Psalm 72— A Psalm of Solomon. “‘A Psalm of Solomon’— The Hebrew doctors have transmitted this psalm as the last that David composed. It was sung at the inauguration of Solomon to the throne, when Zadok had anointed him to be king over Israel, and when the trumpets proclaimed him to the people. 1 Kings 1:39. That this psalm refers to Christ, of whom Solomon was a type, is apparent, 1) From the several expressions, which are evidently too strong for a man whose life was short; as the eternity of his kingdom, its extent over the whole earth, and the universal peace which should follow. (2) The new-testament writers have so understood it. Matthew 21:8. John 5:22. Luke 2:13-14. Zechariah 9:9. Compared with Matthew 21:5. (3) The rabbins themselves have so expounded it, as will presently appear.” (Joseph Sutcliffe) “In this Psalm a picture of two kings, Solomon and the Messiah. The Messiah is the one that we see in the distance. Solomon is the one that is in the spotlight as the new King of Israel at his time of coronation. Solomon himself never did fulfill the promise of this psalm; only one Person could ever do that He who said, 'One greater than Solomon is here.' Matt 12:47 It is a Messianic Psalm in that only Jesus will reign as ‘the King.’ Solomon was only a shadow of the King that would reign. It is either a Psalm of David for his son or the prayer of Solomon at his time of coronation. 1 Kings 3:9 'Give me an understanding heart so that I can govern Your people well and know the difference between right and wrong. For who by himself is able to govern this great people of Yours?'” [Faye Shares Nuggets from God's Word] 1 Give the king Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness to the king’s Son. 2 He will judge Your people with righteousness, and Your poor with justice. 3 The mountains will bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. 4 He will bring justice to the poor of the people; He will save the children of the needy, and will break in pieces the oppressor. “In previous Psalms we heard the voice of His complaints, His sorrows and saw the sufferings of the cross. But here we behold Him enthroned as the King of Righteousness and the King of Peace. Righteousness and peace He alone can bring to man and He will surely bring both for the whole earth when the cloud brings Him back.” (Arno Gaebelein) “‘Give the king Your judgments.’ etc. The priest was required to furnish the king with a copy of the law [torah]; but here the sire prays that the son might be divinely taught, that God would endow him with wisdom from above.” (Joseph Sutcliffe) Also implied is the judgment of mankind, based on that Torah. “The perfect King will judge the poor of the people, etc —- He would vindicate their cause against their oppressors; His reign would be one of impartial justice, under which the rights of the poor as well as of the rich would be respected.” (Albert Barnes) Jesus admonished: “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment." (John 7:24) And Solomon prayed for wisdom to judge God’s people and it was granted.
But of Jesus, it is written, “He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man...” (John 2:25)—fulfilling Isaiah 11:4-5—“And He will delight in the fear of Yahweh, and He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear; but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; and He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.” 5 They shall fear You as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. 6 He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, like showers that water the earth. 7 In His days the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace, until the moon is no more. “‘They shall fear You,’.... The King Messiah, the Judge of the poor, and the destroyer of the oppressor.” (John Gill)— “‘as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.’ Here is a verse, which, if needed by way of confirmation, is enough to cast forever to the ground all the childish ideas which some may have taken, as if this Psalm had any reference to Solomon, king of Israel. The whole reign of David's son was not more than forty years; whereas that throne, which the angel told Mary, the Lord God would give to Jesus should be forever, and of His kingdom there should be no end. Luke 1:32-33.” (Hawker's Poor Man's Commentary) 8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. “‘The river,’ to wit, Euphrates, which was the eastern border of the kingdom of Canaan allotted by God, Exodus 23:31 Numbers 34:3, but enjoyed only by David and Solomon, and afterwards by Christ; of whose kingdom this may be here mentioned, as one of the borders; partly because the kingdom of Christ is here described under the type and shadow of Solomon’s kingdom, whose bound this was.” (Poole) “So the ‘immediate’ allusion, therefore, in the phrase ‘from sea to sea,’ may have been from the Red Sea on the East to the Mediterranean on the West; but still the language is susceptible of a more enlarged application, and may mean from one sea to another; that is, embracing all the lands or countries lying between seas and oceans; or, in other words, that the dominion would be universal.” (Albert Barnes) 9 Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him, and His enemies will lick the dust. “‘Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him,’ in solitary places; even rude and barbarous people, who lived without order and government among themselves; of which sort great numbers submitted to Christ, and received the gospel.—‘and His enemies will lick the dust,’ i.e. shall prostrate themselves to the ground, in token of reverence and subjection... See Isaiah 49:23 Micah 7:17.” (Matthew Poole) 10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles will bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts. 11 Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; all nations shall serve Him. 12 For He will deliver the needy when he cries, the poor also, and him who has no helper. 13 He will spare the poor and needy, and will save the souls of the needy. 14 He will redeem their life from oppression and violence; and precious shall be their blood in His sight. 15 And He shall live; and the gold of Sheba will be given to Him; prayer also will be made for Him continually, and daily He shall be praised. “‘The kings of Tarshish and of the isles will bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts.’ This was accomplished partly in Solomon; see 1 Kings 4:21; 1 Kings 4:34; 1 Kings 10:25; perfectly it is, and shall be in Christ: De Solomone certum est, de Christo certius, saith Kimchi; all the kingdoms of the earth shall one day be his kingdoms; he shall be the universal Monarch, and he alone.” (John Trapp) “So that from the wilderness and from the city, from the one end of the earth unto the other, all nations, kingdoms, and tribes, shall serve him. He will gather his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven, Mark 13:27. Reader! it is blessed when our own hearts can bear testimony to these truths; when conscious that from the wilderness of our own fallen nature, and from the natural enmity of our hearts, we are come up, and brought over, to bend the knee of allegiance and love to this almighty Lord.” (Hawker’s Poor Mans Commentary) “‘He will redeem their life from oppression and violence;’ the two ways whereby the souls or lives of men are usually destroyed.— ‘and precious shall be their blood in His sight;’ He will not be prodigal of the lives of His subjects, casting them away merely to gratify His own revenge, or covetousness, or insatiable desire of enlarging His empire, as earthly kings commonly do, but, like a true Father of His people, will tenderly preserve them, and severely avenge their blood upon those who shall shed it. ‘And He shall live;’ to wit, long and prosperously, as Solomon did; yea, eternally, as Christ did. Other kings must lose both their lives and kingdoms; but this King, whom Solomon typified, shall live for ever, and his kingdom shall have no end.” (Matthew Poole) ‘And the gold of Sheba will be given to Him;’ as a present, or tribute. This was done to Solomon, 1 Kings 10:15, and to Christ, Matthew 2:11, and afterwards as need required.” (Matthew Poole) 16 There will be an abundance of grain in the earth, on the top of the mountains; its fruit shall wave like Lebanon; and those of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. 17 His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; all nations shall call Him blessed.18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous things! 19 And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen. 20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. His names shall be exalted. “And the blessings of His Kingdom!— All the subjects in His kingdom will share them and all creation as well. The doxology of this section is the greatest of all. ‘And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.— The prayers of David the Son of Jesse are ended.’” (Arno Gaebelein)