¹Give the king Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness to the king’s son … ¹⁸Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone works wonders. ¹⁹And blessed be His glorious name forever; and may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen.

Do we not all want justice in this world? Where can we find a political leader with God’s heart and wisdom who will ensure fairness and what is right? King David desired this for his son, Solomon, though both fell short. He longed for a perfect ruler who would lead Israel with righteousness that comes from God and reflects His glory. This kind of leadership gives the Lord great joy (here referred to as Him being blessed). But it is more than an approximation of good leadership that is in view; this psalm gives us an outline of the kingship of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah. So we call this a “Messianic” Psalm. But first, we need to observe the psalm in its original setting.

While the inscription (verse 0) identifies this as “A Psalm of Solomon,” the concluding verse tells us: “The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended” (vs. 20). So, who wrote this? Some commentators suggest that, while we can’t know for sure, this may be understood as the investiture charge that the elderly David gave at the enthronement of his son, Solomon, the next in line to the Davidic dynasty. In this case, “A Psalm of Solomon” may not mean that Solomon wrote the psalm, but the contents were given to him. David passed on to his son a large and solemn heritage, challenging him to aspire to a vision of authentic spiritual kingship.

[Note: The Psalms are traditionally divided into five “books” or collections, of which the second comprises Psalms 42-72. Other collections also include some of David’s as well.]

Undoubtedly, this psalm points beyond David and Solomon to a messianic fulfillment in the perfect ruler who was to come, namely the Messiah Jesus Christ; that is the proper interpretive overlay to understanding it. Indeed, God is all about justice (vs. 1), and a ruler of Israel, above all else, should be the prototype of what His people should be. When Jesus inaugurated His teaching ministry (in the Sermon on the Mount), justice was a key component of the foundation for His realm: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” (Matt. 5:6). A leader cannot lead others to a place where he has not gone and occupied himself. Jesus is the righteous king, leader, and influencer.

Righteousness, in God’s eyes, has to do with care for the disadvantaged. The wealthy and prominent usually get their way in most societies, but in the Lord’s realm, the ground is leveled, as Isaiah metaphorically puts it: “Let every valley be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low” (Is 40:4a). So this King will bring justice to the afflicted (Ps. 72:2), those of high status (“mountains”) should concern themselves with peace and vindication to those who are depressed and needy (vs. 3-4). This monarch will strike fear in those who oppress others, whether with military or political power or financial advantage (vs. 5). In our time, poor people cannot afford good legal representation against the wealthy, who can pay for top attorneys.

Unlike earthly monarchs, emperors, and presidents, the Messiah’s righteous reign will not be on-again-off-again. David longed for a kingship that would reflect the consistency of rain, the flourishing of vegetation, and the regularity of the moon (vs. 6-7). Solomon, unfortunately, became a prime example of inconsistency, for although he brought wise rule and justice through his leadership and writings, he faded into sexual immorality and idolatry in his later years, which inevitably resulted in less-than-righteous rule. Indeed, this was probably the most significant influence on his own son Rehoboam who subsequently ruled unwisely, causing a civil war dividing Israel into two warring nations. David wanted something better.

David’s aspiration would reflect in the expansion and success beyond Israel and into the surrounding nations (vss. 8-11). He circles back and envisions a king who will side with the needy, afflicted, poor, oppressed, and abused (vss. 12-14), and he would cause all other nations to bring honor to his kingship; they will “give,” “pray for him,” and “bless him” (vs. 15). Under his reign will be fruitful commerce—in the ancient world this relates to agriculture abundance (vs. 16).

The writer cannot hold back his praise and adoration, and he desires that the fame of this potentate will grow, with His name invoking praise and blessing. The glory of the Messianic Christ is the penultimate goal; the ultimate objective is that He would bring blessing and glory to God. Indeed, He made everything for His own enjoyment, and the Lord Jesus Christ came to accomplish that end. As He concisely prayed in the Upper room the night before He was crucified, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You” (John 17:1b).

How can we apply this psalm to ourselves? This should lead us to the great hope of the Messianic King, our Lord Jesus Christ, coming back to reign in complete and perfect righteousness. In faith, we praise the Lord now as we live with the joyful and exciting expectation of His return to set all things right. We conclude with the doxology captured in the hymn:

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun, does His successive journeys run; His kingdom stretch from shore to shore, till moons shall wax and wane no more.