Commentary - Psalm 72:15-17

Bird's-eye view

Psalm 72 is a royal psalm, a prayer for the king, which finds its ultimate fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ. While it certainly had an immediate application to Solomon, the son of David, the language strains and bursts the seams of any merely human monarch. The descriptions of a universal, unending, and perfectly righteous reign point us directly to the Messiah. These final verses of the main body of the psalm (vv. 18-19 are a concluding doxology) provide a glorious crescendo, summarizing the effects of this king's rule: life, wealth, perpetual intercession, overflowing agricultural abundance, explosive population growth, and a name that endures forever, bringing blessing to all the nations of the world.

This is a profoundly optimistic, postmillennial picture of the kingdom of God. It is not a picture of the church being gradually squeezed into a corner, hoping for an escape hatch. Rather, it is a vision of the gospel conquering everything. The kingdom starts small, like a handful of seed, but it grows into a mountain that fills the whole earth. This passage teaches us to pray with expansive faith for the success of Christ's kingdom in history, on earth, as it is in heaven.

Outline

Context In Psalms

Psalm 72 concludes the second book of the Psalter (Psalms 42-72). It is attributed to Solomon, and it functions as a response to the Davidic covenant established in 2 Samuel 7. David desired to build God a house, but God promised instead to build David's house, establishing his son on the throne and his kingdom forever. This psalm is a prayer that God would fulfill these promises, giving His justice to the king and to the king's son (v. 1). The themes of righteousness, justice for the poor, universal dominion, and lasting peace are all echoes of God's covenant promises to David, which are now being prayed for on behalf of his son.

Ultimately, however, both David and Solomon are types of Christ. David represents the conquering king, the man of war, while Solomon represents the peaceful king, whose name is related to "shalom" or peace. The history of the church follows this pattern: we are currently in a Davidic era of spiritual warfare and conquest, but we look forward to and labor for a Solomonic era of peace and prosperity under the reign of Christ before His final return. This psalm, therefore, is not just a historical prayer for an Israelite king; it is a prophetic prayer for the church, to be prayed in faith until all of its glorious promises are a reality across the globe.

Verse by Verse Commentary

Psalm 72:15

So may he live! And may they give to him the gold of Sheba; And let each pray for him continually; Let each bless him all day long.

The prayer begins with a plea for the king's life: "So may he live!" For a mere man, this is a prayer for a long and prosperous life. For the Lord Jesus, it is a declaration of His eternal life. He has conquered death, and He lives forevermore. Because He lives, His kingdom is an everlasting one.

Next, we see the nations bringing their wealth to him. "The gold of Sheba" represents the riches of the world being willingly laid at the feet of the Messiah. This is not coerced taxation, but joyful tribute. When the Magi came from the east, they brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They were the first fruits of the nations bringing their glory and honor into the kingdom of Christ (Rev. 21:24). The economic powers of this world, currently symbolized by things like the Dow Jones or supertankers, will one day be consecrated to the Lord and serve His purposes.

Then, we see the posture of the king's own people. They are to pray for him continually. Now, why would we pray for the triumphant and ascended Lord Jesus? We are not praying for His success as though it were in doubt. Rather, we are praying for the manifestation of His kingdom on earth. We pray "Thy kingdom come," which is a prayer for Him, for the advancement of His reign. This is how God has ordained for the kingdom to advance, through the persistent prayers of His saints. Our prayers are the instruments He uses to bring about His decreed will.

And finally, His people are to bless him all day long. This is praise. This is worship. Blessing His name is our constant occupation. From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised. This perpetual prayer and praise is the heartbeat of the kingdom.

Psalm 72:16

May there be abundance of grain in the earth on top of the mountains; May its fruit wave like the cedars of Lebanon; And may those from the city blossom like vegetation of the earth.

Here the psalm explodes into a picture of supernatural abundance. This is not just a good harvest; this is a miraculous one. A handful of grain planted "on top of the mountains" in the worst possible soil produces a harvest so thick and tall that it waves in the wind like the mighty cedars of Lebanon. This is a picture of disproportionate results. The gospel is like this. A mustard seed becomes the largest of trees. A small band of disciples turns the world upside down. When Christ blesses the work of His people, the results are staggering, far beyond what our meager efforts would naturally produce. This is the God of bountiful harvests.

This abundance is not limited to agriculture. The people themselves are fruitful. "May those from the city blossom like vegetation of the earth." This speaks of immense population growth, of life and vitality. Cities, which can often be places of sin and decay, will be places of flourishing life. When the gospel takes root in a culture, it produces not just spiritual renewal, but cultural, demographic, and economic flourishing. It brings life in every direction. God's blessing is holistic; it touches everything.

Psalm 72:17

May his name endure forever; May his name increase as long as the sun shines; Let all nations be blessed in him; Let all nations call him blessed.

The psalm concludes by focusing on the king's name. His name, which is to say His reputation, His character, His authority, will endure forever. It will not fade like the names of earthly kings and empires. His is an eternal fame.

Not only will it endure, but it will "increase as long as the sun shines." The fame of Jesus Christ will grow and spread throughout history. His reputation will get better and better. The knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Isa. 11:9). This is a direct contradiction to the pessimistic eschatology that sees the world getting inexorably worse until the end. No, the fame of Jesus, the glory of His name, will increase until the sun itself grows dim.

The next two lines are a direct quote and application of the Abrahamic covenant. "Let all nations be blessed in him" is the promise God made to Abraham in Genesis 12:3 and 22:18. All the covenant promises of the Old Testament find their "Yes" and "Amen" in Christ. He is the seed of Abraham through whom the blessing flows out to the entire world. This is the gospel mandate: discipling all the nations.

And the result of this blessing is that "all nations call him blessed." This is the great reversal. The nations that once raged against the Lord and His Anointed (Psalm 2) will one day bow the knee and confess with their tongues that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. They will see the goodness and grace of His rule and they will call Him blessed. This is the glorious destiny of the gospel in the world.

Application

This passage is a potent antidote to all forms of Christian pessimism and retreatism. We are called to be kingdom builders, not bunker dwellers. The vision presented here is one of overwhelming, world-altering victory. We must allow this vision to shape our prayers, our work, and our expectations.

First, we should pray with bold, expansive faith. We should pray for miraculous, Lebanon-like harvests from our gospel efforts. We should pray for the conversion of kings and for the wealth of nations to be brought in service to Christ. We pray for our cities to blossom and for our culture to be renewed from the ground up. These are not pipe dreams; they are biblical promises to be laid hold of by faith.

Second, we must recognize that all true wealth and abundance comes from the blessing of God. Our response to His provision, whether in our personal lives or in our communities, should be joyful gratitude and open-handed generosity. We are to serve the Lord "with joyfulness and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things" (Deut. 28:47). A grumbling, discontented spirit is a denial of the goodness of our King.

Finally, we must be zealous for the name of our King. Our ultimate goal is that His name would endure and increase, and that all nations would call Him blessed. This is what drives our evangelism, our discipleship, our cultural engagement, and our worship. We are laboring for the day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ, the king of Psalm 72, is Lord of all.