Psalm 72: Hail the King

Scripture Reading

Psalm 22:27–28 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.

Intro

What promises… graces… and blessings do you have with Christ as your King?

I think when we talk about Christ as our Prophet, Priest, and King… King is one of those ones we have a hard time with.

Not in the sense that we struggle to see Christ as King… we all know that at His feet every knee will bow (Philippians 2:11).

What we struggle to see is what blessings does being subjects of the King mean for us?

I told you when we first started the book of Psalms that one of the major themes of the Psalms is this hope… longing for… and anticipation of a King.

A hope… longing… and anticipation that was ultimately fulfilled in Christ.

Where is the True and Better David?

Where is the True and Better Solomon?

Where is the One God had promised who would save us and bring all the blessings of His Kingdom.

In David and Solomon… Israel had a picture of this hope, but they were blind to the true spiritual reality of it.

And because we don’t know our Old Testament we can be blind to that hope today.

So what I want to do is use Psalm 72 to look at the glory of Christ.

What were the people longing for… what were the people hoping for?

And what has been fulfilled for us Jesus Christ?

What is the glory of Christ the King as the True and Better David and the True and Better Solomon and what does it mean for us?

I want to look at their hope so that we can see the blessings that we have today.

Psalm 72

Psalm 72 is a royal Psalm and a prayer for David’s Son.

Its a prayer for the King and the Kingdom.

Its a prayer that goes all the way back to God’s promises in the Davidic Covenant and prays God make them so.

“Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Author?

The Psalm itself was written by either King David or his son Solomon.

Just before the Psalm it says “Of Solomon” which usually tells you who wrote the Psalm… but it could also be translated as for Solomon as in David could have written it for him.

Now verse 20 does say The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended, but there are Psalms after Psalm 72 that were also written by David so this could be just an editorial note to close out book 2.

So whether David wrote it… Solomon wrote it… or David prayed it and Solomon wrote it down… what is clear is that this is a prayer reflecting on the promises of the Davidic Covenant.

Its a prayer for the King and the Kingdom that is ultimately fulfilled in the True Son of David, Jesus Christ (Luke 1:31-33).

1. A Prayer for the King

The Psalm starts in verses 1-4 with a Prayer for the King.

Psalm 72:1–4 Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son! May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice! Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness! May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!

The prayer for the King centers around Justice.

Give the King your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son!

Notice its your justice and your righteousness.

The prayer is for the King to remain faithful to God’s Law and to rule in accordance with God’s Law.

Its the prayer of Romans 13… the King is there to punish evil and to honor those that do good (Romans 13:1-4).

To rule justly and secure the blessing of the people.

That’s verses 3 and 4.

Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness!

Mountaintops would not usually be the place you would find fields of grain.

Its rocky… they’re dry.

The higher altitude makes it hard.

But the King’s reign is meant to result in blessing for the people.

In fact that word prosperity is the Hebrew word Shalom… that peace… wholeness… perfect blessing and harmony idea.

Its prosperity as in total blessing… all things right and all things new.

And when it says May he defend the cause of the poor and give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!

There’s a lesser to greater idealism going here.

The idea is that if the King is ruling justly and being mindful the poor and not showing partiality to the rich and the greater… then the King is seeking the welfare of everyone in the Kingdom!

Not just the rich and powerful.

This why Kings are told to rule justly and hate a bribe… it perverts justice (Exodus 18:21).

So the first prayer is for the King to hold fast to and rule in accordance with God’s Law to honor the good and punish the evil.

And in doing so… seek the blessing and welfare of His Kingdom.

And then we come to a prayer for His People.

2. A Prayer for His People

Psalm 72:5–7 May they fear you while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!

Meaning forever and ever.

And…

May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth! In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!

The idea here is life… refreshment… blessing.

rain on the mown grass…

Showers that water the earth.

That peace is the word Shalom again…

Wholeness…

Harmony…

In the curse everything is broken in Shalom everything is made new.

So under the King they would have worship… they will fear you.

They would have blessing…

And they would have flourishing… life… and peace… may the righteous flourish and peace abound.

So we’ve had a prayer for the King…

A prayer for His people…

And then in verses 8-17 we have a prayer for His Kingdom and His Universal, Unending Reign.

3. A Prayer for His Kingdom

Psalm 72:8–11 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!

Eschatology

I’ll tell you this is one of those verses that makes me Postmillennial.

That Christ doesn’t just objectively rule over that nations… but that actually in history all nations will be converted to Him.

Not every individual person mind you… but if you cannot see the Kingdom of God without being born again… what these verses describe here is the leavening effect of the gospel going out to the world (John 3:3; Matthew 13:31-33).

Eschatology is obviously one of those things that is an open handed issue for us so its fun to debate but it shouldn’t divide.

But this is a prayer for the present reign of Christ.

The angel said And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David and the most quoted verse in the New Testament is Psalm 110:1 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool” which was fulfilled at Christ’s Ascension (Luke 1:31, Acts 2:32-34; cf. Daniel 7:13-14))

So the throne Jesus sits on is the throne of David… the very throne this Psalm is praying about.

What that means is that this Psalm is about the present reign of Christ being accomplished in History through the preaching of the Gospel.

Premillennialism looks for this Psalm to be fulfilled after the second coming…

And Amillennialism says that Christ does reign now but that this speaks only to the church or that which will be fulfilled in the eternal state.

But Jesus said All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me (Matthew 28:18).

And Psalm 2 also fulfilled with Christ’s resurrection and ascension says Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession… the very thing the Psalm prays here (Psalm 2:8).

The Psalm prays May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!

The idea here is a universal reign over all peoples and all nations.

Desert tribes and enemies are those resistant to His rule… why do the nations rage and the people’s plot in vain? (Psalm 2:1).

He shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them like a potter’s vessel (Psalm 2:9).

Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool (Psalm 110:1).

And the Kings bringing tribute are from the farthest west and the farthest south of the known world.

In other words all kings everywhere meaning all nations through the preaching of the Gospel will acknowledge Christ as Lord.

Gospel

And that Gospel shows up in verses 12-14…

Psalm 72:12–14 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 is where the King points typologically to Christ…

The Physical Shadow points to the True, Spiritual Reality.

The King was to rule in justice seeking the welfare of the poor all in His Kingdom.

And the Psalmist uses salvation words normally associated with God to talk about the King’s work…

He delivers… pities… saves… and redeems.

This ultimately points to the work of Christ.

He said Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:13).

And The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor (Luke 4:18-19).

Christ is the King who saves His people.

Who shed His blood because our blood was precious in His sight.

Christ’s Exaltation came through His Humiliation on the cross.

Philippians 2:8–11 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore [Because of the cross!] God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Nations belong to Christ because Christ purchased them with His blood on the cross.

Verse 15…

Psalm 72:15–17 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! 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!

Again that flourishing… blessing… shalom… prosperity idea.

The Psalm continues…

May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!

Where verses 8-11 talked about His Universal Reign…

Verses 15-17 talk about His Eternal Reign.

God promised David I will establish His Kingdom… and I will establish the throne of His Kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:13).

Both of these ideas come together in Daniel 7:13-14, which remember… is a passage about Christ’s Ascension… not His glorious return.

Daniel 7:13–14 I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.

Which way does He come? He comes up to the Ancient of Days… it the Ascension of Christ.

And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

Each Stanza

When you go through each stanza of the Psalm as a whole you get a picture of Christ and His Kingdom.

In verses 1-4 it is a Righteous Reign.

In verses 5-7 it is a Blessed Reign.

In verses 8-11 it is a Universal Reign.

In 12-14… a Redemptive Reign.

And in 15-17 it is an Eternal Reign.

All culminating in the last line of verse 17…

Psalm 72:17 May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!

There’s an echo here of Genesis 22:18 where God said to Abraham and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed which is a promise of God of salvation.

This shows us that Psalm 72 is ultimately about Christ even though its never quoted in the New Testament because He is the offspring of Abraham and promised blessing to all nations (Galatians 3:16).

The Psalm then ends with verses 18-19 which might be a doxology for the whole second book of Psalms but does fit with this Psalm here.

Psalm 72:18–19 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!

The prayer is for the Lord to bring about His promises and that His Name would be praised in all the earth.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9-10).

David/Solomon Fell Short

Psalm 72 is a prayer for all the promises of the Davidic Covenant.

Remember… all the royal Psalms are asking where is the King?

Where are all the promises God promised to David?

They had glimpses and pictures, but David fell short… Solomon fell short… all the other kings fell short… eventually leading the people into exile and judgment.

As they are coming back from exile they are thinking about the glory days of David and Solomon and longing for something more.

And so when they read Psalm 72 they read it and asked themselves where is the the King?

Where is True and Better David and the True and Better Solomon we’ve been longing for?

You see they had a picture in their head of the glory of this King… a glory that was ultimately Fulfilled in Christ.

So I want to go back to David and Solomon and look at them Typologically.

If you remember… the physical realities of the Old Covenant pointed to True Spiritual ones.

And so in David and in Solomon we can see the glory of Jesus as the King Psalm 72 was hoping for.

So we are going to have two more points today looking at the glory of Jesus as the True and Better David and True and Better Solomon and what that means for us and the great hope we have in Him.

First…

I. Jesus is the True and Better David

There are so many directions and so many different ways we can go in the life of David and the life of Solomon, but to help us I want to focus on two very clear aspects of their reign each.

Basically two subpoints.

Two things David shows us about Christ and two things Solomon shows us about Christ.

The first thing we see from the Life of David is that…

1. Jesus is the True Shepherd-King

When God made His Covenant with David God said…

2 Samuel 7:8 Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel.

God wanted David to be a shepherd King.

To love… guide… care for… and protect the people just as He did the Sheep.

Without the shepherd the sheep are vulnerable and helpless (cf. Matthew 9:36).

False Shepherds over Israel always resulted in the destruction of the sheep.

in Ezekiel 34, God condemns these false Shepherds… He says…

Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat ones, but you do not feed the sheep. The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them (Ezekiel 34:2-4).

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And what happened to the sheep?

Verses 5-6… So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts. My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them (Ezekiel 34:5-6).

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And so God said… Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered… (Ezekiel 34:11-12).

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I will feed them with good pasture…. There they shall lie down in good grazing land… I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak (Ezekiel 34:14-16).

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And how?

Ezekiel 34:23–24 And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken.

And so when Jesus comes, what does He say?

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John 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Jesus laid down His life for us… He died in our place for our sins.

He died that we might have Eternal Life.

The Good Shepherd laid down His life as the sacrificial lamb to save us from our sins.

Jesus is the True and Better Shepherd-King David who like David would see a lion or bear that came to take a lamb from his flock and strike it and kill it to deliver the lamb from the jaws of death just as Christ did for us (1 Samuel 17:34-35).

The Good Shepherd laid down His life to save us from death so that we might have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10).

Second…

2. Jesus is the True Champion who Delivers Us from All Our Enemies

David and Goliath is one of my favorite stories in the whole Bible.

I mean whose is it not?… you literally have the Warrior-King David killing a giant and cutting off His head.

Well the story of David and Goliath is really just a picture of Genesis 3:15.

In Genesis 3:15, God says to the Serpent…

Genesis 3:15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.

With David and Goliath the people are afraid and God provides a savior in David.

And Goliath shows up and threatens God’s people with slavery and death.

And Goliath even came in “snake-skin” armor.

It says He wore a coat of mail which is literally in Hebrew Scale Armor (1 Samuel 17:5).

Goliath takes the place of the Serpent.

And David takes a stone and slings it straight into Goliath’s head… He shall bruise your head… and Goliath fell down dead.

David delivered and saved God’s people from slavery and death just as Christ would do through His death on the cross with the Great Serpent, Satan Himself.

Through the cross… Jesus crushed the Head of the Serpent once and for all and saved His people from their sins.

John 12:31–32 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.

Hebrews says… that through death, Jesus destroyed the one who has the power of death, that is the devil, and delivered all those who through fear of death were subject to life long slavery (Hebrews 2:14-15).

Satan had the power of death because He had the power of condemnation, but through the death of Christ, There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

Jesus is our Champion King David who conquered Satan and delivered us from slavery and death.

Point Number 2…

II. Jesus is True and Better Solomon

Many of the things prayed for in Psalm 72 happened during Solomon’s reign.

The Queen of Sheba came to Solomon to seek His wisdom and brought many great gifts (1 Kings 10:1-10).

But when Jesus brought up that story He said, Behold, something greater than Solomon is here (Matthew 12:42).

First…

1. Jesus is the True Temple Builder

In the Davidic Covenant God said that Solomon would build God’s House… God’s Temple.

2 Samuel 7:12–13 I will raise up your offspring after you…and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

What is God’s Temple?

Its the place where God dwells with His people… I shall be their God and they shall be my people.

Its where we draw near to God and have our sins atoned for.

And Solomon’s Temple was one of the Great Wonders of the Ancient World but it was ultimately destroyed in 586 BC by Nebuchadnezzar and the Empire of Babylon because of the kings’ and the nation of Judah’s unfaithfulness.

And even after it was rebuilt in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah it never reached the glory of the Temple in the days of Solomon.

Well where Solomon built a Temple that was destroyed because of unfaithfulness… Jesus… Hebrews says… is faithful over God’s house as son… (Hebrews 3:6).

He builds God’s True Temple.

In John 2:19 Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

The Jews were confused by all this… “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” (John 2:20).

But John tells us that Jesus… John 2:21… was speaking about the temple of his body.

The True Temple where we Draw near to God and have all our sins atoned for is Christ Himself which He built through His sacrificial death and bodily resurrection.

In talking to the Samaritan woman in John 4, Jesus said Woman, believe me… the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father (John 4:21).

In other words, you won’t worship on this mountain or that mountain because I… am the True Temple.

Number 2…

2. Jesus is the True King of Peace

Solomon’s name comes the root word “peace.”

The same root word as Shalom.

Solomon was to be a prince of Shalom.

1 Chronicles 22:9 Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days.

This is a picture of the rest and peace Christ gives to us.

Solomon was the closest Israel ever got to Psalm 72.

1 Kings 4 says…

1 Kings 4:20–21, 24-25 Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy. 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… And he had peace on all sides around him. And Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan even to Beersheba, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon.

This is a picture of that abundant blessing.

Peace… Rest on every side.

But a Peace that ultimately pointed to the Peace of Christ.

Remember… all things right all things new.

Solomon failed.

Later in his reign he turned after foreign women and ran after their gods (1 Kings 11:1-8).

Instead of being a blessing to the people he ruled them harshly (1 Kings 12:4).

And this set Israel on the path towards exile and judgment because in the Davidic Covenant God said that the blessings of the Kingdom would come through… not just any son but a… faithful son… one who held fast to and kept God’s Law.

This is why Kings are judged in the Bible by whether or not they worshiped God and kept His Law or did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.

Obedience of Jesus

Well when Jesus comes… He kept God’s Law.

He fulfilled the Covenant of Works… all the requirements of the Law to give us the New Covenant… the Covenant of Grace.

He secured the blessings of the Covenant and the Kingdom once and for all for all who believe in Him.

He’s the True Prince of Peace… the True and Better Solomon.

When it says They ate and drank and were happy…

That they had peace on all sides…

And every man lived in safety… every man under his fig tree…

That picture of peace… that glimmer of Shalom… that shadow of all things new comes to its true, ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

Those physical blessings pointed to the true Spiritual blessings.

Ephesians 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.

In Christ we have life… rest… joy… and peace.

Jesus said I came that they may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10).

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full (John 15:11).

And He said… Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you (John 14:27).

Jesus is the True and Better Solomon and True King of Peace.

Conclusion

Psalm 72 longs for and anticipates the King.

It looks forward to the Kingdom Salvation and Reign of Christ.

His Righteous Reign that blesses and benefits God’s people.

His Blessed Reign that brings life and refreshment like showers that fall on the mown grass.

His Universal Reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.

His Redemptive Reign. that rescues and redeems the poor and needy.

And His Eternal Reign that endures forever and ever.

The whole Psalm looks for the True and Better David who Shepherds His people and delivers them from slavery and death.

And the True and Better Solomon who builds God’s forever Temple where we draw near to God and our sins are forgiven…

And the True King of Peace who gives rest, life, and blessing to all who believe in Him.

And if you’re in Christ He’s your King…

He’s Your Shepherd that loves you… cares for you… laid down His life for you.

He’s Your Champion that delivered you and freed you from slavery to sin and death.

He’s Your Temple where your sins are forgiven and you are able to draw near to God.

And He’s Your Peace… Your Life… and Your Rest.

Let’s Pray