Psalm 72
“All kings will bow before him, and all nations will serve him.“
Psalm 72:11 NLT
Although Solomon might have been proud of his daddy, King David, he could only have been talking about one King to whom all kings will bow and all nations serve. And although Solomon might not have known that He would be named Jesus, he must have known that He was the promised Messiah. So let’s pick through the royal well-wishing rhetoric and find us a King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Psalm 72 ends the second of five books within the Psalms. The chapters that make up the five books are 1–41, 42–72, 73–89, 90–106, 107–150. And we get two pieces of information that will help us understand the Psalm better, first in the title that attributes the Psalm to Solomon and second at the end in verse 20 that probably refers to this second section or book (chapters 42-72) as being the prayers of David.
“Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. “
Matthew 28:18 NLT
“Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:9-11 NLT
“For at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.”
1Ti 6:15 NLT
“Together they will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord of all lords and King of all kings. And his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with him."
Rev 17:14 NLT
“On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.”
Rev 19:16 NLT
I may have already said this but I will repeat it here since it is so important to understanding what I believe are the lines we can draw from David and Solomon to Jesus. Most commentators agree that the book of Psalms has two central themes, and I would say we have seen that bear out in most all of the Psalms so far: the Word of God and the King of God. And in Jesus we see clearly that He is the ultimate King, and being the King, He rules with the Word of God by keeping and fulfilling all of God’s words (promises). So it should be obvious to us all that the Psalms were always about Jesus, since He is the word of God and He is the King of God. But I want to take this a step further and say that Jesus is the ultimate man, the perfect man, the new and improved man, Adam 2.0. Jesus is the better King, Jesus is the better temple, Jesus is the better giver of the law than Moses, and so on… Refer to the book of Hebrews for more insight on this train of thought.
But since He is the perfect human and He is the king and He plans to invite us to sit with Him on the throne and to rule and to reign together with Him, we were made in His image and we were made to be royal. Now before I go further with this thought, remember yesterday’s Psalm and all that David has said so far and how Jesus rules through service. But I think the global, historical, Disney princess craze and endless king of the hill games are based on what you were made to be. But you are in Christ alone able to be what you were made to be. And you can only fulfil this purpose in the same way that Christ rules and reigns.
Solomon is quite a different writer to his dad: he has the gift of words. Interesting that David didn’t think he did according to yesterday’s v.15.
“I will tell everyone about your righteousness. All day long I will proclaim your saving power, though I am not skilled with words.”
Psalm 71:15
Nearly all good stories about kings include elements taken from Psalm 72.
MAIN POINT: There are benefits to living under a good king (Our King Jesus). Jesus is ultimately the only such King.
A good king (Our King Jesus) is just. v.1
A good king (Our King Jesus) is concerned about the poor. v.2
A good king (Our King Jesus)’s realm is prosperous so people have enough. vv.3,16
A good king (Our King Jesus) defends the poor and their children. vv4, 12-14
A good king (Our King Jesus) is loved and respected by his people. v.5
A good king (Our King Jesus) reigns forever….v.5 (Only an eternal King can be a truly good king?probably true)
A good king (Our King Jesus)’s rule is refreshing to the people. v.6
A good king (Our King Jesus)’s rule encourages godliness. v.7
A good king (Our King Jesus)’s rule expands to the ends of the earth. (one world government?)v.8
A good king (Our King Jesus) is respected by everyone from greatest to smallest, from friend to foe. vv.9-11
(Wise men, eunuch with Philip?)
Conclusion
No matter what your position or status is under King Jesus, it is your sworn duty to make sure with everything in your power that Jesus’ kingdom is all that Solomon wished for David (and himself). So be a good servant of the king and make sure you are making his kingdom just as described in the Psalm 72. It started with Jesus and now He does it through you. Get busy being kingly, royal kingdom-minded.
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| Handwritten Psalm 72 |
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