A Study by Scott Sperling Psalm 72 (pt. 2) - The Coming Kingdom, pt. 2   Of Solomon.   1 Endow the king with Your justice, O God, the royal son with Your righteousness.   2 He will judge Your people in righteousness, Your afflicted ones with justice. 3 The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness. 4 He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; He will crush the oppressor. 5 He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations. 6 He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth. 7 In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more.   8 He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. 9 The desert tribes will bow before him and his enemies will lick the dust. 10 The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; The kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts. 11 All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him. 12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. 13 He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. 14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.    15 Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long. 16 Let grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon; let it thrive like the grass of the field. 17 May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.   18 Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. 19 Praise be to His glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.   20 This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.   Here we continue a study in this psalm which, as we mentioned in the previous issue, is a prayer and prophecy about Solomon’s reign, with an eye toward the future reign of the Messiah.  Most passages in this psalm are prophetic to both Solomon’s and Christ’s reigns, but there are some passages that could only apply to the future reign of Christ.  David continues in verse 8:  “He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth” (vs. 8).  This is an example of a passage that did not apply to Solomon.  He never ruled “from the River to the ends of the earth.”  But, Christ will.  “It is hardly necessary to say that this did not occur under Solomon, and that it could not have been expected that it would occur under him, and especially as it was expected that his reign would be one of peace and not of conquest.  It would find its complete fulfillment only under the Messiah” [Barnes].  In fact, Christ is the only one that this will apply to.  Though many leaders throughout history have sought to rule the entire earth, only Christ will succeed.  Thank God for that! “The desert tribes will bow before him and his enemies will lick the dust.  The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts.  All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him” (vss. 9–11).  This passage was pretty much fulfilled in Solomon’s life.  We read in the history of Solomon:  “All the kings of the earth sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart.  Year after year, everyone who came brought a gift—articles of silver and gold, and robes, weapons and spices, and horses and mules” (II Chron. 9:23–24).  I’m not sure that Solomon’s “enemies licked the dust”, for Solomon was a king of peace, not of might.  Jesus, of course, will have all kings of the earth subject to Him, even His enemies.  So, though this passage was fulfilled to some extent for Solomon, “surely it is not torturing the passage to say that its complete and glorious fulfillment can be found in Christ only” [Plumer, 704]. Next, the reason is given for the obeisance of the kings:  “For 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.  He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight” (vss. 12–14).  “Here is an excellent reason for man’s submission to the Lord Christ; it is not because they dread His overwhelming power, but because they are won over by His just and condescending rule.  Who would not fear so good a prince, who makes the needy His peculiar care, and pledges Himself to be their deliverer in times of need?” [Spurgeon].  By and large, it is not threatenings of hell and damnation that lead people to submission to Christ, but it is “God’s kindness that leads you toward repentance” (see Rom. 2:4).  Speak of God’s love and kindness to others to bring them to repentance; speak of the love demonstrated by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. It seems to me that, in this psalm, David started the psalm as a prayer and blessing on Solomon’s reign, but then, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the psalm became not only that, but also a prophecy about the reign of Christ.  Having finished the prophecy in verse 14, in verse 15, David pronounces a blessing on his son Solomon and Solomon’s reign:  “Long may he live!  May gold from Sheba be given him.  May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.  Let grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway.  Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon; let it thrive like the grass of the field.  May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun.  All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed” (vss. 15–17).  Many aspects of David’s blessing were fulfilled in Solomon’s reign:  he lived a fairly long life (he reigned for forty years, see I Kings 11:42); gold from Sheba was given to him (see I Kings 10:2); his reign was prosperous (see I Kings 10:14ff); his name has endured down to this age; other nations were blessed by him as he imparted his wisdom to them (see I Kings 10:24). By the way, just as David said of Solomon, “May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long”, so also, we should pray for our political leaders.  “It is the duty of subjects to make prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, for kings and all in authority, not in compliment to them, as is too often done, but in concern for the public welfare” [Henry]. The psalm ends with praise, “Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.  Praise be to His glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with His glory.  Amen and amen. This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse” (vss. 18–20).    These verses seem to have been added by the compilers of the psalms, with the intent of bringing Book 2 of the psalms to a conclusion (similar verses conclude Book 1 of the psalms, see Psalm 41:13).  Not that we should ignore these verses.  It is good for us to be reminded to praise God, who has done so much for us.  May praise for our Lord and God be on our lips constantly.  -----------  Bibliography and Suggested Reading Alexander,   Joseph   Addison.   The   Psalms   Translated   and Explained .  Edinburgh: Andrew Elliot, 1864.  Anonymous.      A   Plain   Commentary   on   the   Book   of   Psalms . Philadelphia:  Henry Hooker and Co., 1857. Barnes,   Albert.      Notes   on   the   Book   of   Psalms .      New   York:     Harper & Brothers Publishing, 1871. Bonar,   Andrew.    Christ    and    His    Church    in    the    Book    of Psalms .  New York:  Robert Carter & Brothers, 1860. Calvin,   John.      A   Commentary   on   the   Book   of   Psalms .      3 Vols.          Oxford:     D.    A.     Talboys,     1840.     (Originally published in Latin in 1557).  Clarke,   Adam.   The   Holy   Bible   with   a   Commentary   and Critical   Notes .      Vol.   III.      London:      William   Tegg   &   Co., 1854.  (Originally published in 1831).  Cowles,     Henry.          The     Psalms     with     Notes,     Critical, Explanatory   and   Practical .      New   York:      D.   Appleton   & Co., 1872. Darby,   John   Nelson.      Practical   Reflections   on   the   Psalms .     London:  Robert L. Allan, 1870. Delitzsch,    Franz.        Biblical    Commentary    on    the    Psalms. Edinburgh:      T   &   T   Clark,   1892.   (Originally   published in 1860). Dickson,   David.   An   Explication   of   the   Other   Fifty   Psalms, from   Ps.   50   to   Ps.   100.   Cornhill,   U.K.:      Ralph   Smith, 1653.  Exell,   Joseph   S.   and   Henry   Donald   Spence-Jones,   eds. The   Pulpit   Commentary .   Vols.   17,   18,   &   19.   New   York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1884.  Hengstenberg,     F.     W.          Commentary     on     the     Psalms .       Edinburgh:  T & T Clark, 1864. Henry,   Matthew.      An   Exposition   of   All   the   Books   of   the Old   and   New   Testament .      Vol.   II.      London:   W.   Baynes, 1806. (Originally published in 1710). Horne,   George.   A   Commentary   on   the   Book   of   Psalms.      New York:  Robert Carter & Brothers, 1854. Jamieson,    Robert;    Fausset,   A.    R.;    Brown,    David.        A Commentary:   Critical,   Experimental,   and   Practical   on   the Old   and   New   Testaments.       Glasgow:      William   Collins, Queen’s Printer, 1863. Kidner,   Derek.   Psalms    (in   2   Vols.).   Downers   Grove,   IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008 (first published in 1975). Kirkpatrick,   A.   F.   The   Book   of   Psalms   with   Introduction and   Notes   –   Books   II   and   III    (from   The   Cambridge   Bible for      Schools      and      Colleges).      Cambridge,      UK: University Press, 1895. Lange,    John    Peter,    ed.    and    Philip    Schaff,    trans.        A Commentary   on   the   Holy   Scriptures:   Critical,   Doctrinal, and   Homiletical .      New   York:      Charles   Scribner   &   Co., 1865.  Maclaren,   Alexander.   The   Psalms    (in   3   Vols.,   from   The Expositor’s   Bible,   ed.   by   W.   R.   Nicoll).   New   York:   A. C. Armstrong and Son, 1901. Perowne,    J.    J.    Stewart.        The    Book    of    Psalms:        A    New Translation   with   Explanatory   Notes .      London:      George Bell & Sons, 1880. Plumer,    William    S.        Studies    in    the    Book    of    Psalms .      Philadelphia:  J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1872. Scott,   Thomas.   Commentary   on   the   Holy   Bible ,   Vol.   III. London: James Nisbet, 1866. Spurgeon,    Charles.        The    Treasury    of    David .        6    Vols.      London: Marshall Brothers, Ltd., 1885. Tholuck,   Augustus.      A   Translation   and   Commentary   of the Book of Psalms .  Philadelphia:  Martien, 1858. Trapp,    John.        A    Commentary    on    the    Old    and    New Testaments .    Vol.    II    (Ezra    to    Psalms).        Edmonton, Canada:           Still           Waters           Revival           Books (www.PuritanDownloads.com).                     (Originally published c. 1660). VanGemeren,    Willem    A.,    (Gaebelein,    Frank    E.,    ed).      Expositor’s   Bible   Commentary ,   Vol.   5   –   Psalms   to   Song of Songs.  Grand Rapids, MI:  Zondervan, 1991. -- Most   of   these   books   (those   in   the   public   domain)   can be    downloaded,    free    of    charge,    from    the    Classic Christian Library,  at: http://www.ClassicChristianLibrary.com