Of Solomon.
Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
May he judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
may he crush the oppressor.
May he endure as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.
May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.
In his days may the righteous flourish
and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.May he rule from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
May the desert tribes bow before him
and his enemies lick the dust.
May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores
bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba and Seba
present him with gifts.
May all kings bow down to him
and all nations serve him.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.Long may he live!
May gold from Sheba be given to him.
May people ever pray for him
and bless him all day long.
May corn abound throughout the land;
on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops flourish like Lebanon
and thrive like the grass of the field.
May his name endure for ever;
may it continue as long as the sun.Then all nations will be blessed through him,
and they will call him blessed.Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does marvellous deeds.
Praise be to his glorious name for ever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and Amen.This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.
(Ps. 72:1-20 NIV)
Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
This is a royal Psalm and the prayer is for the prosperity and righteous rule of the king. It is also a Messianic Psalm because Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed One. The promises that were made to David are ultimately fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. The descendants of David enjoyed the blessings of God and the people of God prospered, but the blessings under Christ, the Son of David are much greater.
The Psalm begins with a prayer for the king of David’s family, and ends with a song of praise to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Psalm is filled with petition and praise, as the Psalmist asks for a blessing upon the kings of David’s line. As the king from the tribe of Judah is blessed, so blessing will flow to the people of God and to the ends of the earth. Because the king is divinely appointed, he is responsible for ruling in righteousness and justice. When righteousness and justice prevail then the earth will give forth its fruit in abundance. A just society will care and provide for the afflicted and the needy and all oppressors will be crushed under godly rule.
The prayer for the king is that his rule will remain for all generations as long as the sun and moon remain. This prayer can only be answered in the rule of Christ. There is a prayer for well-being using the metaphor of the rain falling on a mown field. I’m looking out of the window at the lawn that was cut yesterday evening. The lawn is parched dry with scattered patches of green. It is just beginning to rain and it is just what the lawn needs. When righteousness abounds, so the righteous people will flourish.
The Davidic line will not only rule throughout all generations, but will extend to the ends of the earth. The whole earth belongs to the Lord, and the King of kings will come to rule from the river to the ends of the earth. The concept of land in the Scriptures is interesting. The promises that were made to Abraham were not fulfilled in his lifetime. As the people of God came back from Egypt to take possession of the land, the boundaries of that land were never clear. As we move through the OT, the land that is referred to is the land beyond the rivers to the end of the earth. In the NT the land is the whole earth, going into all the world to preach the Gospel. At the end of this age, Abraham and all the church will enjoy together the inheritance of the New Heavens and the New Earth. The land promises of the OT are fulfilled in Christ the head of the Church. The king is required to deliver justice and righteousness to his people. The record of the kings of Judah in Scripture reveal both obedience and disobedience. But the King of kings will come to rule in righteousness and there will be no more death, or need. The picture of the king presented in this Psalm is a servant leader, who reigns not for himself but for the good of his people. Christ is the servant King, coming to reign for the good of His people.
The people of God have a duty to make it easy for the king to reign by praying for him and blessing him all day long. The covenant promises made in Deuteronomy was that when the people of God obeyed the Lord, the Lord would bless their land and there would be a plentiful harvest. The picture that the Psalmist paints is of an abundant harvest from field to mountaintop. The blessings will extend to the nations through the proclamation of the Gospel. The Psalm concludes in doxology. The Lord has done marvellous things and has made the hearts of His people glad. When Christ returns the whole earth will be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen, even so come Lord Jesus.
The final verse brings to an end the Psalms that were associated with David.
Prayer
Lord God we praise Your name because You alone have done marvellous things for Your people. The death of Christ has brought us life. We are able to live acknowledging His right to rule in our lives. Help us to remain obedient to You and bless us spiritually so that our lives and our church will flourish. Bring salvation to Hounslow West, and may Your rule be acknowledged through lives that have been transformed by the Gospel. Be pleased to hear our prayer for Christ the Saviour’s sake, in whose name we pray. Amen.