Psalm 72 - 2008.12.06

"He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth. In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth." - Psalm 72:6-8

This Psalm begins with reference to the king and the king's Son (v.1.) Many interpret it as referring to David (the king) and Solomon (the king's son.) The scope of what follows, however, is so vast that it becomes immediately clear to the enlightened reader that much more is involved in the Divine intent. Surely the ultimate application is to God, of Whom the Psalmist writes in another place, e.g., "God is the King of all the earth [Ps. 47:7], and to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is called elsewhere "King of kings and Lord of Lords."

It is from that perspective, then, that we approach our meditation on the "nugget" we have selected for our meditation today. And given that perspective, it is evident that the things which are here affirmed must refer to the return of our Savior; a subject not inappropriate as we prepare (as believers!) to commemorate His first coming.

Note first the promise of His coming. "He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth." It is a delightful picture that reminds me of the hymn. "There Shall be Showers of Blessing." It is a scorched earth that will be left behind when the savior comes to "judge the world in righteousness," but here He comes to refresh it. It will be the fulfillment of the psalmist's (and every believer's) longing, "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary [Ps. 63:1-2]." He will come not in a torrent which, like the flood of Noah, sweeps everything before it, but with gentle showers of refreshment and renewal.

In fact, that leads us to the prospect which immediately follows: "In His days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth." What a day that will be, when the "King's Son" takes His throne. All that makes this world vulgar and vile and violent will be forever banished. Here is the fulfillment of the Divine plea through Isaiah, "Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it [Isa. 45:8]." Then, and not until then, will the earth know universal peace and tranquillity. "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea [Isa. 11:9]."

Until He returns, "…the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing/ The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us [Ps. 2:1-3]." But then there will be "abundance of peace," the terms of which will never be broken.

And finally, there is the province of the King. "He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth." Oh, glorious day! "Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations [Ps. 145:13]." Then will it be made manifest that "the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof."

Beloved, the bedrock upon which all this rests is set before us in Paul's commentary, "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death [I Cor 15:20-26]."

Rejoice, Christian; the King is coming!! "For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry (i.e., "will not be late") [Hab. 2:3]."

"Jesus shall reign wher'er the sun Does his successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore, Till moons shall wax and wane no more."
Isaac Watts

With Light for dark days,

"Pastor" Frasier