Solomon and Psalm 72

"In the reign of David and Solomon, Israel became strong among the nations and had many opportunities to wield a mighty influence in behalf of truth and the right. The name of Jehovah was exalted and held in honor, and the purpose for which the Israelites had been established in the Land of Promise bade fair of meeting with fulfillment. Barriers were broken down, and seekers after truth from the lands of the heathen were not turned away unsatisfied. Conversions took place, and the church of God on earth was enlarged and prospered.

Solomon was anointed and proclaimed king in the closing years of his father David, who abdicated in his favor. His early life was bright with promise, and it was God's purpose that he should go on from strength to strength, from glory to glory, ever approaching nearer the similitude of the character of God, and thus inspiring His people to fulfill their sacred trust as the depositaries of divine truth. David knew that God's high purpose for Israel could be met only as rulers and people should seek with unceasing vigilance to attain to the standard placed before them. He knew that in order for his son Solomon to fulfill the trust with which God was pleased to honor him, the youthful ruler must be not merely a warrior, a statesman, and a sovereign, but a strong, good man, a teacher of righteousness, an example of fidelity.

With tender earnestness David entreated Solomon to be manly and noble, to show mercy and loving-kindness to his subjects, and in all his dealings with the nations of earth to honor and glorify the name of God and to make manifest the beauty of holiness. The many trying and remarkable experiences through which David had passed during his lifetime had taught him the value of the nobler virtues and led him to declare in his dying charge to Solomon: "He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain." 2 Samuel 23:3, 4.

Oh, what an opportunity was Solomon's! Should he follow the divinely inspired instruction of his father, his reign would be a reign of righteousness, like that described in the seventy-second psalm" Prophets and Kings 25-26:

Psalms 72 – A Psalm for Solomon
1Give the king (David) thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son (Solomon and in His time Christ).

2He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment.

3The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness.

4He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy ( a prophecy of the Investigative Judgment conducted by Solomon with the two harlots of I Kings 3:16-28), and shall break in pieces the oppressor.

5They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.

6He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth. (Solomon, when true to God was a channel for God to pour out the early and latter rains of the gospel of Christ.)

7In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.

8He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. (Solomon did have dominion over the territory from the Nile River to the Euphrates River. I Kings 4:21 Jesus will end up ruling the entire planet.)

9They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.

10The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. (I Kings 10:1-13)

11Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.

12For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper.

13He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.

14He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight.

15And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised. (I Kings 10:1-13)

16There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.

17His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. (All of the world sought out the wisdom of Solomon when he was right with God. I Kings 4:29-34 and I Kings 10:23-25. All of the world sought out Jesus when He was on earth for He was greater than Solomon. John 12:19; Matthew 12:42)

18Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.

19And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen.

20The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

All phrases in brackets are by the writer, not by David.

Thus in the infinite wisdom of God, He, through His Spirit, moved upon David to write a Psalm specifically for Solomon, his son. This Psalm was written to encourage and guide Solomon in his decision making. God wanted Solomon to know that He had raised him up, He had named him, and He would support and guide him. God would reprove, and correct Solomon all of the days of his life.

It is our blessing to read the history of this man of God and to learn the frailty of human nature. Let us trust in the great God of Solomon and trust and obey Him in all things.

One last thought before closing this study. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if each of us had a Psalm that we could read that God had written just for us? It is my belief that God has done just that. In I Corinthians 10:11 God says "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples; and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." All of these stories, all of the Psalms, all of the prophecies have been hand selected and written in such a way, that in the providence of God each one of us can read a story, a Psalm, a prophecy, or a parable, or a proverb, and somewhere we will find one so emotionally vivid that we will recognize that that is the section of Scripture that God had written just for you.

May God add His blessings to the reading of His Word, and may you recognize the blessing as Solomon recognized the blessings that God had written for him.