Commentary - Psalm 72:18-19

Bird's-eye view

Psalm 72 concludes not with a whimper, but with a grand, crescendoing doxology. These two verses serve as the fitting capstone to a majestic psalm about the reign of the Messiah King. Having prayed for the King's justice, righteousness, and universal dominion, the psalmist now erupts in pure praise to the God who makes such a kingdom possible. This is not an afterthought; it is the logical and necessary conclusion. All right theology, and all right prayer, must ultimately resolve into doxology. The focus shifts from the blessings of the kingdom to the God who blesses, from the works to the Worker. The passage affirms God's unique power, His eternal glory, and the ultimate purpose of all history: that the entire earth be filled with the manifestation of that glory. The final "Amen, and Amen" is a hearty, doubled affirmation, sealing the prayer and the praise with a stamp of confident faith.

This is a profoundly postmillennial conclusion. It is a prayer that looks forward to a promised future, not with wistful hoping, but with robust certainty. The glory of God is not a spiritual substance that will remain confined to the hearts of a beleaguered few. No, the prayer is that the whole earth might be filled with His glory. This is a vision of Christ's kingdom growing and prevailing in history, culminating in a global celebration of the knowledge and glory of God. This doxology is both a declaration of who God is and a prophetic prayer for what He will most certainly do in and through the reign of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Outline

Context In Psalms

This doxology marks the end of the Second Book of the Psalter (Psalms 42-72). Each of the five books of the Psalms concludes with a similar doxology (see Ps 41:13; 89:52; 106:48; and all of Ps 150). This structuring self-consciously mirrors the five books of the Torah, presenting the Psalms as Israel's Spirit-inspired response to God's law and covenant. Psalm 72 is attributed to Solomon (or is for Solomon), and it describes the ideal Davidic king in terms that can only find their ultimate fulfillment in the Messiah. The entire psalm is a prayer for this King's reign. After describing the peace, justice, and worldwide extent of this kingdom, it is only natural to burst into praise to the God who is the source of it all. Verse 20, which follows this doxology, notes that "The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended," further underscoring the climactic and concluding nature of this section.

Key Issues

The Logic of Praise

It is important to see that praise is not an arbitrary activity. We do not praise God in a vacuum. True, biblical praise is always grounded in theological reality. The psalmist here gives us the reasons for his praise. He blesses God because He alone works wonders. He blesses God's name because it is glorious. Doxology is the heart's response to revealed truth. When we see God for who He is, the God of Israel, the covenant-keeping God, and for what He does, wondrous deeds, the only sane, logical, and right response is to bless Him.

This is why sound doctrine is absolutely essential for vibrant worship. Worship that is detached from the truth of God's character and work quickly devolves into empty emotionalism or dead formalism. But when the mind grasps the magnificent truths about our God, the heart cannot help but sing. This doxology is the overflow of a heart and mind saturated with the truth of God's kingly rule through His Son.

Verse by Verse Commentary

18 Blessed be Yahweh God, the God of Israel, Who alone works wondrous deeds.

The doxology begins with a call to bless God. The word "blessed" here is a declaration of God's praiseworthiness. He is identified specifically as Yahweh God, the God of Israel. This is not some generic deity, but the specific, covenant-making, promise-keeping God who revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and who redeemed His people from Egypt. He is the God of redemptive history. The reason given for this blessing is that He alone works wondrous deeds. The word for "wondrous deeds" refers to miracles, acts that are beyond natural explanation, that display His supernatural power. This is a polemic against all idols and false gods. They can do nothing. All power, all causality, all wonders trace back to the one true God. Creation, the exodus, the incarnation, the resurrection, these are His deeds, and His alone. He shares this glory with no other.

19 And blessed be His glorious name forever; And may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen.

The praise continues, focusing now on God's glorious name. In Scripture, a name represents the person's character and reputation. God's name is glorious because His character is glorious. This blessing is not to be a temporary affair; it is to be forever. This is an eternal praise for an eternal God. Then comes the great petition that flows out of this praise: may the whole earth be filled with His glory. God's glory is the manifestation of His presence and perfections. This is a prayer for the fulfillment of the promise given to Abraham, that in him all the nations of the earth would be blessed. It is a prayer for the success of the Great Commission. It is a profoundly optimistic, world-conquering prayer. It does not envision a world spiraling into chaos until a last-minute rescue, but rather a world being progressively filled with the knowledge and glory of God as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 2:14). The psalm concludes with a double affirmation: Amen, and Amen. The word "Amen" means "so be it," or "truly." It is a statement of firm and confident agreement. The doubling of the word adds emphasis and solemnity. It is the congregation of faith standing up and shouting its hearty agreement with both the praise and the petition. Yes, let it be so!

Application

This doxology teaches us how to conclude our prayers and our thinking about God. All our petitions, all our theological reflections, should ultimately lead us to bless the Lord. We must cultivate a sense of wonder at who God is and what He has done. We live in a cynical and disenchanted age, but our God is still the one who alone works wondrous deeds. The greatest of these deeds is the salvation of sinners through the death and resurrection of His Son. If we have grasped this, how can we not bless Him?

Furthermore, this passage must shape our eschatology and our missiology. We are not fighting a losing battle. The prayer of the Holy Spirit in this psalm is that the whole earth would be filled with God's glory. This is not a vain hope. This is the promised trajectory of history. Therefore, we should labor, pray, and give with the confident expectation that the gospel will triumph, that the kingdom of Christ will advance, and that nations will come to bless His glorious name. Our task is to be instruments in God's hand to bring about the answer to this very prayer. Every time we share the gospel, every time we build a Christian family, school, or business, we are participating in this great project of filling the earth with God's glory. And to this grand, global, and glorious vision, we must all learn to say a hearty, confident, and doubled Amen.