Psalms 72

Psalms 72:1

Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son.

O God, thou, by whom kings reign, as thou hast called me, and my son Solomon after me, to the government of this kingdom, so do thou enable both me, for that little time I have to live, and him, in a happy succession to me, with those gifts of wisdom and knowledge, as also of justice and holiness, that are fit for so great a service.

Psalms 72:2

He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.

Let him govern thy people justly and uprightly; and even the poorer sort of them impartially and wisely.

Psalms 72:3

The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.

The very mountainous parts of the land, which used to be most barren, shall, under his peaceable and righteous government, yield a happy and joyful increase to their owners.

Psalms 72:5

They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure.

O thou Saviour of Men, whose type my son Solomon shall be, men shall serve and devoutly worship thee, so long as the sun and moon shall shine upon the earth.

Psalms 72:6

He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass.

He shall be gentle and mild in his administration; and sweet and gracious in his heavenly doctrine, which shall distil upon the hearts of men, as the still and gentle rain falls upon the mown grass; so plausibly, so refreshingly.

Psalms 72:8

He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.

As the dominions of Solomon shall be large and spread far, so shall their extent be but a shadow of that unlimited kingdom, which pertains to the great Messiah, whom he figureth: for behold, all the nations of the earth, even from one end thereof unto the other, shall yield their subjection to his spiritual kingdom.

Psalms 72:9

They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him.

Even those, that are yet the most barbarous and savage people, shall submit themselves to the sceptre of his kingdom.

Psalms 72:10

The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

The heathenish princes of remotest countries, yea, even those that are by the broadest seas divided from the firm lands, shall acknowledge the sovereignty of Christ; and, as in type, the queen of the south shall come to hear and admire the wisdom of Solomon, not without rich gifts in her hand, so shall all the far distant kings and princes of the world come in and acknowledge their homage to this King of Kings.

Psalms 72:15

And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba.

He shall live for ever, whereas all earthly princes shall lay down their corruptible crowns in the dust; and so shall his devout clients be affected to him, that they shall think their richest treasures fittest to be presented to him.

Psalms 72:16

There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon.

His blessing shall make the earth exceedingly fruitful; insomuch as one handful of corn sown upon those very hills, which might carry the suspicion of barrenness, shall grow to a marvellous increase; and, with a plentiful ear, shall yield so large and strong a stalk, that, with the motion of the wind, it shall shake cedar-like.