Of course, the royal psalms that celebrate the wise rule of the Davidic king can themselves be seen, like the plaintive refrain in Judges, as simply serving the interests of this or that Israelite monarch. No doubt they were sometimes used that way. But as they stand, they hold out the promise of a coming king who would at last overthrow idolatry, bring peace to the warring nations, and in particular come to the rescue of widows and orphans, the oppressed and the stranger. Psalm 72 is perhaps the clearest statement of this theme of saving, healing justice: a prayer for YHWH, the Creator, to
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