Introduction
We are studying Psalms because they teach us how to pray. King Solomon wrote this psalm, urging the Jewish people to pray for him and his reign (read vs. 1,2). But his psalm goes far beyond describing his reign (read vs. 3-19). Solomon is not using poetic hyperbole, nor is he expressing his narcissistic ambitions (like Hitler's 1000-year Reich). Rather, the biblical context of his prayer indicates that it pertains to the promised Messiah and His glorious kingdom.[1] Solomon knew that the Messiah would be one of his descendants because of what the prophet Nathan had disclosed to his father David.
Read 2 Sam. 7:12,14,15a. This refers to Solomon and his reign. God would establish his kingdom, discipline him as a Father when he sinned as king – but remain faithful to uphold him.
But Nathan's prophecy about David's kingly line went far beyond Solomon (read 2 Sam. 7:16,17). This is a promise that David's kingly line and rule will last forever – which implies a future everlasting King (who has already been predicted in Gen. 49:10, etc.).
David certainly understood Nathan in this way (read 2 Sam. 7:18,19) – that God's plan culminating in an everlasting King and kingdom is His "charter for humanity."
In this context, it is not surprising that Solomon wrote this psalm that begins about him and his kingdom, but then expands to be about the Messiah and His kingdom. And since Israel's hope was in the coming of the Messiah and His kingdom, we should not be surprised that Ps. 72 is one of several Psalms on this subject (see also Ps. 2,18,21,45,63,89,96,98,110,132). Nor should we be surprised that these psalms are part of scores of other Old Testament passages about the Messiah and His kingdom (see especially Isa. 11, 60-62, which parallels and expands upon Ps. 72). No wonder ancient Jewish commentaries on Ps. 72 title it: "The Reign of the Righteous King Messiah."[2]
Like many psalms, this psalm is a chiasm[3] that utilizes poetic repetition for emphasis – so we will distill from it five aspects of Messiah's future reign . . .
Messiah's kingdom
His reign will be marked by divinely-given moral integrity and wisdom.
Read 72:1,2. God will enable Him to rule with righteousness and justice. Character counts in leadership: good character produces good leadership; bad character produces bad leadership. Solomon obviously never attained to this level of integrity. But the Messiah will be anointed by the Spirit of the Lord for this purpose (cf. Isa. 11:2-5).
One prominent feature of His just and righteous rule is that He will be the utterly faithful Friend of the poor and enemy of the oppressor (read 72:4,12-14; cf. Isa. 11:4.) Solomon obviously never attained to this, nor has any human ruler. But the Messiah will finally couple full integrity with full power! And the result will be that . . .
His reign will bring unparalleled peace and prosperity.
Read 72:6. What a wonderful image! I love to look at my lawn and garden immediately after a nice shower. You can almost see and feel the plants drinking it in and radiating health and beauty. Even so, people will flourish under Messiah's reign (read 72:7). "Peace" (shalom) means more than mere absence of war or conflict. It means full-orbed human health and flourishing (e.g., socially, physically, psychologically, emotionally, spiritually, etc.). Under Messiah's reign, the curse of our psychological and sociological alienation will be removed, and all of the damaging effects of our sin will be healed.
And when humans are flourishing under Messiah's rule, then nature will flourish with unparalleled fruitfulness (read 72:3,16). The ecological curse (Gen. 3:17-19) will be reversed – because humans will live and flourish under Messiah's rule, nature will flourish under human stewardship, and people and nature will live in perfect, mutually beneficial harmony (see Rom. 8:19-21). What a reversal of what we are seeing today! The Messiah will come to stop those who are destroying the earth (Rev. 11:18), and to renew both humanity and the creation itself (Rom. 8:19-22).
But Messiah's rule will not be restricted to one country or location. His reign will be world-wide.
Read 72:8 – He will rule from sea to sea, to the ends of the earth. Solomon's reign over Israel extended to the maximum borders permitted by God (Gen. 15:18 – from the Nile to the Euphrates rivers), but His reign will encompass the entire earth.
And His reign will not be only over the Jewish people. Read 72:9-11 – all nationalities will voluntarily serve Him and bring Him gifts signifying their worship. (Maybe the magi and their gifts to baby Jesus was a foreshadowing of this future pilgrimage.)
And best of all, Messiah will not merely rule for a long time and then pass from the scene (the best-case scenario with Israel's kings; e.g., Uzziah). His reign will be everlasting.
Read 72:5,7,17a. His subjects will revere fear Him as long as the sun and moon remain, from generation to generation. His name (His reputation/fame) will endure and continue/increase forever.[4]
Lastly, this prediction of Messiah's reign is the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham (read 72:17b). This verse echoes the promise that God made over 1000 years earlier to Abraham and Jacob that one of their descendants would be a great king through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:3; 49:10). We saw earlier how God later predicted that this King would be David's descendant. Messiah will fulfill this promise, and His reign will bring the ultimate blessing for all of the nations!
Application: raises 3 questions
"Why should I believe that this really going to happen?" All other utopian visions have failed to materialize. But this vision is rooted in biblical predictions that have already come to pass (DIAGRAM). Therefore, we have a sound basis for trusting that its future predictions will also be fulfilled. This evidential basis for faith is unique among all world religions. Take for example the predictions concerning the Messiah:
The predictions of His first coming (e.g., BIRTHPLACE [Mic. 5:2]; REJECTION BY ISRAEL [Isa. 53]; YEAR OF DEATH [Dan. 9:25]; MANNER OF HIS DEATH [Ps. 22]) were all fulfilled by Jesus. The odds that this was a chance fulfillment are astronomical.[5] It makes much more sense that these predictions were inspired and revealed by a Being who is not bound by time, and Who has a plan for human history.
Therefore, since God has fulfilled the predictions of Messiah's first coming, we have a solid basis to expect that He will fulfill these Messianic predictions as well. And this leads to a second question . . .
"How can I be a member of Messiah's kingdom?" If Messiah's kingdom is coming, there is no question more personally important than this! Some erroneously teach that all people will be part of it. Other erroneously teach that only those who are living when it comes will be included in it. But read and explain Dan. 12:2 to refute both errors. The good news is that you can become an heir of this kingdom now by entrusting yourself to Jesus as the Messiah. Not by observing religious rituals or engaging in moral self-improvement – but by simply receiving Him as your Savior and Lord (read Jn. 1:12 – "believe" involves "receive"). Have you received Him? If not, why would you be unwilling to receive Him?
"How should this promise affect my lifestyle?" If you have received Jesus and become an heir of His coming kingdom, the New Testament gives us several lifestyle implications. Here are two:
It should motivate us to pray as Jesus prayed in Matt. 6:9,10, and as Paul did in 1 Cor. 16:22b. As we do so, God will envision us with this perspective for history and our own lives.
Read Rom. 13:11,12a. Since we know that Jesus will return to establish His kingdom, we are to "do this." Do what? Read 13:8a,10a. God assures us that He will install His King, and His reign will be glorious. Since we know this, we refuse to be drawn into the fear and suspicion and hatred that currently characterize our society. Instead, we are to love one another and our neighbors – including those who disagree with and dislike us – as we look forward to that day. What does this look like? Titus 3:1,2 give us a relevant answer (read and explain).
[1] "This is a Psalm of the Messianic King. In other words, it outlines some aspect of the royal promises which God linked with the house of David. Like Ps. 2 . . . Ps. 72 holds up before the actual king (in this case, Solomon) some of the dimensions of the ideal which he is meant to embody . . . But these 'dimensions' always exceed what is possible for any merely human king in David's line . . . in this case . . . the length (verses 7,17) and extent (verses 8,11) of his rule. The Messianic Psalms consciously await Him whose right it is to reign." Alec Motyer, Psalms by the Day (Christian Focus, 2017), p. 195.
[2] See Kidner, D. (1973). Psalms 1–72: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 15, p. 273). InterVarsity Press.
[3] See for example Willem A. Vangemeren, The Expositor's Bible Commentary: Psalms (Zondervan, 2008),
p. 548. (A – vs.1; B – vv. 2-4; C – vv. 5-11; B' – vv. 12-14; C' – vv. 15-17; A' – vv. 18-20)
[4] "Continue" is the Hebrew word yinnon, which became one of the names that Jewish rabbis used for the Messiah, based on this Psalm. "'His fame continue' is lit. 'His name be productive' or 'His name have offspring.' A rabbinic tradition treated the verb (yinnôn, 'be productive') as a proper noun, making Yinnon one of the names of the Messiah. Artificial as this is, it confirms that this psalm was treated as a Messianic prophecy." Kidner, D. (1973). Psalms 1–72: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 15). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. See also Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Jesus Was a Jew (Ariel Ministries, 2014), pp. 48,49.
[5] "If you calculate the probability of any one person fulfilling, sheerly by chance, all of the Old Testament Messianic prophecies that Jesus fulfilled, it would be as astronomical as winning the lottery every day for a century. Even if Jesus deliberately tried to fulfill (these) prophecies, no mere man could have the power to arrange the time, place, events, and circumstances of His birth or events after His death." Peter Kreeft, Christianity for Modern Pagans (Ignatius Press, 1966), p. 263.