Psalm 72 - Long Live the King!
- Joe Steenholdt
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
Anchor your prayers in the promises of God’s Kingdom!
Psalm 72
Of Solomon.
1 Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
2 May he judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.
3 May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness.
4 May he defend the afflicted among the people
and save the children of the needy;
may he crush the oppressor.
5 May he endure as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.
6 May he be like rain falling on a mown field,
like showers watering the earth.
7 In his days may the righteous flourish
and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.
8 May he rule from sea to sea
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 May the desert tribes bow before him
and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores
bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba and Seba
present him gifts.
11 May all kings bow down to him
and all nations serve him.
12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help.
13 He will take pity on the weak and the needy
and save the needy from death.
14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
for precious is their blood in his sight.
15 Long may he live!
May gold from Sheba be given him.
May people ever pray for him
and bless him all day long.
16 May grain abound throughout the land;
on the tops of the hills may it sway.
May the crops flourish like Lebanon
and thrive like the grass of the field.
17 May his name endure forever;
may it continue as long as the sun.
Then all nations will be blessed through him,
and they will call him blessed.
18 Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel,
who alone does marvelous deeds.
19 Praise be to his glorious name forever;
may the whole earth be filled with his glory.
Amen and Amen.
20 This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.
Heidelberg Catechism
Q&A 123
Q. What does the second request of the Lord's Prayer mean?
A. Your kingdom come means,
Rule us by your Word and Spirit in such a way
that more and more we submit to you.
Keep your church strong, and add to it.
Destroy the devil’s work;
destroy every force which revolts against you
and every conspiracy against your Word.
Do this until your kingdom is so complete and perfect
that in it you are all in all.
Summary
Psalm 72 gives us insight into two of the greatest kings in Israel’s history and the sweeping vision for God’s king and kingdom, moving back and forth between how God has blessed His king and how He has blessed His people through the king.
Verse 1 begins with how the king is blessed with justice and righteousness. From the get-go, we learn the king is not interested in what benefits himself, but is concerned with the well-being of his people—even the lowly who normally get overlooked and can give him nothing in return. This psalm also sings of the king’s long life and prosperity, which becomes the people’s share as the land and crops are fruitful under his reign. Finally, his kingship extends far beyond the regular boundaries of Israel. It is a picture of the promise to Abraham to be a blessing to all nations in Genesis 12, coming to fulfillment in verse 17: "All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed."
This entire psalm can be read as a prayer for God to fulfill the promise to mankind to exercise righteous dominion over God’s good earth (Gen. 1:28), to be a great nation that blesses others (Gen. 12:2–3), and to establish David’s throne forever (2 Sam 7:13). This psalm is Old Testament hope soaring high through a glorious vision of a righteous and prosperous reign of God’s king.
Yet what Psalm 72 describes is something beyond even King David or Solomon's reign—a future hope that stirs anticipation and longing for God's perfect, everlasting rule, as prophesied by Zechariah: "See, your king comes to you... His rule will extend from sea to sea" (Zech. 9:9–10)
Dig Deeper
The king in Zechariah’s vision is the same king in Psalm 72: David’s greater son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who fulfills these promises perfectly. He is the one who rode into Jerusalem on a donkey to bring true and lasting peace for His people and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight—a fulfillment of the psalm's hope, as Jesus shed His own precious blood for ours, demonstrating the ultimate fulfillment of God's righteous kingdom.
The vision of this psalm may seem too good to be true, especially in a world marked by corrupt leaders and injustice. But it is not mere idealism because it is prophetic. We are called to pray these words not just as a hope for the future but as a means of spiritual growth and active participation in God's kingdom.
As the Heidelberg Catechism teaches us to pray 'Thy Kingdom Come,' we are asking God to destroy the works of the devil and all forces opposed to God, and to rule us by His Word and Spirit so that we submit to Him more and more. We sing Psalm 72 because we belong to the only King who is bringing this heavenly kingdom to pass, and our prayers call out for His reign in our lives and world.
Let this psalm be your prayer and praise today for God’s sovereign, righteous, and gracious rule to take root in your life and to spread to the ends of the earth:
Now blessed be the Lord our God,
the God of Israel,
for he alone does wondrous works:
his glorious deeds excel.
And blessed be his glorious name through all eternity;
the whole earth let his glory fill:
Amen!
So shall it be.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The everlasting King who rules in justice and righteousness and blesses all who submit to His reign.
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray “Thy Kingdom Come” and that this is also reflected in the way you are ruled by God’s Word and Spirit.
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
