mh_parser/vol_split/19 - Psalms/Chapter 72.xml

<div2 id="Ps.lxxiii" n="lxxiii" next="Ps.lxxiv" prev="Ps.lxxii" progress="46.25%" title="Chapter LXXII">
<h2 id="Ps.lxxiii-p0.1">P S A L M S</h2>
<h3 id="Ps.lxxiii-p0.2">PSALM LXXII.</h3>
<p class="intro" id="Ps.lxxiii-p1">The foregoing psalm was penned by David when he
was old, and, it should seem, so was this too; for Solomon was now
standing fair for the crown; that was his prayer for himself, this
for his son and successor, and with these two the prayers of David
the son of Jesse are ended, as we find in the close of this psalm.
If we have but God's presence with us while we live, and good hopes
concerning those that shall come after us that they shall be
praising God on earth when we are praising him in heaven, it is
enough. This is entitled "a psalm for Solomon:" it is probable that
David dictated it, or, rather, that it was by the blessed Spirit
dictated to him, when, a little before he died, by divine direction
he settled the succession, and gave orders to proclaim Solomon
king, <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p1.1" osisRef="Bible:1Kgs.1.30" parsed="|1Kgs|1|30|0|0" passage="1Ki 1:30">1 Kings i. 30</scripRef>,
&amp;c. But, though Solomon's name is here made use of, Christ's
kingdom is here prophesied of under the type and figure of
Solomon's. David knew what the divine oracle was, That "of the
fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up
Christ to sit on his throne," <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p1.2" osisRef="Bible:Acts.2.30" parsed="|Acts|2|30|0|0" passage="Ac 2:30">Acts ii.
30</scripRef>. To him he here bears witness, and with the prospect
of the glories of his kingdom he comforted himself in his dying
moments when he foresaw that his house would not be so with God,
not so great not so good, as he wished. David, in spirit, I. Begins
with a short prayer for his successor, <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p1.3" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.1" parsed="|Ps|72|1|0|0" passage="Ps 72:1">ver. 1</scripRef>. II. He passes immediately into a long
prediction of the glories of his reign, <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p1.4" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.2-Ps.72.17" parsed="|Ps|72|2|72|17" passage="Ps 72:2-17">ver. 2-17</scripRef>. And, III. He concludes with
praise to the God of Israel, <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p1.5" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.18-Ps.72.20" parsed="|Ps|72|18|72|20" passage="Ps 72:18-20">ver.
18-20</scripRef>. In singing this psalm we must have an eye to
Christ, praising him as a King, and pleasing ourselves with our
happiness as his subjects.</p>
<scripCom id="Ps.lxxiii-p1.6" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72" parsed="|Ps|72|0|0|0" passage="Ps 72" type="Commentary"/>
<scripCom id="Ps.lxxiii-p1.7" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.1" parsed="|Ps|72|1|0|0" passage="Ps 72:1" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Ps.72.1">
<h4 id="Ps.lxxiii-p1.8">Prayer for Solomon.</h4>
<div class="Center" id="Ps.lxxiii-p1.9">
<p id="Ps.lxxiii-p2"><i>A psalm</i> for Solomon.</p>
</div>
<p class="passage" id="Ps.lxxiii-p3">1 Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy
righteousness unto the king's son.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxiii-p4">This verse is a prayer for the king, even
the king's son.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxiii-p5">I. We may apply it to Solomon: <i>Give him
thy judgments, O God! and thy righteousness;</i> make him a man, a
king; make him a good man, a good king. 1. It is the prayer of a
father for his child, a dying blessing, such as the patriarchs
bequeathed to their children. The best thing we can ask of God for
our children is that God will give them wisdom and grace to know
and do their duty; that is better than gold. Solomon learned to
pray for himself as his father had prayed for him, not that God
would give him riches and honour, but a wise and understanding
heart. It was a comfort to David that his own son was to be his
successor, but more so that he was likely to be both judicious and
righteous. David had given him a good education (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p5.1" osisRef="Bible:Prov.4.3" parsed="|Prov|4|3|0|0" passage="Pr 4:3">Prov. iv. 3</scripRef>), had taught him <i>good judgment
and righteous,</i> yet that would not do unless God gave him his
judgments. Parents cannot give grace to their children, but may by
prayer bring them to the God of grace, and shall not seek him in
vain, for their prayer shall either be answered or it shall return
with comfort into their own bosom. 2. It is the prayer of a king
for his successor. David had executed judgment and justice during
his reign, and now he prays that his son might do so too. Such a
concern as this we should have for posterity, desiring and
endeavouring that those who come after us may do God more and
better service in their day than we have done in ours. Those have
little love either to God or man, and are of a very narrow selfish
spirit, who care not what becomes of the world and the church when
they are gone. 3. It is the prayer of subjects for their king. It
should seem, David penned this psalm for the use of the people,
that they, in singing, might pray for Solomon. Those who would live
quiet and peaceable lives must pray for kings and all in authority,
that God would give them his judgments and righteousness.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxiii-p6">II. We may apply it to Christ; not that he
who intercedes for us needs us to intercede for him; but, 1. It is
a prayer of the Old-Testament church for sending the Messiah, as
the church's King, King <i>on the holy hill of Zion,</i> of whom
the King of kings had said, <i>Thou art my Son,</i> <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p6.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.2.6-Ps.2.7" parsed="|Ps|2|6|2|7" passage="Ps 2:6,7">Ps. ii. 6, 7</scripRef>. "Hasten his coming to
whom all judgment is committed;" and we must thus hasten the second
coming of Christ, when he shall <i>judge the world in
righteousness.</i> 2. It is an expression of the satisfaction which
all true believers take in the authority which the Lord Jesus has
received from the Father: "Let him have all power both in heaven
and earth, and be the Lord our righteousness; let him be the great
trustee of divine grace for all that are his; give it to him, that
he may give it to us."</p>
</div><scripCom id="Ps.lxxiii-p6.2" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.2-Ps.72.17" parsed="|Ps|72|2|72|17" passage="Ps 72:2-17" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Ps.72.2-Ps.72.17">
<h4 id="Ps.lxxiii-p6.3">The Kingdom of Messiah.</h4>
<p class="passage" id="Ps.lxxiii-p7">2 He shall judge thy people with righteousness,
and thy poor with judgment.   3 The mountains shall bring
peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.  
4 He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children
of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor.   5
They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout
all generations.   6 He shall come down like rain upon the
mown grass: as showers <i>that</i> water the earth.   7 In his
days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long
as the moon endureth.   8 He shall have dominion also from sea
to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.   9
They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his
enemies shall lick the dust.   10 The kings of Tarshish and of
the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall
offer gifts.   11 Yea, all kings shall fall down before him:
all nations shall serve him.   12 For he shall deliver the
needy when he crieth; the poor also, and <i>him</i> that hath no
helper.   13 He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save
the souls of the needy.   14 He shall redeem their soul from
deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his
sight.   15 And he shall live, and to him shall be given of
the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually;
<i>and</i> daily shall he be praised.   16 There shall be a
handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the
fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and <i>they</i> of the city
shall flourish like grass of the earth.   17 His name shall
endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun:
and <i>men</i> shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him
blessed.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxiii-p8">This is a prophecy of the prosperity and
perpetuity of the kingdom of Christ under the shadow of the reign
of Solomon. It comes in, 1. As a plea to enforce the prayer: "Lord,
<i>give him thy judgments and thy righteousness,</i> and then <i>he
shall judge thy people with righteousness,</i> and so shall answer
the end of his elevation, <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p8.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.2" parsed="|Ps|72|2|0|0" passage="Ps 72:2"><i>v.</i>
2</scripRef>. Give him thy grace, and then thy people, committed to
his charge, will have the benefit of it." <i>Because God loved
Israel, he made him king over them to do judgment and justice,</i>
<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p8.2" osisRef="Bible:2Chr.9.8" parsed="|2Chr|9|8|0|0" passage="2Ch 9:8">2 Chron. ix. 8</scripRef>. We may in
faith wrestle with God for that grace which we have reason to think
will be of common advantage to his church. 2. As an answer of peace
to the prayer. As by the prayer of faith we return answers to God's
promises of mercy, so by the promises of mercy God returns answers
to our prayers of faith. That this prophecy must refer to the
kingdom of the Messiah is plain, because there are many passages in
it which cannot be applied to the reign of Solomon. There was
indeed a great deal of righteousness and peace, at first, in the
administration of his government; but, before the end of his reign,
there were both trouble and unrighteousness. The kingdom here
spoken of is to last as long as the sun, but Solomon's was soon
extinct. Therefore even the Jewish expositors understand it of the
kingdom of the Messiah.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxiii-p9">Let us observe the many great and precious
promises here made, which were to have their full accomplishment
only in the kingdom of Christ; and yet some of them were in part
fulfilled in Solomon's reign.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxiii-p10">I. That it should be a <i>righteous
government</i> (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p10.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.2" parsed="|Ps|72|2|0|0" passage="Ps 72:2"><i>v.</i>
2</scripRef>): <i>He shall judge thy people with righteousness.</i>
Compare <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p10.2" osisRef="Bible:Isa.11.4" parsed="|Isa|11|4|0|0" passage="Isa 11:4">Isa. xi. 4</scripRef>. All the
laws of Christ's kingdom are consonant to the eternal rules of
equity; the chancery it erects to relieve against the rigours of
the broken law is indeed a court of equity; and against the
sentence of his last judgment there will lie no exception. The
peace of his kingdom shall be supported by righteousness (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p10.3" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.3" parsed="|Ps|72|3|0|0" passage="Ps 72:3"><i>v.</i> 3</scripRef>); for then only is the
peace like a river, when the <i>righteousness is as the waves of
the sea.</i> The world will be judged in righteousness, <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p10.4" osisRef="Bible:Acts.17.31" parsed="|Acts|17|31|0|0" passage="Ac 17:31">Acts xvii. 31</scripRef>.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxiii-p11">II. That it should be a peaceable
government: <i>The mountains shall bring peace, and the little
hills</i> (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p11.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.3" parsed="|Ps|72|3|0|0" passage="Ps 72:3"><i>v.</i> 3</scripRef>);
that is (says Dr. Hammond), both the superior and the inferior
courts of judicature in Solomon's kingdom. There shall be
<i>abundance of peace,</i> <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p11.2" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.7" parsed="|Ps|72|7|0|0" passage="Ps 72:7"><i>v.</i>
7</scripRef>. Solomon's name signifies <i>peaceable,</i> and such
was his reign; for in it Israel enjoyed the victories of the
foregoing reign and preserved the tranquillity and repose of that
reign. But peace is, in a special manner, the glory of Christ's
kingdom; for, as far as it prevails, it reconciles men to God, to
themselves, and to one another, and slays all enmities; for he is
our peace.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxiii-p12">III. That the poor and needy should be, in
a particular manner, taken under the protection of this government:
<i>He shall judge thy poor,</i> <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p12.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.2" parsed="|Ps|72|2|0|0" passage="Ps 72:2"><i>v.</i> 2</scripRef>. Those are God's poor that are
impoverished by keeping a good conscience, and those shall be
provided for with a distinguishing care, shall be judged for with
judgment, with a particular cognizance taken of their case and a
particular vengeance taken for their wrongs. <i>The poor of the
people,</i> and <i>the children of the needy,</i> he will be sure
so to judge as to save, <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p12.2" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.4" parsed="|Ps|72|4|0|0" passage="Ps 72:4"><i>v.</i>
4</scripRef>. This is insisted upon again (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p12.3" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.12-Ps.72.13" parsed="|Ps|72|12|72|13" passage="Ps 72:12,13"><i>v.</i> 12, 13</scripRef>), intimating that Christ
will be sure to carry his cause on behalf of his injured poor.
<i>He will deliver the needy</i> that lie at the mercy of their
oppressors, <i>the poor also,</i> both because they have <i>no
helper</i> and it is for his honour to help them and because they
cry unto him and he has promised, in answer to their prayers, to
help them; they by prayer <i>commit themselves unto him,</i>
<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p12.4" osisRef="Bible:Ps.10.14" parsed="|Ps|10|14|0|0" passage="Ps 10:14">Ps. x. 14</scripRef>. <i>He will spare
the needy</i> that throw themselves on his mercy, and will not be
rigorous and severe with them; he <i>will save their souls,</i> and
that is all they desire. <i>Blessed are the poor in spirit, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.</i> Christ is the poor man's
King.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxiii-p13">IV. That proud oppressors shall be reckoned
with: <i>He shall break them in pieces</i> (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p13.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.4" parsed="|Ps|72|4|0|0" passage="Ps 72:4"><i>v.</i> 4</scripRef>), shall take away their power to
hurt, and punish them for all the mischief they have done. This is
the office of a good king, <i>Parcere subjectis, et debellare
superbos—To spare the vanquished and debase the proud.</i> The
devil is the great oppressor, whom Christ will break in pieces and
of whose kingdom he will be the destruction. <i>With the breath of
his mouth shall he slay that wicked one</i> (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p13.2" osisRef="Bible:Isa.11.4" parsed="|Isa|11|4|0|0" passage="Isa 11:4">Isa. xi. 4</scripRef>), and shall deliver the souls of
his people <i>from deceit and violence,</i> <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p13.3" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.14" parsed="|Ps|72|14|0|0" passage="Ps 72:14"><i>v.</i> 14</scripRef>. He shall save from the power of
Satan, both as an old serpent working by deceit to ensnare them and
as a roaring lion working by violence to terrify and devour them.
So <i>precious shall their blood be unto him</i> that not a drop of
it shall be shed, by the deceit or violence of Satan or his
instruments, without being reckoned for. Christ is a King, who,
though he calls his subjects sometimes to resist unto blood for
him, yet is not prodigal of their blood, nor will ever have it
parted with but upon a valuable consideration to his glory and
theirs, and the filling up of the measure of their enemies'
iniquity.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxiii-p14">V. That religion shall flourish under
Christ's government (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p14.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.5" parsed="|Ps|72|5|0|0" passage="Ps 72:5"><i>v.</i>
5</scripRef>): <i>They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon
endure.</i> Solomon indeed built the temple, and the fear and
worship of God were well kept up, for some time, under his
government, but it did not last long; this therefore must point at
Christ's kingdom, all the subjects of which are brought to and kept
in the fear of God; for the Christian religion has a direct
tendency to, and a powerful influence upon, the support and
advancement of natural religion. Faith in Christ will set up, and
keep up, the fear of God; and therefore this is the everlasting
gospel that is preached, <i>Fear God, and give honour to him,</i>
<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p14.2" osisRef="Bible:Rev.14.7" parsed="|Rev|14|7|0|0" passage="Re 14:7">Rev. xiv. 7</scripRef>. And, as
Christ's government promotes devotion towards God, so it promotes
both justice and charity among men (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p14.3" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.7" parsed="|Ps|72|7|0|0" passage="Ps 72:7"><i>v.</i> 7</scripRef>): <i>In his days shall the
righteous flourish;</i> righteousness shall be practised, and those
that practise righteousness shall be preferred. Righteousness shall
abound and be in reputation, shall command and be in power. The law
of Christ, written in the heart, disposes men to be honest and
just, and to render to all their due; it likewise disposes men to
live in love, and so it produces abundance of peace and beats
swords into ploughshares. Both holiness and love shall be perpetual
in Christ's kingdom, and shall never go to decay, for the subjects
of it shall <i>fear God as long as the sun and moon endure;</i>
Christianity, in the profession of it, having got footing in the
world, shall keep its ground till the end of time, and having, in
the power of it, got footing in the heart, it will continue there
till, by death, the sun, and the moon, and the stars (that is, the
bodily senses) are darkened. Through all the changes of the world,
and all the changes of life, Christ's kingdom will support itself;
and, if the fear of God continue as long as the sun and moon,
abundance of peace will. The peace of the church, the peace of the
soul, shall run parallel with its purity and piety, and last as
long as these last.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxiii-p15">VI. That Christ's government shall be very
comfortable to all his faithful loving subjects (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p15.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.6" parsed="|Ps|72|6|0|0" passage="Ps 72:6"><i>v.</i> 6</scripRef>): <i>He shall,</i> by the graces
and comforts of his Spirit, <i>come down like rain upon the mown
grass;</i> not on that which is cut down, but that which is left
growing, that it may spring again, though it was beheaded. The
gospel of Christ distils as the rain, which softens the ground that
was hard, moistens that which was dry, and so makes it green and
fruitful, <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p15.2" osisRef="Bible:Isa.55.10" parsed="|Isa|55|10|0|0" passage="Isa 55:10">Isa. lv. 10</scripRef>. Let
our hearts <i>drink in the rain,</i> <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p15.3" osisRef="Bible:Heb.6.7" parsed="|Heb|6|7|0|0" passage="Heb 6:7">Heb. vi. 7</scripRef>.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxiii-p16">VII. That Christ's kingdom shall be
extended very far, and greatly enlarged; considering,</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxiii-p17">1. The extent of his territories (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p17.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.8" parsed="|Ps|72|8|0|0" passage="Ps 72:8"><i>v.</i> 8</scripRef>): <i>He shall have
dominion from sea to sea</i> (from the South Sea to the North, or
from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean) <i>and from the river</i>
Euphrates, or Nile, <i>to the ends of the earth.</i> Solomon's
dominion was very large (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p17.2" osisRef="Bible:1Kgs.4.21" parsed="|1Kgs|4|21|0|0" passage="1Ki 4:21">1 Kings iv.
21</scripRef>), according to the promise, <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p17.3" osisRef="Bible:Gen.15.18" parsed="|Gen|15|18|0|0" passage="Ge 15:18">Gen. xv. 18</scripRef>. But no sea, no river, is named,
that it might, by these proverbial expressions, intimate the
universal monarchy of the Lord Jesus. His gospel has been, or shall
be, preached <i>to all nations</i> (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p17.4" osisRef="Bible:Matt.24.14" parsed="|Matt|24|14|0|0" passage="Mt 24:14">Matt. xxiv. 14</scripRef>), and the <i>kingdoms of the
world</i> shall <i>become his kingdoms</i> (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p17.5" osisRef="Bible:Rev.11.15" parsed="|Rev|11|15|0|0" passage="Re 11:15">Rev. xi. 15</scripRef>) when the fulness of the Gentiles
shall be brought in. His territories shall be extended to those
countries, (1.) That were strangers to him: <i>Those that dwell in
the wilderness,</i> out of all high roads, that seldom hear news,
shall hear the glad tidings of the Redeemer and redemption by him,
<i>shall bow before him,</i> shall believe in him, accept of him,
worship him, and take his yoke upon them. Before the Lord Jesus we
must all either bow or break; if we break, we are ruined—if we
bow, we are certainly made for ever. (2.) That were enemies to him,
and had fought against him: <i>They shall lick the dust;</i> they
shall be brought down and laid in the dust, shall bite the ground
for vexation, and be so hunger-bitten that they shall be glad of
dust, the serpent's meat (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p17.6" osisRef="Bible:Gen.3.15" parsed="|Gen|3|15|0|0" passage="Ge 3:15">Gen. iii.
15</scripRef>), for of his seed they are; and over whom shall not
he rule, when his enemies themselves are thus humbled and brought
low?</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxiii-p18">2. The dignity of his tributaries. He shall
not only reign over those that dwell in the wilderness, the
peasants and cottagers, but over those that dwell in the palaces
(<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p18.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.10" parsed="|Ps|72|10|0|0" passage="Ps 72:10"><i>v.</i> 10</scripRef>): <i>The
kings of Tarshish, and of the isles,</i> that lie most remote from
Israel and are <i>the isles of the Gentiles</i> (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p18.2" osisRef="Bible:Gen.10.5" parsed="|Gen|10|5|0|0" passage="Ge 10:5">Gen. x. 5</scripRef>), <i>shall bring presents</i> to him
as their sovereign Lord, by and under whom they hold their crowns
and all their crown lands. They shall court his favour, and make an
interest in him, that they may hear his wisdom. This was literally
fulfilled in Solomon (for <i>all the kings of the earth sought the
wisdom of Solomon, and brought every man his present,</i> <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p18.3" osisRef="Bible:2Chr.9.23-2Chr.9.24" parsed="|2Chr|9|23|9|24" passage="2Ch 9:23,24">2 Chron. ix. 23, 24</scripRef>), and in
Christ too, when the wise men of the east, who probably were men of
the first rank in their own country, came to worship him and
<i>brought him presents,</i> <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p18.4" osisRef="Bible:Matt.2.11" parsed="|Matt|2|11|0|0" passage="Mt 2:11">Matt. ii.
11</scripRef>. They shall present themselves to him; that is the
best present we can bring to Christ, and without that no other
present is acceptable, <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p18.5" osisRef="Bible:Rom.12.1" parsed="|Rom|12|1|0|0" passage="Ro 12:1">Rom. xii.
1</scripRef>. They <i>shall offer gifts,</i> spiritual sacrifices
of prayer and praise, offer them to Christ as their God, on Christ
as their altar, which sanctifies every gift. Their conversion to
God is called the <i>offering up,</i> or <i>sacrificing, of the
Gentiles,</i> <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p18.6" osisRef="Bible:Rom.15.16" parsed="|Rom|15|16|0|0" passage="Ro 15:16">Rom. xv. 16</scripRef>.
Yea, all kings shall, sooner or later, <i>fall down before him,</i>
either to do their duty to him or to receive their doom from him,
<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p18.7" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.11" parsed="|Ps|72|11|0|0" passage="Ps 72:11"><i>v.</i> 11</scripRef>. They shall
fall before him, either as his willing subjects or as his conquered
captives, as suppliants for his mercy or expectants of his
judgment. And, when the kings submit, the people come in of course:
<i>All nations shall serve him;</i> all shall be invited into his
service; some of all nations shall come into it, and in every
nation <i>incense shall be offered to him and a pure offering,</i>
<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p18.8" osisRef="Bible:Mal.1.11 Bible:Rev.7.9" parsed="|Mal|1|11|0|0;|Rev|7|9|0|0" passage="Mal 1:11,Re 7:9">Mal. i. 11; Rev. vii.
9</scripRef>.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxiii-p19">VIII. That he shall be honoured and beloved
by all his subjects (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p19.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.15" parsed="|Ps|72|15|0|0" passage="Ps 72:15"><i>v.</i>
15</scripRef>): <i>He shall live;</i> his subjects shall desire his
life (<i>O king! live for ever</i>) and with good reason; for he
has said, <i>Because I live, you shall live also; and of him it is
witnessed that he liveth, ever liveth, making intercession,</i>
<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p19.2" osisRef="Bible:Heb.7.8 Bible:Heb.7.25" parsed="|Heb|7|8|0|0;|Heb|7|25|0|0" passage="Heb 7:8,25">Heb. vii. 8, 25</scripRef>. He shall
live, and live prosperously; and, 1. Presents shall be made to him.
Though he shall be able to live without them, for he needs neither
the gifts nor the services of any, yet to him <i>shall be given of
the gold of Sheba</i>—gold, the best of metals, gold of Sheba,
which probably was the finest gold; for he that is best must be
served with the best. Those that have abundance of the wealth of
this world, that have gold at command, must give it to Christ, must
serve him with it, do good with it. <i>Honour the Lord with thy
substance.</i> 2. Prayers shall be made for him, and that
continually. The people prayed for Solomon, and that helped to make
him and his reign so great a blessing to them. It is the duty of
subjects to make prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, for
kings and all in authority, not in compliment to them, as is too
often done, but in concern for the public welfare. But how is this
applied to Christ? He needs not our prayers, nor can have any
benefit by them. But the Old-Testament saints prayed for his
coming, prayed continually for it; for they called him, <i>He that
should come.</i> And now that he has come we must pray for the
success of his gospel and the advancement of his kingdom, which he
calls praying for him (Hosanna to the Son of David, prosperity to
his reign), and we must pray for his second coming. It may be read,
<i>Prayer shall be made through him,</i> or for his sake;
whatsoever we ask of the Father shall be in his name and in
dependence upon his intercession. 3. Praises shall be made of him,
and high encomiums given of his wisdom, justice, and goodness:
<i>Daily shall he be praised.</i> By praying daily in his name we
give him honour. Subjects ought to speak well of the government
that is a blessing to them; and much more ought all Christians to
praise Jesus Christ, daily to praise him; for they owe their all to
him, and to him they lie under the highest obligations.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxiii-p20">IX. That under his government there shall
be a wonderful increase both of meat and mouths, both of the fruits
of the earth in the country and of the people inhabiting the
cities, <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p20.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.16" parsed="|Ps|72|16|0|0" passage="Ps 72:16"><i>v.</i> 16</scripRef>. 1.
The country shall grow rich. Sow but a <i>handful of corn on the
top of the mountains,</i> whence one would expect but little, and
yet <i>the fruit of it shall shake like Lebanon;</i> it shall come
up like a wood, so thick, and tall, and strong, like the cedars of
Lebanon. Even upon the tops of the mountains the earth shall bring
forth by handfuls; that is an expression of great plenty (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p20.2" osisRef="Bible:Gen.41.47" parsed="|Gen|41|47|0|0" passage="Ge 41:47">Gen. xli. 47</scripRef>), as the grass upon the
house top is said to be that wherewith the mower fills not his
hand. This is applicable to the wonderful productions of the seed
of the gospel in the days of the Messiah. A handful of that seed,
sown in the mountainous and barren soil of the Gentile world,
produced a wonderful harvest gathered in to Christ, fruit that
shook like Lebanon. The fields were <i>white to the harvest,</i>
<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p20.3" osisRef="Bible:John.4.35 Bible:Matt.9.37" parsed="|John|4|35|0|0;|Matt|9|37|0|0" passage="Joh 4:35,Mt 9:37">John iv. 35; Matt. ix.
37</scripRef>. The grain of mustard-seed grew up to a great tree.
2. The towns shall grow populous: <i>Those of the city shall
flourish like grass,</i> for number, for verdure. The gospel
church, the city of God among men, shall have all the marks of
prosperity, many shall be added to it, and those that are shall be
happy in it.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxiii-p21">X. That his government shall be perpetual,
both to his honour and to the happiness of his subjects. The Lord
Jesus shall reign for ever, and of him only this must be
understood, and not at all of Solomon. It is Christ only that shall
<i>be feared throughout all generations</i> (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p21.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.5" parsed="|Ps|72|5|0|0" passage="Ps 72:5"><i>v.</i> 5</scripRef>) and <i>as long as the sun and
moon endure,</i> <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p21.2" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.7" parsed="|Ps|72|7|0|0" passage="Ps 72:7"><i>v.</i>
7</scripRef>. 1. The honour of the princes is immortal and shall
never be sullied (<scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p21.3" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.17" parsed="|Ps|72|17|0|0" passage="Ps 72:17"><i>v.</i>
17</scripRef>): <i>His name shall endure for ever,</i> in spite of
all the malicious attempts and endeavours of the powers of darkness
to eclipse the lustre of it and to cut off the line of it; it shall
be preserved; it shall be perpetuated; it shall be propagated. As
the names of earthly princes are continued in their posterity, so
Christ's in himself. <i>Filiabitur nomen ejus—His name shall
descend to posterity.</i> All nations, while the world stands,
shall call him blessed, shall bless God for him, continually speak
well of him, and think themselves happy in him. To the end of time,
and to eternity, his name shall be celebrated, shall be made use
of; every tongue shall confess it and every knee shall bow before
it. 2. The happiness of the people if universal too; it is complete
and everlasting: <i>Men shall be blessed,</i> truly and for ever
blessed, <i>in him.</i> This plainly refers to the promise made
unto the fathers that in the Messiah all the nations of the earth
should be blessed. <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p21.4" osisRef="Bible:Gen.12.3" parsed="|Gen|12|3|0|0" passage="Ge 12:3">Gen. xii.
3</scripRef>.</p>
</div><scripCom id="Ps.lxxiii-p21.5" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.18-Ps.72.20" parsed="|Ps|72|18|72|20" passage="Ps 72:18-20" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:Ps.72.18-Ps.72.20">
<h4 id="Ps.lxxiii-p21.6">Thanksgiving and Prayer.</h4>
<p class="passage" id="Ps.lxxiii-p22">18 Blessed <i>be</i> the <span class="smallcaps" id="Ps.lxxiii-p22.1">Lord</span> God, the God of Israel, who only doeth
wondrous things.   19 And blessed <i>be</i> his glorious name
for ever: and let the whole earth be filled <i>with</i> his glory;
Amen, and Amen.   20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are
ended.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxiii-p23">Such an illustrious prophecy as is in the
foregoing verses of the Messiah and his kingdom may fitly be
concluded, as it is here, with hearty prayers and praises.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxiii-p24">I. The psalmist is here enlarged in
thanksgivings for the prophecy and promise, <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p24.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.18-Ps.72.19" parsed="|Ps|72|18|72|19" passage="Ps 72:18,19"><i>v.</i> 18, 19</scripRef>. So sure is every word of
God, and with so much satisfaction may we rely upon it, that we
have reason enough to give thanks for what he has said, though it
be not yet done. We must own that for all the great things he has
done for the world, for the church, for the children of men, for
his own children, in the kingdom of providence, in the kingdom of
grace, for all the power and trust lodged in the hands of the
Redeemer, God is worthy to be praised; we must stir up ourselves
and all that is within us to praise him after the best manner, and
desire that all others may do it. <i>Blessed be the Lord,</i> that
is, <i>blessed be his glorious name;</i> for it is only in his name
that we can contribute any thing to his glory and blessedness, and
yet that is also <i>exalted above all blessing and praise.</i> Let
it be blessed for ever, it shall be blessed for ever, it deserves
to be blessed for ever, and we hope to be forever blessing it. We
are here taught to bless the name of Christ, and to bless God in
Christ, for all that which he has done for us by him. We must bless
him, 1. As the Lord God, as a self-existent self-sufficient Being,
and our sovereign Lord. 2. As the God of Israel, in covenant with
that people and worshipped by them, and who does this in
performance of the truth unto Jacob and the mercy to Abraham, 3. As
the God <i>who only does wondrous things,</i> in creation and
providence, and especially this work of redemption, which excels
them all. Men's works are little, common, trifling things, and even
these they could not do without him. But God does all by his own
power, and they are wondrous things which he does, and such as will
be the eternal admiration of saints and angels.</p>
<p class="indent" id="Ps.lxxiii-p25">II. He is earnest in prayer for the
accomplishment of this prophecy and promise: <i>Let the whole earth
be filled with his glory,</i> as it will be when the <i>kings of
Tarshish, and the isles, shall bring presents to him.</i> It is sad
to think how empty the earth is of the glory of God, how little
service and honour he has from a world to which he is such a
bountiful benefactor. All those, therefore, that wish well to the
honour of God and the welfare of mankind, cannot but desire that
the earth may be filled with the discoveries of his glory, suitably
returned in thankful acknowledgments of his glory. Let every heart,
and every mouth, and every assembly, be filled with the high
praises of God. We shall see how earnest David is in this prayer,
and how much his heart is in it, if we observe, 1. How he shuts up
the prayer with a double seal: "<i>Amen and amen;</i> again and
again I say, I say it and let all others say the same, so be it.
Amen to my prayer; Amen to the prayers of all the saints to this
purport—<i>Hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come.</i>" 2. How he
ever shuts up his life with this prayer, <scripRef id="Ps.lxxiii-p25.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.72.20" parsed="|Ps|72|20|0|0" passage="Ps 72:20"><i>v.</i> 20</scripRef>. This was the last psalm that
ever he penned, though not placed last in this collection; he
penned it when he lay on his death-bed, and with this he breathes
his last: "Let God be glorified, let the kingdom of the Messiah be
set up, and kept up, in the world, and I have enough, I desire no
more. With this let <i>the prayers of David the son of Jesse</i> be
<i>ended.</i> Even so, come, Lord Jesus, come quickly."</p>
</div></div2>