Prayers For The King – Psalm 72

“A Psalm for Solomon. Give the King Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness to the King’s Son.” Psalm 72:1

It is likely that David wrote this Psalm for his son Solomon. The introduction in most Bibles says, “a Psalm of Solomon,” but this is David’s prayer for his son Solomon who became the next king of Israel. What does David ask God to give his son? Divine judgments and righteousness!

Human judgements and righteousness fall short of God’s glory. To judge a nation and lead it rightly as God does, David’s son needed God to reveal His ways to him.

No one ever revealed the Father to us better than His Son Jesus Christ. In Matthew 1:1-17, the earthly genealogy of Jesus is traced back to David. Jesus Messiah fulfilled the prayer for his son Solomon whereas Solomon, being human, could not. There are many allusions to Jesus in this Psalm. In fact, the name Solomon means “peace” or “peaceful one.” In Isaiah 9:6, Jesus is referred to as the Prince of Peace.

David asked God to give his son divine judgments and righteousness. Let us also ask God to give our children discernment between right and wrong, and grace to do what is right. In 1 King 3:9, Solomon prayed a similar prayer for himself, “Give to your servant a hearing heart, to judge your people, to discern between good and evil.” In 1 Kings 3:11, “God summarized Solomon’s prayer as a request for understanding to discern what is right.” [1]

“He will judge Your people with righteousness, and Your poor with justice. The mountains will bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. He will bring justice to the poor of the people. He will save the children of the needy and will break in pieces the oppressor.” Psalm 72:2-4

Only God judges righteously. Refuses bribes! Says “no” to public prejudices against innocent people. “The mountains (superior courts) shall bring peace, and the little hills (inferior courts) righteousness when King Solomon ensures there is justice in the courts.” [2]

When Solomon walked with God, he judged righteously, and peace ensued. However, according to 1 Kings 11, toward the end of his life, Solomon’s idolatrous wives turned his heart from the Lord, and he began to oppress, not save, “the children of the needy.”

“The oppressive policies and spiritual decline during Solomon’s reign had lasting consequences for the kingdom of Israel. After Solomon’s death, the kingdom was divided as a direct result of his actions. In 1 Kings 12:4 , the people approached Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, saying, ‘Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.’" [3]

When Jesus Messiah was on earth the first time, He healed and fed the poor. He broke the oppressive power of death over children when He raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead, and when He resurrected the widow of Nain’s son from the dead! He also casted a demon out of a Syro-Phoenician woman’s daughter. When Jesus Messiah returns, all oppression shall end.

Governing authorities should especially attend to the poor and needy. They may be too timid or too proud to ask for help. Can they afford a good lawyer? Probably not! Can the rich take advantage of their lack of legal defense? No, not if the judges are paying close attention to what is going on in their district, and ensuring all citizens are treated equally under the law.

In 2 Kings 4:1-7, a widow of a prophet had creditors threatening to take her two sons as slaves to pay off her deceased husband’s debts. The Lord used the prophet Elisha to help her. He told her to gather as many empty jars as possible from her neighbors. She did. Afterwards, her single small jar of olive oil kept pouring and filled every single jar she had. Then, Elisha instructed her to sell her surplus oil to pay her debts. She did and kept her sons. God saved a poor and needy woman from losing her sons.

“They shall fear You as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, like showers that water the earth. In His days, the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace, until the moon is no more.” Psalm 72:5-7

The fear of God shall remain as long as the sun and moon endure. Christianity shall remain until the end of time here on earth.

Christ gives believers in Him the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is like rain upon mown grass. Though His convictions cut them to the heart and leads them to repent, He also comforts them with the Gospel, saying, “Your sins are forgiven. You are saved.” Thus, they rise up stronger than before.

When Solomon walked with God, some of the aspects of Messiah’s rule happened in Israel, but his rule was imperfect. Matthew Henry wrote, “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.” Thus, this passage must point to Christ’s kingdom.

Righteousness and peace rain down when people call on the Name of Jesus. There is power and authority in the Name of Jesus. In Luke 10:17, seventy disciples reported to Jesus with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your Name.”

Jesus endues His followers with His Spirit so that they listen and act on the cries of the poor and needy. Jesus saves souls that are condemned to hell by proclaiming the Gospel to them through His servants. Precious is their blood in His sight. It is the Name of Jesus Christ that shall endure forever! All nations shall call Him blessed.

In Revelation 14:6-7, John receives a vision of an angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. He says with a loud voice, “Fear God, and give glory to Him! For the hour of His judgment is come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” The action the angel seeks from the nations is twofold: “Fear God! Give Him glory!” In other words, repent and believe! Relinquish sin and receive Christ! Stop denying God’s existence and importance! Acknowledge Him and worship Him!

When Christ returns, righteousness shall be preferred and practiced. Righteousness shall abound and be popular. The righteousness of Christ empowers people to be honest and just, and to love one another, and thus, it produces abundance of peace. Holiness and love shall be perfect in Christ’s kingdom, and never diminish.

“He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him, and His enemies will lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles will bring presents. The kings of Sheba and Seba will offer gifts. Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him. All nations shall serve Him.” Psalm 72:8-11

Christ’s kingdom shall be extended far, and wide, even to the end of the world. He shall have dominion from sea to sea. Solomon had dominion from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. According to 1 Kings 4:21, Solomon’s area of influence was great. But according to Matthew 24:14, the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ shall reach to all nations, and according to Revelation 11:15, the kingdoms of the world shall become His kingdoms. [4]

When Solomon walked with God, his influence reached even to those who dwell in the palaces. According to Psalms 72:10, kings of Tarshish, Sheba, Seba and the isles shall bring presents to Him that they may hear His wisdom. The kings in Solomon’s day did this, but it was really the wisdom of the Lord that they came to hear and to support.

In 2 Chronicles 9:23-24, all the kings of the earth sought the wisdom of Solomon, and brought presents to him. In Matthew 2:11, wise men of the east, probably men of the first rank in their own country, came to worship Jesus and bring Him presents. [5]

In Romans 12:1, the Scripture urges us to present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service. The best present we can bring to Christ is our lives laid down for His glory. Offer to Him spiritual gifts of prayer and praise! [6]

According to Revelation 7:9, redeemed people from every nations shall worship the Lord.

“For He will deliver the needy when he cries, the poor also, and him who has no helper. He will spare the poor and needy and will save the souls of the needy. He will redeem their life from oppression and violence, and precious shall be their blood in His sight.” Psalm 72:12-14

In 1 Kings 3:16-28, at the beginning of his reign, Solomon personally judged the case of two poor women who argued over whose baby died and whose baby lived. These two women shared a house together. One night while all were asleep, one woman rolled over on her baby, and he died. So, she got up and took the other woman’s living baby out of her bed, and replaced him with her dead baby. Then, insisted from then forward that the living baby was hers. The Lord gave to Solomon a word of wisdom by which the lying woman was exposed.

In Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, Jesus Christ did numerous miracles for the poor and needy. John 21:25 says that “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” The greatest miracle that He did for all poor souls was redeem our lives from oppression and violence of sin, death and the devil. Precious is our blood in His sight!

“And He shall live! And the gold of Sheba will be given to Him! Prayer also will be made for Him continually, and daily He shall be praised. There will be an abundance of grain in the earth, on the top of the mountains. Its fruit shall wave like Lebanon. And those of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.” Psalm 72:15-16

According to 1 Kings 10:10 and 2 Chronicles 9:9, the Queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon 120 talents of gold—which equates to roughly 4.5 tons.

Just in my short lifetime, I have managed ministries for the Lord where I have witnessed millions of dollars donated for the support of the ministry of the Gospel. Personally, I am not rich, but the Lord gave me the privilege of facilitating the donations of others to support His ministry.

Prayers shall be made continuously for the king, and daily he shall be praised. As people prayed for Solomon, God made his reign a blessing to them. An earthly king can do some things to help his people and his lands to flourish, but with God’s intervention all things can be blessed.

A handful of the Gospel seed sown in the mountainous and barren soil of the Gentile world, produced a wonderful harvest gathered in to Christ, fruits that “wave like Lebanon.” [6]

In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, believers in Christ are urged to make supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, for kings and all in authority. So, we should praise the Lord when our nation prospers under their guidance, for the Lord is the one helping them to do what is right.

Jesus Christ does not need our prayers to do what is right. He always does what is right. But the Old Testament saints prayed for His coming. And now that He has come, let us pray for the success of His Gospel and the advancement of His kingdom, and pray for His second coming. [7]

“His Name shall endure forever. His Name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him. All nations shall call Him blessed. Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only does wondrous things! And blessed be His glorious Name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.” Psalm 72:17-20

While Solomon’s name is still well-known on earth, it is the Name of Jesus Christ that is exalted above all other names. Jesus Christ is also a descendant of David. People in all nations call Him blessed. They speak well of Him, and are happy in Him. The Name of Jesus shall be celebrated from now and throughout eternity. Every tongue shall joyfully confess His Name and every knee gladly bow before Him. In Christ, people “live happily forever after.” The whole earth will be filled with His glory! On this note, David ends his prayer. “Amen!”



[1] Matthew Henry’s Commentary
[2] Ibid
[3] Biblehub.com
[4] Matthew Henry’s Commentary
[5] Ibid
[6] Ibid
[7] Ibid