The Universal Reign Of Jesus The Messiah

Psalm 72

Our psalm selection this second week of Advent brings us to Psalm 72.  The psalm is attributed to King Solomon, the son of King David, and was written to be a prayer for the king’s son and his reign.  Solomon may have written this in anticipation for his son’s reign (King Rehoboam), or more likely, at the start of his own reign as the son of the great King David (vs. 1).  Solomon prayed for wisdom for himself as he began his reign (I Kings 3:4-14). He knew that if he was going to rule the people with righteousness and justice, he would need wisdom from the Lord.

Today we see the need for our leaders, whether in the political realm, business world, families, or wherever, to have wisdom from God.  As Solomon knew, they cannot effectively lead and govern without guidance and help from the Lord. This should not be a one-time prayer, either.  Solomon did seek the Lord’s help at the beginning of his reign, but as time went on he tended to follow his own carnal desires and wishes, and not the ways of God.  Solomon married many pagan women, who turned his heart away from God. This caused irreparable consequences for the nation. The Scriptures never record Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, seeking the Lord’s wisdom and guidance for his own reign.  He even rejects the wisdom of his elders. As a result the kingdom was split into two and Rehoboam was left only ruling the southern kingdom.

The psalm then quickly moves into describing the reign of the Messiah, the Son of God.  From verse 2 through to the end of the psalm, this is clearly seen as a messianic psalm, as it describes the reign of the Lord Jesus upon earth, and in several instances the description never fits any of the kings of Israel or Judah.  The psalm breaks down into five descriptions of the reign of Jesus, the Messiah. Verses 1-4 describe His reign with justice. Verses 5-11 His universal reign. Verses 12-14 describe His compassionate reign. Verses 15-17 describes His prosperous reign.  And in verses 18-20 Jesus’ glorious reign.

As we read throughout the prophets, the time of the Messianic reign of Jesus here on earth will be one of peace and harmony between people and all of creation.  When Jesus will rule with justice, mercy and care, the earth will radiate well-being (vs. 3-7). This is not something we see from earthly rulers, either in the past or today.  God cares deeply about the needy, the afflicted, and the weak (vs. 12-14). Many of the kings of Judah and Israel had no compassion on the poor, for which God spoke out against through His prophets.  Unfortunately we don’t see that too often from our rulers today, either. They make all of the promises during campaigns, but once in office it is quickly forgotten. This will not be the case during the millennial reign of Jesus.  Believers should follow the lead of Jesus, as well as our leaders, and be diligent in caring for the poor and needy.

Throughout history people have called out “Long live the king!” to their sovereigns.  Even in some eastern cultures the people would sometimes say to their king “Oh king, live forever!”  These were just sayings given in respect to the monarch. Though they may wish the king or queen to live many years, everyone knew that one day they would die, and someone else would come to the throne.  This is not the case with the Lord Jesus, however. The reign of Jesus will be forever (vs. 5, 7, 17).

During the reign of King Solomon the territory of Israel reached its greatest expanse.  However, it was certainly not world-wide, even with respect to the known world at that time.  Verse 11 shows that this is another point showing that this psalm prophesied the reign of the Messiah.  Solomon spoke that kings from the farthest nations he had contact with would come in worship of the Messiah-King (vs. 10).  Tarshish refers to the Iberian peninsula of modern Spain and Portugal. Sheba and Seba refer to the countries of the southern Arabian peninsula around modern Yemen and Oman, along with the countries of the Horn of Africa, around modern Ethiopia and Somalia.  Jesus will rule over all nations, and His reign will be one of righteousness and truth (vs. 11). One day every knee of rulers and citizens alike, will bow to the Lord Jesus Christ, confessing Him as Messiah and king over all (Philippians 2:10-11).

When we look at our earthly leaders, they should strive to follow the pattern set by Jesus, the pattern that Solomon prayed for himself and his son, to rule and govern with righteousness and justice.