The Golden, Growing Kingdom Text: Psalm 72:15-17
Introduction: A Kingdom That Is and Is Coming
We live in an age of cynicism. Men look at the state of the world, at the headlines, at the moral decay festering in our capitols, and they conclude that the ship is sinking. For many Christians, the best we can hope for is to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic and hang on for dear life until the rescue chopper arrives. But this is a pinched and pathetic eschatology. It is a theology of retreat. It is not what the Bible teaches.
Psalm 72 is a royal psalm, a prayer of David for his son Solomon. But as you read it, you quickly realize that the language strains the boundaries of any earthly king. No mere son of David could ever fulfill these glorious prophecies. This psalm is about Solomon, yes, but only as a type, a foreshadowing, of the great Son of David, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a messianic psalm, and it gives us a portrait of the reign of King Jesus. And what a portrait it is. It is a picture of a global, prosperous, just, and ever-growing kingdom.
This is a profoundly postmillennial psalm. It describes the kingdom of God advancing in history, on earth, before the final consummation. It teaches us that the gospel is not a message of desperate evacuation from a doomed planet. The gospel is the power of God for the restoration of the planet. Christ’s kingdom is not a spiritual, ethereal sentiment in our hearts. It is a real kingdom with real-world effects. It brings justice to the oppressed, life to the dead, and, as our text describes, a flourishing and fruitful dominion that will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.
The verses before us today are a stunning depiction of the results of Christ's reign. They describe the honor He receives, the life He possesses, the prayers that sustain His people, and the explosive, world-encompassing growth of His kingdom. This is not a picture of a church in hiding. This is a picture of a victorious, advancing, and all-conquering kingdom. And we are in the middle of it.
The Text
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.
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.
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.
(Psalm 72:15-17 LSB)
The Honored King (v. 15)
We begin with the response to this righteous King.
"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." (Psalm 72:15)
The first phrase, "So may he live!" is a declaration of loyalty and a prayer for the long life of the king. For Solomon, this was a prayer for a long and prosperous reign. But for Christ, it is a statement of profound theological truth. He does live! He is the one who has conquered death. He is not a dead king in a history book; He is the risen and reigning Lord. Because He lives, His kingdom is a living, advancing reality. Revelation declares Him to be the one "who is and who was and who is to come" (Rev. 1:4). His life is the source of our life and the engine of His kingdom.
Because He lives and reigns, He is worthy of tribute. "And may they give to him the gold of Sheba." This is a direct echo of the visit from the Queen of Sheba to Solomon, who brought him immense wealth. It is also a picture of the Magi from the east, Gentiles, coming to worship the Christ child and presenting Him with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The nations of the earth will bring their glory and their honor into His kingdom (Rev. 21:24). This is not just about money. It is about the nations bringing their unique cultural treasures, their art, their music, their intellectual achievements, and laying them at the feet of Jesus. All the wealth of the nations, material and cultural, ultimately belongs to Him.
Next, we see the fuel of this kingdom: prayer. "And let each pray for him continually." Now, how do we pray for a king who already has all authority in heaven and on earth? We do not pray for Him as though He were weak or needy. We pray for the advancement of His kingdom. When we pray, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," we are praying for King Jesus. We are praying for the success of His gospel, for the strengthening of His church, for the tearing down of strongholds, and for the submission of His enemies. This is not a passive waiting; it is an active, strategic assault on the gates of Hell through prayer.
And this prayer is intertwined with blessing. "Let each bless him all day long." To bless God is to praise Him, to speak well of Him, to declare His excellencies. Our lives, our words, our work are to be a continual chorus of praise to the King. This is the heartbeat of a Christian culture: a people who continually, in every sphere of life, bless the name of Jesus Christ.
The Flourishing Kingdom (v. 16)
Verse 16 gives us a stunning agricultural metaphor for the growth and prosperity of the kingdom.
"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." (Psalm 72:16 LSB)
This is a picture of supernatural abundance. Grain does not typically grow on the tops of mountains. That is where you find rocks and thin soil. But under the reign of Christ, there will be such fruitfulness that even the most barren places will produce a harvest. This is a picture of the gospel going to the hardest of places, to the most resistant of cultures, and producing a glorious harvest. The kingdom of God is not a hothouse flower, delicate and fragile. It is a hardy crop that can grow on mountains.
The harvest is not just abundant, it is magnificent. "May its fruit wave like the cedars of Lebanon." The cedars of Lebanon were symbols of strength, majesty, and permanence. This is not a crop of flimsy little stalks. This is a harvest of righteousness that is strong and glorious. It speaks of the robust, sturdy character of the saints and the deep-rooted, magnificent culture that Christianity produces. When the gospel takes root, it produces something solid, something beautiful, something that endures.
And this growth is not limited to the countryside. "And may those from the city blossom like vegetation of the earth." The city, in Scripture, is often a place of concentrated rebellion and godlessness, from Babel to Babylon. But here, the city itself becomes a garden. The citizens of the kingdom, the inhabitants of the New Jerusalem, will flourish. This is a promise of revival. It is a promise that God's grace can transform the most crowded, corrupt, and complex centers of human culture into places of vibrant life and growth. The gospel will not just conquer the world; it will make it beautiful.
The Eternal King (v. 17)
Finally, the psalm culminates with the ultimate reason for this flourishing: the eternal nature and universal blessing of the King's name.
"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." (Psalm 72:17 LSB)
The name of the king, which represents his character, his reputation, and his authority, will "endure forever." Earthly kingdoms rise and fall. Dynasties crumble. But the kingdom of Jesus Christ is an eternal kingdom. His throne is forever and ever. This is our confidence. We are not building something temporary. We are participating in an eternal project.
Not only will His name endure, but it will "increase as long as the sun shines." The Hebrew here can be translated as "propagate" or "have posterity." His name will spread and grow. This is a direct refutation of any theology that sees the church shrinking and the influence of Christ's name diminishing as history progresses. The psalm says the exact opposite. As long as history continues, as long as the sun is in the sky, the fame and glory of Jesus' name will be on the increase. The knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth.
And this brings us to the grand finale, the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham. "Let all nations be blessed in him; Let all nations call him blessed." This is the Great Commission in the Old Testament. The promise to Abraham was that through his seed, all the families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). Jesus Christ is that seed. He is the fulfillment of that promise. Through His life, death, and resurrection, the blessing of salvation, forgiveness, and new life flows out to every tribe, tongue, and nation.
But it is not just that they are blessed in Him. It is also that they will "call him blessed." This is conversion. This is worship. The nations will not just passively receive a blessing; they will actively turn and praise the source of that blessing. They will confess that Jesus is Lord. This is the goal of history: a world filled with nations and peoples who joyfully and publicly acknowledge the supreme worth and authority of King Jesus.
Conclusion: The Optimism of the Gospel
This psalm is a death blow to pessimism. It is a divine mandate for a robust and cheerful confidence in the victory of Jesus Christ. Our King lives. He is worthy of all the treasures of the nations. His kingdom is fueled by the prayers of His people. And that kingdom is destined to grow until it fills the whole earth.
The harvest is growing on the mountaintops. The cities are beginning to blossom. The name of Jesus is increasing, and the nations are being blessed. Do not be discouraged by the morning headlines. The headlines are written by men who think they are in charge. But Psalm 72 tells us who is really in charge. King Jesus reigns.
Therefore, we should live as citizens of this coming world. We should work, pray, build, and plant with a long-term vision. We are not polishing brass on a sinking ship. We are laying the foundations of a new world. We are planting seeds that will become like the cedars of Lebanon. Let us then give our King the gold of our worship, the frankincense of our prayers, and the myrrh of our dedicated lives. For His name will endure forever, and all nations will call Him blessed. Amen.