Deeper Commentary
Psa 72:1
A Psalm for Solomon-
David's hopes and expectations for Solomon are expressed in Psalm 72,
"A Psalm for Solomon". The Hebrew title can equally mean "A Psalm of
Solomon". David was so certain that his expectations would be fulfilled.
David's prediction that Solomon would wisely judge his people (Ps. 72:2)
was perhaps why Solomon asked God to give him wisdom to judge God's
people. His wise judgment of the prostitutes, and his willingness to
consider such cases, was surely a living out of David's expectation that
he would deliver the poor, needy and those with no helper (Ps. 72:12). The
prediction that Solomon would be given of the gold of Sheba (Ps. 72:15)
was fulfilled by Solomon's willful trading with Sheba to get gold from
there, and one wonders whether he in fact invited the Queen of Sheba to
visit him in order to fulfil the prediction that the rulers of Sheba would
come to him with gifts (Ps. 72:10).
God would only have a permanent physical house when His people were
permanently settled, never to be moved again (2 Sam. 7:10), i.e. in the
Kingdom. Yet Solomon perceived that his kingdom was in fact the final
Kingdom of God. David made this mistake, in assuming in Ps. 72 that
Solomon’s Kingdom would undoubtedly be the Messianic one… and Solomon
repeated the error, yet to a more tragic extent.
God, give the king Your justice; Your righteousness to the royal son-
The idea of a gift of righteousness had been learned by David after
his sin with Bathsheba (Ps. 32:1-4)- when he had no righteousness of his
own. But righteousness was imputed by grace through faith, and Solomon
knew little of grace and faith. The Proverbs, true as they are so
far as they go, reveal a self-congratulatory, works-based spirit which has
little to say about grace.
Psa 72:2
He will judge Your people with righteousness, and Your poor with
justice-
Solomon ultimately failed to do this, whipping the people and abusing
them to complete his endless, obsessive building projects. The prophecy
had possibility of later fulfilment in Zerubbabel, but that too didn't
come about; and so it was reapplied finally to the Kingdom of the Lord
Jesus.
The majestic prophecy of Jer. 23:5-7 had prophesied that when Israel returned from Babylon, “the branch” would rise and save them “and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth”, i.e. establish the Messianic Kingdom (cp. Ps. 72:2; Is. 9:7). But Zerubbabel, the “branch-from-Babylon”, lead the people back from Babylon, half heartedly built a temple- which faithful men wept at, when they saw how feeble it was compared to that which should have been (Ezra 3:12). And then he beat it back to Babylon.
David so often parallels righteousness and justice / truth (Ps. 9:8; 33:5; 37:6; 72:2; 94:15; 99:7; 103:6; 106:3). Indeed, this parallel is so common in God's word. What it means is that the righteousness of God is a just righteousness. It's not fake, 'I'll turn a blind eye'. It is true, real, valid, and has integrity underpinned in the very essential justice of God Himself. Justice and righteousness may appear abstract ideas, mere theology. But the result is that the person who believes God's righteousness is imputed to him or her... will feel this, they will know it to be true, they can by grace, in faith, quietly hold their head up before God. And David after Bathsheba is our example. He believed and felt this imputed righteousness. It's not so much a case of 'forgiving ourselves' after God has forgiven us, but rather of being swamped by this very real and legitimate sense that truly, we have been counted righteous. And Paul in Romans holds up David after Bathsheba as the personal example to " every one who is Godly" in their time of spiritual need. See on Ps. 41:12.
Psa 72:3
The mountains shall bring prosperity to the people, the hills will
bring the fruit of righteousness-
This is better translated to the effect that the mountains [an
intensive plural for the one great mountain, Zion] would bring peace to
the little hills. The vision was of the surrounding nations, the hills,
being brought to peace with God through the function of the sanctuary in
Zion which David planned for Solomon to build. But Solomon intermarried
with the surrounding peoples, and was influenced by them to idolatry
rather than bringing them to Israel's God.
Psa 72:4
He will judge the poor of the people, he will save the children
of the needy and will break the oppressor in pieces-
The
RV says that Ps. 72 is a Psalm
of
Solomon- in which case we have David or Solomon asking God to give him the throne, in
return for which he would establish the Messianic Kingdom. His judging of
the poor harlots would therefore have been in conscious fulfilment of the
predictions he himself had made as to what his Messianic Kingdom would be
like- as a time when the poor would be judged by him (Ps. 72:4,13). He
came to articulate God’s Kingdom in terms of how he wanted
his
Kingdom to be. It could be truly said that there is an urgent need for us
to be convicted - deeply convicted - of our desperate need for the person
of Jesus, His second coming and Messianic Kingdom. Solomon was so
obsessed with himself, so inward-looking, so sure of his spiritual
pedigree, so sure of the intellectual correctness of his spiritual
knowledge that his
need for salvation didn't enter his
heart. Because he never publicly sinned (unlike David) he lacked the
awareness of his own sinfulness which would have helped him realize he was
only a primary fulfilment of the Davidic promises. Lack of awareness of
our own sinfulness is connected with a lack of true enthusiasm for the
Messianic Kingdom. Because he thought the kingdom was with him, Solomon
evidently failed to discern the chronic need of his own nature, both
physically and morally.
Psa 72:5
They shall fear You while the sun endures; and as long as the moon,
throughout all generations-
David imagined Solomon's kingdom morphing into the eternal Messianic
kingdom. This was parental obsession, overlooking the fact that all men
sin and must die, and are saved from the grave only by grace through
faith.
Psa 72:6
He will come down like rain on the mown grass, as showers that
water the earth-
In
Prov. 19:12 Solomon speaks as if his own wisdom was like the dew coming
down- as if he felt that the mere possession of wisdom made him the
Messiah figure which his father had so hoped for him to be in Ps. 72:6.
And he says as much in Prov. 29:3: “Whoso loveth wisdom [exactly what
Solomon was commended for doing] rejoiceth his father”. He saw his wisdom
and knowledge as some sort of a reward in themselves: “the prudent are
crowned with knowledge” (Prov. 14:18). This is of course true in a sense,
as all the Proverbs are. But Solomon surely had the idea that he, who was
so renowned for his knowledge, was somehow thereby rewarded by having it.
This assumption by Solomon was likely behind each of the many references
he makes to the value of wisdom and the blessedness of the man who has it.
It is rather like feeling that ‘we have the truth’ because somehow our
correct understanding of doctrines is a reward for our righteousness, and
mere possession of doctrinal truth means that we are acceptable to God.
Micah’s description of how “the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst
of many people as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon the grass”
(Mic. 5:7) is consciously alluding to the then-famous Messianic prophecy
of Ps. 72:6: “He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers
that water the earth”. The blessings Messiah brings are to be articulated
through the witness of those in Him.
Psa 72:7
In his days, the righteous shall flourish-
Solomon's later statement that the righteous would flourish is
therefore a reference to this (Prov. 11:28), assuming that David's fantasy
of Solomon having an eternal kingdom was going to be fulfilled in him. In
Ps. 92:11,12, David thinks that he himself will see the righteous
flourishing (s.w. Ps. 72:7). So he may be imagining that he would somehow
be resurrected and see this happening in Solomon's reign. His hope will
come ultimately true, but through the kingdom of the Lord Jesus and not
Solomon.
And abundance of peace-
This had been David's vision of the future Kingdom of God (s.w. Ps.
37:11), but he assumes and wishes that Solomon's kingdom would have become
that.
Until the moon is no more- As discussed on :5, David liked to imagine that Solomon's kingdom would be eternal.
Psa 72:8
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, from the River to
the ends of the land-
Solomon was intended by David to fulfil the promises to Abraham; for
Israel had never fully inherited the land area promised to him. This was
David’s prayer for Solomon; that he should have been the Messiah, and his
Kingdom should have been Messiah’s. 1 Chron. 28:6,7 definitely seems to
imply that Solomon could have lived for ever had he been obedient: “I will
establish his kingdom for ever, if he be constant to do my
commandments”. But Solomon failed, what was
potentially possible didn’t come true, due to his apostasy. But these
words are alluded to in Zech. 8:5, as if to say that now, again, it
could come true through the work of Joshua and Zerubbabel, and
the priesthood and people being obedient to the temple prophecies of
Ezekiel. If they wanted the Kingdom to come, then they had to live the
Kingdom life. The coming King (and Joshua was prophesied as a king) was to free Judah
from Persia’s dominion, and establish God’s Kingdom, with boys and girls
playing in the streets of Jerusalem (Zech. 8:5). “From sea even to sea” is
a conscious quote of this famous Messianic prophecy of Ps. 72:8.
David had prophesied that his great son would "have dominion from sea to
sea" (Ps. 72:8). 'Have dominion' is the Hebrew word translated 'rule over'
in 1 Kings 5:15. David's vision of his Messianic son having a world-wide
Kingdom, in which all people blessed him for his grace and beneficence,
was abused by Solomon into justifying 'having dominion' over people as his
personal slaves; and they certainly didn't bless him for it but rather
complained (1 Kings 12:11). It's as if Solomon grabbed the word 'rule over
/ have dominion', wrenched it out of context, and used it to justify his
actions, giving a quasi-Biblical justification to his pure selfishness.
This is where knowledge of God's word can be a dangerous thing; leading
people into a stronger self-justification than they would otherwise have
had if they were guided by self-recognized greed alone.
Psa 72:9
Those who dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; his enemies
shall lick the dust-
We must read :9-11 in the context of David's vision of Solomon ruling
over the entire eretz promised to Abraham (:8). The references to
the Bedouins of the desert, the kings of Tarshish and Sheba (:10),
therefore refer to the nations on the boundaries of that territory. The
idea is that Solomon was to rule over the entire eretz- and even
beyond, even over the peoples just over the borders of it.
Psa 72:10
The kings of Tarshish and of the islands will bring tribute, the
kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts-
See on :9. These were the areas on the edge of the eretz
promised to Abraham, and indeed the queen of Sheba did come to Solomon
with gifts. We note that "Tarshish" here doesn't refer to the United
Kingdom. The earth was understood as the territory promised to Abraham,
and anything beyond it is spoken of as the sea or islands.
Psa 72:11
Yes, all kings shall fall down before him, all nations shall serve
him-
This homage and the gifts of :10 were not to be because these nations
have been forced into submission, as was usually the case in kingdom
building at that time. They fall before him with their gifts because
["for"] of his justice (:12,15). The queen of Sheba brought her gifts from
respect (:10), not because she was forced to. And so it is and shall ever
be in the extension of God's Kingdom upon earth.
Psa 72:12
For he will deliver the needy when he cries; the poor, who has
no helper-
As noted on :11, the astounding justice and loving care of the king
of the kingdom would bring other nations to willingly submit and offer
gifts (:10,11); not as signs that they had been forced into submission by
military prowess. All visions of the Lord Jesus at His return forcing
nations to accept Him at the point of a sword... are out of step with all
we have seen and known of Him, as well as of these prophecies. These words
were not fulfilled in Solomon as
David confidently expected; Solomon whipped the people rather than delivering
the needy who cried for help. And his throne hardly endured as long as the
sun.
Psa 72:13
He will have pity on the poor and needy, he will save the needy
persons-
See on :4. Pity on the surrounding Gentiles is the language of Jonah
4:11 about Nineveh. The old covenant required that Israel show no pity to
the nations of the eretz promised to Abraham, lest they lead the
people into idolatry (s.w. Dt. 7:16). David, as so often, is looking
beyond this to a new situation whereby Israel's king would show them pity,
if like Nineveh they were repentant. But Solomon mixed with those nations
and accepted their idols. David had seen himself as "poor and needy",
needing grace after his sin with Bathsheba and its consequences (Ps.
40:17; 70:5; 86:1; 109:16,22). He wished Solomon to likewise have pity on
the "poor and needy" amongst the Gentiles, those who had likewise repented
(Ps. 72:13). And David was especially desirous to himself see the "poor
and needy" blessed and accepted as he had been (Ps. 82:3,4; 113:7). It is
our personal experience of needing grace which leads us to have a heart
for those like us, the poor and needy. Any other motivation will
ultimately not abide. Solomon appears to glorify his mother Bathsheba for
likewise pitying the poor and needy (Prov. 31:9,20).
Psa 72:14
He will redeem their soul from oppression and violence, their
blood will be precious in his sight-
The Hebrew word
hamas
[basically meaning 'physical violence arising from wicked plans'] is quite
common in Scripture, and the usages speak of how God is provoked by
hamas
to bring judgment upon the enemies of His people (Gen. 6:11-13; Mic. 6:12;
Zeph. 1:9) and also to intervene in order to save His people (Ps. 18:49;
Ps. 72:14). How amazingly appropriate that an organization actually called
hamas
has arisen in these last days to do violence to Israel! If Biblical
history means anything to us, clearly enough God's intervention in
appropriate judgment and salvation cannot be far off. Note how Hagar's
persecution of Sarah- typical of the Arab-Jew conflict- is described as
her
hamas
(Gen. 16:5).
Psa 72:15
They shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba.
Men shall pray for him continually, they shall bless him all day long-
The idea is that because the poor and needy would be allowed to
"live" and would be treated with justice and grace (:14), Sheba would give
her gold and continual prayer be made for the king. It was usual that
conquered peoples were forced to pray to the gods of their conquerors, and
to give their gold. But as noted on :10,11, the growth of this Kingdom of
God would be on a quite different basis. Peoples would be awed by the
grace displayed, and would voluntarily come to worship Israel's God,
acting as if they had indeed been conquered by Him- but by His love and
grace, rather than His sword.
Psa 72:16
Abundance of grain shall be throughout the land, its fruit sways
like Lebanon. Let it flourish, thriving like the grass of the field!-
As a result of just kingship, the blessings for obedience to the
covenant would come about, in terms of agricultural fecundity. "Abundance
of grain" recalls the situation in the seven years of plenty in Egypt, the
implication being that this grain would be shared with the Gentile world
around them, in order to lead them to Israel's God.
Psa 72:17
His name endures forever, his name continues as long as the sun-
Again David is imagining Solomon ruling eternally, but without due
regard for the results of sin and the need for the grace of resurrection
and forgiveness. And it was surely Yahweh's Name which should have been
spoken of in this way and not Solomon's.
Men shall be blessed in him, all nations will call him blessed-
The allusion is to the Abrahamic promise of Gen. 18:18: "All the
nations of the earth will be blessed in him". But the promise about
Abraham personally and his seed is too quickly assumed by David to be
relevant to Solomon personally. There is an intended ambiguity in the
grammar, as to whether "be blessed" is purely a prediction, or a command-
to chose to become blessed in him. That choice is now made in terms of
choosing to be baptized into the Lord Jesus, the true seed of Abraham, so
that we might receive the blessing of forgiveness and life eternal
inheriting the earth (Acts 3:25,26; Gal. 3:27-29).
Psa 72:18
Praise be to Yahweh God, the God of Israel, who alone does
marvellous deeds-
This is an invitation for the "nations" of :17 to praise the God of
Israel, not because they have been forcefully subjugated, but because they
recognize that He is the one and only God, who can do such marvellous
things as restoring His sinful people.
Psa 72:19
Blessed be His glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled
with His glory! Amen and amen-
As noted on :18 this is David's desire that the entire eretz
promised to Abraham be filled with peoples who genuinely wish to bless the
name of Israel's God and thereby give glory to Him.
Psa 72:20
This ends the prayers by David, the son of Jesse-
I suggested on Ps. 1:1 that this means that for sure Psalms 1-72 were all
written by David, although most of them were edited and reapplied, under
inspiration, to later situations; and I gave reasons for thinking that the
majority of the later Psalms, although not all, were likewise originally
his inspired work.
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