Commentary - Psalm 72:1-4

Bird's-eye view

Psalm 72 is a royal psalm, a prayer for the king. It is designated "Of Solomon," and it certainly applies to him, but the glories described here swell to such a pitch that they can only find their ultimate fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ, the great Son of David, the true Solomon. This is a prayer for a Messianic reign, and because Christ is now reigning at the right hand of the Father, it is a prayer that the Church ought to be praying for the world. The psalm begins by establishing the true source of all justice: God Himself. The king is a delegate, a vicegerent. His task is to apply God's justice on earth, which results in a particular kind of peace, a robust shalom that flows from righteousness. This righteous rule is characterized by its active defense of the poor and its militant opposition to oppression. This is the pattern for all just government.

Outline

Commentary

Give the King Your Judgments

v. 1 O God, give the king Your judgments, And Your righteousness to the king’s son.

The psalm begins where all good government must begin, and that is with a petition of dependence upon God. The prayer is not that God would make the king a savvy political operator, or a shrewd economist, but rather that God would give the king His judgments. Justice is not something a ruler invents. It is not something he derives from the will of the people or from a committee of experts. True justice is revealed; it is a gift from God. The king's first and most essential duty is to recognize that he is under authority. He is a steward of God's justice, not the source of it. Any civil ruler who believes he is the ultimate source of law has made himself into a god, and is therefore a tyrant.

The prayer continues, asking for God's righteousness to be given "to the king's son." This points to the dynastic, covenantal nature of God's dealings with His people. David prayed this for his son Solomon, desiring that the righteous rule he sought to establish would continue into the next generation. This is a prayer for stability, for succession, for a multi-generational faithfulness. But ultimately, it is a prayer that finds its truest answer in the Son of God Himself. God the Father has given all judgment to His Son, Jesus Christ (John 5:22). He is the King, and He is the King's Son, and His reign is the perfect embodiment of God's own righteousness.

v. 2 May he render judgment to Your people with righteousness And Your afflicted with justice.

Here we see the purpose of the gift. The king is given God's judgments not for his own glory, but so that he might rule the people rightly. And notice whose people they are: "Your people." The people do not belong to the state; they belong to God. The civil magistrate is a servant, a minister of God for their good (Rom. 13:4). His task is to apply God's righteous standard to their lives and disputes.

Then the focus narrows with a laser-like intensity: "And Your afflicted with justice." A just government is measured by how it treats the weak, the poor, the helpless, those who cannot defend themselves. The Bible's concern for the poor is not a sentimental slush, and it is certainly not a baptized form of Marxism. It is a demand for true justice. The afflicted are not to be given an advantage in judgment, but they are not to be disadvantaged either. Justice must be blind to their station. But a righteous ruler knows that the powerful are always tempted to use their power to oppress the weak, and so he is especially vigilant to defend the cause of the afflicted. He ensures that the widow, the orphan, and the poor man get a fair hearing in court.

v. 3 Let the mountains lift up peace to the people, And the hills, in righteousness.

The result of this kind of God-given, righteous rule is peace. But the biblical concept of peace, shalom, is far more than the mere absence of conflict. It is wholeness, prosperity, flourishing, a right ordering of all things. When justice is done in the king's court, the effects ripple out to the entire land. The "mountains" and "hills" represent the whole of the nation, from the highest peaks to the smallest knolls. The entire creation rejoices and participates in the blessing of righteous rule. This is a picture of cosmic harmony that flows from covenantal faithfulness in the civil sphere.

And the psalmist is careful to tell us the foundation of this peace. The hills bring peace "in righteousness." You cannot have true peace without righteousness. Any "peace" that is achieved by compromising with wickedness, by papering over sin, by calling evil good and good evil, is a false peace. It is a temporary truce with the devil, and it will not last. True, lasting, mountain-strong peace is the fruit of righteousness, and it can be obtained in no other way.

v. 4 May he give justice to the afflicted of the people, Save the children of the needy, And crush the oppressor.

This verse elaborates on the practical outworking of this righteous rule. The king is to "give justice to the afflicted" and "save the children of the needy." Again, the focus is on the most vulnerable members of society. A nation that does not protect its children, particularly the children of the poor, is a nation that has forfeited its claim to be called just. This is a direct indictment of any society that permits the slaughter of the unborn or that allows the family, the primary institution for the protection of children, to be redefined into oblivion.

And then comes the hard edge of justice, the part that makes our soft, modern sensibilities flinch. The righteous king is to "crush the oppressor." Justice is not a passive affair. It is not just about helping the victim; it is also about punishing the wicked. The word is "crush." It is decisive. It is violent. It is final. The civil magistrate has been given the sword by God, and he is to be a terror to evil conduct (Rom. 13:3-4). A just ruler does not slap the wrist of the man who traffics in injustice. He does not offer therapy to the one who preys on the weak. He crushes him. This is the ministry of wrath, delegated by God to the state, for the peace and protection of His people.

Application

This psalm is a prayer, and we should pray it still. We should pray that our rulers, whether they be presidents, prime ministers, or local officials, would recognize that their authority comes from God and that they are accountable to Him. We should pray that they would seek His judgments as revealed in His Word, and not the shifting standards of public opinion.

We must also recognize that the ultimate fulfillment of this psalm is found only in King Jesus. He is the one who perfectly judges the people with righteousness. His kingdom is the one that brings true shalom to the nations. And He is the one who will ultimately crush all His enemies under His feet. Our political engagement, therefore, should be an expression of our loyalty to Him. We are to call the rulers of this earth to bow the knee to Christ and to govern according to His standards.

Finally, we must understand the unbreakable link between righteousness and peace. As individuals, as families, as churches, and as a nation, we cannot expect the blessing of God's peace if we are not pursuing His righteousness. True social justice means defending the afflicted, saving the children, and crushing the oppressor. This is the task of the Christian magistrate, and it is the prayer of the Christian citizen.