Though Solomon gets the credit, this psalm is actually King David’s last prayer for Israel and a prophecy of the coming Messiah…
Psalm 72
A psalm of Solomon.
1 Give your love of justice to the king, O God,
and righteousness to the king’s son.
2 Help him judge your people in the right way;
let the poor always be treated fairly.
3 May the mountains yield prosperity for all,
and may the hills be fruitful.
4 Help him to defend the poor,
to rescue the children of the needy,
and to crush their oppressors.
5 May they fear you as long as the sun shines,
as long as the moon remains in the sky.
Yes, forever!6 May the king’s rule be refreshing like spring rain on freshly cut grass,
like the showers that water the earth.
7 May all the godly flourish during his reign.
May there be abundant prosperity until the moon is no more.
8 May he reign from sea to sea,
and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
9 Desert nomads will bow before him;
his enemies will fall before him in the dust.
10 The western kings of Tarshish and other distant lands
will bring him tribute.
The eastern kings of Sheba and Seba
will bring him gifts.
11 All kings will bow before him,
and all nations will serve him.12 He will rescue the poor when they cry to him;
he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them.
13 He feels pity for the weak and the needy,
and he will rescue them.
14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence,
for their lives are precious to him.15 Long live the king!
May the gold of Sheba be given to him.
May the people always pray for him
and bless him all day long.
16 May there be abundant grain throughout the land,
flourishing even on the hilltops.
May the fruit trees flourish like the trees of Lebanon,
and may the people thrive like grass in a field.
17 May the king’s name endure forever;
may it continue as long as the sun shines.
May all nations be blessed through him
and bring him praise.18 Praise the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does such wonderful things.
19 Praise his glorious name forever!
Let the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and amen!20 (This ends the prayers of David son of Jesse.)
Psalm 72 NLT
Related: King David’s Epic Memoir
A Prayer for Israel
With what’s going on in Israel today, you can pray this psalm. As of this writing, there are about 240 hostages still held by Gaza somewhere and over 100 people still unaccounted for. Israel is at war trying to eliminate the terriorists, Hamas, from Gaza and other places in Israel. They’re also facing another evil enemy from the north — Hezbollah in Lebanon. We pray for peace. However, true shalom won’t come until Jesus Christ, the Jewish Messiah comes in His Glory to rule in righteousness.
Yes, Solomon ruled Israel and during his reign, Israel was its largest. Unfortunately, Solomon, though God gave him wisdom, wasn’t wise enough to completely obey God’s commandments. As it turned out, Solomon married many women from the Gentile, pagan countries. Thus, he started to worship their idols and gods. You see, if you are exposed enough to pagan superstitions and demonic beliefs, you start to believe them yourself. Likewise, a Christian that’s not rooted in the Word of God will easily be deceived by the worldly culture. Solomon wrote about his experience in the Book of Ecclesiastes.
I now turn to the folks at Spoken Gospel for insight.
Sadly, Solomon did not follow his father’s advice. Solomon did not establish the Kingdom of God and he did not complete the promises God made to Adam and Abraham. But Solomon’s prayer for a king empowered to judge fairly, rule justly on behalf of the poor, and fulfill the promises God made to Abraham and Adam, was answered in Jesus.
Like a true son of David, Jesus followed his Father’s command and even died to save his people (John 5:19). Jesus’ inaugural address promised prosperity, peace, and wholeness to all who were oppressed (Luke 4:18-19). Like rain, Jesus’ kingly acts made goodness and new life grow wherever he went. He healed the blind, fed the hungry, and preached good news to the poor (Matthew 11:5). Even his grave became a womb, bringing new life out of it. All the needy, poor, and oppressed who call out to Jesus are given the prosperity, peace, and wholeness David hoped for his son (Matthew 5:3-10).
And right now, like Adam, Jesus is the ruler over the entire earth (Philippians 2:9). People from all nations and languages bow to King Jesus in recognition of his sacrifice and the justice his Kingdom brings (Revelation 7:9-10). Jesus has also made God’s promise to Abraham come true. United in worship, the divisions that exist between nations and people are ending (Galatians 3:28). Jesus’ eternal era of blessing, prosperity, peace, and wholeness has begun. Right now we are living in the Kingdom of God. And the good news is, it will continue for as long as the sun and the moon exist.
Spoken Gospel
Keep your eyes on Israel
Bible prophecy revolves around no other nation, but Israel. Sure, other nations play important roles, but it all has to do with Israel.
The next big war prophesied in the Bible is the Gog-Magog War that Ezekiel wrote about. What’s going on right now is not it! Nevertheless, it is setting the stage. One thing from Ezekiel 38 is that Israel will be at peace when Gog and his comrades attack — which it’s not. Speaking to Gog, Ezekiel writes…
In the distant future you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be enjoying peace after recovering from war and after its people have returned from many lands to the mountains of Israel.
Ezekiel 38:8b NLT
That second part is happening right now. Over 360,000 Israeli reservists came from all over the world to fight for their country. Funny, but when Russia and the U.S. has drafts, people of fighting age run away. Think about that.
As I watch the news from Israel daily, I can’t imagine peace coming to the land until it has completely wiped out the terrorists — Hamas AND Hezbollah. Which leaves Iran and its terror proxies. Related: Is Islam a Religion of Peace?
Consequently, the peace the Promised Land will experience after “recovering from war” will be short-lived. True, lasting peace for Israel won’t come until Jesus comes back victorious over Satan. Without a relationship with the Jesus, the Messiah, no one can experience the peace that surpasses all understanding.
Jesus said…
Do YOU Know Jesus?
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
