A Psalm for Solomon.
This was David's dying bequest to his son Solomon, but a greater than Solomon is here, for this Psalm concerns the reign, triumph, and everlasting dominion of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Psalms 72:1-2 Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son. He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.
It is the distinguishing mark of Christ's kingdom that he cares so much for the poor, whereas in other kingdoms they are generally pushed to the wall, and men of great estate and consequence get all the good positions. In Christ's kingdom the poor are exalted.
Psalms 72:3. The mountains shall bring peace to thee people and the little hills, by righteousness.
Those mountains, in whose caves robbers lurked, and from whose heights enemies often came down, and swept away the little estates of the lowlanders, even these shall bring peace and comfort. «No strife shall vex Messiah's reign.» When Jesus Christ comes a second time to this earth, we shall see these prophecies literally fulfilled; and until then we delight to know that the reign of Christ is a reign of peace.
Psalms 72:4-6. He shall judge the poor of the people shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure throughout all generations. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.
After being mown the grass is tender; should there be a long period of burning sunshine, the roots left exposed might soon be dried up, and the lower portion of the stem, bereft of moisture, might become hard. Never does rain seem so refreshing to the grass as just after the mowing; so is it in Christ's kingdom. Upon you whose broken hearts are like mown grass, upon you who have been cut down by the sharp scythe of affliction, and who have seen your hopes withered before your eyes, Jesus shall come on gently like rain upon the mown grass; and as the showers fertilize the barren earth, so shall the presence of Christ make your hearts to be fertile and fruitful. If any of us are like the parched earth or the mown grass, may we have this gracious promise fulfilled to us.
Psalms 72:7. In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.
Under other kings sinners have flourished, and great oppressors have walked in public, but in Christ's days the righteous shall flourish; «and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.» There have been some times of truce, there have been some periods when the temple of Janus has been shut; but when Christ comes, the Lord shall break the bow, and cut the spear in sunder; not lay them by in store for days of warfare in the future, but break them up as there will be no further use for them.
Psalms 72:8-9. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.
The Arabs, the wandering Bedouin tribes, unconquered and untamable, «shall bow before him;» and his enemies shall not merely be beaten once or twice, but they «shall lick the dust,» they shall be so entirely broken that there shall be no fear of their rebelling in the future.
Psalms 72:10. The Kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents:
Britain and some of her sister islands shall do homage to this great Solomon.
Psalms 72:10. The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
Ethiopia shall stretch out her hands unto God, and men of swarthy skin shall own the King of the Jews as Lord over all.
Psalms 72:11. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.
There is a great future for you, Christians, a glorious future for our holy religion. The handful by the side of the lake shall yet become an all conquering host. As it was when that cake of barley bread fell into the midst of the camp of Midian, and overthrew the tent, so that it lay along, and as it was when the shout was heard, «The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon,» so shall it be with us ere long. God's people having no strength of their own, shall nevertheless break the power of their enemy, when the war- cry shall be heard, «The sword of Christ and of the Lord of Hosts!».
Psalms 72:12-13. For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth, the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.
Now, needy one, here is a promise for thee. Is there one here that hath no helper? Then let that one know that Christ is the Friend of the friendless, and the Helper of the helpless.
Psalms 72:14-16. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight. And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised.
There shall be an handful of corn on the earth- Only a handful! O ye birds of the air, how ye long to eat it all up! O ye thorns, how soon would ye choke it to death! It is only a handful of corn.
Psalms 72:16. Upon the top of the mountains;
That is a bad place for corn; surely it will die there; the winter snows will chill it; and, exposed to every stormy blast it will never fill the arm of the reaper. But is it so? Listen:
Psalms 72:16. The fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon:
Just as there are peculiar noises heard in a great forest when the wind sweeps through it, there is an allusion to this in the Hebrew, there should be such an abundance of fruit from this handful of corn that, as when the forest bows its head before the whirlwind, so shall there be heard a sound as of God rushing among the multitude of his saints.
Psalms 72:16. And they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
They shall be so many that one might as well attempt to count the blades of grass as to reckon the number of God's saints.
Psalms 72:17-20. His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
He had nothing more to pray for. He had his heart's highest and best wish, and therefore he closes his prayer where God had given him all that he could ask.