Jesus, the Perfect King

Jesus, the Perfect King

Psalm 72

Psalm 72 is the last Psalm in the second book of the Psalms. The Psalms were originally broken down into five separate books. Many believe this was done because of the five books of the law, Genesis- Deuteronomy. That’s the only thing that makes it unique. Verse twenty says it is the last prayer of David. Some believe that wording is used to designate this Psalm as the last Psalm of David in this book. Others believe that this was likely the last Psalm David wrote. The Psalms are not written in chronological order. There are more Davidic Psalms later in the book. So, this could be the last Psalm written by David.

If you’ll notice above the Psalm it says it is a Psalm of or for Solomon. That doesn’t mean Solomon wrote it. It means it was written concerning Solomon. I think this Psalm was written by David when he was an aged man. His son, Solomon, was about to become king of Israel. I believe this Psalm is a prayer that David prayed concerning Solomon’s ascension to the throne. David’s prayer describes the ideal king. There is no way Solomon as a sinful human could live up to the prayer David prayed for him. Therefore, this Psalm has another application. In describing the ideal king this Psalm actually describes Jesus Christ, the King of Kings.

David and Solomon both reigned for forty years. They both wrote portions of the Bible. They both showed wisdom and strength in their rules. But neither of them could be described by this Psalm. They both had major flaws. There is no perfect politician. If you can’t see the flaws in your political leaders then you are blinded by political allegiance. There is only one ideal King. There is only one perfect ruler of men. His name is Jesus Christ. Tonight, we will see the attributes of the perfect King. We will outline the Psalm as follows:

Jesus is the perfect King (1-4).

Jesus is a blessing to the people He rules over (5-7).

Jesus is King over all the earth (8-11).

Jesus is the compassionate King (12-14).

Jesus is the prosperous King (15-17).

The doxology (18-20).

1. Jesus is the perfect King (1-4).

A. His character (1).

When a new king ascended to Israel’s throne, they were to be given a copy of the Law of God (Deut. 17:18-20). This was his coronation gift, so to speak. The intention was that he would rule the people by the Word of God. What a blessing it would be if our leaders were expected to rule that way today!

David prays that the king would be given the judgments and righteousness of God. Jesus Christ is the very Word of God. The Bible says that Jesus is filled with grace and truth (John 1:14). Christ is perfect in His character.

It seems that many earthly rulers start off as righteous but drift into unrighteousness. That was certainly the case with both David and Solomon. Sadly, the office normally corrupts the man. With Christ we don’t have to worry about that. His character will be perfect for eons to come. We call this the immutability of Christ. It means that Jesus Christ does not change. The Bible says He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

B. He is just (2-4).

Verse three describes a land flowing with peace and abundance. This happens because Christ rules the people with fairness. He mentions the poor and the needy in verses two and four. These were groups that were normally oppressed by the rich and powerful. Often politicians can be bought by the rich or intimidated by the powerful. That leads to injustice.

Verse four says He will judge the poor. That shouldn’t be taken in a negative sense. The context shows that it means this King will render a righteous judgment for them. When they are taken to court by corrupt lawyers attempting to steal their goods and property this King will rule in their favor.

Instead of enabling oppressors, as some politicians are known to do, King Jesus will crush the oppressors. These evil people have been crushing men and women for years. One day the Lord will crush them.

Christ is a perfect King. His character and His judgment have no flaws in them whatsoever. Thank God He is the only King who will rule forever, and He is the only King this world will have someday.

2. Jesus is a blessing to the people He rules over (5-7).

A. His rule is eternal (5).

David mentions the sun and the moon. These were constants. No king had outlived the sun or the moon. David’s prayer is that this reign would continue as long as the sun and moon continue.

Think of all the Presidents the sun and moon have seen. They were here when Washington was the President. They were here when Trump became president. Whoever the last President of the United States is he will be sworn to office beneath the same sun that Washington was sworn into office beneath. The sun and the moon outlive all earthly leaders.

David prays that this coming king would have an eternal rule. Jesus will. There will come a day when you will never have to worry about registering to vote again. You’ll never have to stay up late to see who your new leaders are. You’ll never have to worry about voter fraud again. There will be no elections in eternity. Thank God for that!

B. His rule transforms the earth (6-7).

The imagery of mown grass and rains that water the earth communicate blessing. In verse seven the word flourish is used. David’s using words that describe the earth producing fresh and abundant crops. He also uses the phrase “abundance of peace” in verse seven.

When Christ returns this world will be transformed. His return will be like rain on the mown grass. His return will usher in eternal peace. There is a song we sing at Christmas called “Joy to the World”. The reality is it’s not actually a Christmas song. It’s a song about the return of Christ. There is a stanza in that hymn that describes what David is saying here. The stanza says:

No more let sins and sorrows grow

Nor thorns infest the ground

He comes to make His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found

Far as, far as the curse is found

This earth is a beautiful place. Even though sin has caused much damage to it, it is still a beautiful place. But when Christ returns and sets up His kingdom it will be more beautiful than you can imagine.

Let us not forget how He has transformed us as well. The sweet rain of His grace has softened the hardened soil of our own heart. He has given us peace. He has given us grace and mercy. We are beautified by His salvation.

Let’s also not forget how He shall transform us. Beloved now we are the children of God, but it has not yet appeared what we shall be! Christ is a blessing to the earth and the people He rules over.

3. Jesus is King over all the earth (8-11).

A. Worldwide dominion (8).

While verse seven spoke of the time of Jesus rule (forever), verse eights speaks of the space of His rule. Seas and rivers are geographical boundaries and often divide nations. The rule of Jesus will extend across the globe. Our world is divided and ruled by different people presently. Different nations have different laws, speak different languages and often do not like one another. We look for a day in which Christ Himself will rule the entire earth.

It’s obvious that David is speaking of a particular person who exercises this dominion. He isn’t speaking of a political party or a certain country. We see David uses personal pronouns throughout this Psalm. “He shall have dominion”, “bow before Him”, “fall down before Him” proves this Psalm is speaking of a person who rules the earth. The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof. By God’s grace the meek will inherit the earth. One day there will be nor more state lines. There will be no more private parking lots. There will be no more No Trespassing signs.

B. Worldwide submission (9-11).

David mentions different groups of people who will bow to Jesus.

Those that dwell in the wilderness. These were tribes of people who dwelt in the wilderness.

His enemies. This would be enemy nations Israel was aware of. These enemies would submit to the Lord unwillingly. They would lick the dust. That’s a poetic way to describe defeat.

David moves from nearby people to those who live far away.

The kings of Tarshish and of the isles.

The kings of Sheba and Seba.

These distant places were known because Solomon traded with them (1 Kings 10).

David summarizes all the people of the world in verse eleven. He says all kings and all nations will bow down before the Lord and serve Him.

We remember that Paul said every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Phil. 2:10). There is coming a day in which there will not be a soul on the earth that does not belong to Christ. The world will know His worth.

Notice that David says all kings will bow before Him (11). They will recognize that Jesus is King of Kings. All nations will serve Christ. One day we will see the fruit of all mission work. The gospel will accomplish its task. We will see that the Word of God does not return void. It accomplishes that which God determines it to accomplish. Christ will have worldwide dominion and worldwide submission.

4. Jesus is the compassionate King (12-14).

A. He cares for His people (14).

Look at the end of verse fourteen. It says the death of His people is precious to Him. He is not a ruler that is disconnected from His people. Many rulers send boys and girls into battle with no real thought of the loss. They care more for their agenda than they do for the lives of the countrymen. They want others to die for their cause and when they do their death is not remembered.

That isn’t the case with Christ. Those who die a martyr’s death can expect that the Lord has seen their sacrifice. Those who have endured suffering and died under governments that oppress Christianity can be sure they are precious to the Lord. There is no king who loves His people like King Jesus does. He loves His people as a father loves his children.

B. He hears His people (12).

The Psalm returns to the language of the poor and needy. If you remember, it opened with a reference to this class of people. When the poor and needy cry they can be sure their King hears them. Those the world will not help, Jesus will help.

This verse should encourage us to pray. If you belong to Christ, you have the King’s ear. Your prayer doesn’t have to be filled with big words or bold promises. You don’t have to barter with the Lord. All you must do is cry. Anyone can cry. Even a baby can cry. It is our job to cry it is His pleasure to deliver.

C. He spares His people (13-14).

Verses 13-14 use language that describes salvation. This salvation is probably from awful circumstances. The Lord has spared us from more than hell. There is nothing better to be spared from than hell. However, we have been spared from more than hell.

The devil and man have schemed against us. We have had many opportunities to fall. The Lord has spared us many times.

Don’t miss who He saves and who He spares. It is the poor and needy. Those who recognize their need before god will be recognized by God. We are poor and needy before we are saved, and we are poor and needy after we are saved. The humble can expect the Lord to be near them. Jesus compassion is extended to the poor in spirit.

5. Jesus is the prosperous King (15-17).

A. He is lavishly worshiped (15).

This is a King that everyone wants to live forever. They cannot get enough of Him. We all grow weary of seeing certain people in office. It seems that all we hear is their name day and night. With Christ the people want Him to live. They want to hear of Him day and night.

He is given the gold of Sheba. The Queen of Sheba brought gold to Solomon (1 Kings 10:10). Gold was a gift the wise men brought to Jesus on the night of His birth. Gold symbolizes the worth of this King. He is worthy of the most valuable things the earth has.

In verse fifteen we see the people are praying for Him as well. Of course, Jesus does not need our prayers. But in our prayers, it is appropriate to thank God for Jesus, our great King. Not only are the people praying but they are also praising Him. He is lavishly worshiped. Do we worship the Lord with intensity? Are we thankful that our King will not die? Do we offer our King that which is valuable to us? Do we thank the Lord for our wonderful King in our prayer time? Do we praise Him? We ought to lavish worship on Jesus.

B. His earth is abundantly blessed (16).

When Christ returns and sets up His kingdom this earth will be blessed in a way we have never known it. You will be able to get corn by the handful from the tops of mountains. The tops of mountains is not a place one can normally grow a crop like corn. But in Christ’s kingdom all the earth will be fertile. In His kingdom there will be abundance of fruit and an abundance of people. People will be as plentiful as blades of grass.

C. He is eternally blessed (17).

Again, this King reigns forever. His name is not forgotten. We would do well to name the last five presidents. Most people could not. Christ came two thousand years ago, and His name has not been forgotten yet nor will it ever be forgotten.

The fame of Jesus will be eternal.

All nations will call him blessed.

One of the reasons why is found in verse seventeen. It says, “men shall be blessed in Him”. Those in the kingdom of God will not forget the One who put them there! Christ is eternally blessed because those He has redeemed live eternally with Him.

6. The doxology (18-20).

There are five different books of the Psalms. All of them end with a doxology. Verses 18-20 conclude the second book of the Psalms. Here we have our doxology. A doxology is a praise to God. Let’s look at this one.

The God of Israel is the only God who does wondrous things. God is in a category by Himself. Because He is the only One who does wondrous things, He is the only One we should praise.

The God of Israel has a glorious name. His name symbolizes His character. It also sets Him apart as a particular being. He is not to be confused with any of the false gods of the pagans.

The Psalmist desires that the entire earth would be filled with the glory of God. That prayer will be answered when Christ returns as King.

Notice how verse nineteen ends. It says, “Amen and Amen!” The people were to give a double amen to all that was aid in this Psalm. Perhaps that shows a hearty confirmation. I’m not sure. But let us be reminded that it is not only ok to say “Amen” in our worship services, but it is also ok to say, “Amen and Amen!” in them as well.