The Geography of Grace: Christ's Universal Reign Text: Psalm 72:8-11
Introduction: A Kingdom Without Borders
We live in an age of managed decline. Our political leaders, our cultural tastemakers, and tragically, many of our theologians, have all bought into the narrative of inevitable decay. They look at the world and see an unstoppable slide into chaos, a routed army, a lost cause. They have adopted a theology of retreat, a bunker mentality, where the best we can hope for is to huddle together and wait for the airlift. They read a psalm like this, a glorious, explosive promise of global dominion, and they either spiritualize it into a sentimental mist or postpone it to a far distant future that has no bearing on us now. In doing so, they neuter the gospel and rob Christ of His present glory.
But the Word of God does not speak in the timid tones of a strategic withdrawal. It speaks with the authority of a conquering king. Psalm 72 is a coronation hymn, a psalm for Solomon, but it strains the confines of Solomon's limited, local kingdom at every point. Solomon's reign was a magnificent type, a foreshadowing, of the peaceful and prosperous kingdom to come. But Solomon's kingdom had borders. The kingdom described here swallows the map. This is a psalm about the greater Solomon, the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is a point-blank refutation of all pessimistic and defeatist eschatologies.
The modern church is embarrassed by these kinds of texts. We are comfortable with a small Christ, a personal savior who can fit in your heart and help you with your problems. We are not comfortable with a Christ who has dominion from sea to sea, before whom kings bow and to whom nations bring tribute. We have been taught to think small. But God has not called us to think small. He has called us to believe His promises. And the promise of this psalm is nothing less than the successful conquest of the entire globe by the grace of the gospel. This is not a description of Heaven. This is a description of history, unfolding according to the divine script. These verses are the job description for the Church, because they are a description of the effects of the Great Commission.
So as we come to these verses, we must decide. Is the Bible telling the truth? Will Christ actually have dominion from the River to the ends of the earth? Will all kings actually bow down to Him? If we say yes, it changes everything. It changes how we pray, how we work, how we evangelize, and how we view the future. It replaces our cultural cringe with a robust and joyful confidence. For this is not a wish or a hope; it is a prophecy of the inheritance of the Son.
The Text
May he also have dominion from sea to sea And from the River to the ends of the earth.
Let the desert creatures kneel before him, And his enemies lick the dust.
Let the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands bring a present; The kings of Sheba and Seba offer tribute.
And let all kings bow down to him, All nations serve him.
(Psalm 72:8-11)
Total Dominion (v. 8)
The first promise establishes the sheer scale of this kingdom.
"May he also have dominion from sea to sea And from the River to the ends of the earth." (Psalm 72:8)
For the original hearers, this language was rooted in their geography but pointed far beyond it. "From sea to sea" likely meant from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea or the Persian Gulf. "The River" was unquestionably the Euphrates, the eastern boundary of the land promised to Abraham. But then the psalmist blows the doors off the map: "to the ends of the earth." This is cosmic language. This is global language. This is a promise that the kingdom of the Messiah will not be a regional power, but a worldwide reality.
This is one of the foundational texts for a postmillennial view of the future. We believe that the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20) will be successful. Why? Because Jesus told us that all authority in Heaven and on earth had been given to Him. The authority is not pending. It has been granted. He is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He is reigning now until all His enemies are made His footstool (Psalm 110:1). This psalm is a poetic description of what that reign looks like as it progressively unfolds in history. The gospel goes out, nations are discipled, and the dominion of Christ extends, not by sword and spear, but by the power of His Word and Spirit.
This verse is a direct assault on the idea that the world is and must be divided into two rival kingdoms of equal strength, one for Christ and one for Caesar, one for grace and one for nature. No. Christ claims it all. The arts, the sciences, the governments, the economies, the farmlands, the oceans. It all belongs to Him, and the promise is that His ownership will be recognized. His dominion will be acknowledged from the halls of government to the most remote village.
Absolute Submission (v. 9)
Next, we see the posture of all humanity before this King.
"Let the desert creatures kneel before him, And his enemies lick the dust." (Psalm 72:9)
There are two groups mentioned here, and they represent the whole of mankind. First, "the desert creatures," which is a poetic way of describing those who live in the wilderness, the nomads, those on the fringes of civilization. Even the most remote and untamed peoples will be brought into the kingdom. The gospel will penetrate every culture. No one is outside the reach of His scepter. They will "kneel before him" in willing worship and submission.
The second group is "his enemies." Their posture is not one of willing worship, but of utter defeat. To "lick the dust" is an ancient near eastern expression for total subjugation. It is the posture of a conquered foe, prostrate before the victor. This is a hard word for our soft generation, but it is an essential one. The reign of Christ is a reign of grace for those who bend the knee, but it is a reign of iron for those who stiffen their necks (Psalm 2:9). Every enemy of Christ will be broken. Every system, every philosophy, every rebellion that sets itself up against the knowledge of God will be smashed. There is no neutrality. You either kneel in adoration or you will be made to lick the dust in humiliation. The gospel is a declaration of peace to those who surrender, and a declaration of war to those who resist.
The Wealth of Nations (v. 10)
The prophecy continues, showing that the submission of the nations is not merely political, but also economic. The treasures of the world will be consecrated to Christ.
"Let the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands bring a present; The kings of Sheba and Seba offer tribute." (Psalm 72:10)
This is a catalog of the known world from an ancient perspective. Tarshish was in the far west, likely in modern Spain, a place of immense mineral wealth and maritime power. The "coastlands" refers to the islands and coastal regions of the Mediterranean. Sheba and Seba were in the south, in Arabia and Africa, famous for gold, frankincense, and exotic goods. The point is that from the farthest west to the farthest south, from the centers of global trade and shipping to the sources of precious commodities, all the wealth of the nations will flow to the King.
This is not a call for the church to be poor and destitute while the world has all the nice things. It is a promise that the economic engines of the world will one day be brought into the service of the gospel. The ships of Tarshish, symbols of secular commerce and military might, will become vessels for the kingdom, bringing sons and daughters, silver and gold, to the name of the Lord (Isaiah 60:9). We saw a foretaste of this with the Magi, kings from the east, who brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the young Christ. That was the down payment. This psalm describes the full inheritance. The wealth that men have generated in their rebellion will be repossessed and repurposed for the glory of its rightful owner.
Universal Homage (v. 11)
The psalm culminates this section with a sweeping, unambiguous declaration of universal submission.
"And let all kings bow down to him, All nations serve him." (Psalm 72:11)
There are no exceptions. "All kings." "All nations." This is not talking about a few scattered converts within every nation. It is talking about the nations as nations, and kings as kings. It means that the civil authorities, the governments of the world, will one day acknowledge the crown rights of King Jesus. They will bow before Him not just as private individuals, but as rulers. They will govern in submission to His law. This is the heart of the Kuyperian vision: every square inch of creation, including the political square inch, belongs to Christ.
This is the destiny of the nations. The book of Revelation says that "the nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it" (Rev. 21:24). The glory of the nations, their unique cultural treasures, their art, their music, their laws, their achievements, will all be brought as tribute into the New Jerusalem. The Great Commission is the means by which this is accomplished. We are to disciple the ethne, the nations. This means teaching them to obey all that Christ has commanded. And when a nation begins to obey Christ, its kings and rulers will bow to Him.
Conclusion: The Optimism of the Gospel
So what does this mean for us, here and now? It means we must repent of our eschatology of despair. We must stop believing the devil's propaganda about the weakness of the church and the inevitability of defeat. The Father has promised the nations to the Son as His inheritance, and the Son does not get short-changed.
This psalm is a command to be optimistic. Not a flimsy, sentimental optimism based on human potential, but a rugged, blood-bought optimism based on the sworn oath of Almighty God. The world is not spinning out of control. It is being brought steadily, inexorably, under the dominion of Jesus Christ. Our task is not to lament the darkness, but to turn on the light. Our task is to preach the gospel, disciple the nations, and demand in the name of the King that all men everywhere, from the desert nomad to the king in his palace, repent and bow the knee.
Every soul converted, every family raised in the fear of the Lord, every business run on biblical principles, every law conformed to God's justice, is a fulfillment of this prophecy. It is another parcel of land claimed for the King. The enemies of Christ are loud, and they are arrogant. But they are licking the dust. The kingdom of our God is like a mustard seed, the smallest of seeds, but it will grow into a tree that fills the whole earth, and the nations will come and find shelter in its branches. Therefore, let us work and pray with confidence, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.