David's last prayer - Psalm 72

It's with a measure of sadness that I share from Psalm 72, which is the last Psalm of David and concludes the second section of the Psalms.

The note before the Psalm says that it is "Of Solomon." Perhaps Solomon wrote this Psalm as a reflection of his father David's teaching and prayers. It transitions from David's rule to Solomon's and anticipates the perfect kingship of Christ.

It begins with verses that reflect Solomon's request for wisdom to rule God's people:

Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to the royal son!
May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice!
Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness!
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the children of the needy,
and crush the oppressor! (1-4)

The Psalm continues with lovely poetic descriptions of a king and kingdom blessed by God:

May they fear you while the sun endures,
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!
May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass,
like showers that water the earth!
In his days may the righteous flourish,
and peace abound, till the moon be no more!

May he have dominion from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth!
May desert tribes bow down before him,
and his enemies lick the dust!
May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands
render him tribute;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
bring gifts!
May all kings fall down before him,
all nations serve him!

For he delivers the needy when he calls,
the poor and him who has no helper.
He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
and precious is their blood in his sight.

Long may he live;
may gold of Sheba be given to him!
May prayer be made for him continually,
and blessings invoked for him all the day!
May there be abundance of grain in the land;
on the tops of the mountains may it wave;
may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people blossom in the cities
like the grass of the field!
May his name endure forever,
his fame continue as long as the sun!
May people be blessed in him,
all nations call him blessed! (5-18)

David 's kingdom was established by God and Solomon's reign was the golden age for God's people, but Christ alone will have dominion from sea to sea and to the ends of the earth. Eventually all the desert tribes will bow down before him and all his enemies will lick the dust (8). All kings will fall down before him and all nations will serve him (11). He is the one who saves the poor and needy, who redeems their lives (12-14). King David and King Solomon, in all their power and slendor, foreshadowed the great King Christ.

This may be my last post on the Psalms for a while. Next week I hope to take a break from blogging on Psalms to write my observations about the URCNA Synod 2010, being held from July 26-30 in London, Ontario.

There's no better way to conclude this group of meditations on the Psalms than with the conclusion of Psalm 72, a paean of praise that ascribes blessing and glory to God:

Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel,
who alone does wondrous things.
Blessed be his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory!
Amen and Amen!



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