global worship? The weary world should stand up and cheer when Jesus is given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt 28:18–20)! One day, the kings of the earth will bring him gifts in the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:22–27); why not give him yourself today?

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Article by Eric Smith
Senior Pastor, Sharon Baptist Church