Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends

Chapter 4: Psalms 60–80

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Psalm 72 with Theodoret of Cyrus – Praise for God’s Deliverance

He will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death (vv. 12–13). All will adore him, freed from the harsh rule of the devil. In particular he keeps the mighty in check with his divine laws, terrifies them with the threat of hell, and ensures they exercise some compassion towards the needy, adding this: He will rescue them from oppression and violence (v. 14). All nations will be blessed through him (v. 17). Here he recalled the promise about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: to the three ancestors God promised to bless, in one case all the nations of the earth, in another the tribes of the earth (Gen 12:3; 26:4). Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds (v. 18). In other words, he is saying, the one who is the object of inspired speech and due to perform the prophesied wonders is also the very God of Israel and Lord of all. Praise be to his glorious name forever (v. 19).