PSALM 72 - The Kingdom Of The Son

Introduction

Once again we see God’s remarkable providence in our worship; that we come to Psalm 72 on Father’s Day! This is a particularly fitting psalm for today, because it is King David’s final prayer—and it is a prayer for his son, Solomon. There are a couple of reasons from the text that we can say this with confidence—first, the inscription says that this psalm is “of Solomon”. The word there can mean either of Solomon or to Solomon (which is the way the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, translates that inscription.) But you notice the last verse of the psalm:

Psalm 72:20 (ESV)

20 The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.

So this psalm is considered the last prayer of David, and a psalm of Solomon. So one explanation (which I think is very appropriate) is that this was King David’s deathbed prayer for his son Solomon’s reign. He prayed this way for his son, and his prayer so affected Solomon that he went and wrote his father’s prayer for him down as a psalm—one of only two psalms in the Old Testament attributed to Solomon.

So before we go any further this morning, please let me exhort you, dads, to see how powerful your prayers are in the lives of your children. Pray for your sons and daughters—and let them hear you doing it! You can never understand the tremendous, eternal impact you will have on your children’s souls when they hear you praying for them, praying for their lives, praying for their future. It moved Solomon so powerfully that he composed it as a song; never forget that the music of your prayers for your children will ring in their hearts all their lives.

But for as powerful as King David’s prayer for his son was, when we look at Solomon’s reign we realize that he fell far short of the things his father asked Yahweh for him. The righteousness that David pleaded for was present in the early part of Solomon’s reign—in 1 Kings 3, he asked God for wisdom to rule in righteousness:

1 Kings 3:9–12 (ESV)

9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” 10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.

But that righteousness did not last, did it? Because Solomon’s reign ended in marriages to pagan wives, idolatry and abandonment of the God of his father David:

1 Kings 11:9–10 (ESV)

9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice 10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded.

And so it wasn’t David’s son Solomon who fulfilled the prayer of this psalm, but David’s greater Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Where Solomon failed, Christ succeeded. Solomon reigned for only 40 years and left behind him a kingdom that split apart at the seams; Christ ascended to His throne at His resurrection and is reigning over a Kingdom that will never fail.

And so, on this Father’s Day, we will consider this prayer from a father for his royal Son and what it says about His Kingdom. And the way I want to frame it for us this morning—what I pray that you will see in these verses is that

The Christian father LIVES in the LIGHT of the REIGNING Son

The Son of David reigns today, and you live as a citizen of His kingdom, whatever the state of the kingdoms are here on earth. And the first four verses of this psalm remind you that

I. Your King is a RIGHTEOUS King (Psalm 72:1-4)...

Psalm 72:1–4 (ESV)

1 Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son! 2 May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice! 3 Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness! 4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!

Three times in four verses, David prays that his Son’s Kingdom would be characterized by righteousness—that the citizens of His kingdom would receive justice from His hand (v. 2), that He would defend the poor and needy and deliver them from the wicked oppressor (v. 4). Solomon ultimately failed to reign in righteousness—and today we live under rulers who have not only failed to rule with righteousness, but who are actively fighting against what God has commanded. He demands honest weights and measures:

Proverbs 20:10 (ESV)

10 Unequal weights and unequal measures are both alike an abomination to the Lord.

But we live in a society that is actively pursuing (and a government that is passively condoning) different standards of “justice” for people depending on their skin color, sexual activity or political preferences.

And so, Christian father, make it your aim that your home will reflect the righteousness of your King! Your King is a righteous King,

...So live in HOLINESS in this WICKED world

Your home is to be a refuge from the twistedness of the dishonest weights and measures of the world around you. Your wife and kids can rely on you to be honest and upright and faithful—not only in your dealings with the world out there, but also in the way you treat them. Your kids grow up knowing that they have a dad they can count on to “do the right thing”, to stand up for what is right inside and outside your home. You stand up for what is right in the eyes of God, and you couldn’t care less about the names you get called as a result. Your family knows they can come to you for wisdom, for fair judgment, for God-honoring guidance about how to navigate in a world gone mad with evil. There are no dishonest weights and measures in your dealings—with them or with the world around you. You serve a righteous King, so you live in righteousness and holiness in the midst of this present wickedness.

The Christian father lives in the light of the reigning Son—your king is a righteous king, and in Psalm 72:5-7,

II. Your King is a DEATHLESS King (Psalm 72:5-7)…

Psalm 72:5–7 (ESV)

5 May they fear you while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations! 6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth! 7 In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!

Once again, we see that this prayer of David did not find its fulfillment in Solomon’s reign, did it? David reigned for 40 years, Solomon reigned another 40 years—but he did not reign “while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations” (v. 5). If Solomon had been David’s only son to sit on a throne, we might be forgiven for thinking that this was just a bit of hyperbole; poetic license to describe a long and illustrious reign.

Because—after all—everyone dies, eventually. Every king in the Old Testament reigned over their kingdom, and afterward they died and were buried. But—thanks be to God!—you serve the only King ever to reign AFTER He was dead and buried!

You serve a deathless King—you serve a King who has conquered death, a King who can never die again! Alone among all of the kings and monarchs and emperors and presidents and dynasties ever to take up rule over the nations, only Jesus will rule for eternity!

As one commentator on this psalm put it:

 We see on the shore of time the wrecks of the Cæsars, the relics of the Moguls, and the last remnants of the Ottomans. Charlemagne, Maximilian, Napoleon, how they flit like shadows before us! They were and are not; but Jesus for ever is. As for the houses of Hohenzollern, Guelph, or Hapsburg, they have their hour; but the Son of David has all hours and ages as his own. (Spurgeon, C. H. (n.d.). The treasury of David: Psalms 56-87 (Vol. 3, p. 228). Marshall Brothers.)

Christian father, you serve a King who will never die, whose kingdom will never end.

...So live with PATIENCE in this FADING world

The historian Christopher Dawson once wrote that “the Christian Church lives in light of eternity, and so can afford to be patient.” It is not as though Christ will “run out of time” to accomplish all His purposes in this world—He has no term limits to hinder Him, He has no advancing years or diminished capacities to threaten His authority. He is accomplishing—inexorably and perfectly—all of His will for this world, and there is no power on earth that can stop Him.

And so that means that you can afford to live “...self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” (Titus 2:12). Sure, the latest shenanigans out of Washington D.C. or Hollywood or Silicon Valley need to be addressed—plainly and with God-honoring uprightness—but they don’t frighten you or freak you out. Because you know that Christ is Lord, and He will have His way.

And let that patience filter down into your demeanor with your family as well, dads. You are a patient man as you wait for the consummation of all things in Christ; let that patience characterize the way you lead your family. Your wife and kids don’t have to cower when you are frustrated; they don’t have to walk on eggshells when your plans get changed. Your son knows you won’t blow up at him when he asks you for the fifth time how to run the lawn mower, your wife knows that you won’t get up and stomp out of the bedroom in a huff when your toddler crawls into bed at three in the morning because she had another bad dream. You are a Christian—you live in light of eternity—and so you can afford to live with patience in this fading, failing world.

The Christian father lives in the light of the reigning Son. Your king is a righteous king, so live in holiness in this wicked world. Your king is a deathless king, so live with patience in this fading world. And Psalm 72 goes on in verses 8-11 to remind you that

III. Your King is a UNIVERSAL King (Psalm 72:8-11)...

Psalm 72:8–11 (ESV)

8 May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth! 9 May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust! 10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! 11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!

Once again—if Solomon was David’s only son to sit on a throne, then this prayer never came to pass—at the height of Solomon’s kingdom, 1 Kings 4:21 tells us,

1 Kings 4:21 (ESV)

21 Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life.

The kingdoms from the Euphrates to Egypt brought tribute to Solomon for forty years—and then he died, and his kingdom fell apart. But your King, Christian, has dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth! As verse 11 says, all kings will fall down before Him, and all nations will serve Him!

Philippians 2:9–11 (ESV)

9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Somehow Christians have bought into the notion over the years that we have to go out and somehow convince people to “let” Jesus be King—as though He needs us to gather Him enough followers to be officially recognized as king. But that is not your task, Christian! You are not campaigning to “make” Christ the King—He is the King NOW! All authority in heaven and on earth has already been given to Him! He has already received the kingdoms of this earth from His Father--

...So live with BOLDNESS in this PROVINCIAL world

Christian, you live in a broken and rebellious world full of tin pot dictators and clown world congresses that can’t tell the difference between a girl and a boy or a baby and a tumor, who don’t understand the difference between your property and theirs, who believe that they are the sole guarantor and guardian of human rights (and arbiter of who gets rights and who doesn’t). They actively and aggressively usurp the place of God in your life, telling you that they have the power of life and death over you, and threatening to take away your ability to buy or sell unless you bow to their demands.

But that does not mean that Christ is not reigning now. Consider again the kings who prayed this prayer and composed this psalm—King David was a king who fought war after war, battle after battle—his first appearance after being anointed king was to fight and slay a Philistine giant. Christian, you are living in a time when there are Philistine giants everywhere—what the military refers to as a “target-rich environment”. You can’t swing a slingshot without hitting at least three giants with every throw! This is not a time for cowering in fear, stung by the taunts and ridicule of the Philistines—this is the time for the boldness of David, who answered Goliath’s taunts with a taunt of his own:

1 Samuel 17:44–46 (ESV)

44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” 45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel...

Christian dad—you are raising your sons to be giant-slayers, and God has richly blessed you in this endeavor by giving them so many giants for target practice! Get out there and show them how it’s done, and train them to live with boldness in the light of the reign of David the Giant Slayer’s Son, who slew death and the grave and is reigning until all His enemies are put under His feet!

The Christian father lives—and trains his family to live—in the light of the reigning Son. Your King is a righteous king, your king is a deathless king, your king is a universal king, and verses 12-14 of Psalm 72 show you that

IV. Your King is a COMPASSIONATE King (Psalm 72:12-14)...

Psalm 72:12–14 (ESV)

12 For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper. 13 He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. 14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight.

Once again, when we look to the reign of Solomon, we see that his kingdom did not reflect this compassion on the weak or needy—in fact, early on in his reign he began conscripting workers into servitude in order to achieve his goals (1 Kings 5:13 “King Solomon drafted forced labor out of all Israel, and the draft numbered 30,000 men”) as well as instituting a draft to raise an army (1 Kings 9:22 “But of the people of Israel Solomon made no slaves. They were the soldiers, they were his officials, his commanders, his captains, his chariot commanders and his horsemen.”)

King Solomon’s demands on the nation were so severe, that when his son took the throne the people pleaded with him to ease the conscriptions and taxes his father had imposed. But Rehoboam scoffed at them, essentially saying, “If you thought my father was bad, wait ‘til you see my taxes!” 1 Kings 12:13-15).

And so every kingdom and every government before or since Solomon’s time has been—forcing their people to sacrifice their own well-being for the sake of the state, for the sake of the government. But Christian—you serve a King who did not make the world suffer for the sake of His well-being, do you? You serve a King who gave Himself for His people’s suffering.

...So live in SACRIFICE for this SUFFERING world

Christian father—you are called to model the life of your King in your home. Your home is not a place where your wife and kids have to sacrifice for you. They do not exist to give up their lives for your sake; you exist to lay down your life for theirs. Show them what it looks like to give yourself for them—you spend your strength for them, you see to their happiness, you look out for their future, you find your joy in theirs. (And you do not resent them for it!) Give them a living, breathing example of how your compassionate King has laid down His life for His own.

Christian father, you are to live in the light of the reigning Son of God. He is righteous, He is deathless, he is universal, he is compassionate. And the psalm Solomon wrote from his father David’s prayer goes on in verses 15-17 to tell you that

V. Your King is a PROSPEROUS King (vv. 15-17)...

Psalm 72:15–17 (ESV)

15 Long may he live; may gold of Sheba be given to him! May prayer be made for him continually, and blessings invoked for him all the day! 16 May there be abundance of grain in the land; on the tops of the mountains may it wave; may its fruit be like Lebanon; and may people blossom in the cities like the grass of the field! 17 May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!

We see a direct connection between David’s prayer for Solomon and Solomon’s reign here, don’t we? He prayed that “the gold of Sheba” would be given to Solomon, and we see in 1 Kings 10 that this is exactly what happened:

1 Kings 10:1–2 (ESV)

1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to test him with hard questions. 2 She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing spices and very much gold and precious stones. And when she came to Solomon, she told him all that was on her mind.

Solomon’s reign was indeed the most prosperous and wealthy period in Israel’s history—in verse 16, the reference to the tops of the mountains waving with grain is meant to describe an overabundance of prosperity: the tops of mountains are the least fertile areas to grow a crop, and yet there they are, bursting with fruit and grain!

Now, this is in no way an endorsement of the vile and wicked doctrines of the so-called “prosperity gospel”, but there is truth in the statement that a people who love and honor God in their lives very often will experience His blessings in this world. God made the world to work a certain way, and when we live in obedience to Him we live in this world the way it was designed, and the results are positive. As Dr. James Boice put it in his commentary on this passage:

 ...Wherever Jesus is honored and served, and wherever righteousness is pursued, there prosperous times will almost inevitably follow. Families will become stable. Parents will care for, educate, and promote the well-being of their children. Unproductive members of society will be reclaimed and assisted in becoming productive. Virtue will permeate the workplace, and wealth will be created through industry and hard work. Christianity has contributed such material blessings to numerous nations, while nations that have persecuted the followers of Christ and repressed Christianity have languished for it. (Boice, J. M. (2005). Psalms 42–106: An Expositional Commentary (p. 605). Baker Books.)

Christian father, when you live obediently under the reign of your King—when you work hard and give an honest day’s work for an honest day’s wage, when you are a man of integrity in your workmanship and give the work of your hand and the sweat of your brow and the strength of your back to honest, diligent labor because you are doing it as unto your King, the result will more often than not be a blessing of abundance.

...So live with GENEROSITY in this IMPOVERISHED world

You serve a prosperous King who has sworn to keep you forever, who has freely lain down His life for you and has promised not only to keep you and providentially “see to it” that you are fed and clothed and cared for, but has sworn that He will spend all eternity showering every spiritual blessing on you (Eph. 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places...”)

And so how could you possibly be stingy or grasping in your dealings with others? Your King is open-handed with you, so have that same open-handed and generous nature with your family, your neighbors, your co-workers—even your enemies! Is this not what your King has commanded?

Luke 6:29–30, 38 (ESV)

29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back....38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

Christian fathers live in the light of the reigning Son—He is a righteous, deathless, universal, compassionate and prosperous king. And as Solomon draws this psalm of his father David’s prayer to a close, he gives us one more glimpse of this king:

VI. Your King is a GLORIOUS King (Psalm 72:18-19)…

Psalm 72:18–19 (ESV)

18 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. 19 Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!

In some ways, verses 18-19 serve as the conclusion of this entire section of the psalter—but when you consider what these verses are saying about Yahweh, the God of Israel, compared to the King described in this psalm, there can be no doubt that this psalm is describing God Himself.

Consider—verse 19 says

Psalm 72:19 (ESV)

19 Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!

And earlier we read of this King

Psalm 72:8 (ESV)

8 May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!

and

Psalm 72:11 (ESV)

11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!

The King of this psalm has the same eternal, universal reign as Yahweh Himself! He will fill the whole earth with His glory. And indeed, was that not our King’s last command to us before He ascended to Heaven to take His throne?

Matthew 28:19–20 (ESV)

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Christian, your king is a glorious King, and He has decreed that His glory fill the whole earth. He alone does wondrous things; He alone possesses a Name which is glorious above all names, the Name at which every knee will someday bow when He returns in His glory.

...So live with PURPOSE in this LOST world

Christian father, make it your aim that your household be a demonstration of the power of the Gospel to transform a family. Make it your aim that you raise sons and daughters who know this Gospel, and who look at the world around them not with fear or apprehension for its hostility to this Gospel but as territory waiting to be conquered. Your task, Christian dad, is to make the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the salvation of sinners so much a part of your life and leadership in your home that this Gospel will be on the heart and mind of everyone who lives there, and so familiar to them that they will be able always to give an answer to everyone who asks about the hope that they live in (1 Peter 3:15). And as this Gospel goes out from your home, from your life, from the lives of your family, you will hasten the day when this Gospel of the glory of Jesus Christ will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea.

Christian father—live in the light of the reigning Son of God, Jesus Christ. Fill your life with the holiness, patience, boldness, sacrifice, generosity and purpose that comes from serving a righteous, deathless, universal, compassionate, prosperous and glorious King! And as God’s Word does its work in you this morning, as the Holy Spirit uses the sword of this Word to pierce through to the sins that have crippled your obedience to Him, cling all the more to the promise that your King has shed His blood to cleanse you from all of them!

He shed His blood to cleanse you from the unrighteousness that separated you from Him; His blood cleanses and sanctifies you.

He suffered the anger and hatred and bitterness of His accusers to set you free from your impatient temper and outbursts of anger.

He was despised and rejected by all men in order to set you free from your fear of rejection and ridicule that makes you hide from others the fact that you claim Him as your Savior.

He laid down His life for you while you were still His enemy so that by His sacrifice you would be pardoned for all of your selfishness and self-centered behavior.

He graciously gave up all the richness of His Deity in order to take on the poverty and emptiness of humanity for the sake of making you rich in salvation by His blood.

He set His face like flint to go up to Jerusalem, driven by His single-minded purpose to do His Father’s will on that Cross so that you might be forgiven for your aimless and apathetic disregard for His will.

Your King gave up His righteousness for your sin; His glory for your poverty; His perfection for your brokenness; His life for your death. He offers you cleansing, He offers you restoration, He offers you courage and purpose and strength. Come to this King and lay all of that brokenness and sin and anger and selfishness and fear and shame before His nail-scarred feet, and He will defend your cause; He will lift you up; He will cleanse you. So come—and welcome!—to your King and Savior, Jesus Christ!

BENEDICTION:

Jude 24–25 (ESV)

24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:

Why is it important for children to hear their father pray for them? How do you see the impact of David’s prayers for Solomon in this psalm?

Consider all of the ways that a faithful father will live in submission to Christ’s reign—which of those attributes were a part of your childhood as you grew up? How were you impacted by the way your father demonstrated (or lacked) those qualities?

Spend time this week praying through this psalm, praising God for the way these perfections are displayed in Christ. Ask God for the grace and strength (whether you are a father, mother, son or daughter) to live in the light of the perfections of Christ in your life!