Introduction:
There are two psalms attributed to Solomon. This is one of them and Ps. 127 is the other. Some have been baffled by the reference here to David in v. 20, but this likely refers to the conclusion of the second book of psalms, and not to this individual psalm. Solomon’s psalm was included in his father’s book, and was included as the last psalm in that second book.
The Text:
“Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son. He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment . . .” (Ps. 72:1-20).
Summary of the Text:
The reign of the Messiah will be abundant, glorious, and righteous (vv. 1-7). The next thing we note about His reign is that it will be universal (vv. 8-11). He will be a good and kind ruler (vv. 12-14). Not only will his reign be universal in extent, but also perpetual in time (vv. 15-17). The psalm concludes with a doxology (vv. 18-19), and then a postscript to the entire second book (v. 20).
This king will be righteous (v. 1), and His righteousness will be evidenced in His deliverance of the poor (v. 2). The mountains and little hills will bring peace to the people and will do so righteously (v. 3). He will deliver the poor and strike the oppressor down (v. 4). His righteous reign will endure (vv. 5, 7), and it will be refreshing, like rain upon mown grass (v. 6). He will rule from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth (v. 8). Those in the deserts will serve Him, and His enemies will prostrate themselves (v. 9). The merchant kings of Tarshish will bring their gifts (v. 10), as will the kings of Sheba and Seba (v. 10). All the nations of men will come and serve the Messiah (v. 11).
Messiah the Prince will be kind. The needy cry out and He hears them (v. 12). The poor do the same, and He helps them (v. 13). He delivers from deceit and violence, and their blood is precious to Him (v. 14). His reign will be perpetual; wealth will flow to Him, and prayers will be offered for Him (v. 15). The blessing that will come will be astonishing—a handful of corn planted on a mountaintop will produce a staggering harvest (v. 16). His name will be blessed forever (v. 17). A doxology is lifted up the Lord God of Israel (vv. 18-19), and the second book of psalms concludes (v. 20).
The David Reign and the Solomon Reign:
Both David and Solomon are types of Christ, but they represent different aspects of His reign. David represents the period of acquisition and conquest, and Solomon represents the era of resultant gospel peace. David was a man of war—and so is Jesus. “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war” (Rev. 19:11). But once His kingdom is consolidated, the typology all points to peace. The name Solomon is related to the word shalom, meaning peace. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Is. 9:6).
If you look at the history of Israel’s monarchy, in a type you are looking at the history of the church. We are still in the Davidic time of conquest—meaning that we are still fighting Philistines, in every sense of that word. But there is coming a time in the history of the church when we will enter the Solomonic phase—his sin and foreign wives excepted. David represents Christ, only without the sin, and Solomon represents Christ, only without the sin.
The handful of corn on the mountain results in an astonishing harvest. Our God is the God of great reversals and disproportionate results.
Ships of Tarshish:
Sheba is modern Yemen, and was an extraordinarily wealthy place. Tarshish was probably in Phoenican Spain (and possibly Africa), and was also a place of great wealth. The ships of Tarshish became symbolic of enormous wealth. Not surprisingly, given what the Bible teaches about great wealth, they become symbols of arrogance under judgment. “Howl, ye ships of Tarshish, for it is laid waste” (Is. 23:1). “Pass ye over to Tarshish; howl, ye inhabitants of the isle” (Is. 23:6). “Howl, ye ships of Tarshish; for your strength is laid waste” (Is. 23:14). Wail, he might say, ye supertankers and pipelines! Howl, ye Dow Jones brokers!
But that is not the end of the story . . .
“Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee” (Is. 60:9).
It turns out the New Jerusalem has a harbor, and our ships will sail into it. It turns out that Jesus didn’t sink them all.
“Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house” (Matt. 12:29).
Why would Jesus want the devil’s stuff? When Jesus conquered the world by dying on the cross, He was not overthrowing a run-down orc tower. He did not do this so that He might carry off some filthy weapons and a few ratty old clothes. Jesus took away the glory of all the devil’s kingdoms. This is why the ships of Tarshish can be symbols of arrogance and slick wealth in the early part of Isaiah, and symbols of a chaste and reverent worship by the end of it. In between the two kinds of description, we find chapter 53.
We see the same thing in the book of Revelation, the same attitude toward the kings of the earth. By the end of the book, what is happening?
“And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it” (Rev. 21:24,26).
But why do we think kings are so hot? What was happening to the kings and nations earlier in the book? Well, a strong angel invited the birds of the air to eat as much kingly flesh off the bones as they wanted (Rev. 19:18). The kings of the earth were asking the mountains to hide them from the wrath of the Lamb (rev. 6:16).
Maybe He doesn’t want us straggling into the New Jerusalem in some kind of tatterdemalion fashion. When the nations stream into the New Jerusalem, it is not a refugee column. When the saints go marching in, they are not walking behind a bunch of push carts.