This document discusses how Jesus' name and religion will endure forever while other religions and works of man are fleeting. It makes three main points: 1. Jesus' religion has existed since the beginning of time in Eden and will outlast all other religions that arose later and have since disappeared. 2. No other religion can replace Christianity and attempts to destroy it through persecution or deception have failed and will continue to fail. Removing Christianity would plunge the world into darkness. 3. As long as there are believers who find salvation, refuge and joy in Jesus, his name and honor will endure forever. His name will be remembered and honored for all time by those whose lives he has redeemed.

1. JESUS WAS THE ETERNAL NAME
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Psalm72:17 17
May his name endure forever; may it
continue as long as the sun. Then all nations will be
blessedthrough him, and they will call him blessed.
The Eternal Name
“His name shall endure forever.”
Psalm 72:17
No one here requires to be told that this is the name of Jesus Christ which “shall endure forever.”
Men have said of many of their works, “they shall endure forever.” But how much have they
been disappointed! In the age succeeding the Flood, they made the brick, they gathered the slime
and when they had piled old Babel’s tower, they said, “This shall last forever.” But God
confounded their language. They finished it not. By His lightening He destroyed it and left it a
monument of their folly.
Old Pharaoh and the Egyptian monarchs heaped up their pyramids and they said, “They shall
stand forever,” and so indeed they do stand. But the time is approaching when age shall devour
even these. So with all the proudest works of man, whether they have been his temples or his
monarchs, he has written “everlasting” on them. But God has ordained their end and they have
passed away. The most stable things have been evanescent as shadows and the bubbles of an
hour, speedily destroyed at God’s bidding.
Where is Nineveh and where is Babylon? Where the cities of Persia? Where are the high places
of Edom? Where are Moab and the princes of Ammon? Where are the temples or the heroes of
Greece? Where are the millions that passed from the gates of Thebes? Where are the hosts of
Xerxes, or the vast armies of the Roman emperors? Have they not passed away? And though in
their pride they said, “This monarch is an everlasting one–this queen of the seven hills shall be
called the eternal city,” its pride is dimmed–and she who sat alone and said, “I shall be no
widow, but a queen forever,” has fallen.
She has fallen and in a little while she shall sink like a millstone in the flood, her name being a
curse and a byword and her site the habitation of dragons and of owls. Man calls his work
eternal–God calls them fleeting. Man conceives that they are built of rock–God says, “No, sand.
Or worse than that–they are air.” Man says he erects them for eternity–God blows but for a
moment and where are they? Like baseless fabrics of a vision, they are passed and gone forever.
It is pleasant, then, to find that there is one thing which is to last forever. Concerning that one
thing we hope to speak tonight, if God will enable me to preach and you to hear–“His name shall

2. endure forever.” First, the religion sanctified by His name shall endure forever. Secondly, the
honor of His name shall endure forever. And thirdly, the saving, comforting power of His name
shall endure forever.
1. First, the religion of the name of Jesus is to endure forever. When impostors forged their
delusions, they had hopes that perhaps they might in some distant age carry the world
before them. And if they saw a few followers gather around their standard, who offered
incense at their shrine, then they smiled and said, “My religion shall outshine the stars
and last through eternity.” But how mistaken have they been! How many false systems
have started up and passed away! Why, some of us have seen, even in our short lifetime,
sects that rose like Jonah’s gourd in a single night and passed away just as swiftly.
We, too, have beheld prophets rise who have had their hour–yes, they have had their day, as dogs
all have–but like the dogs, their day has passed away and the impostor, where is he? And the
arch-deceiver, where is he? Gone and ceased. Specially might I say this of the various systems of
infidelity. Within a hundred and fifty years how has the boasted power of reason changed! It has
piled up one thing–and then in another day it has laughed at its own handiwork, demolished its
own castle and constructed another–and the next day a third. It has a thousand dresses.
Once it came forth like a fool with its bells, heralded by Voltaire. Then it came out a braggart
bully, like Tom Paine. Then it changed its course and assumed another shape, till finally we have
it in the base, bestial secularism of the present day–which looks for nothing but the earth. If it
keeps its nose upon the ground and like the beast thinks this world is enough, or looks for
another through seeking this. Why, before one hair on this head shall be gray, the last secularist
shall have passed away.
Before many of us are fifty years of age, a new infidelity shall come and to those who say
“Where will saints be?” we can turn round and say, “Where are you?” And they will answer,
“We have altered our names.” They will have altered their names, assumed a fresh shape, put on
a new form of evil–but still their nature will be the same–opposing Christ and endeavoring to
blaspheme His truths. On all their systems of religion, or non-religion–for that is a system, too–it
may be written, “Evanescent–fading as the flower, fleeting as the meteor, frail and unreal as a
vapor.”
But of Christ’s religion it shall be said, “His name shall endure forever.” Let me now say a few
things–not to prove it, for that I do not wish to do–but to give you some hints whereby possibly I
may one day prove it to other people, that Jesus Christ’s religion must inevitably endure forever.
And first, we ask those who think it shall pass away, when was there a time when it did not
exist? We ask them whether they can point their finger to a period when the religion of Jesus was
an unheard-of thing. “Yes,” they will reply, “before the days of Christ and His Apostles.” But we
answer, “No, Bethlehem was not the birthplace of the Gospel. Though Jesus was born there,
there was a Gospel long before the birth of Jesus and a preached one, too, although not preached
in all its simplicity and plainness, as we hear it now. There was a Gospel in the wilderness of
Sinai. Although it might be confused with the smoke of the incense and only to be seen through
slaughtered victims, yet there was a Gospel there.”
Yes, more, we take them back to the fair trees of Eden, where the fruits perpetually ripened and
summer always rested. Amid these groves we tell them there was a Gospel and we let them hear
the voice of God, as He spoke to recreant man and said, “The Seed of the woman shall bruise the
serpent’s head.” And having taken them thus far back, we ask, “Where were false religions born?

3. Where was their cradle?” They point us to Mecca, or they turn their fingers to Rome, or they
speak of Confucius, or the dogmas of Buddha.
But we say, you only go back to a distant obscurity. We take you to the primeval age. We direct
you to the days of purity. We take you back to the time when Adam first trod the earth. And then
we ask you whether it is not likely that as the first-born, it will not also be the last to die? And as
it was born so early and still exists, while a thousand ephemera have become extinct, whether it
does not look most probable that when all others shall have perished like the bubble upon the
wave, this one only shall swim, like a good ship upon the ocean and still shall bear its myriad
souls, not to the land of shades, but across the river of death to the plains of Heaven?
We ask next, supposing Christ’s Gospel to become extinct, what religion is to supplant it? We
enquire of the wise man, who says Christianity is soon to die, “Pray, Sir, what religion are we to
have in its place? Are we to have the delusions of the heathen, who bow before their gods and
worship images of wood and stone? Will you have the orgies of Baechus, or the obscenities of
Venus? Would you see your daughters once more bowing down before Thammuz, or performing
obscene rites as of old?” No, you would not endure such things. You would say, “It must not be
tolerated by civilized men.”
“Then what would you have? Would you have Romanism and its superstition?” You will say,
“No, God help us, never.” They may do what they please with Britain, but she is too wise to take
old Popery back again while Smithfield lasts and there is one of the signs of martyrs there. Yes,
while there breathes a man who marks himself a free man and swears by the constitution of Old
England, we cannot take Popery back again. She may be rampant with her superstitions and her
priestcraft but with one consent my hearers reply, “We will not have Popery.” Then what will
you choose?
Shall it be Mohammedanism? Will you choose that, with all its fables, its wickedness and
libidinousness? I will not tell you of it. Nor will I mention the accursed imposture of the West
that has lately arisen. We will not allow Polygamy, while there are men to be found who love the
social circle and cannot see it invaded. We would not wish, when God has given to man one
wife, that He should drag in twenty, as the companions of that one. We cannot prefer
Mormonism. We will not and we shall not. Then what shall we have in the place of Christianity?
“Infidelity!” you cry, do you, Sirs? And would you have that?
Then what would be the consequence? What do many of them promote? Communist views and
the real disruption of all society as at present established. Would you desire reigns of terror here,
as they had in France? Do you wish to see all society shattered and men wandering like monster
icebergs on the sea, dashing against each other and being at last utterly destroyed? God save us
from Infidelity! What can you have, then? Nothing. There is nothing to supplant Christianity.
What religion shall overcome it? There is not one to be compared with it.
If we tread the globe round and search from Britain to Japan, there shall be no religion found, so
just to God, so safe to man. We ask the enemy once more–suppose a religion were to be found
which would be preferable to the one we love–by what means would you crush ours? How
would you get rid of the religion of Jesus? And how would you extinguish His name? Surely,
Sirs, you would never think of the old practice of persecution, would you? Would you once more
try the efficacy of stakes and fires, to burn out the name of Jesus? Would you try racks and
thumb-screws? Would you give us the boots and instruments of torture?

4. Try it, Sirs and you shall not quench Christianity. Each martyr, dipping his finger in his blood,
would write its honors upon the heavens as he died. And the very flame that mounted up to
Heaven would emblazon the skies with the name of Jesus. Persecution has been tried. Turn to the
Alps. Let the valleys of Piedmont speak. Let Switzerland testify. Let France, with its St.
Bartholomew. Let England, with all its massacres, speak. And if you have not crushed it yet,
shall you hope to do it? Shall you? No, a thousand are to be found and ten thousand if it were
necessary, who are willing to march to the stake tomorrow!
And when they are burned, if you could take up their hearts, you would see engraved upon each
of them the name of Jesus. “His name shall endure forever,” for how can you destroy our love to
it? “Ah, but” you say, “we would try gentler means than that.” Well, what would you attempt?
Would you invent a better religion? We bid you do it and let us hear it. We have not yet so much
as believed you capable of such a discovery. What then? Would you wake up one that should
deceive us and lead us astray? We bid you do it. For it is not possible to deceive the elect.
You may deceive the multitude, but God’s elect shall not be led astray. They have tried us. Have
they not given us Popery? Have they not assailed us with Puseyism? Are they not tempting us
with wholesale Arminianism? And do we therefore renounce God’s Truth? No. We have taken
this for our motto and by it we will stand. “The Bible, the whole Bible and nothing but the
Bible,” is still the religion of Protestants. And the selfsame Truth which moved the lips of
Chrysostom, the old doctrine that ravished the heart of Augustine, the old faith which Athanasius
declared, the good old doctrine that Calvin preached is our Gospel now–and God helping us–we
will stand by it till we die.
How will you quench it? If you wish to do it, where can you find the means? It is not in your
power. Aha! Aha! Aha! we laugh you to scorn! But you will quench it, will you? You will try it,
do you say? And you hope you will accomplish your purpose? Yes. I know you will, when you
have annihilated the sun. When you have quenched the moon with drops of your tears. When you
have dried up the sea with your drinking. Then shall you do it. And yet you say you will.
And next, I ask you, suppose you did, what would become of the world then? Ah, were I
eloquent tonight, I might perhaps tell you. If I could borrow the language of a Robert Hall I
might hang the world in mourning. I might make the sea the great chief mourner, with its dirge
of howling pain and its wild death march of disordered waves. I might clothe all nature–not in
robes of green, but in garments of somber blackness. I would bid hurricanes howl the solemn
wailing–that death shriek of a world–for what would become of us, if we should lose the Gospel?
As for me, I tell you fairly, I would cry, “Let me be gone!” I would have no wish to be here
without my Lord.
And if the Gospel is not true, I should bless God to annihilate me this instant for I would not care
to live if you could destroy the name of Jesus Christ. But that would not be all–that only one man
should be miserable–for there are thousands and thousands who can speak as I do. Again, what
would become of civilization if you could take Christianity away? Where would be the hope of a
perpetual peace? Where governments? Where your Sabbath-Schools? Where all your societies?
Where everything that ameliorates the condition of man, reforms his manners and moralizes His
character? Where?
Let echo answer, “Where?” “They would be gone and not a scrap of them would be left. And
where, O men, would be your hope of Heaven? And where the knowledge of eternity? Where a
help across the river Death? Where a Heaven? And where bliss everlasting? All were gone if His

5. name did not endure forever. But we are sure of it, we know it, we affirm it, we declare it. We
believe and ever will, that "His name shall endure forever”–yes, forever! Let who will try to stop
it.
This is my first point. I shall have to speak with rather bated breath upon the second, although I
feel so warm within as well as without, that I would to God I could speak with all my strength as
I might do.
II. But, secondly, as His religion, so the honor of His name is to last forever. Voltaire said He
lived in the twilight of Christianity. He meant a lie. He spoke the truth. He did live in its twilight.
But it was the twilight before the morning–not the twilight of the evening, as he meant to say.
For the morning comes, when the light of the sun shall break upon us in its truest glory. The
scorners have said that we should soon forget to honor Christ and that one day no man should
acknowledge Him. Now, we assert again, in the words of my text, “His name shall endure
forever,” as to the honor of it.
Yes, I will tell you how long it will endure. As long as on this earth there is a sinner who has
been reclaimed by Omnipotent grace, Christ’s name shall endure. As long as there is a Mary
ready to wash His feet with tears and wipe them with the hair of her head. As long as there
breathes a chief of sinners who has washed himself in the Fountain opened for sin and for
uncleanness. As long as there exists a Christian who has put his faith in Jesus and found Him his
delight, his refuge, his stay, his shield, his song and his joy, there will be no fear that Jesus' name
will cease to be heard.
We can never give up that name. We let the Unitarian take his gospel without a Godhead in it.
We let him deny Jesus Christ. But as long as Christians–true Christians, live–as long as we taste
that the Lord is gracious, have manifestations of His love, sights of His face, whispers of His
mercy, assurances of His affection, promises of His grace, hopes of His blessing–we cannot
cease to honor His name. But if all these were gone–if we were to cease to sing His praise, would
Jesus Christ’s name be forgotten then? No. The stones would sing, the hills would be an
orchestra, the mountains would skip like rams and the little hills like lambs. For is He not their
Creator?
And if the lips of all mortals were dumb at once, there are creatures enough in this wide world
besides. Why, the sun would lead the chorus. The moon would play upon her silver harp and
sweetly sing to her music. Stars would dance in their measured courses. The shoreless depths of
ether would become the home of songs. And the immense void would burst out into one great
shout, “You are the glorious Son of God. Great is Your majesty and infinite Your power!” Can
Christ’s name be forgotten? No. It is painted on the skies. It is written on the floods. The winds
whisper it. The tempests howl it. The seas chant it. The stars shine it. The beasts low it. The
thunders proclaim it–earth shouts it–Heaven echoes it!
But if that were all gone–if this great universe should all subside in God, just as a moment’s
foam subsides into the wave that bears it and is lost forever–would His name be forgotten then?
No. Turn your eyes up yonder. See Heaven’s terra firma “who are these that are arrayed in white
and from where they came?” “These are they that came out of great tribulation. They have
washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the
Throne of God and praise Him day and night in His temple.” And if these were gone. If the last
harp of the glorified had been touched with the last fingers. If the last praise of the saints had
ceased. If the last hallelujah had echoed through the then deserted vaults of Heaven, for they

6. would be gloomy then–if the last immortal had been buried in his grave–if graves there might be
for immortals–would His praise cease then? No, by Heaven, no!
For yonder stand the angels. They, too, sing His glory. To Him the cherubim and seraphim do
cry without ceasing, when they mention His name in that thrice holy chorus, “Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God of Armies.” But if even these were perished–if angels had been swept away, if the
wing of seraph never flapped the ether. If the voice of the cherub never sung his flaming sonnet.
If the living creatures ceased their everlasting chorus, if the measured symphonies of glory were
extinct in silence, would His name then be lost?
Ah, no. For as God upon the Throne–He sits–the Everlasting One, the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. And if the universe were all annihilated, still would His name be heard, for the Father
would hear it and the Spirit would hear it and deeply graven on immortal marble in the rocks of
ages, it would stand–Jesus the Son of God–co-equal with His Father. “His name shall endure
forever.”
III. And so shall the power of His name. Do you enquire what this is? Let me tell you. Do you
see yonder thief hanging upon the cross? Behold the Fiends at the foot thereof, with open
mouths. Behold they are charming themselves with the sweet thought that another soul shall give
them meat in Hell. Behold the death bird, fluttering his wings over the poor wretch’s head.
Vengeance passes by and stamps him for her own. Deep on his breast is written “a condemned
sinner.” On his brow is the clammy sweat, expressed from him by agony and death. Look in his
heart–it is filthy with the crust of years of sin. The smoke of lust is hanging within, in black
festoons of darkness.
His whole heart is Hell condensed. Now, look at him. He is dying. One foot seems to be in Hell.
The other hangs tottering in life–only kept by a nail. There is a power in Jesus' eye. That thief
looks–he whispers, “Lord, remember me.” Turn your eye again there. Do you see that thief?
Where is the clammy sweat? It is not there. Where is that horrid anguish? Is it not there.
Positively there is a smile upon his lips. The Fiends of Hell, where are they? There are none–but
a bright seraph is present, with his wings outspread and his hands ready to snatch that soul, now
a precious jewel and bear it aloft to the palace of the great King!
Look within his heart–it is white with purity. Look at his breast–it is no longer written
“condemned,” but “justified.” Look in the Book of Life–his name is engraved there. Look on
Jesus' heart–there on one of the precious stones He bears that poor thief’s name. Yes, once more,
look! See that bright one amid the glorified, clearer than the sun and fair as the moon? That is the
thief! THAT IS THE POWER OF JESUS! And that power shall endure forever. He who saved
the thief can save the last man who shall ever live. For still–
“There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins.
And sinners plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.
The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day–
O may I there, tho' vile as he,
Wash all my sins away.
Dear dying Lamb! That precious blood
Shall never lose its power,

7. Till all the ransomed Church of God
Be saved to sin no more.”
His powerful name shall endure forever.
Nor is that all the power of His name. Let me take you to another scene and you shall witness
something else. There on that deathbed lies a saint. No gloom is on his brow, no terror on his
face. Weakly but placidly he smiles. He groans, perhaps, but yet he sings. He sighs now and
then, but more often he shouts. Stand by him. “My Brother, what makes you look in death’s face
with such joy?” “Jesus,” he whispers. What makes you so placid and so calm? “The name of
Jesus.” See, he forgets everything! Ask him a question. He cannot answer it–he does not
understand you. Still he smiles. His wife comes, enquiring, “Do you know my name?” He
answers, “No.”
His dearest friend requests him to remember his intimacy. “I know you not,” he says. Whisper in
his ear, “Do you know the name of Jesus?” and his eyes flash glory and his face beams Heaven!
His lips speak sonnets and his heart bursts with eternity! For he hears the name of Jesus and that
name shall endure forever. He who landed one in Heaven will land me there. Come on, Death! I
will mention Christ’s name there. O grave! This shall be my glory, the name of Jesus! Hell dog!
This shall be your death–for the sting of death is extracted–Christ our Lord. “His name shall
endure forever.”
I had a hundred particulars to give you. But my voice fails, so I had better stop. You will not
require more of me tonight. You perceive the difficulty I feel in speaking each word. May God
send it home to your souls! I am not particularly anxious about my own name, whether that shall
endure forever or not, provided it is recorded in my Master’s book. George Whitfield, when
asked whether he would found a denomination, said, “No, Brother John Wesley may do as he
pleases, but let my name perish. Let Christ’s name last forever.” Amen to that! Let my name
perish. But let Christ’s name last forever.
I shall be quite contented for you to go away and forget me. I dare say I may not see the faces of
half of you again. You may never be persuaded to step within the walls of a conventicle. You
will think it perhaps not respectable enough to come to a Baptist meeting. Well, I do not say we
are a very respectable people. We don’t profess to be. But this one thing we do profess, we love
our Bibles. And if it is not respectable to do so, we do not care to be had in esteem. But we do
not know that we are so disreputable after all, for I believe, if I may state my own opinion, that if
Protestant Christendom were counted out of that door–not merely every real Christian, but every
professor–I believe the PaedoBaptists would have no very great majority to boast of.
We are not, after all, such a very small disreputable sect. Regard us in England we may be. But
take America, Jamaica, the West Indies and include those who are Baptists in principle, though
not openly so and we surrender to none, not even to the Established Church of this country, in
numbers. That, however, we care very little about. For I say of the Baptist name, let it perish, but
let Christ’s name last forever. I look forward with pleasure to the day when there will not be a
Baptist living. I hope they will soon be gone.
You will say, “Why?” Because when everybody else sees baptism by immersion, we shall be
immersed into all sects and our sect will be gone. Once give us the predominance and we are not
a sect any longer. A man may be a Churchman, a Wesleyan, or an Independent and yet be a
Baptist. So that I say I hope the Baptist name will soon perish. But let Christ’s name last forever.
Yes, and yet again, much as I love dear old England, I do not believe she will ever perish. No,

8. Britain! You shall never perish. The flag of old England is nailed to the mast by the prayers of
Christians, by the efforts of Sunday-Schools and her pious men.
But I say let even England’s name perish. Let her be merged in one great brotherhood. Let us
have no England and no France and no Russia and no Turkey–but let us have Christendom. And
I say heartily, from my soul, let nations and national distinctions perish, but let Christ’s name last
forever. Perhaps there is only one thing on earth that I love better than the last I have mentioned
and that is the pure doctrine of unadulterated Calvinism.
But if that is wrong–if there is anything in that which is false–I for one say let that perish, too
and let Christ’s name last forever. Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus–“Crown Him Lord of all!” You will
not hear me say anything else. These are my last words in Exeter Hall for this time. Jesus! Jesus!
Jesus! “Crown Him Lord of all.”
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
Christ On The Throne
Psalm 72:15
W. Forsyth If it may be said of the twenty-second psalm that it lets us see Christ on the cross, it
may be said of this that it shows us Christ on the throne. Instead of humiliation, there is
exaltation; instead of the mockery of "the purple robe," there is the homage of angels; instead of
the wicked cries of envious priests and a deluded people, "Crucify him!" there is the joyful song
of the redeemed, "Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth!" The saints on earth, as well
as the saints in heaven, are partakers of this joy; they know whom they have believed, and they
have had experience of his benign and righteous rule. We learn here -
I. THAT WHERE CHRIST REIGNS THERE IS LIFE. He is the Source and the Giver of life.
Where the waters that Ezekiel saw came, there was life; and so where the gospel of Christ
comes, there is life. The mind that before was dark has the life of truth; the conscience that
before was dormant has the life of righteousness; the heart that before was dead in sins is
quickened to the new life of love and holiness. Christ's rule ever tends to the well being of his
people.
II. THAT WHERE THERE IS LIFE THERE WILL BE PRAYER. The first sign of infant life is
breathing; and the first sign of the soul's life is the breathing of prayer to God. The life within
expresses itself in accordance with its nature and needs. The mind that has light cries for more
light; the conscience, awakened to a sense of sin, seeks deliverance; the heart that has been
touched with the love of God yearns for more love and nearer fellowship. So it was with Paul.
"Behold, he prayeth!" and so onward, through all the toils and struggles of his noble life, he
continued instant in prayer.
III. THAT WHERE THERE IS PRAYER THE SUPREME DESIRE WILL BE THE GLORY
OF CHRIST. Self will be lost in love. Concern about ourselves will be merged in concern for the
glory of Christ our Lord. "Prayer shall be made for him."

9. 1. For his cause. What interests him will interest us; what lies nearest his heart will be nearest
ours. There is unity of life.
2. For his people. He identifies himself with them. He regards what is done to them as done to
himself. When "prayer was made of the Church" for Peter, they were, in a sense, making prayer
for Christ. Our sympathies should be as broad as the sympathies of Christ.
3. For his second coming. His first coming was the hope of Israel; his second coming is the hope
of the Church of the gospel (Revelation 22:20; Titus 2:13). "Prayer for Christ" increases our love
to him, binds us in closer union with the brethren, and enables us to transmit the blessed hope to
future generations. Think of the prayers made every Lord's day! What cause for thankfulness and
joy! Yea, "daily" prayer shall be made till prayer is consummated in praise. - W.F.
Biblical Illustrator
His name shall endure for ever: His name shall be continued as long as the sun.
Psalm 72:17
The name of Christ
James Parsons.I. THE SAVIOUR'S RENOWN. For by "His name" we understand His renown.
1. The source from whence this renown is derived. It is from His proper and essential divinity;
from His condescending and efficacious sufferings; from His exaltation and mediatorial glory.
What is all other renown compared to His?
2. The permanence with which it is invested. We have seen much of the essential perpetuity of
our Saviour's renown, from what has already transpired in the history and annals of the world. It
has endured the attack of heathenism when made under the elements of classic Greece or the
power of inferior Rome. It has endured the attack of modern infidelity, which uttered its hell-cry
from philosopher to king, and back again from king to philosopher, "Crush the wretch, crush the
wretch!" — by that wretch meaning the Redeemer, whose Cause and whose glory we plead.
II. THE REDEEMER'S INFLUENCE.
1. Its method. It is secured through His Spirit, His Word, His Church.
2. Its character — it is one of blessing and grace. The religion of Christ alone is the source alike
of national, of domestic, and of individual felicity.
3. Its extent — "All nations shall call Him blessed."
(James Parsons.)
The imperishable name

10. Homilist.We apply these words to Christ, although their literal reference may point to another.
What reason have we to believe that Christ's name will endure for ever?
I. HE IS THE AUTHOR OF AN IMMORTAL BOOK. Men's names come down through the
centuries by reason of the books they have written, although the time comes when the most
enduring of these become obsolete and pass away. Now, the Bible is Christ's book. He is at once
its Author and its substance. But, unlike other books, it has imperishable elements.
1. Its doctrines are true to the immortal intellect.
2. Its precepts are true to the undying conscience.
3. Its provisions are true to the unquenchable aspirations.
II. HE IS THE FOUNDER OF ENDURING INSTITUTIONS. Men's names come down in
institutions they have founded. Christ has instituted the Lord's Supper. And the Sunday
commemorates Him.
III. HE IS THE LIVING HEAD OF AN UNDYING FAMILY. Conclusion. Trust this name.
(Homilist.)
The eternal nameIt is the name of Jesus Christ. Text true of —
I. THE RELIGION SANCTIONED BY HIS NAME.
1. There was never a time when it did not exist here on earth.
2. If it were destroyed no other religion would take its place.
3. If another could, by what means would you crush this?
4. And if it could be crushed, what would become of the world then: would life be worth living?
II. THE HONOUR OF HIS NAME. As long as a redeemed sinner is to be found, so long will the
honour of Christ's name endure. And so of —
III. THE POWER OF HIS NAME. For it alone gives peace, purity, triumph in death. Let all
other names perish, as they will: but this never.
( C. H. Spurgeon.)
The honour of the name of Christ
J. Bannerman, D. D.The language of this psalm cannot be confined to Solomon: it speaks of him
only as he was in office or character the type of Christ. The full meaning of the psalm belongs to
Christ alone. By the name of Christ, His chief greatness or excellency, His peculiar honour and
glory, is meant. Now, such glory has been given to Christ —
I. BY GOD THE FATHER.
1. In the eternal counsels.
2. At His baptism.
3. On the Mount Of Transfiguration.
4. By the Resurrection.
II. FROM THE ANGELS OF GOD. Their knowledge, their security, have been furthered by
Christ in His redeeming work.

11. III. FROM THE REDEEMED AMONG MEN. Through their justification and sanctification
they become witnesses to the glory and greatness of the Redeemer.
(J. Bannerman, D. D.)
Christ's renown
J. W. Adams, D. D.By the name of Christ is signified His renown. Now, this prediction was
uttered more than a thousand years before the birth of Christ, and when deep obscurity rested
upon all that pertained to Him. And when He was born and had entered on His ministry, there
was scarcely anything in His condition or circumstances to justify the anticipation of His endless
renown. He died ignominiously forsaken of all His friends. But after His death their love revived,
and they went forth to preach His name. But still there seemed little probability that the name of
their Master should endure for ever. Yet so it has been. The triumphs of Christianity are all
known. Time rolled on, and the fame of Christ widened and spread. And His fame and renown
are entirely different from that which belongs to all others. For —
I. WHERE ONCE CHRIST'S NAME HAS BEEN KNOWN IT HAS NEVER BEEN
ENTIRELY ROOTED OUT. Even in the place where the seven Churches of Asia withered
under the curse of heaven, His name is not lost. But other names, however great, are.
II. THE KNOWLEDGE WHICH MEN HAVE OF HIM IS MORE INTIMATE AND
PARTICULAR THAN THAT WHICH THEY HAVE OF ANY OF THE GREAT MEN OF
THE PAST. How little we know of these ." how much we know of Him.
III. And the knowledge of Him is POSSESSED BY ALL CLASSES. Not the rich and educated
alone, but the poor and the common people know Him.
IV. And HOW DIFFERENT THE FEELINGS WHICH WE ASSOCIATE WITH HIM FROM
THOSE WHICH WE HAVE FOR OTHERS. It is not mere admiration or respect, but we give
Him our hearts. Every mention of His name touches our deepest affections. What wonder that He
should receive the homage of a world! But what is He to us? That is the all-important question.
Has such a friend, such a Saviour, no beauty in our eyes? God forbid that we should refuse Him
that love which He asks for, and so richly merits from us.
(J. W. Adams, D. D.)
His name shall endure
W. S. Goodall, M. A.I. WHY MAY THE INFLUENCE OF CHRIST'S NAME BE EXPECTED
TO ENDURE FOR EVER?
1. Because He is the greatest benefactor the world has ever seen.
2. Because He is a mighty conqueror. He achieved victory, notwithstanding fearful odds. Look at
two periods in the history of the Church. Look at the first three centuries. Emperors and rulers
combined to exterminate this new sect. The most determined means were adopted. Religious
teachers were put to death or cast into prison. Bibles were gathered together in response to
several edicts and burned in different squares and market places. Did these succeed? The very
means adopted to destroy the new faith were the means blessed of God for perpetuating it.
Religious teachers were scattered over the then known world. To their amazement, I can well
believe, they found that God had been preparing the world for their coming. Magnificent roads
had been made, so that they could pass easily from town to town. The Greek language was
spoken so that they could address the people in their own tongue. Verily it was only in the

12. "fulness of time" that God "sent forth His Son." If you wish to see triumph in connection with the
preaching of the Gospel, study the first three centuries of the Gospel history. Look at the last
century of the history of the Church. In that century you see the history and the triumph of
missions.
II. HOW IS CHRIST'S NAME TO BE PERPETUATED?
1. In the hearts of His people. Take Christ and His teaching out of song. Take Christ and His
Cross out of poetry, and you take away their very heart and soul and life. No teacher has ever
received such tribute as Christ has done. The fact that you have the best geniuses in song, and
poetry, and painting, laying their offerings at His feet is one of the most convincing arguments in
favour of my text — "His name shall endure for ever."
2. By the character of His people. This is one thing that scepticism can never explain away. The
maxims and the example of the world can never produce a holy life. It takes Christianity to do
that. A holy life is therefore one of the best means by which the influence of Christ's name can
be perpetuated in this world.
3. By the ordinances of the Church.
(W. S. Goodall, M. A.)
Christ -- His enduring name
John Cairns, D. D.I. THE NAME OF JESUS OUR SAVIOUR IS FITTED TO ENDURE.
1. By virtue of the law which connects memory with greatness. The great are remembered —
great kings, great heroes, great sages, great saints — while the crowd must be forgotten. Jesus
does not refuse to be commemorated according to this standard. He does not struggle indeed for
fame, but for usefulness; but when He says, "Come unto Me," "Follow Me," He presupposes
transcendent greatness. Even on the human side the greatness of Jesus is unexampled, the
greatness of knowledge, of wisdom, of purity, of benevolence, of devotion — such greatness as
amounts to absolute perfection.
2. By virtue of the law which connects memory with service.
3. By virtue of the law which connects memory with suffering. Even destroyers and conquerors
are better remembered by disaster than by victory — as Alexander by his premature death,
Caesar by his assassination, and Napoleon by his exile. How much more have the great
benefactors of our race had their memories embalmed by suffering; so that they are cherished as
their works and endurances have cost them dear. But how imperfect is every such image of the
connection between the Saviour's sufferings and the enduring of His name! All others were born
to suffer, if not in that form in some other; they were sinners, and could not escape even by
labour and service to mankind. But Jesus was above this doom, and stooped to meet it —
stooped from a height beyond all parallel. "Though He was rich," etc. "The Son of Man came not
to be ministered unto,." etc.
II. IT IS DESTINED TO ENDURE.
1. The name of Jesus is identified with the existence of the Church. Take it away, and the Church
falls. Christianity is obliterated, or sinks in fragmental Take it away, and there is no pardon, no
sanctification, no fellowship with God, according to His own word, "No man cometh unto the
Father but by Me."

13. 2. The name of Jesus Christ is hound up with the history and prospects of mankind. This name is
a key to the history of the world. It is not without reason that history is divided into two great
periods, before Christ and after Christ.
3. The Saviour's name is destined to endure, because it is committed to the watchful care of the
Godhead. God the Father sees here the brightest manifestation of Himself, for He thus reveals
the fulness of power, the depth of wisdom, the beauty of holiness, the tender radiance of mercy,
all shining in the face of Jesus Christ. The continued display of this glory to men and angels is
the last end of redemption, the fulfilment by the Father of the prayer of the Son, "Glorify Thy
Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee." Shall this last prayer, then, be defeated? Shall these
supreme manifestations of God, which, pent up from everlasting days, have at last broken forth
upon the universe, be recalled? And shall the word of promise that has gone out of His mouth be
made void" I will make Thy name to be remembered in all generations"?
(John Cairns, D. D.)
The universality and perpetuity of Christ's reign
W. J. Dawson., Footsteps of Truth.Buddha is reported to have said that he did not expect his
religion to last more than 5,000 years.
(W. J. Dawson.)Voltaire said he lived in the twilight of Christianity. He meant a lie; he spoke the
truth. He did live in its twilight; but it was the twilight before the morning; not the twilight of the
evening, as he meant to say; for the morning comes, when the light of the sun shall break upon
us in its truest glory. The scorners have said that we should soon forget to honour Christ, and that
one day no man should acknowledge Him. "His name shall endure for ever."
(Footsteps of Truth.)
And men shall be blessed in Him
What history owes to Jesus Christ
James Orr, D. D.I. THE MORAL AND SOCIAL BENEFIT. We need to take the simplest,
plainest facts that lie upon the surface of history, to see what a revelation was implied in the
entrance of Christian ideas into such a world as this. It brought, for one thing, a totally new idea
of man himself, as a being of infinite dignity and immortal worth; it taught that every man's soul,
even the humblest, poorest, and the most defiled, was made in God's image, is capable of eternal
life, and has an infinite value — a value that made worth while God's own Son's dying to redeem
it. It brought back to men's minds the sense of responsibility to God — an idea that had never
been possessed, or had been altogether or almost altogether lost. It brought into the world a new
spirit of love and charity, something wonderful in the eyes of those heathen as they saw
institutions spring up round about them that they had never thought or heard of in heathenism
before. It flashed into men's souls a new moral ideal, and set up a standard of truth, and integrity,
and purity, which has acted as an elevating force on moral conception in the world till this hour.
It restored woman to her rightful place by man's side as his spiritual helpmate and equal, and
created that best of God's blessings on earth, the Christian home, where children are reared in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord. It taught the slave his spiritual freedom as a member of the
Kingdom of God, gave him a place there in Christ's kingdom as an equal with his own master,
and struck at the foundations of slavery by its doctrine of the natural brotherhood and the dignity
of man. It created self-respect, a sense of duty in the use of one's powers for self-support and for
the benefit of others. It urged to honest labour. "Let him that stole steal no more," etc. And in a

14. myriad ways, by direct teaching, by the protest of holy lives, by its gentle spirit, it struck at the
evils and the corruptions and the malpractices and the cruelties of the time.
II. THE RELIGIOUS DEBT TO JESUS. It was Christianity that overthrew the reign of those
gods and goddesses of Greece and Rome, and swept them so completely from the path of history
that no one, even in his wildest imagination, now dreams of the possibility of their revival. It was
Christianity that, still maintaining something of its youthful energy, laid hold of these rough
barbarian people in the Middle Ages and trained them to some kind of civilization and moral life.
It was Christianity that in England and Scotland lighted the light that by and by spread its
radiance through every part of the country. It is Christianity that to-day is teaching the nations to
burn their idols, to cease their horrid practices, to take on them the obligations of moral and
civilized existence. Whatever blessings or hopes we trace to our religion, whatever light it
imparts to our minds or cheer to cur hearts, whatever power there is in it to sustain holiness or
conquer sin, all that we owe to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
III. THE ETERNAL BENEFITS. "Jesus hath abolished death," we read, "and hath brought life
and immortality to light through His Gospel." And what was better, He not only taught men the
way of life, but stood there Himself, the great medium of return to God. He stood there not only
teaching men what the way of life was, but He Himself was there to place their feet in its paths.
He not only taught us about God, but showed us how to be at peace with Him — brought us back
to God, from whom we had wandered, and reconciled us with God. He not only warned us of the
dangers and the evils of the life of sin, of the ruin, the destruction which sin brought with it, of
the alienation, the estrangement from the life of God that was in sin; but He united Himself there
with us, with His infinite mercy in our lone, and lost, and condemned condition, took upon
Himself there, on His own soul, that burden we could not for ourselves bear, and through His
cross and passion opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
(James Orr, D. D.)
The benefits of Christianity
A. Duncan.I. THE BENEFITS WHICH CHRISTIANITY CONVEYS TO THE
COMMUNITIES AMONG WHOM IT IS PREACHED.
1. It has diffused among all classes of men the knowledge of God. "Nothing," says the son of
Sirach, "is so much worth as a mind well instructed"; but there is no knowledge like that which
respects the character of God, our obligations to Him, and expectations from Him. It is the only
effectual source of right conduct, and of true comfort, in every state and condition of human life.
2. Christianity has greatly purified and reformed the manners of men. Some of those vices which
marked and disgraced the character of heathen nations are scarcely known but by their name; and
others, which were openly practised in the face of day, are now hid in obscurity and darkness. On
the other hand, some virtues, of the obligation of which the heathens had no apprehension, are
not only to be found in the character of real Christians, but have risen into such general credit
and esteem as to influence the conduct of many who, in other respects, feel but little of the power
of religion.
3. Christianity has promoted among men a spirit of humanity and benevolence, unknown to the
heathen world.
4. Christianity has contributed essentially to the safety and prosperity of society.

15. II. THE BENEFITS WHICH IT CONVEYS TO THE INDIVIDUALS WHO BELIEVE AND
EMBRACE IT.
1. It effectuates their conversion to God, and to the obedience of His will.
2. The effects of Christianity upon the Christian's state of mind are not less important and happy
than its influence upon his character; it restores him to peace with God, and to hope in Him.
(A. Duncan.)
Blessed in HimI. A SINGULAR CONDITION.
1. By nature, men are not blessed. The trail of the old serpent is everywhere.
2. The text promises that men shall be delivered from the curse, that they shall be uplifted from
their natural unhappiness, that they shall be rescued from their doubtful or their hopeful
questioning, and shall even come to be blessed. God shall pronounce them blessed. He shall set
upon them the bread seal of Divine approbation; and with that seal there shall come streaming
into their hearts the sweetness of intense delight, which shall give them experimentally a blessing
to their own conscious enjoyment.
3. Let me tell you what Christ does for a man who is really in Him, and then you will see how He
is blessed.
(1)The man who comes to Christ by faith, and truly trusts Christ, has all the past rectified.
(2)He has present favour.
(3)His future is guaranteed.
II. A WIDE STATEMENT.
1. To make this wide statement true requires breadth of number. The text says, "Men shall be
blessed in Him," that is to say, the most of men, innumerable myriads of men shall get the
blessing that Jesus purchased by His death on the cross.
2. It implies great width of variety. "Men" — not merely kings or noblemen, but "Men shall be
blessed in Him." Men — not working men, or thinking men, or fighting men, or this sort of men,
or the other sort of men, but men of all sorts — "Men shall be blessed in Him." It is a delightful
thought that Christ is as much fitted to one rank and one class of persons as to another.
3. Our text indicates length of period: "Men shall be blessed in Him." Men have been blessed in
Him; these many centuries, Christ has shone with all the radiance of omnipotent love upon this
poor fallen world, but His light is as full as ever; and, however long this dispensation shall last,
"Men shall be blessed in Him."
4. The text suggests fulness of sufficiency concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a
wonderful depth of meaning in this passage when it says, "Men shall be blessed in Him." "Oh!"
says one, "Men shall be blessed by philosophy, or by Christ and philosophy." Not at all; it is,
"Men shall be blessed in Him." "But they shall be blessed in Him through trade and commerce
and the like." Not so; "Men shall be blessed in Him." Have not we, who are half a century old,
heard a great number of theories about how the millennium is to be brought about? I remember
that, at one time, free trade was to bring it, but it did not; and nothing will over make men
blessed unless they get into Christ: "Men shall be blessed in Him."
III. THE FULL ASSURANCE expressed in the text. It is a grand thing to get a sentence like this
with a "shall" in it: "Men shall be blessed in Him." It is not "perhaps they may be,"but, "Men

16. shall be blessed in Him." Not, "perchance they may be blessed under certain conditions"; but,
"Men shall be blessed in Him."
1. They shall not try Him and fail.
2. They shall not desire Him and be denied.
3. They shall come to Christ and get the blessing.
IV. Now, with all your hearts, think of my text with a PERSONAL APPROPRIATION: "Men
shall be blessed in Him." Are you blessed in Christ? Will you personally answer the question?
Do not pass it round, and say to yourself, "No doubt there are many who think that they are
blessed, and who are not." Never mind about them; for the present moment, ask this question of
yourself, "Am I blessed in Christ?"
( C. H. Spurgeon.)
Jesus: all blessing and all blestI. WE OURSELVES ARE LIVING WITNESSES THAT MEN
ARE BLESSED IN CHRIST. You and I do not pretend to be great sages, famous philosophers,
or learned divines; but we feel when a pin pricks us, or when a dog bites us. We have sense
enough to know when a thing tastes well or ill in the eating. We know chalk from cheese, as the
proverb hath it. We know somewhat about our own wants; and we also know when we get those
wants supplied. We bear witness that we have been blessed in Him. How much, how deeply,
how long, and in how many ways we have been blessed in Him, I will not undertake to say; but
this I will say most emphatically, for many of you now present, we have in verity, beyond all
question, been blessed in Jesus to the highest degree, and of this we are sure. We believe — and
faith grasps the first blessing — that we have received a great blessing in Christ by the removal
of a curse which otherwise must have rested upon us. If He had accomplished nothing but the
bearing away of our sin into the wilderness — as the scapegoat of old bore away the iniquity of
Israel — He would have done enough to set our tongues for ever praising Him. He has lifted
from the world the weight of the eternal curses; therefore, let all the bells of our cities ring out
His honour, and all the voices of the village sing forth His praise. The negative being removed,
we have had a positive actual experience of blessing, for God has blessed us in Christ Jesus, and
we know that none are more blest than we are. We are now not at all the men that we used to be
as to our inward feelings.
II. WE HAVE SEEN OTHER MEN BLESSED IN CHRIST.
1. What social changes we have seen in those who have believed in Him! He has blessed some
men and some women at such a rate that the devil himself would not have the impudence to say
it was not a blessing. Liar as Satan is, he could not deny that godliness has brought sunshine
where there was none: the blessing has been too distinct and manifest for any to deny it.
2. What a moral change have we seen in some! They could not speak without an oath, but the
habit of profane swearing ended in a minute, and they have never been tempted to it since. Rash,
bad-tempered men, who would break up the furniture of the house in their passion, have become
as gentle as lambs. Such furies usually become quiet, peaceable, and long-suffering: grace has a
marvellous influence upon the temper.
3. Then, as to mental blessing. What have we seen? This have I seen: here is one case out of
many. A young man, who had fallen into sin, came to me in deep despair of mind. He was so
desponding that his very face bore witness to his misery. I had tried to set the Gospel clearly
before him on the previous Sabbath, but he told me that he could not grasp it, for that by his sin

17. he had reduced his mind to such a state that he felt himself to be little better than an idiot. He was
not speaking nonsense either, for there are vices which destroy the intellect. I told him that Jesus
Christ could save idiots — that even if his mind was in measure impaired as the result of sin, yet
there was quite enough mind left to be made glad with a sense of pardon, seeing there was more
than enough to make him heavy with a sense of guilt. I cheered that brother as best I could, but I
could effect nothing by my own efforts. Soon the Lord Jesus Christ came to him, and he is now a
happy, earnest, joyful Christian.
III. This whole matter is to extend till THE ENTIRE WORLD SHALL BE BLESSED IN
CHRIST. Even at this moment the whom world is the better for Christ. But where He is best
known and loved, there is He the greatest blessing. What snatched many an island of the
southern sea from barbarism and cannibalism? What but Jesus Christ preached among them?
Men have been blessed in Him in Europe, America, Asia, and everywhere. Africa, and other
lands still plunged in barbarism, shall receive light from no other source but that from which our
fathers received it centuries ago — from the great Sun of Righteousness.
( C. H. Spurgeon.)
Christ's Kingdom: its progress and prospects
H. Grey, D. D.I. THE PERPETUITY OF CHRIST'S KINGDOM. extending from age to age
throughout all generations; for it is in connection with it that "His name shall endure for ever,
and be continued as long as the sun." Where are the mighty monarchies of the ancient world —
the Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian — that seemed to have taken deep root in the earth, and,
matured by ages of vigour, to bid fair for perpetuity? Even the more modern States of Greece and
Rome have undergone a complete change, and their ancient characters are sought in vain in the
regions they once emblazoned with glory. Nor has the higher and less vulgar authority of
wisdom and legislation been more stable. The schools of ancient philosophy have passed away,
and the tenets of their sages have solved for us none of the hard questions suggested by reason
and conscience: one great name after another dies from the memory of fleeting generations, as
the stars fade with the rising morn.
II. THE FELICITY OF THIS KINGDOM: "Men shall be blessed in Him." Whatever blessings
have descended on the human race since the fall, have been communicated through the
mediation of Christ; for thus only, we are taught, can a holy God have friendly intercourse with
man. But the blessings that specially mark His kingdom are of a spiritual nature, and can be
rightly estimated only by a spiritual mind.
III. THE DESTINED UNIVERSAL EXTENSION OF THE KINGDOM OF CHRIST: "all
nations shall call Him blessed." And why, asks the infidel, was not this kingdom, and the
revelation that makes it known, universal from the beginning? Why did the God of the whole
earth confine His favour for many ages to the descendants of Abraham, and, leaving other
nations in darkness, restrict the light of heaven to the little province of Judaea? Is it to be
believed that, overlooking and despising the great, populous, enlightened empires of the ancient
world, He expended all His treasures on a people remarkable only for a bigoted and exclusive
superstition? Is this system of favouritism worthy the Sovereign of the universe, the Father of
mankind? But not to insist on arguments which, it may be said, are fitted to silence rather than
satisfy, it is an important fact, never to be forgotten, that Divine revelation was originally
universal, without limitation or selection, commensurate with the necessity that called it forth;
none of the progeny of Adam being exempted from the promise of a Redeemer who should

18. bruise the serpent's head, given to our first parents as a sacred trust for the benefit of mankind.
The truths embodied in these facts were designed to regulate the faith, worship, and hopes of all
mankind; and, had they been faithfully preserved, the blessings of the true religion would have
been in every man's possession. It was the careless forgetfulness of these things, and the wilful
preference of darkness to light, that introduced idolatry and wickedness into the world. If Divine
revelation was not universal in ancient times, those who incurred the loss must bear the blame.
For though the promise declared that "all nations should be blessed in Him," though the Saviour's
parting command enjoined that His "Gospel should be preached to all the world and to every
creature," have His disciples as yet acquitted themselves of the charge assigned to them in the
realization of this purpose? If the Gospel be not universal, who, we ask, are answerable for this
loss? where falls the blame of this delinquency? The commission given to them is continued with
us — the promises that supported them are those we rest upon — the purposes of God wait on us
still for their accomplishment; and those to whom He commits the fulfilment of His will, are no
other than the reclaimed sinners who, like us, have passed from death into life, who stand
obedient to His call, who are ready to start to any service in which His interests demand their
activity.
(H. Grey, D. D.)
COMMENTARIES
EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(17) Shall be continued.—Rather, have issue.
Literally, send out new shoots.
As long as the sun.—See Note on Psalm 72:5.
Shall be blessed in him.—Or, bless themselves in him. The meaning is clear, though the Hebrew
is rather vague. The monarch will himself be a source of blessing to his people, who will never
tire of blessing him. The psalmist’s prayer finds a genuine echo in the noble dedication of In
Memoriam:
“May you rule us long,
And leave us rulers of your blood
As noble, till the latest day!
May children of our children say,
‘She wrought her people lasting good.’ ”
For the doxology closing the second book, and for the note apparently appended by the collector
of this book, “the prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended,” see General Introduction.
Benson CommentaryHYPERLINK "/psalms/72-17.htm"Psalm 72:17. His name shall endure for
ever — Namely, the honour and renown of his eminent wisdom, and justice, and goodness. This
agrees but very obscurely and imperfectly to Solomon, who stained the glory of his reign by his
prodigious luxury, and oppression, and apostacy from God, into which he fell in the latter part of
his days. His name shall be continued — Hebrew, ‫,ןוני‬ jinnon, shall be propagated, or
transmitted, to his children; as long as the sun — Hebrew, ‫לפל‬ ‫,ׁשמני‬ liphnee shemesh, before the
sun; meaning, either, 1st, Publicly, and in the face of the sun: or, 2d, Perpetually; as a constant

19. and inseparable companion of the sun; as long as the sun itself shall continue. Men shall be
blessed in him — In him, as it was promised to Abraham, shall all the true children of Abraham
be blessed with the blessings of grace and glory, and that by and through his merits and Spirit.
Hebrew, ‫,וכרבתי‬ jithbarechu, shall bless themselves. All nations shall call him blessed — They
shall bless God for him, shall continually extol and magnify him, and think themselves happy in
him. To the end of time and to eternity, his name shall be celebrated; every tongue shall confess
it, and every knee shall bow before it. And the happiness shall also be universal, complete, and
everlasting; men shall be blessed in him truly and for ever.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary72:2-17 This is a prophecy of the kingdom of Christ;
many passages in it cannot be applied to the reign of Solomon. There were righteousness and
peace at first in the administration of his government; but, before the end of his reign, there were
troubles and unrighteousness. The kingdom here spoken of is to last as long as the sun, but
Solomon's was soon at an end. Even the Jewish expositors understood it of the kingdom of the
Messiah. Observe many great and precious promises here made, which were to have full
accomplishment only in the kingdom of Christ. As far as his kingdom is set up, discord and
contentions cease, in families, churches, and nations. 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 produces abundance of peace. Holiness and love shall be lasting in Christ's
kingdom. Through all the changes of the world, and all the changes of life, Christ's kingdom will
support itself. And he shall, by the graces and comforts of his Spirit, come down like rain upon
the mown grass; not on that cut down, but that which is left growing, that it may spring again.
His gospel has been, or shall be, preached to all nations. Though he needs not the services of any,
yet he must be served with the best. Those that have the wealth of this world, must serve Christ
with it, do good with it. Prayer shall be made through him, or for his sake; whatever we ask of
the Father, should be in his name. Praises shall be offered to him: we are under the highest
obligations to him. Christ only shall be feared throughout all generations. To the end of time, and
to eternity, his name shall be praised. All nations shall call HIM blessed.
Barnes' Notes on the BibleHis name shall endure for ever - Margin, as in Hebrew, "Shall be
forever;" that is, "He" shall endure forever.
His name shall be continued as long as the sun - As long as that continues to shine - an
expression designed to express perpetuity. See the notes at Psalm 72:5. The margin here is, "shall
be as a son to continue his father's name forever." The Hebrew word - ‫נון‬ nûn - means "to sprout,
to put forth;" and hence, to "flourish." The idea is that of a tree which continues always to sprout,
or put forth leaves, branches, blossoms; or, which never dies.
And men shall be blessed in him - See Genesis 12:3; Genesis 22:18. He will be a source of
blessing to them, in the pardon of sin; in happiness; in peace; in salvation.
All nations shall call him blessed - Shall praise him; shall speak of him as the source of their
highest comforts, joys, and hopes. See Luke 19:38; Matthew 21:9; Matthew 23:39. The time will
come when all the nations of the earth will honor and praise him.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary17. His name—or, "glorious perfections."
as long as the sun—(Compare Ps 72:5).
men shall be blessed—(Ge 12:3; 18:18).

20. Matthew Poole's CommentaryHis name; the honour and renown of his eminent wisdom, and
justice, and goodness; which agrees but very obscurely; and imperfectly to Solomon, who
stained the glory of his reign by his prodigious luxury and oppression, and apostacy from God,
into which he fell in the latter part of his days.
Shall be continued; or, shall be propagated or transmitted to his children; which suits much better
to Christ, from whom we are called Christians, than to Solomon.
As long as the sun, Heb. before the sun; either,
1. Publicly, and in the face of the sun. Or,
2. Perpetually; as a constant and inseparable companion of the sun; as long as the sun itself shall
continue. See Poole "Psalm 72:5".
Be blessed in him; either,
1. As a pattern of blessedness. When any man shall wish well to a king, he shall say, The Lord
make thee like Solomon. See Poole "Genesis 22:18". Or rather,
2. As the cause of it, by and through his merits and mediation.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleHis name shall endure for ever,.... As a King; for he is
chiefly spoken of here in his kingly office: not merely the fame of him; for so the fame of an
earthly king; even of a tyrant, may continue as long as the world does; but the meaning is, that he
himself should continue in his office for ever: his throne is for ever and ever; of his government
there will be no end; his kingdom is an everlasting one; he shall reign over the house of Jacob,
and on the throne of David, for ever and ever: he shall have no successor in this his office, any
more than in the priestly office; which is an unchangeable one, or does not pass from one to
another: his Gospel is his name, Acts 9:15; and that shall endure for ever, or to the end of the
world; until all his elect are gathered in, notwithstanding the violent persecutions of men, the
cunning craft of false teachers, and the death of Gospel ministers and professors: as long as this
is preached, Christ's name will endure, since he is the sum and substance of it; and not only is his
name perpetuated in his Gospel, but also in his ordinances, those of baptism and the Lord's
supper, which are administered in his name, and will be unto his second coming;
his name shall be continued as long as the sun; or "shall be sonned" or "filiated" (r); that is, shall
be continued in his sons, in his spiritual offspring, as long as the sun lasts; as the names of
parents are continued in their children; so the name of Christ is, and will be, continued in him: he
has children which the Lord has given him; a seed that he shall see in all periods of time, to
whom he stands in the relation of the everlasting Father; these bear his name, are called
"Christians" from him, and these his seed and offspring shall endure for ever: for though
sometimes their number may be few; yet there are always some in the worst of times; Christ has
always had some to bear his name, and ever will have; and in the latter day they will be very
numerous, even as the sand of the sea. The Jews take the word "Yinnon", here used, for a name
of the Messiah (s), and render the words, "before the sun his name was Yinnon"; and so the
Targum,

21. "before the sun was, or was created, (as in the king's Bible,) his name was prepared;''
or appointed: for they say (t), the name of the Messiah was one of the seven things created before
the world was: it is certain that Christ was the Son of God, from eternity, or the eternal Son of
God: he was so before his resurrection from the dead, when he was only declared, and did not
then become the Son of God: he was owned by his divine Father, and believed in as the Son of
God by men before that time: he was so before his incarnation, and not by that: he, the Son of
God, was sent in human nature, and made manifest in it, and was known by David and Solomon,
under that relation; and, as such, he was concerned in the creation of all things; and was in the
day of eternity, and from all eternity, the only begotten Son of the Father; see Psalm 2:7; but the
version and sense which Gussetius (u) gives seem best of all; "his name shall generate", or
"beget children before the sun"; that is, his name preached, as the Gospel, which is his name,
Acts 9:15, shall be the means of begetting many sons and daughters openly and publicly, in the
face of the sun, and wherever that is;
and men shall be blessed in him; men, and not angels, sinful men; such as are by nature children
of wrath, and cursed by the law of works, yet blessed in Christ; even all elect men, all that are
chosen in him, whether Jews or Gentiles; for he is the "seed of Abraham", in whom "all the
nations of the earth should be blessed", Genesis 22:18; as they are with all spiritual blessings;
with redemption, peace, pardon, righteousness, and eternal life: they are in him, and blessed in
him; he is their head and representative, and so blessed in him; he is the fountain, cause, author,
and giver of all blessings; they all come from him, through him, and for his sake, through his
blood, righteousness, and sacrifice. Or, "they shall be blessed in him": that is, his children and
spiritual offspring, in whom his name is perpetuated. Or, "they shall bless themselves in him"
(w); reckon themselves blessed in him, and make their boast of him, and glory in him;
all nations shall call him blessed; as he is a divine Person; not only the Son of the Blessed, but
God over all, blessed for ever; and as man, being set at the right hand of God, crowned with
glory and honour, and all creatures, angels and men, subject to him; and as Mediator,
acknowledging him to be the fountain of all blessedness to them, and, upon that account,
ascribing all blessing, honour, glory, and praise, unto him.
(r) "filiabitur", Montanus, Vatablus, Michaelis. (s) T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 98. 2. Midrash Echa
Rabbati, fol. 50. 2. Pirke Eliezer, c. 32. fol. 33. 2.((t) T. Bab. Pesachim, fol. 54. 1. Nedarim, fol.
39. 2. Bereshit Bereihit Rabba, s. 1. fol. 1. 2. (u) Ebr. Comment. p. 511. (w) "et benedicentes sibi
in eo", Junius & Tremellius; so Cocceius, Michaelis, Ainsworth.
Geneva Study BibleHis 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 {o} him blessed.
(o) They will pray to God for his continuance and know that God prospers them for his sake.
EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges17. May his name endure for ever;
As long as the sun doth shine may his name have Issue:
May all nations bless themselves in him, (and) call him happy.
The Psalmist prays that the king’s name may not perish like the name of the wicked (Job 18:19),
but may always have issue, be perpetuated in his posterity as long as time lasts (cp. Psalm 72:5).

22. The Ancient Versions however (LXX, Syr., Targ., Jer.) point to the reading yikkôn, shall be
established, instead of yinnôn, shall have issue, a word which is found nowhere else. Cp. Psalm
89:37; 1 Kings 2:12; 1 Kings 2:45. The LXX reads, “All the families of the earth shall be blessed
in him, all nations shall call him happy.” But each of these last three verses is a tristich, and the
words “all families of the earth” are introduced from Genesis 12:3. May all nations bless
themselves in him, invoking for themselves the blessings which he enjoys as the highest and best
which they can imagine (cp. Genesis 48:20);—an allusion to the promises to Abraham and Isaac
(Genesis 22:18; Genesis 26:4).
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 17. - His Name shall endure forever (comp. Psalm 45:2, 6; Psalm
102:12; Isaiah 9:7). "The eternity of the Name is based upon the eternity of the kingdom"
(Hengstenberg). His Name shall be continued as long as the sun (comp. ver. 5); or, his Name
shall be renewed - shall spring again to fresh life. Dr. Kay compares an expression of Renan's,
"Son culte se rajeunira." And men shall be blessed in him; literally, men shall bless themselves in
him (comp. Genesis 22:18; Genesis 26:4). All nations shall call him blessed. With these words
the psalm, properly speaking, ends. The doxology (vers. 18, 19) and the note (ver. 20) were
probably appended by the arranger of the book.
Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old TestamentThis third strophe contains
prospects, the ground of which is laid down in the fourth. The position of the futures here
becomes a different one. The contemplation passes from the home relations of the new
government to its foreign relations, and at the same time the wishes are changed into hopes. The
awe-commanding dominion of the king shall stretch even into the most distant corners of the
desert. ‫יּיי‬ ni denimreted eb ot ,tresed eht tibahni ohw nem eht dna slamina eht rof htob desu si ‫ם‬
each instance by the context; here they are men beyond all dispute, but in Psalm 74:14; Isaiah
23:13, it is matter of controversy whether men or beasts are meant. Since the lxx, Aquila,
Symmachus, and Jerome here, and the lxx and Jerome in Psalm 74:14, render Αἰθίοπες, the
nomadic tribes right and left of the Arabian Gulf seem traditionally to have been associated in
the mind with this word, more particularly the so-called Ichthyophagi. These shall bend the knee
reverentially before him, and those who contend against him shall be compelled at last to veil
their face before him in the dust. The remotest west and south become subject and tributary to
him, viz., the kings of Tartessus in the south of Spain, rich in silver, and of the islands of the
Mediterranean and the countries on its coasts, that is to say, the kings of the Polynesian portion
of Europe, and the kings of the Cushitish or of the Joktanitish ‫לבׁש‬ and of the Cushitish ‫,ׁשבס‬ as,
according to Josephus, the chief city of Mero‫כ‬ was called (vid., Genesis, S. 206). It was a queen
of that Joktanitish, and therefore South Arabian Sheba, - perhaps, however, more correctly (vid.,
Wetzstein in my Isaiah, ii. 529) of the Cushitish (Nubian) Sheba, - whom the fame of Solomon's
wisdom drew towards him, 1 Kings 10. The idea of their wealth in gold and in other precious
things is associated with both peoples. In the expression ‫פנׁשה‬ ‫הליב‬ (to pay tribute, 2 Kings 17:3,
cf. Psalm 3:4) the tribute is not conceived of as rendered in return for protection afforded
(Maurer, Hengstenberg, and Olshausen), nor as an act repeated periodically (Rdiger, who refers
to 2 Chronicles 27:5), but as a bringing back, i.e., repayment of a debt, referre s. reddere debitum
(Hupfeld), after the same idea according to which obligatory incomings are called reditus
(revenues). In the synonymous expression ‫ׁשלקר‬ ‫הּכריב‬ the presentation appears as an act of
sacrifice. ‫ׁשלקר‬ signifies in Ezekiel 27:15 a payment made in merchandise, here a rent or tribute
due, from ‫,רכר‬ which in blending with the Aleph prostheticum has passed over into ‫רכר‬ by
means of a shifting of the sound after the Arabic manner, just as in ‫ׁשלקׁש‬ the verb ‫,רכׁש‬ to

23. interweave, passes over into ‫רכׁש‬ (Rdiger in Gesenius' Thesaurus). In Psalm 72:11 hope breaks
through every bound: everything shall submit to his world-subduing sceptre.
PRECEPT AUSTIN RESOURCES
Psalm 72 – The King and the King of Kings
The title of this psalm is A Psalm of Solomon. It is possible to translate the Hebrew here (and in
almost all the psalms which reference an author) as “A Psalm to Solomon,” and some have
regarded it as David’s psalm to and about his son Solomon and his Greater Son the Messiah.
Yet, the most natural way to take the title is as it is given, A Psalm of Solomon with the
understanding that the line about David in 72:20 refers to the collection of Book Two of Psalms,
which is heavy with David’s psalms, separating Book Two from Book Three, which begins with
11 psalms authored by Asaph.
It is possible that Solomon compiled Book Two of Psalms (Psalms 42-72) and composed this
psalm as a fitting conclusion for the collection of mostly David’s psalms. It is a fitting
conclusion, because it unexpectedly does not focus upon David himself, but on the Messiah – the
King of Kings and the Son of David.
“The New Testament nowhere quotes it as Messianic, but this picture of the king and his realm is
so close to the prophecies of Isaiah 11:1-5 and Isaiah 60-62 that if those passages are
Messianic, so is this.” (Derek Kidner)
A. Prayerfor a king.
1. (1-4) The king’s prayer for wisdom.
Give the king Your judgments, O God,
And Your righteousness to the king’s Son.
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.
a. Give the king Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness to the king’s Son:
Solomon began this psalm asking God to bless him as the monarch of Israel, and to bless him
with wise judgments and a reign displaying God’s righteousness. This was the same heart
behind his great request to God in 1 Kings 3:5-9.
i. These prayers “reflect the antique conception of a king as the fountain of justice, himself
making and administering law and giving decisions.” (Maclaren)

24. ii. “As a royal psalm it prayed for the reigning king, and was a strong reminder of his high
calling; yet it exalted this so far beyond the humanly attainable (e.g. in speaking of his reign as
endless) as to suggest for its fulfillment no less a person than the Messiah, not only to Christian
thinking but to Jewish.” (Kidner)
iii. “The Targum [an ancient Aramaic paraphrase of the Hebrew Bible] at verse 1 adds the word
‘Messiah’ to ‘the king’, and there are rabbinic allusions to the psalm which reveal the same
opinion.” (Kidner)
b. He will judge Your people with righteousness: Anticipating the blessing asked for, Solomon
announced his intention to rule with righteousness and justice, even for the poor (who are often
denied justice).
i. “Righteousness dominates this opening, since in Scripture it is the first virtue of government,
even before compassion (which is the theme of verses 12-14).” (Kidner)
c. The mountains will bring peace to the people: Sometimes mountains represent human
governments in the Bible, and Solomon may have intended this allusion. He had in mind a
national government (mountains) that blessed the people and local government (the little hills)
that ruled with righteousness. This godly government would accomplish at least three things:
· He will bring justice to the poor: Though they are often denied justice, the king and his
government will make sure that justice is administered fairly.
· He will save the children of the needy: The king and his government will rescue those most
vulnerable in society.
· And will break in pieces the oppressor: The king and his government will protect Israel,
keeping the people free from external domination and from internal corruption.
i. Mountains will bring peace: We have connected the idea of mountains with human
government, yet there are different understandings of this. Spurgeon quoted three different
authors with three different ideas as to what these mountains speak of.
· Geddes wrote they spoke of messengers placed on a series of mountains or hilltops who
distributed news through a land.
· Mollerus wrote that it spoke of the fertility of soil on the mountains.
· Caryl wrote that it speaks of the safety from robbers who often infested mountain passes.
· Maclaren wrote of another sense: “The mountains come into view here simply as being the
most prominent features of the land.”
ii. Children of the needy: “The phrase, the children of the afflicted, is put for the afflicted, an
idiom quite common in Hebrew.” (Calvin, cited in Spurgeon)
iii. Break in pieces the oppressor: “The tale bearer, saith the Greek; the slanderer, saith the
Latin; the devil, say some. Over these he shall turn the wheel.” (Trapp)
2. (5-7) Blessings upon such a well-governed kingdom.
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.

25. In His days the righteous shall flourish,
And abundance of peace,
Until the moon is no more.
a. They shall fear You as long as the sun and moon endure: The answer to the prayer in the
previous lines would mean that the people of Israel – the king, his government, and the people –
would fear the Lord forever, throughout all generations.
i. “As the psalmist pours out his petitions, they glide into prophecies; for they are desires
fashioned upon promises, and bear, in their very earnestness, the pledge of their realisation.”
(Morgan)
b. He shall come down like rain upon the grass: God’s presence would then be with His
people as broad, as thick, and as good as showers that water the earth.
i. “The word zggez, which we translate mown grass, more properly means pastured grass or
pastured land; for the dew of the night is intended to restore the grass which has been eaten in
the course of the day.” (Clarke)
ii. “Refreshing and salutary, as the drops of heaven, to the shorn and parched grass, is the mild
administration of a wise and pious prince to his subjects. And what image can convey a better
idea of those most beneficial and blessed effects which followed the descent of the Son of God
upon the earth, and that of the Spirit, at the day of Pentecost? The prophets abound with
descriptions of those great events, couched in terms borrowed from the philosophy of rain and
dew. See Isaiah 44:3; 55:10; Hosea 14:5; Hebrews 6:7.” (Horne)
iii. The Scriptures often connect the ideas of righteous and just government and blessing upon
the ecology and produce of the land. “The Psalm as a whole, shows that what we call the ‘moral
realm’ and the ‘realm of nature’ form one indivisible whole to the Israelites. A community which
lives according to righteousness enjoys not only internal harmony, but also prosperity in field
and flock.” (Anderson, cited in VanGemeren)
iv. “Injustice has made Palestine a desert; if the Turk and Bedouin were gone, the land would
smile again; for even in the most literal sense, justice is the fertilizer of lands, and men are
diligent to plough and raise harvests when they have the prospect of eating the fruit of their
labours.” (Spurgeon)
c. In His days the righteous shall flourish: As God sends such a rich blessing, His people will
flourish and there will be an abundance of peace (shalom) that will last beyond comprehension
(until the moon is no more).
i. In a limited sense, this was true of Solomon. “In the kingdom of Solomon, through the
influence of his wisdom, good men were encouraged, righteousness flourished, and the land
enjoyed tranquility.” (Horne)
ii. In a greater sense, it points to Jesus alone. The connection between the righteous and peace
reminds us of Melchizedek, the One who was and is both the King of Righteousness and the
King of Peace (Hebrews 7:1-3).
B. The GreaterKing.
1. (8-11) Looking to a greater King, a greater reign.
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.

26. 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.
a. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea: Solomon began to lift his vision above a desire
for his own reign to be blessed towards the anticipation of the reign of a greater Son of David,
Messiah the King. This King would have dominion far greater than Solomon.
i. Under David and Solomon, Israel had its greatest extent of territory.
ii. “The messianic government spreads out over seas, rivers, and land. It is unnecessary to restrict
the meaning to a particular sea or river because 72:8 speaks of his universal rule, encompassing
seas, rivers, and lands.” (VanGemeren)
b. His enemies will lick the dust: To oppose the King with such a great dominion meant certain
defeat. His enemies would be brought low in a way associated with the curse upon the enemy in
Genesis 3:14-15.
i. “Bear in mind that it was a custom with many nations that, when individuals approached their
kings, they kissed the earth, and prostrated their whole body before them. This was the custom
especially throughout Asia.” (LeBlanc, cited in Spurgeon)
ii. “Tongues which rail at the Redeemer deserve to lick the dust.” (Spurgeon)
c. All kings shall fall down before Him: Solomon sang of a king far greater than Solomon ever
was. All nations shall serve Him, even those from faraway places and islands.
i. This was prophesied in a beautiful way by the prophet Nathan in 2 Samuel 7, which had in
mind both David’s immediate son and successor (Solomon) and David’s ultimate Son and
Successor (Jesus the Messiah). Both were in view in 2 Samuel 7:11-16, and both are in view in
Psalm 72. The fulfillment in Solomon’s day is described in 1 Kings 10:23-25.
ii. “The distant nations are the kings of the ‘distant shores’ (72:10): Tarshish (cf. Psalm 48:7),
Sheba (modern Yemen), and Seba (an African nation: cf. Genesis 10:7; Isaiah 43:3, 45:14).”
(VanGemeren)
iii. “Tarshish may have been Tartessus in Spain; it was in any case a name associated with long
voyages; likewise the isles or ‘coastlands’ were synonymous with the ends of the earth: see, e.g.
Isaiah 42:10.” (Kidner)
2. (12-14) The compassionate rule of Messiahthe King.
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.

27. a. He will deliver the needy when he cries, the poor also: The justice and righteousness
Solomon prayed for and aspired to regarding his own reign (Psalm 72:1-4) will be perfectly
fulfilled in the Greater King.
i. “All helpless ones are under the especial care of Zion’s compassionate King; let them hasten to
put themselves in fellowship with him. Let them look to him, for he is looking for them.”
(Spurgeon)
b. He will save the souls of the needy: His work will go beyond what is thought of today as
social work; the Greater King will also work to save the souls of the poor and needy.
c. He will redeem their life from oppression and violence: We can see this in both the
oppression and violence they are targets of, and of that which they inflict upon others. Both are
forms of slavery that require one to be set free from by purchase (redeem their life).
i. Oppression and violence: “Those two noted engines of all mischief to the poor, viz. privy
deceit…and open violence, fraud and force, craft and cruelty.” (Trapp)
ii. “The king is represented in Psalm 72:14 as taking on himself the office of Goel, or Kinsman-
Redeemer, and ransoming his subjects’ lives from ‘deceit and violence.’” (Maclaren)
iii. Blessed as it was, Solomon’s own reign did not live up to this fully. After his death they
complained of his oppression (1 Kings 12:4). “Solomon continues to speak more wisely than he
was ever to act.” (Kidner)
d. Precious shall be their blood in His sight: The lives of the poor and needy are often
considered to be of little value. The Messiah, the Greater King, will regard their lives as
precious. This is especially meaningful when we consider the cheap regard for life outside of
and before the world influenced by Christianity.
3. (15-17) The exaltation of the Greater King.
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.
His name shall endure forever;
His name shall continue as long as the sun.
And men shall be blessedin Him;
All nations shall call Him blessed.
a. He shall live: Commentators debate if the He spoken of here refers to the ransomed man of
the previous lines or of the King who ransomed him. Since the previous lines speak of a
multitude redeemed and this He speaks of One, and because the following lines fit much better
with the King, we regard He shall live as both a wish and a declaration for the King.
i. “How little this might mean is obvious from the address, ‘O king, live forever’, in the book of
Daniel; yet also how much, can be seen from the Messianic prophecies and from the way these
were understood in New Testament times.” (Kidner)

28. ii. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Solomon wrote things regarding Messiah the King that were
perhaps beyond his own understanding. It’s possible he never knew how wonderful it would be
to say of the King of Kings who laid down His life as a sacrifice for sins that after three days in
the tomb all would see and say, He shall live.
b. The gold of Sheba will be given to Him: The Greater King would receive gifts and honor and
praise. In turn He would bestow great blessing on the earth (an abundance of grain in the
earth) and upon His people (those of the city shall flourish).
i. “Poor as God’s people usually are, the era will surely arrive when the richest of the rich will
count it all joy to lay their treasures at Jesus’ feet.” (Spurgeon)
ii. Its fruit shall wave like Lebanon: “It shall yield such abundance of corn, that the ears, being
thick, and high, and full of corn, shall, when they are shaken with the wind, make a noise not
unlike that which the tops of the trees of Lebanon sometimes make upon the like occasion.”
(Poole)
iii. “Gold, grain, and fruit were ancient measures of prosperity. So this is a way of saying that
under the reign of Jesus there will be prosperity of every conceivable kind.” (Boice)
c. Prayer also will be made for Him continually: We can think of how prayer could and would
be offered for an earthly king, but we don’t often think of believers praying for Jesus Messiah.
i. We can say that we pray for Jesus when we pray for one of His people. There is a sense in
which we pray for Jesus when we pray for the spread of His gospel.
d. His name shall endure forever: Solomon sensed that this Greater Son of David, the Greater
King, would be more than a great man. He and His fame, and greatness of His character, would
endure forever.
i. “We see on the shore of time the wrecks of the Caesars, the relics of the Moguls, and the last
remnants of the Ottomans. Charlemagne, Maximilian, Napoleon, how they flit like shadows
before us! They were and are not; but Jesus for ever is.” (Spurgeon)
ii. “The perpetuity, which he conceived of as belonging to a family and an office, really belongs
to the One King, Jesus Christ, whose Name is above every name, and will blossom anew in fresh
revelations of its infinite contents, not only while the sun shines, but when its fires are cold and
its light quenched.” (Maclaren)
e. Menshall be blessedin Him; all nations shall call Him blessed: Solomon recognized that
this King of Kings was not only the fulfillment of the promise made to David in 2 Samuel 7:11-
16. He was also the fulfillment of the great promise made to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3: In you
all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
i. “Christ is all blessing. When you have written down his name, you have pointed to the fountain
from which all blessings flow.” (Spurgeon)
ii. “To us the song of this psalm is a prophecy of hope. We have seen the King, and we know the
perfect Kingdom must come, for God cannot be defeated.” (Morgan)
iii. Psalm 72 speaks powerfully of the kingdom of the King of Kings and speaks of it in terms of
His personal rule, not ruling through an institution such as the Church. “In this Psalm, at least,
we see a personal monarch, and he is the central figure, the focus of all the glory; not his servant,
but himself do we see possessing the dominion and dispensing the government. Personal
pronouns referring to our great King are constantly occurring in this Psalm; he has dominion,

29. kings fall down before him,: and serve him; for he delivers; he spares, he saves, he lives, and
daily is he praised.” (Spurgeon)
4. (18-19) Closing doxology of praise.
Blessedbe the Lord God, the God of Israel,
Who only does wondrous things!
And blessedbe His glorious name forever!
And let the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen.
a. Blessedbe the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only does wondrous things: Solomon was
moved to praise when he considered the greatness of Messiah the King. The work in and through
Jesus the Messiah is the work of wondrous things.
b. Let the whole earth be filled with His glory: The thought of the greatness of God and His
work naturally led the heart to long that this blessing be extended through the whole earth and
that it not only be touched by but filled with His glory.
i. “We pray that the atheist, the blasphemer, the hardened rebel, the prodigal, may each be filled
with God’s glory; and then we ask for mercy for the whole earth; we leave not out so much as
one, but so hope and expect the day when all mankind shall bow at the Saviour’s feet.”
(Spurgeon)
ii. There is also a tragedy in this psalm. As high as it soars with the concept of the king and his
reign, we remember the sad disappointment of how quickly the monarchy in Israel declined after
Solomon. There were certainly some good kings after him, but the glory of the kingdom went
from Solomon’s gold (1 Kings 10:16-17) to Rehoboam’s bronze (1 Kings 14:25-28) in only
about five years.
5. (20) End to the Second Book of Psalms.
The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
a. The prayers of David: We take this as Solomon’s postscript on the collection of psalms
gathered into Book Two. David authored most of the psalms in Book Two, and Asaph composed
the first 11 psalms of Book Three, so this is a good marking point. We also note that these are
not only songs, but also prayers.
b. David the son of Jesse:Because this psalm so exalts the King of Kings, Solomon properly did
not refer to David with any royal title, though deserved. David happily takes the lower place
before the Greater Son of David and is simply the son of Jesse, a simple farmer of Bethlehem.
(c) 2019 The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – ewm@enduringword.com
MACLAREN
The last part of the psalm (Psalms 72:16-17) recurs to petitions for the growth of the nation and
the perpetual flourishing of the king’s name. The fertility of the land and the increase of its
people are the psalmist’s desires, which are also certainties, as expressed in Psalms 72:16. He
sees in imagination the whole land waving with abundant harvests, which reach even to the tops

30. of the mountains, and rustle in the summer air, with a sound like the cedars of Lebanon, when
they move their layers of greenness to the breeze. The word rendered above "abundance" is
doubtful; but there does not seem to be in the psalmist’s mind the contrast which he is often
supposed to be expressing, beautiful and true as it is, between the small beginnings and the
magnificent end of the kingdom on earth. The mountains are here thought of as lofty and barren.
If waving harvests clothe their gaunt sides, how will the vales laugh in plentiful crops! As the
earth yields her increase, so the people of the king shall be multiplied, and from all his cities they
shall spring forth abundant as grass. That figure would bear much expansion; for what could
more beautifully set forth rapidity of growth, close-knit community, multiplication of units, and
absorption of these in a lovely whole, than the picture of a meadow clothed with its grassy
carpet? Such hopes had only partial fulfilment in Israel. Nor have they had adequate fulfilment
up till now. But they lie on the horizon of the future, and they shall one day be reached. Much
that is dim is treasured in them. There may be a renovated world, from which the curse of
barrenness has been banished. There shall be a swift increase of the subjects of the King, until
the earlier hope of the psalm is fulfilled, and all nations shall serve him.
But bright as are the poet’s visions concerning the kingdom, his last gaze is fastened on its king,
and he prays that his name may last forever, and may send forth shoots as long as the sun shines
in the sky. He probably meant no more than a prayer for the continual duration of the dynasty,
and his conception of the name as sending forth shoots was probably that of its being perpetuated
in descendants. But, as has been already noticed, the perpetuity, which he conceived of as
belonging to a family and an office, really belongs to the One King, Jesus Christ, whose Name is
above every name, and will blossom anew in fresh revelations of its infinite contents, not only
while the sun shines, but when its fires are cold and its light quenched. The psalmist’s last desire
is that the ancient promise to the fathers may be fulfilled in the King, their descendant, in whom
men shall bless themselves. So full of blessedness may He seem to all men, that they shall take
Him for the very type of felicity, and desire to be even as He is! In men’s relation to Christ the
phrase assumes a deeper meaning still: and though that is not intended by the psalmist, and is not
the exposition of his words, it still is true that in Christ all blessings for humanity are stored, and
that therefore if men are to be truly blessed they must plunge themselves into Him, and in Him
find all that they need for blessedness and nobility of life and character. If He is our supreme
type of whatsoever things are fair and of good report, and if we have bowed ourselves to Him
because He has delivered us from death, then we share in His life, and all His blessings are
parted among us.
Rev. David Holwick ZL Psalms
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
December 14, 2014
Psalm 72:1-4,12-14; Luke 2:13-14
I HEARD THE BELLS

31. I. Tragedy can be inspiring.
A. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem.
Four months after the beginning of the Civil War, the
Longfellow family, famous for their father's poetry, was in
their home near Boston enjoying a summer afternoon.
Henry's wife Fanny was using a candle when a breeze caused
her dress to ignite.
She raced into the room where her husband was and he desperately
tried to put out the flames.
She died the next day.
Henry did not attend her funeral because he was too overstricken
with grief and the pain from his own burns.
Most photographs show him with a long beard, which he grew
because he could no longer shave his face due to the scars.
A year after the incident, he wrote, "I can make no record of
these days. Better leave them wrapped in silence.
Perhaps someday God will give me peace."
Longfellow's journal entry for Dec. 25th 1862 reads: "'A merry
Christmas' say the children, but that is no more for me."
A few months later, Longfellow's oldest son Charles signed up
in the Union army without telling his father.
That November, Charles was severely wounded in the Battle
of New Hope Church in Virginia.
Coupled with the death of his wife, Henry Longfellow was
moved to write a poem on Christmas Day in 1863.
And in despair I bowed my head;
"There is no peace on earth," I said;
"For hate is strong, and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"
But it was something he heard that Christmas morning that
gave him new hope:
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail, the Right prevail,

32. With peace on earth, good-will to men."
#14974
B. Peace on earth has always been elusive.
1) Violence and oppression have existed from the beginning.
2) But that is all the more reason to hope for a change,
a transformation of the human order.
3) During the dark days of the Civil War, Longfellow could
see beyond the hate to a day when Right would win.
4) The Bible does even better - it tells us how it will win,
and who will bring it about.
II. Earthly conflict is not limited to wars.
A. The turmoil of Ferguson, Missouri.
1) I don't watch much cable news, I know the protests and riots
were covered non-stop for a long time.
a) I actually grew up 3 miles away from there, from
kindergarten to second grade.
b) I returned to visit in recent years and was amazed
how run-down and poor the area looked.
c) There are not a lot of opportunities for young people
there. Crime is probably high.
2) What really happened there?
a) Did a trigger-happy cop gun down a defenseless kid,
or did an officer defend himself in a volatile
situation?
b) The truth will probably always be hidden in two
hearts - one won't tell, and the other can't.
c) But most people feel they know the truth themselves.
B. The divisions are stark.
1) Only 47% of whites think the police officer should be
charged with a crime.
2) 90% of blacks do - that's twice as many.
a) Eric Garner's chokehold death on Staten Island
produces a similar disparity.
3) Similar divisions can be seen in politics.

33. a) In Presidential elections, both parties hover around
50% of voters.
b) That sounds even but it represents a chasm of opinion.
1> It is not uncommon for people to question the sanity
and spirituality of those on the other side.
C. Who is right?
1) Is one group totally out of touch with reality?
2) Are we all out of touch?
III. Our viewpoint depends on where we stand.
A. Our social views are shaped by our wealth, race, education.
1) If you could instantly change any of these things in your
life, you would probably have radically different
experiences in the world.
a) If you are middle class, you probably trust the police.
1> If you are poor, you probably don't.
b) But if you are poor, are you more likely to be doing
things that will attract the attention of police?
2) It is hard for a particular person to know, because we
only get one life to live.
B. A few people have a toe in both sides.
1) The Apostle Paul was a Jew and faced discrimination in
the Roman Empire, but he was also a Roman citizen
and had important rights, if he insisted.
2) In Acts 16:22, Paul is attacked by a mob and then arrested.
a) They flog him and put him in prison with no trial
but the next morning send officers to let him go.
b) Paul doesn't go quietly; in 16:37 he tells them:
"They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we
are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison.
And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No!
Let them come themselves and escort us out."
And that is exactly what happened.
Paul was in a despised minority but he had an edge.
Most people don't.

34. C. In the Bible, the poor and oppressed saw things differently.
1) Consider Mary's song of praise in Luke 1:51-53, after
hearing she will give birth to the Messiah:
"He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has
scattered those who are proud in their inmost
thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones but
has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things but has
sent the rich away empty."
2) Mary portrays God as a great Equalizer.
a) Rulers are dethroned, poor are lifted up.
b) Hungry people are satisfied but rich starve.
3) It sounds socialistic, even communistic.
a) But it does reveal some important truths about how the
Bible views justice.
b) This viewpoint can also be seen in Psalm 72.
IV. The promise of Psalm 72.
A. The psalm is written by Solomon, or about him.
1) The charge given to King David had passed down to his son.
2) Succeeding generations of leaders had the same duty but
only the Messiah could fulfill it perfectly.
B. The best attribute a king can have is a sense of justice.
1) Justice is not just getting wrong and right straightened
out.
a) Balance has to be brought to society.
b) The little guys have to be taken care of.
1> The afflicted, the children, the oppressed. 72:4
2> The duty of the king is to rescue them. 72:14
2) Prosperity is secondary - it results from getting justice
right.
a) You know a society is just when spiritual people
flourish. 72:7
b) It takes leaders with good values to bring this about.

35. c) Ultimately, it will take Jesus. Someday...
V. Does Jesus make a difference now?
A. Our earth doesn't seem very heavenly right now.
1) Much needs to be fixed.
2) Jesus himself knew all about injustice.
a) He was tortured and killed by politicians.
b) They were more interested in power plays than in truth.
3) But Jesus accomplished his divine mission by going to the
cross.
a) He will return to earth to claim it as his own.
b) That is when there will be "peace on earth."
B. The justice of Jesus is already rolling.
1) Jesus uses his followers to bring it about.
2) An example in the land of Israel today.
This summer the BBC reported on a Palestinian Christian
family which is battling Israel to hold onto its land.
It is outside Bethlehem and they have owned it for
98 years.
Israelis have built settlements all around it and
recently they bulldozed one of their orchards, saying
it was on illegal land.
The government wants to seize 90% of their property.
Unlike most Palestinians, the Nassar family has a deed for
the land, registered in 1924 with the British overlords.
They hired a surveyor for $70,000 but it did no good.
The Israelis always demand something else.
The Nassars know the Israelis just want them to pack up
and leave.
But they won't go. And they won't hate.
In their words, "We refuse to be enemies."
Their response to injustice will never be violence.
They have hosted Jews, Muslims and Christians at their
farm, all because of their devout father.
"What we do now, as a family, is fulfilling the dream of

36. [our] father that people can build bridges, for hope,
for understanding, reconciliation, dialogue, to
achieve peace.
This is the idea."
CHUCK SMITH
Psalm 72:1-20 is entitled, "A Psalm for Solomon." As we read this, we find that it goes far
beyond Solomon and actually is a prophecy of that Son that was promised to David, even Jesus
Christ, who would sit on the throne of David and rule it and establish it in order, in justice, and in
righteousness, from henceforth forever. And so Psalm 72:1-20 transcends beyond just David"s
prayer for his son Solomon, and it becomes an expression of Jesus Christ in the Kingdom Age
upon the throne of David. And so, there is that dual interpretation of Psalm 72:1-20 .
Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king"s son ( Psalm 72:1 ).
When Jesus Christ comes again, the first order is that of judging the earth, gathering together the
nations for judgment. "Give judgment unto thy king, and thy righteousness to the king"s son."
He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and the poor with judgment. The mountains shall
bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. He shall judge the poor of the
people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. They
shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. He shall come
down like rain upon mown grass: as showers that water the earth. In his days shall the righteous
flourish; and the abundance of peace so long as the moon endures ( Psalm 72:2-7 ).
So you see even by the words of the psalm. "They shall fear Thee as long as the sun and the
moon endure, throughout all the generations." So it carries far beyond Solomon to that righteous
King that God had promised to sit upon the throne of David, and to establish it from henceforth
even forever, as long as the moon endures.
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the eaRuth ( Psalm
72:8 ).
Again, the kingdom of God covering the entire earth.
They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. The
kings of Tarshish and the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him ( Psalm 72:9-11 ).
"Every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord, to the glory of
God the Father" ( Philippians 2:10-11 ). And the kings of the earth will gather, bring gifts from
all over the world where His kingdom extends, and will bring the praises of the people unto Him
in Jerusalem. The glorious Kingdom Age.
Now when you read of the kings of the earth coming and gathering and paying their homage and
bringing their gifts, who are those kings of the earth? Revelation, chapter1 , verse Psalm 72:5-6,
"Unto Him who loved us and who hath made us unto our God a kingdom of priests, and we shall
reign with Him upon the earth." Revelation, chapter5 , the song of the redeemed saints in heaven,

37. "Worthy is the Lamb to take the scroll and loose the seals, for Thou was slain and have redeemed
us by Thy blood, out of every nation, tribe, tongue, kindred, and people, and hath made us unto
our God, kings and priests. And we shall reign with Thee upon the earth." The church. So this
mention of the kings falling down before Him is actually a reference to you, His church, and
your place with Him in the Kingdom Age.
For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall
spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from
deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight. And 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. There shall be a 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.
His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be
blessed in him: and all nations shall call him blessed. Blessed be Jehovah God, the God of Israel,
who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole
earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and Amen. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended
( Psalm 72:12-20 ).
So this brings us to the end of the second book of the psalms. As we mentioned to you, the
psalms are actually divided into five books, and each of the books ends with a doxology. And
here we find the doxology, "The whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen." Just
sort of, you know, the capstone on the thing, the conclusion. And thus, the prayers of David the
son of Jesse are ended.
So as we enter into Book Three of the Psalm, we now get into a series of psalms that are ascribed
to Asaph. Now Asaph was the chief musician. He was appointed by David as head over the
musicians. Whether it is the name of an actual person or the title for the chief musician is not
known. It is quite possible that Asaph is just the title for the chief musician, and thus, the psalms
of Asaph would be the psalms of the chief musician, and not necessarily of the same person.
Some of these psalms ascribed here to Asaph are psalms that definitely go beyond the Davidic
period of reign, even into the areas of the desolation. Psalm that were written after the nation of
Israel was devastated by their enemies, which, of course, goes then beyond Solomon"s reign. "
CALVIN
PSALM 72
David in this psalm prays to God, in the name of the whole Church, for the continual prosperity
of the kingdom which was promised him, and teaches us at the same time, that the true happiness
of the godly consists in their being placed under the government of a king who was raised to the
throne by the appointment of heaven.
¶ Of Solomon. 119l "
From the inscription of this psalm we cannot determine who was its author. As it is expressly
said at the close to be the last of David’s prayers, it is more probable that it was composed by
him than by Solomon, his successor. 120l "/ccel/bible/asv.iiSam.7.html It may, however, be
conjectured that Solomon reduced the prayer of his father into poetical measure, to make it more

38. generally known, and to bring it more extensively into use among the people, — a conjecture
which is not improbable. But as the letter ‫,ׁש‬ lamed, has many significations in Hebrew, it may be
explained as denoting that this psalm was composed for or in behalf of Solomon. If this is
admitted, it is to be observed, that under the person of one man there is comprehended the state
of the kingdom through successive ages. After having carefully weighed the whole matter, I am
disposed to acquiesce in the conjecture, that the prayers to which David gave utterance on his
death-bed were reduced by his son into the form of a psalm, with the view of their being kept in
everlasting remembrance. To indicate the great importance of this prayer, and to induce the
faithful with the greater earnestness to unite their prayers with the memorable prayer of this holy
king, it is expressly added, that this is the last which he poured forth. As Solomon did nothing
more than throw into the style of poetry the matter to which his father gave expression, David is
to be considered as the principal author of this inspired composition. Those who would interpret
it simply as a prophecy of the kingdom of Christ, seem to put a construction upon the words
which does violence to them; and then we must always beware of giving the Jews occasion of
making an outcry, as if it were our purpose, sophistically, to apply to Christ those things which
do not directly refer to him. But as David, who was anointed king by the commandment of God,
knew that the terms upon which he and his posterity possessed the kingdom were, that the power
and dominion should at length come to Christ; and as he farther knew that the temporal well-
being of the people was, for the time, comprehended in this kingdom, as held by him and his
posterity, and that from it, which was only a type or shadow, there should at length proceed
something far superior — that is, spiritual and everlasting felicity; knowing, as he did, all this, he
justly made the perpetual duration of this kingdom the object of his most intense solicitude, and
prayed with the deepest earnestness in its behalf, — reiterating his prayer in his last moments,
with the view of distinctly testifying, that of all his cares this was the greatest. What is here
spoken of everlasting dominion cannot be limited to one man, or to a few, nor even to twenty
ages; but there is pointed out the succession which had its end and its complete accomplishment
in Christ.
119 “Ou, pour Solomon.” — Fr marg “Or, for Solomon.” The prefix ‫,ׁש‬ lamed, may be rendered
either of or for
120 To this it may be added, as Dathe observes, that “Solomon could not, without the imputation
of vanity, have predicted in such strains the glory of his reign, the admiration with which he
would be regarded by other nations, and the happiness of his subjects, arising from his prudence
and virtue.” The same writer adds, “But while David, or the inspired author, whoever he was,
predicted the prosperity of Solomon’s reign, the promise given (2 Samuel 7) of that greatest and
best of kings, who was afterwards to arise in the family of David, seems to have been brought
before his mind. This is the reason that the description given is, in various respects, more suited
to the reign of the Messiah than to the reign of Solomon.”
HENRY LAW
15-17. "And 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. There
shall be a handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit

39. thereof shall shake like Lebanon; and they of the city shall flourish like grass of
the earth. His name shall endure forever; His name shall be continued as long as
the sun; and men shall be blessed in Him; all nations shall call Him blessed."
Other kings grow old; their strength declines, they go down to the grave. David,
when he had served his generation, fell on sleep. Not so our glorious King.
Immortality is His property—eternal days are the duration of His reign. It is the
joy of His willing subjects to present their offerings to Him, and prayer
continually encircles His high throne. His subjects, also, shall marvelously
increase. The seed of His truth sown in places unlikely to yield fruit shall bring
forth abundantly, as corn cast on the top of barren tops of mountains shall
sometimes gladden with signs of fertility. The crowded city, also, shall be
thronged with converts—they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by
the watercourses. Ages shall run their course; but while the sun hangs out its
glorious light, the name of Jesus shall be magnified, and nations blessed by His
favor, upheld by His power, and magnified in His might shall honor Him as the
one source of blessedness, and shall adore Him forever as the blessed.
18-19. "Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous
things. And blessed be His glorious name forever; and let the whole earth be
filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen."
This glorious hymn can have but one conclusion. Doxology must be its end! But
how can we praise Him enough to whom alone the wonders of redemption
appertain? forever and forever let blessings magnify His glorious name.
Throughout the length and breadth of earth may His glory be resplendent! May
our grateful hearts respond, "Amen and Amen!"
LANGE COMMENTARY
Psalm 72:17. Before the sun let his name sprout.—This hardly refers to his posterity, through
whom his name would transplant itself (Hupfeld), but to the occasions which would repeat
themselves in the coming generations for the breaking forth of the glory of this name, in which
all nations may bless themselves ( Genesis 18:18; Genesis 22:18; Genesis 26:4; Genesis 48:20).
The subject which is at first general and indefinite is finally very clearly expressed.
[The doxology which closes this book is fuller than that of the 1 st Book. The use of Jehovah
Elohim instead of Jehovah is characteristic, and is in accordance with the use of the Divine
names in the two books.—C. A. B.] The predicate of God, Psalm 72:18 b, is like Psalm 88:6;
Psalm 136:4; Job 9:8; His name bearing the impression of glory is as Nehemiah 9:5, the
construction and contents of Psalm 72:19 b are from Numbers 14:21.

40. [The historical remark, Psalm 72:20, was apparently attached to an original collection of the
Psalm of David made by Song of Solomon, or under his superintendence, to which Psalm of
Solomon of a Messianic character formed the introduction and conclusion. Vid. Psalm 1, 2. This
collection was composed mainly of the Psalm of the first two books, although changes in taking
from and adding to may have been made in subsequent times, especially when the Psalter was
completed in its present form. This historical remark may be compared with Job 31:40.—C. A.
B.]
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. Nothing can be implored for a king more rich in blessing than the capacity and power for a
righteous and mild government whose fruit is peace ( Isaiah 32:17) and prosperity throughout
the land. From the righteous king such a fructifying effect goes forth that the fear of God is
spread abroad through the coming generations, and his rule gains an unlimited extent.
2. Yet this king will not extend his rule by the sword, but only by his righteousness and his
helping love will he rule and conquer. Voluntarily other kings and their peoples will do homage
to him, uneasy and hostile neighbors will sink impotent in the dust, those who have been
delivered, protected and blessed by him will thankfully offer their gifts, prayers and homage.
Thus will his rule endure in the power of the blessing of piety, his kingdom increase, his land
prosper, his people bloom, and his name be a means of blessing from generation to generation,
Psalm 45:2; Psalm 102:12.
3. Such wishes and hopes as these do not float in the air like human phantasies or empty dreams
without prospect of realization; they have their sure ground in the promises of God respecting the
son of David, their historical support in the Divine guidance of Israel and his kingdom, their
constant type in the Theocracy, their transient type in Solomon’s peaceful rule, their final
fulfilment by the Messiah and his kingdom of God, their lasting power in the faith in the
blessings, by which God has decreed and promised to overcome in all generations the curse
resting upon them.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
Peace as the wholesome fruit of righteousness.—The fear of God as the source of earthly and
heavenly blessings.—The welfare of nations: a, in what it consists; b, how it is gained; c,
whereby it is assured.—The blessing in the name of the Lord.—When prince and people pray
with and for one another, they are blessings to one another.—Righteous judgment, mild
government, and a pious mind are the jewels of the king, the happiness of the people, and are
well pleasing to God.—Willing obedience, thankful love, devoted trust as testimonies of the
sprouting power of the name of the Lord.—The prayers of believers have their yea and amen in
the name of the Lord.—The promises respecting the duration, extent, and the happiness of the
kingdom, set up by God’s king, ruled and filled with blessings by him.
Starke : The office of the magistrate is not only to punish the wicked with righteous judgment,
but likewise to protect the poor and miserable.—Since God calls men to His service from all
places and quarters, it is very clear that His will is that all men should be blessed.—In the world
those are helped who are the least needy, whilst those who are most needy are often allowed to
sink into misery; but with Christ it is not Song of Solomon, the poor are the especial objects of
His compassion and deliverance.—God’s works have often to the reason a slight beginning, but
afterwards a wonderful, blessed, and agreeable progress.—As sure as the true mouth of the Lord

41. has said, that all the world shall be full of His glory, it will be fulfilled in the most complete
manner.
Selnekker: O thou poor reason, and miserable flesh and blood, what art thou frightened at, and
why dost thou fear death and suffering? Is my blood precious with God, what wish I more?—
Renschel: The chief subjects of thanksgiving: 1) That God the Lord has done and still does such
great wonders in the kingdom of Christ; 2) that He declares His name and gospel therein; 3) that
He spreads it abroad in all lands; 4) that He will eternally preserve His word and His Church.—
Umbreit: The love of the king is the ground of the universal conversion of nations to Him.
Because He helps the poor, all the rich bow before Him.—Tholuck: As the eternal God wields
the sceptre of His righteousness for the good of His oppressed congregation on earth, He has
appointed His anointed to conquer the earth for His meek ones.—Guenther: Heathendom will
have an end, this kingdom of sorrow and misery will blossom into the glorious kingdom of
peace.—Taube : The kingdom of God comes in its royal glory only at the advent of the Lord;
now are the times of preparation.
[Matth. Henry: 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.—Christ is the poor man’s
King.—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 all to Him, and
to Him they lie under the highest obligations.—Spurgeon: Each crystal drop of rain tells of
heavenly mercy which forgets not the parched plains; Jesus is all grace, all that He does is love,
and His presence among men is joy. We need to preach Him more, for no shower can so refresh
the nations. Philosophic preaching mocks men as with a dust shower, but the gospel meets the
case of fallen humanity, and happiness flourishes beneath its genial power.—If we can do no
more than cry, it will bring omnipotence to our aid. A cry is the native language of a spiritually
needy soul; it has done with fine phrases and long orations, and it takes to sobs and moans, and
Song of Solomon, indeed, it grasps the most potent of all weapons, for heaven always yields to
such artillery.—Christ’s subjects shall be as plentiful as blades of grass, and shall as suddenly
appear as eastern verdure after a heavy shower.—C. A. B.]
Footnotes:
FN#6 - 6[Perowne: “The sun and the moon are mentioned here, and again ver7, and in Psalm
89:37, as witnesses to an everlasting order, and as it were figures of eternity, things fixed and
unchangeable, compared with the fleeting, dying generations of men, as Jeremiah 31:35;
Jeremiah 33:20; though as compared with God, themselves subject to decay and destruction,
Psalm 102:26; Isaiah 51:6; comp. Job 14:18.”—C. A. B.]
The People's Bible by Joseph Parker
Psalm 72:1
A Psalm for Solomon. Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's
son.The Kingship of Jesus
Psalms 72

42. There has not been wanting a disposition to empty the so-called Messianic psalms, of their
references to Jesus Christ. In a sense, it is not only right but spiritually profitable to get at the
immediate and literal meaning of prophecy and psalm, and every other Scripture; at the same
time, why should there be any other disposition to limit the signification of the sacred writers to
local and transient events, when many of them are evidently charged with greater meaning than
can be justly limited to any one occasion? As a rule of criticism we should determine in the first
instance to find out the literal and grammatical meaning of every passage, and where possible to
fix the local operation of its primary significance; but this being done it is open to the religious
imagination to fill in all the larger meanings of which the sacred words are susceptible, and
where the history justifies the application of larger meanings the critic should take his stand upon
historical conditions and vindicate himself by realisations which may not have entered into the
dream of the original writer. It is quite within the compass of easy proof that many of the writers
of holy Scripture did not themselves know the full extent of their own meaning. As in nature, so
in revelation; even a stone may be put to various uses; all the elements of the earth may be
gathered up and shaped into unexpected significations and symbolisms: and so a man may have
written words which he himself limited as to time and space, and yet the meaning of inspiration
may reach infinitely further than the boundaries which he imposed upon himself in setting down
what he supposed to be his own words. For my part, I cannot read this psalm without feeling that
as applied and limited to Solomon it is an intolerable exaggeration. There is no reason why
Solomon should not take his place in the psalm as being in some way prefigured by its
symbolism and apocalypse, but being like ourselves only a man, there are expressions in the
psalm which could not be literally applied to any human creature. If we are severely literal in one
direction, we must be equally severe in the other; and according to this equal law we shall save
ourselves from applying to King Solomon words which in their natural meaning would involve a
species of idolatry and even blasphemy. In no profound sense should prayer be made to any man
continually, nor daily should he be praised; nor should his name endure for ever in any other
sense than what is generally understood by the term reputation or fame. It is evident,
furthermore, that all nations could not call Solomon blessed, except in his relations to One
greater than himself and his father. Allowing, therefore, that Solomon has his place in the
references of this psalm, we still adhere to the holy conviction that the psalm is only fulfilled in
all its emblems, metaphors, and prognostications, by the King of kings and Lord of lords. We are
entitled to go back and interpret prophecy by history, and we know of no psalm which more
readily yields itself to historical interpretation than this noble ode.
The king often represented God to the Hebrew mind. The king was the medium through which
the Hebrew poet and worshipper saw as much as possible of the divine nature and government;
he was, indeed, a kind of incarnation of the divine righteousness and clemency: hence the
veneration with which the very name of the king was regarded, and hence the confidence that it
was impossible for him to be wicked, to pervert judgment, or to do wrong. The king was thus
interpreted, not in his limited personality, but in the symbolism of his office, and so interpreted
he became as god to the nations over which he reigned. The king referred to in this psalm is one
who has peculiar regard for the poor and the children of the needy, and by virtue of that regard
he sets himself in continual hostility to the oppressor and to those who live by unrighteousness.
Surely this prophecy was fulfilled in the Son of God, whose words of recognition in reference to
the poor were charged with the sublimest tenderness, and whose anger to those who were
hypocritical and oppressive and selfish burned like an oven. The gentleness of Christ is
beautifully represented by the words, "He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as

43. showers that water the earth,"—there shall be nothing of tempest in his way of coming, nothing
of violence; no storm shall follow in his track, as he moves forward to save and comfort the sons
of men: he shall, so to say, be best represented by those processes of nature which are most
gracious; he shall be part of the very grain that blesses the earth; he shall mingle with the light
which brings the morning; he shall be within the warmth that comforts and fertilises the earth
with gracious heat: no special chariot of thunder shall be created in which he may go forth; rather
will he join the simplest and most familiar processes of nature, and come as one who attracts no
attention except by the consciousness of fuller grace which he works in every heart that receives
him.
The more active aspects of his ministry are shown in such words as—"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." These words are
pregnant even with military meaning, for they signify that, stand in the way who may, or what
may, all shall go down before the progress of the kingdom of Christ. There is no threatening of
hostility, there is no defiance of evil powers; nothing of the nature of challenge enters into these
solemn and gracious words; yet there they stand in all the solidity of a decree, in all the
brightness of a prophetic hope—"he shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river
unto the ends of the earth"—how much is involved in this promise, what a lifting up of things
that are cast down, what a smoothing of rough places, what an overturning of evil fortresses,
what an implication of Omnipotence! All these things can only find their fulfilment, and the
perfectness of their glory, in the rule of him who was made perfect through suffering. We are
told, indeed, in more aggressive language, that "his enemies shall lick the dust": this need not
imply any violence being inflicted upon the enemies, although that also comes within the scope
of the divine government and purpose; but it may mean that such shall be the progress of right,
such the vindication of justice, such the comfort which the poor shall realise and enjoy and
through which they shall be strengthened, that the enemies of Christ shall be bowed down with
shame and confusion, and shall seek a dwelling-place within the very shadow of his feet.
Not only are the poor to be blessed, and all the humble to be sustained and nourished by the
comforting grace of Christ, but all the great powers of the earth, as typified by kings and rulers,
shall offer their crowns to the Son of God,—"The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring
presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him:
all nations shall serve him." Thus the Son of God does not rule along one line only, as if he were
limited in grace or confined in power; he rules with both hands, he covers the whole space, he
throbs in every pulse of time; nothing is kept back from him, for his right extends over all things,
seeing that he made all things, and without him was not anything made that was made. How
these kingdoms shall be brought into submission we are not told, but even here there are two
processes by which kings and kingdoms, thrones and empires, may fall to the lot of the Son of
man, as a part of his decreed and eternal possession. The mighty powers of the earth may be
smitten down and crushed by irresistible force. Almightiness may breathe upon them, and cause
them to lose all their pride, and to give up all that is defiant and hostile; or a great spiritual
operation may take place within the heart of the mighty and the noble, and they may be lured
from all that is ambitious, worldly, and selfish, and be brought in humble homage to the Son of
man, uncrowning themselves before his majesty, and offering him the tribute of their worship
and love. This is the supreme method by which Christ makes men known, by which he enlarges
and consolidates his kingdom. He will not have kings or subjects merely chained to his throne as
if they were slaves; he will have them bound to his person and to his purposes, by the consent of

44. their love, by the homage of their hearts, by the yielding of their illuminated and sanctified
judgment. He acquires his supreme and eternal power over men by delivering the needy when
they cry, and the poor, and him that hath no helper; by sparing the poor and the needy, and
saving the souls of the needy; by redeeming their souls from deceit and violence, and by
counting their blood precious in his sight. He thus lays hold of the very foundations of society,
and works his upward way to the very topmost stratum, taking with him all men, women, and
children,—poor, feeble, homeless, lost; and never resting until he has brought within the circle of
his sovereignty, and the helpfulness of his benediction, men of every grade and quality.
Predictions of this kind could never be fulfilled in any one merely human personality. They
encompass too great a scope to be thus fulfilled. It is the glory of the Son of man that he knows
every heart, speaks every language, is present in every clime, and that throughout all the days of
time he grows upon the consciousness of men with ever-increasing and ever-brightening
vividness. No language is foreign to him; no life is beneath his regard; no place is too remote for
his visitation; all things lie before the vision of his love, and everything is touched by his
redeeming power. The earth longs for some such ruler. All the rulers that have been, all the
monarchs that have come and gone, have surely been charged with the meaning that there is yet
to come a King whose right it is to reign and whose dominion shall extend over all the earth.
Such a king we see in Christ Jesus. Blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth
be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen. Oh that those who love the Saviour would arise, and
clothe themselves with all their spiritual light, and proclaim to those who have never heard of the
Son of man how great he is, how rich in promise, how richer still in all that can redeem, touch,
and bless the heart of the world. Jesus Christ trusts himself to the love of his Church; he cannot
but feel that a Church which loves him with all its heart will not keep silence respecting his
name, but will go forth from land to land proclaiming it with all the emphasis of thankfulness
and affection. It is for the Church to say what part it will take in bringing about the glad and
heavenly time when the fruit of the handful of corn which God himself has sown shall shake like
Lebanon and be a store of nutriment to all mankind. It is not enough to read poetry of this kind,
to be charmed with its sweet cadences, and to regard it in a merely literary aspect; all that is
poetical, tender, and charming in divine promise and prediction should be turned into nerve and
power and courage, through which the Gospel shall be preached fearlessly in all lands, however
great the obstructions, however bitter and resolute the hostility. We have a glorious King to
proclaim. We need not be ashamed of his name, of his descent, of his decrees, of his power. If
any man shall ask who he is, and what right he has to reign, let the inquirer find the answer in
our lives, in our pureness, in our tenderness, in our charity, in our self-sacrifice; and let the world
feel that any king who can make men so characterised is worthy of universal confidence, and is
alone fitted to occupy with dignity and beneficence the throne of universal empire.
Prayer
Almighty God, if we are not afraid of thee, we owe our confidence and boldness to Jesus Christ
thy Son, our Saviour and our Priest. By him we come to thee, boldly asking that we may find
grace to help in time of need. We have no confidence in ourselves, but we have confidence in the
Cross—the key that opens heaven, the way into the broad universe, because the way into pardon
and purity and peace. We come by that way time after time, and our feet delight to walk it, for in
walking it our hearts glow with sacred fire. Jesus himself joins us, and makes our hearts burn
with love, and sets before us in the furthest distance a light that makes us glad. We bless thee for
the revelation of Christ Jesus, Son of man, Son of God, Physician of souls, Redeemer of sinners.
He is our supreme joy, our infinite trust; in him we have peace, and in him we have eternal joy.

45. Cleanse us in his most precious blood, purify our hearts by faith, drive away from our souls all
temptations towards self-trust and forgetfulness of God, and comfort us with a sense of thy
continual presence in the light and in the darkness, in all the beauty of summer, and in all the
cold and bitterness of winter. May we always know thee to be near, and, knowing that, our souls
shall have no straitness and narrowness, but shall live in an infinite liberty; and our joy, like our
peace, shall be unspeakable. Amen.
PULPIT COMMENTARY
Psalms 72:17
His Name shall endure forever (comp. Psalms 45:2, Psalms 45:6; Psalms 102:12; Isaiah 9:7).
"The eternity of the Name is based upon the eternity of the kingdom" (Hengstenberg). His Name
shall be continued as long as the sun (comp. Psalms 72:5); or, his Name shall be renewed—shall
spring again to fresh life. Dr. Kay compares an expression of Renan's, "Son culte se rajeunira."
And men shall be blessed in him; literally, men shall bless themselves in him (comp. Genesis
22:18; Genesis 26:4). All nations shall call him blessed. With these words the psalm, properly
speaking, ends. The doxology (Psalms 72:18, Psalms 72:19) and the note (Psalms 72:20) were
probably appended by the arranger of the book.
Psalms 72:18, Psalms 72:19
Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel (compare the other doxologies, which begin similarly
(Psalms 41:13; Psalms 89:52; Psalms 106:42). Who only doeth wondrous things (comp. Psalms
86:8, Psalms 86:10; and Job 5:9). And blessed be his glorious Name forever (comp. Psalms 29:2;
Psalms 34:3; Psalms 46:2; Psalms 69:30; Psalms 113:2, etc.). And let the whole earth be filled
with his glory. The whole earth can no otherwise be filled with the glory of God, than by men
everywhere glorifying him, and bowing clown in adoration before his Son. The promise had
been made that so it should one day be (Numbers 14:21); and the psalmist anticipates the
fulfilment of the promise. Amen, and Amen (comp. Psalms 41:13; Psalms 89:52; Psalms
106:48).
Psalms 72:20
The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. This is a note appended, either by the collector
of the first two Books of the Psalms, or by the collector of the Third Book, who thus marked the
difference between the previous collection and his own, the former containing sixty psalms
ascribed to David in their titles, and the latter one only (Psalms 86:1-17).
HOMILETICS
Psalms 72:17
Messiah's reign.
"Men shall be blessed in him." This great promise looks back to the glorious and amazing
assurance thrice given to the Patriarch Abraham (and repeated to his son and grandson, Genesis
12:3; Genesis 18:18; Genesis 22:18). St. Paul says the gospel was thus "preached before"

46. (Galatians 3:8). In the third of these passages, and in the text, the Hebrew word is strictly "bless
themselves" (margin, Revised Version); but the sense is governed by the other two passages (so
Genesis 26:4 compared with Genesis 28:14). As we are said to wash ourselves in water, though it
is the water that cleanses; or to feed ourselves, though it is the food that nourishes; or to rest
ourselves, though it is the resting place which yields us rest; so we bless ourselves when we take
the blessings God gives us, and find cleansing, food, rest, in Christ. Ancient Hebrew expositors
took this glorious psalm as a prophecy of Messiah. Modern Christian critics have spent great
learning and ingenuity in dethroning Christ, and leaving Solomon in his stead. If Solomon really
wrote this psalm concerning himself, it must be pronounced such a piece of self-glorification,
with such Eastern exaggeration, as we nowhere else find in Scripture. Yet we may regard the
peaceful glory of Solomon's reign, unlike anything before or since, as an earthly and typical
fulfilment, in part, of this majestic, prophetic picture, taking it to refer not to Solomon
personally, but to David's royal line, crowned and consummated in Christ (so of Abraham's line
St. Paul says, "which is Christ," Galatians 3:16).
I. GOD'S WORD PROMISES BLESSING IN WHICH ALL NATIONS ARE TO SHARE. This
wondrous chain of promises, stretching across, thousands of years, holds out a hope which has
no root but in the Bible—the universal equal happiness of all nations of mankind. Men may
discard the Bible, and yet cling, in the name of progress and civilization, to this splendid hope.
But whence did it spring? National happiness or welfare, or, in the strong Bible word,
"blessedness," depends on six things—justice, freedom, virtue, knowledge, distribution of
wealth, peace (Psalms 144:15).
1. Justice is the first office and object of government (Romans 13:1-5), the first condition of
national welfare (Deuteronomy 4:8). Great Charters, Petitions of Right, Declarations of
Independence, and the like, are the outcry of oppressed peoples for this prime necessity of
national life.
2. Freedom is really implied in justice, the only real guardian of right and nurse of true virtue.
3. Virtue is no less essential to real national happiness and greatness. Fraud, intemperance,
impurity, covetous greed, wild love of pleasure, sloth, cowardice, suck the vitals and sap the
roots of national life.
4. Knowledge is the parent of all progress. Not mere labour, but wisely directed labour, is the
source of wealth. The mind that invents and foresees must guide the hand which toils.
5. Right distribution of wealth is the most urgent national problem of our own day in our own
and all civilized nations. No nation is blessed in which immense wealth stagnates in a few hands,
and the toiling millions are wretched and joyless.
6. Peace is the fence and crown of all the other elements of national welfare. War is a short name
for all calamities, cruellest of misfortunes, if necessary and just; if unjust, avoidable, the greatest
of crimes.
II. ALL NATIONS ARE TO BE BLESSED IN CHRIST.
1. Possibility and reasonableness of this. It is not open to question that if even the bulk of a
nation, its rulers, legislators, and individual citizens became real Christians, such as may be
found by thousands, loving God truly and their neighbour unselfishly, hating vice, dealing justly,
loving mercy, and walking humbly with God,—that nation would soon be the envy of all nations.
Let every nation undergo such a transformation, and war would be impossible; slavery and

47. tyranny would be things of the past; social problems would be solved, not by legislation, but by
every one's sense of what is due to others; mutual help would take the place of fierce
competition; labour would become faithful, and wealth beneficent; even secular knowledge of all
kinds would receive a mighty impulse from the new value given to each human life and the high
moral tone of society. These things the gospel can certainly do, if only all men would believe.
2. Hopelessness of such a condition, except from the kingdom of Christ. Human nature has not in
itself the tendency to produce such a state of things. Knowledge and progress do not change
human nature, do not give life; Christ alone gives life (John 10:10).
3. Hopefulness of this prospect.
HOMILIES BY W. FORSYTH
Psalms 72:1-20
The glory of Christ's kingdom.
It is written that Satan took our Lord "up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed him all
the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them" (Matthew 4:8); but they had no charm, for
him. In this psalm we are, so to speak, taken up by the Spirit, and shown the kingdom of
Messiah; and as its glory opens to our sight our hearts are thrilled with admiration and delight.
With renewed ardour we cry, "Thy kingdom come." Consider some things testified here as to the
glory of Christ's kingdom.
I. THE GREATNESS OF THE SOVEREIGN. David and Solomon were in some respects great
kings; and their greatness, so far as it was real, arose from their feeling their dependence upon
God, and that it was their first duty to rule themselves and their people according to God's Law.
We know how in many things they offended. But here is a King spoken of whose greatness is of
a nobler kind, and who comes short in nothing of God's glory. As respects his nature, his
character, his relationships, he is supremely fitted to rule. In him "righteousness" and "judgment"
are found as in God. The will of God, on the one hand, and the welfare of his people are his
highest ends. "God is light;" and this King saith, "I am the Light of the world." "God is love;"
and this King's advent was proclaimed by angels as the Saviour who should bring down love to
men: "Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, good will to the children of men."
II. THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE ADMINISTRATION. (Psalms 72:2-4.) David, in his last
words, describes Messiah's manner of government (2 Samuel 23:1-4). It is characterized by
justice; there is no respect of persons; friends are not unduly favored, nor enemies unfairly
punished (Isaiah 11:4, Isaiah 11:5); the condition and interests of all are considered, and the poor
are specially regarded; but justice is blended with mercy. It is the glory of Christ's government
that it provides for the return of the rebellious, and for the restoration of the fallen.
III. THE HAPPINESS OF THE PEOPLE. (Psalms 72:6, Psalms 72:7.) The laws of the kingdom
are not only adapted to the nature and necessities of man, but designed for the welfare of those
who obey them (Deuteronomy 32:47; Isaiah 48:18); they are not arbitrary, but. founded in truth;
they are not alterable, but eternally fixed. Earthly governments so far regulate their laws
according to circumstances, and there may be improvements made and reforms carried out from
time to time for the greater advantage of the people; but the laws of this kingdom do not need
improvement—they are perfect as God is perfect. We see the result in the character and
privileges of the people (Isaiah 43:21; Matthew 5:1-10). They are enlightened, contented, law-
abiding; they strive to mould their lives according to the will of their King, and in loyalty and

48. devotion to him they find their highest honour and their highest happiness. In this kingdom alone
can liberty, equality, and fraternity, in the truest sense, be enjoyed.
IV. THE FUTURE TRIUMPHS THAT MAY BE CONFIDENTLY EXPECTED. This kingdom
is destined to grow from more to more; it has an unlimited power of expansiveness (Psalms 72:8,
Psalms 72:13); it is also marked by stability. Earthly kingdoms have their rise and fall; but this
kingdom is unshakable and eternal. It begins on earth, but is carried up to heaven. Other kings
may have successors, though often the direct succession fails; but this King has no successor, but
will reign forever and ever.—W.F.
Psalms 72:15
Christ on the throne.
If it may be said of the twenty-second psalm that it lets us see Christ on the cross, it may be said
of this that it shows us Christ on the throne. Instead of humiliation, there is exaltation; instead of
the mockery of "the purple robe," there is the homage of angels; instead of the wicked cries of
envious priests and a deluded people, "Crucify him!" there is the joyful song of the redeemed,
"Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth!" The saints on earth, as well as the saints in
heaven, are partakers of this joy; they know whom they have believed, and they have had
experience of his benign and righteous rule. We learn here—
I. THAT WHERE CHRIST REIGNS THERE IS LIFE. He is the Source and the Giver of life.
Where the waters that Ezekiel saw came, there was life; and so where the gospel of Christ
comes, there is life. The mind that before was dark has the life of truth; the conscience that
before was dormant has the life of righteousness; the heart that before was dead in sins is
quickened to the new life of love and holiness. Christ's rule ever tends to the well being of his
people.
II. THAT WHERE THERE IS LIFE THERE WILL BE PRAYER. The first sign of infant life is
breathing; and the first sign of the soul's life is the breathing of prayer to God. The life within
expresses itself in accordance with its nature and needs. The mind that has light cries for more
light; the conscience, awakened to a sense of sin, seeks deliverance; the heart that has been
touched with the love of God yearns for more love and nearer fellowship. So it was with Paul.
"Behold, he prayeth!" and so onward, through all the toils and struggles of his noble life, he
continued instant in prayer.
III. THAT WHERE THERE IS PRAYER THE SUPREME DESIRE WILL BE THE GLORY
OF CHRIST. Self will be lost in love. Concern about ourselves will be merged in concern for the
glory of Christ our Lord. "Prayer shall be made for him."
1. For his cause. What interests him will interest us; what lies nearest his heart will be nearest
ours. There is unity of life.
2. For his people. He identifies himself with them. He regards what is done to them as done to
himself. When "prayer was made of the Church" for Peter, they were, in a sense, making prayer
for Christ. Our sympathies should be as broad as the sympathies of Christ.
3. For his second coming. His first coming was the hope of Israel; his second coming is the hope
of the Church of the gospel (Revelation 22:20; Titus 2:13). "Prayer for Christ" increases our love
to him, binds us in closer union with the brethren, and enables us to transmit the blessed hope to
future generations. Think of the prayers made every Lord's day! What cause for thankfulness and
joy! Yea, "daily" prayer shall be made till prayer is consummated in praise.—W.F.

49. HOMILIES BY C. SHORT
Psalms 72:1-7
The effect of the anger of a perfectly righteous King.
Most probably put into form by Solomon, even if David suggested the substance of it. It is the
portrait of an ideal King, never yet realized completely by any earthly monarch, and finds its
perfect fulfilment only in Christ and his kingdom. Solomon did not fulfil it. It shows the effects
of the reign of a perfectly righteous King such as Christ.
I. HE PROCLAIMS AND ADMINISTERS ONLY RIGHTEOUS LAWS AND JUDGMENTS.
(Psalms 72:1, Psalms 72:2.) In opposition to the injustice of the despot. but the true King has a
passion for justice.
II. THE REIGN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS BRINGS IN THE REIGN OF PEACE. (Psalms 72:3.)
"Mountains and hills are mentioned as being characteristic features of the country." Peace is
always spoken of in the Scriptures as the fruit of righteousness—in public and in private.
III. IT UPHOLDS AND VINDICATES THE RIGHTS OF THE POOR AGAINST ALL
OPPRESSION. (Psalms 72:4.) Those who are born to poverty are more or less regarded by an
unrighteous government as having no rights. Christianity expresses the cause of the poor, and
vindicates their rights against all injustice and selfishness.
IV. RIGHTEOUS RULE TEACHES THE PEOPLE THE FEAR OF GOD. (Psalms 72:5.)
Corrupt government encourages licentiousness and irreligion among the people.
V. RIGHTEOUS GOVERNMENT QUICKENS AND FERTILIZES ALL THE AFFAIRS OF A
NATION. (Psalms 72:6.) As rain quickens and fertilizes the dry earth.
VI. GOOD MEN PROSPER AND HAVE PEACE UNDER RIGHTEOUS GOVERNMENT.
(Psalms 72:7.) But are mostly persecuted and despoiled of their liberty and rights under a
tyrannical rule. It is the office of a righteous king to defend the righteous; but it is Christ's work
to make men righteous by fashioning their minds anew by his Holy Spirit.—S.
Charles Simeon's Horae Homileticae
Psalms 72
EXCELLENCE OF CHRIST’S GOVERNMENT
Psalms 72:6-11. 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 hate dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the
earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him, and his enemies shall lick the dust.
The kings of Tarshish and of the Isles shall bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall
offer gifts: yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.
THE priesthood of Christ is that to which our attention is principally called in the New
Testament; the Epistle to the Hebrews being almost exclusively written upon that subject: but in

50. the Old Testament there seems to be a far more studied exhibition of his kingly office. The whole
Levitical law indeed typically displayed his priestly character: but the Prophets continually, in
the most express terms, declared, that the person, who was to be “a child born and a son given,”
should have “the government upon his shoulder [Note: Isaiah 9:6-7.],” and that an universal and
everlasting dominion should be committed to him [Note: Daniel 7:13-14.]. The psalm before us
is altogether occupied in describing the nature of his government, and the blessings which should
result from it. There was doubtless some reference to Solomon, who was the first of the Israelites
that was both “a king, and a king’s son [Note: ver. 1.]:” but the language in many parts cannot
with any truth or propriety be applied to him: it can relate to none but Him who was greater than
Solomon, even to the Messiah, whose glory no words can adequately describe.
The sublime passage which we have selected for our meditation at this time, will lead us to shew,
I. The nature of Christ’s government—
It has generally happened, that those whose power has been most absolute have been most
tyrannical in their use of it; and that they have sought rather the aggrandizement of themselves
than the good of their subjects. But the administration of Christ, like the influence of the
heavens, is,
1. Gently operative—
[“The showers gently descending on the parched ground, or the new-mown grass,” insinuate
themselves in a silent and imperceptible manner to the roots, and cause the suspended powers of
vegetation to exert themselves with renewed vigour. It is thus that Christ, by his word and Spirit,
renovates the soul. He comes not with the sanctions of the law, which, like an impetuous torrent
or a desolating tempest, spread terror and dismay: he descends to us rather in mild invitations
and gracious promises, which, through the effectual influences of his Spirit, penetrate the
recesses of the heart, and give life and vigour to the whole man. When once we are cut down, as
it were, and made to feel our need of him, then he pours upon us the riches of his grace, to
soften, the hardness of our hearts, and to invigorate the withered faculties of our souls. As it was
not by “the wind, the earthquake, or the fire, that God wrought upon Elijah, but by the still small
voice,” at the sound of which the prophet “wrapped his face in his mantle [Note: 1 Kings 19:11-
13.];” so it is with respect to the secret visits of our Lord. When he is pleased to speak to us in
the mild accents of his love, then the heart is dissolved in tenderness and contrition, or sweetly
elevated in devout and grateful adorations.]
2. Richly productive—
[The sickly plants, when watered, raise up their drooping heads, and bring forth, each according
to its nature, their proper fruits. Thus, in the day of Christ’s descent upon the souls of the
“righteous, they flourish:” and “peace,” the first-fruit of the Spirit, “abounds within them.” The
image in the text beautifully represents the change which is produced, when “a season of
refreshing comes from the presence of the Lord:” the person thus highly favoured “flourishes”
like the palm-tree; he becomes as “a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth fruit
in his season: his leaf does not wither; and whatsoever he doeth, it prospers [Note: Psalms 92:12-
13; Psalms 1:3.].” If the sun of persecution arise upon him, it does not now scorch him and
destroy his root [Note: Matthew 13:6; Matthew 13:21. with Jeremiah 17:8 and Hosea 14:5-7.],
but rather calls into activity his vital energies; and serves only to display with fuller evidence the
communications he has received from heaven. Nothing now robs him of his peace. Much as he
laments his former iniquities, they no longer disturb his peace, because the guilt of them is

51. washed away in “the fountain opened for sin.” Nor does the prospect of death and judgment
appal him, because “he knows in whom he has believed,” and that “there is no condemnation to
them that are in Christ Jesus.” His rapturous joys may intermit and subside, but his peace shall
continue “as long as the moon endureth.”]
A due consideration of these things will lead us to rejoice in,
II. The extent of his dominion—
Earthly monarchs have vainly imagined themselves possessed of universal empire: but it is to
Christ alone that this truly and properly belongs. His dominion extends itself over,
1. The most distant places—
[Solomon’s empire was the most extensive of any that was governed by Jewish kings. It reached
from the river Euphrates to the Red Sea; and comprehended all the countries between the
Euphrates and the Mediterranean: “it was from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the
earth.” But Christ has literally “the utmost ends of the earth for his possession.” His kingdom
was speedily erected in every part of the known world: and at this moment there are multitudes
in every civilized nation under heaven, yea, amongst barbarians also and savages, who
acknowledge him as their supreme Governor, and render the most cheerful obedience to his
commands. Already is that prophecy fulfilled, “From the rising of the sun even unto the going
down of the same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall
be offered unto my name, and a pure offering [Note: Malachi 1:11.].” In this therefore we have a
pledge that the knowledge of him “shall yet more extensively prevail, and shall one day cover
the earth as the waters cover the sea [Note: Isaiah 11:9 and Zechariah 14:9.].”]
2. The most exalted personages—
[It was said of Solomon, in reference to the fore-mentioned countries, that “all the kings of the
earth sought his presence, and brought presents to him; and that he reigned over them [Note: 2
Chronicles 9:23-24; 2 Chronicles 9:26.].” Nominally too, a great multitude of kings are subject
unto Christ: but, alas! his real subjects have hitherto been few among them. What Paul
complained of in his time has been verified in all succeeding ages to the present day; “Not many
wise, not many mighty, not many noble are called [Note: 1 Corinthians 1:26.].” But the time is
coming when the most potent monarchs upon earth shall become his willing subjects, and “bow
down themselves, and lick the dust before him,” in a humble acknowledgment of their entire
dependence on him, and of their unreserved devotion to his will [Note: This seems to be the true
meaning of “licking the dust.” Compare Isaiah 49:23.]. “He is Lord of lords, and King of kings:”
and if any will not bend to the sceptre of his grace, they shall be broken in pieces with a rod of
iron [Note: Psalms 2:9.].]
Infer—
1. The folly of refusing submission to him—
[The word of Jehovah is pledged, that “the kingdoms of the earth shall become the kingdoms of
the Lord and of his Christ [Note: Revelation 11:15.]:” vea, the Lord Jesus Christ himself hath
“sworn, that unto him every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall swear [Note: Isaiah 45:23.].”
To what purpose then shall we hold out against him, when we know what must infallibly be the
issue of the contest? He has told us what he will say to his attendants in the last day; “Bring
hither those that were mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, and slay

52. them before me [Note: Luke 19:27.].” Let us then “be wise” in time: let us “kiss the Son, lest he
be angry, and we perish [Note: Psalms 2:10-12.].”]
2. The blessedness of being his faithful subjects—
[It is a rich blessing to live under a mild and equitable government. But no earthly monarch,
however well disposed, can render his subjects happy, like the adorable Jesus. He gives us access
to him all times, and sheds forth upon us his benign influences, whereby our spirits are revived,
and our souls strengthened. What Solomon speaks figuratively in reference to earthly kings, is
literally true with respect to him; “In the light of the King’s countenance is life; and his favour is
like a cloud of the latter rain [Note: Proverbs 16:15.].” “Happy then art thou, O Israel! Who is
like unto thee [Note: Deuteronomy 33:29.]” “Let Israel rejoice in Him that made him, and
redeemed him; and let the children of Zion be joyful in their King [Note: Psalms 149:2.].”]
3. What encouragement we have to exert ourselves for the diffusion of the Gospel throughout the
world.
[If we look at the state of the world, or at the weakness of the instruments which we employ, we
shall despair of producing any great effects. But we have nothing to fear, God has spoken; and he
will do it. Who that sees the effect of the sun and showers upon the earth, and the rapid change
which takes place, from the desolation? of winter to the verdure of the spring and the fruits of
autumn, can doubt the power of the Redeemer’s grace to convert and sanctify all the nations of
the world? It shall be done; and perhaps, notwithstanding the present unfavourable appearances,
the time for it is not so distant as we may imagine. What has already been effected towards it,
has been wrought through the instrumentality of a few ignorant or hostile men: so, in like
manner, though there were none amongst us who were not ignorant as the Galilean fishermen, or
hostile as Saul, the grace of Christ shall be sufficient, both to raise up instruments and to bless
their endeavours. I call upon all of you, then, according to your ability, to be fellow-workers with
Christ in this good work, assured, that the events predicted in my text shall certainly be
accomplished in God’s appointed time; and that our efforts, whether effectual or not for the end
proposed, shall be accepted and recompensed by him, whom we serve, and whose empire we
labour to establish [Note: For a Mission Sermon, either to Jews or Gentiles.].]
Verses 12-15
DISCOURSE: 619
CHRIST’S GOVERNMENT OF HIS CHURCH
Psalms 72:12-15. He shall deliver the needy, when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no
helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem
their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight. And 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.
THE science of Government is at all times interesting to the human mind. Respecting the
different forms of Government, there must of necessity be a great diversity of opinion; but
respecting the ends of it there can be but one sentiment in every bosom. The one concern of
those in authority should be to promote to the utmost possible extent the welfare and happiness
of all who are committed to their charge: and in proportion as this object is pursued, must the
existence of Government and the exercise of legitimate authority be numbered amongst the

53. richest blessings bestowed upon mankind. It was from a conviction of this truth that the Queen of
Sheba said to Solomon, “Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand
continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted
in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore made
he thee king, to do judgment and justice [Note: 1 Kings 10:8-9.].” Perhaps in no country, at any
period of the world, were these ends of Government so extensively attained as in Israel, under
the reign of Solomon. It is in praise of his administration that the psalm before us was penned.
Yet are there parts of the psalm which clearly shew that the inspired penman had respect to a
greater King than Solomon, even to “Messiah the Prince,” the “King of kings, and Lord of
lords.” The reference of the psalm to Him being universally acknowledged, we will draw your
attention to the two points which are unfolded in our text; namely,
I. The interest which Christ takes in his people—
The description here given of his people deserves especial notice—
[In the former part of the psalm, they are repeatedly characterized as poor and needy. “He shall
judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. He shall judge the poor of the
people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor [Note: ver.
2, 4.].” In the text itself this description is given of them even to tautology: “He shall deliver the
needy when he crieth, the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and
needy, and shall save the souls of the needy.” We are not to understand, from hence, that he
reigns over no other: though it is certain that over them chiefly he has reigned hitherto [Note: 1
Corinthians 1:26. James 2:5.]: but, as his reign is spiritual, so it is in a spiritual view that his
subjects are here described; and, truly, to this description do they all answer: and it is an
unspeakable comfort to them that they are so described; for, if they had been designated by any
nobler title, thousands of them would, have doubted whether they might dare to number
themselves amongst his subjects: but, under the character of the poor and needy, the very least,
as well as the greatest of his subjects, can confidently assert their claim to that honour — — —
It is here taken for granted, too, that his people will be exposed to heavy trials from an
oppressive and ungodly world. And because the violence of persecution has in great measure
ceased in the present day, we are ready to imagine the disposition to oppress them has ceased.
But this is by no means the case. The laws of the land protect the godly from that measure of
persecution which at different times and under different pretexts has raged against them: but the
contempt in which the saints are held, solely and entirely on the ground of their sanctity, clearly
shews that the enmity against them has not ceased, but is only restrained by legal enactments,
and a more general diffusion of civil and religious liberty. It is still as true as at any period of the
world, that “if we were of the world, the world would love its own; but because we are not of the
world, but Christ has chosen us out of the world, therefore the world hateth us [Note: John
15:19.].”]
But Jesus will suit his ministration to their necessities—
[If he suffer them to be oppressed for a while, it is only that he may the more visibly and
acceptably exert himself in their behalf. Let them only “cry” unto him, and he will shew himself
strong in their behalf, and mighty to save. There are but two ways in which any one can gain an
unjust dominion over his people; namely, by fraudulent enticement, or by overpowering force.
But, though both of these be combined for the bringing of them into bondage, he will interpose
for them, and “redeem them both from deceit and violence:” or, if he should permit an oppressor

54. so far to prevail over them as to take away their life, he will vindicate their cause, and make their
enemy to feel that “precious is their blood in his sight.” But over “their souls” shall none prevail.
Not even their great adversary, though as a subtle serpent he put forth all his devices to beguile
them [Note: 2 Corinthians 11:3.], or as a roaring lion he make his utmost efforts to devour them
[Note: 1 Peter 5:8.], he shall not be able; for Jesus will effectually preserve them, and not suffer
so much as “one of them to be plucked out of his hand [Note: John 10:28.].” As it is his Father’s
will, so also is it his, that not one of his little ones should perish [Note: Luke 12:32.]. As for their
poverty and helplessness, this shall operate with him rather as an inducement to afford them his
succour, than as an obstacle to his gracious interference: indeed, the more they feel their utter
dependence upon him, the more readily and effectually will he exert himself in their behalf
[Note: 2 Corinthians 12:9.].]
Nor shall they be insensible of his kindness towards them: for the text informs us of,
II. The interest which his people take in him—
In the life of such a king as Solomon, the whole nation is deeply interested. But he, however long
he reign, must die at last: but the King of Zion shall live for ever. “He was indeed crucified
through weakness; but he liveth by the power of God [Note: 2 Corinthians 13:4.];” yea, “he is
alive for evermore [Note: Revelation 1:18.].”
Now, as in earthly governments the people pay tribute to their king, and pray for the prosperity
of his kingdom, and take all suitable occasions for displaying their loyalty, whether in a way of
private commendation or public address; so the subjects of King Messiah approve themselves
worthy of the relation in which they stand to him.
1. They pay him their tribute—
[“The silver and the gold are his:” and though he is able to carry on the affairs of his government
without any contribution from man, yet he is pleased to make use of human instruments, and to
give his people an opportunity of manifesting their zeal in his service: hence they bring him their
willing offerings. As, at his first appearance in the world, the wise men presented to him gold
and frankincense and myrrh; so now it is the joy of all his people to contribute, according to their
power, to the enlargement and establishment of his kingdom. Gladly do they “give him of the
gold of Sheba;” and account it all as of no value, except us it is employed in subserviency to his
will, and for the advancement of his glory. The very widow accounts it her honour and her
happiness to cast her mite into his treasury; and he accepts it with the same pleasure as the
richest contributions of the great and wealthy.]
2. They offer their prayers in his behalf—
[Personally, he needs them not. In this respect he is unlike the kings of the earth. But for the
prosperity of his kingdom he enjoins us to pray. One of the first petitions which, in his short and
comprehensive prayer, he has taught us to pour forth, is, “Thy kingdom come.” In this sense,
“prayer is made for him continually,” by every subject of his kingdom. It is a grief to his people
to see so great a part of the world still ignorant of him, and persisting in a rejection of his light
and easy yoke: and they long to behold both Jews and Gentiles prostrate at his feet. “They rest
not day or night” in calling upon God to take to him his great power and reign among them; yea,
they give him no rest, till he shall arise and “subdue all nations to the obedience of faith [Note:
Isaiah 62:6-7.].”]
3. They render unto him their devoutest acknowledgments—

55. [A grateful people cannot but acknowledge with gratitude the blessings which they enjoy under
the paternal government of a wise and pious king. But, great as earthly benefits are, they are not
to be compared with those which we receive under the government of the Lord Jesus. What
protection from enemies, what peaceful quiet, what abundance of all spiritual blessings does the
very least and meanest of his subjects enjoy! enjoy, too, as the very result of his care over them,
and of his bounty towards them. An earthly prince, however ardent his desires or laborious his
efforts, could not drive away distress from his dominions; nor, if it were possible for his subjects,
all of them without exception, to have access to him, could he administer to them the relief
which they solicited. But Jesus is accessible at all times to every creature in his vast empire; and
can both listen to their requests without weariness, and fulfil them without delay. This, too, is a
truth, of which every individual among them is sensible; all of them having been deeply
oppressed with want, and having carried to him their respective trials, and having received relief
at his hands. Every one of them, therefore, “praises him daily,” as the one author of all his
blessings, and the one ground of all his hopes [Note: See this done first in general terms, Psalms
145:1-13; and then, for his more particular acts of grace, Psalms 145:14-21 and Psalms 146:1-2;
Psalms 146:7-10.].]
Such, then, being the mutual regard subsisting between the Lord Jesus Christ and his people, let
me, in conclusion, call you to contemplate,
1. The folly of casting off his yoke—
[He has ascended up on high [Note: If this be a subject for the ascension day, or the sunday after,
this hint may be a little amplified.], and is set down on the right hand of God, until all his
enemies shall become his footstool [Note: Psalms 110:1.]. And do you suppose that any will be
able successfully to hold out against him? No: his arrows shall be very sharp in the hearts of all
his enemies; and the stoutest of them all shall lick the dust: yea, “all kings shall fall down before
him, all nations shall serve him [Note: ver. 11.].” Let none of you, then, continue in your
stoutness of heart; but cast down the weapons of your rebellion, and implore mercy at his hands.
Then shall you find, that in the mercy which he exercises, no less than in the justice he
administers, “your blood shall be precious in his sight.”]
2. The happiness of his faithful subjects—
[This were great, if we considered only what is spoken respecting them in the text. But their
happiness infinitely transcends any thing that earthly monarchs are able to bestow. They are
themselves, all of them without exception, made kings, and have a kingdom given unto them by
their Lord, similar to that which has been conferred on the Messiah himself by his heavenly
Father [Note: Revelation 3:21.]. Hear ye this, ye poor and needy souls! Are ye not amazed, that
ye should be “taken, as it were, from a dunghill, and set among princes, and made to inherit a
throne of glory [Note: 1 Samuel 2:8.]?” Yet be assured, that this is your portion, if only you
approve yourselves faithful to your Lord and King. Yes: “be ye faithful unto death, and you
shall, every one of you, inherit a crown of life.”]
Verse 16
DISCOURSE: 620
THE SUCCESS OF THE GOSPEL

56. Psalms 72:16. There 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.
IN many parts of Scripture the typical sense is more manifest than the literal. It is so in the psalm
before us. This psalm is a description of the reign of Solomon, who was the first of the “kings”
that was also a “king’s son.” The extent, duration, and happiness of his government are predicted
by David his father. But a greater than Solomon is here. There can be no doubt but that the glory
of the Messiah’s kingdom is here described. The extent of that is unbounded, and the blessedness
of it is eternal. The words of the text, according to their literal meaning, declare the fruitfulness
of the land, and the increase of population in the clays of Solomon; but they typically represent
the spread of the Gospel under the Christian dispensation, and the multitudes of converts that
shall become the subjects of Messiah’s kingdom. They naturally lead us to consider,
I. The representation here given of the preached Gospel—
The Gospel is compared to seed cast upon the earth—
[This is a frequent comparison in the Scriptures; nor can any other be more just. The seed is that
from which the whole harvest springs. Weeds will grow of themselves, but corn requires culture;
nor can any harvest be expected but in consequence of a patient and laborious attention to the
duties of husbandry. Thus it is also with the Gospel. That is the seed from which alone any fruit
will arise to God. Men will bring forth all manner of evil fruits without any instruction or advice.
But never will they abound in fruits of righteousness unless the seed of divine truth be first sown
in their hearts.]
The place whereon this seed is cast is like “the tops of mountains”—
[Vallies are fruitful; but mountains, and especially the mountain-tops, are barren. They rarely
have any soil; nor, if they had, would they be proper situations for the sowing of corn. Were any
corn to spring up upon them, the storms and tempests would destroy it long before it could arrive
at maturity. Such is the world at large, and the heart of every individual in it, barren in itself, and
exposed to storms of passion and floods of temptation. And most discouraging is the prospect of
that labourer who goes forth to sow his corn in such a soil.
Moreover the mountain-tops were the places where the idols of the heathen deities were
worshipped [Note: In reference to this custom, the prophet Isaiah, foretelling the triumph of the
Gospel over all false religions, says, “The mountain of the Lord’s House shall be established on
the top of the mountains.”]. Thus were they the seat of all superstition and idolatry. What a view
does this give us of the place whore the Gospel seed is sown! Yet, alas! it is but too just a
representation both of the world, and of the heart of man. Superstition and idolatry abound in
every place and every heart. What seed then can be expected ever to flourish in so foul a soil?]
Nor is there more than a mere “handful” of corn sown there—
[If the seed were multiplied in proportion to the badness of the soil, there might still be some
little hope of a harvest. But of what use is a mere handful of corn when cast on a surface of such
vast extent? What hope could there be that the whole world should be evangelized by twelve
poor fishermen? Even at this time, how wide the field, and how few the labourers! Millions of
our fellow-creatures never so much as hear the name of Christ; and of those who do, there are,
alas! too many who never have the whole counsel of God declared unto them.]
But notwithstanding these discouragements we shall not despair of the success of the Gospel, if
we consider,

57. II. The blessing which God has promised to it—
The prophecy before us declares that the increase of this seed shall be,
1. Strong—
[The woods of “Lebanon” were proverbially grand. Waving their lofty heads, they seemed to
defy the storms and tempests. Such was to be the fruit that should spring from the Gospel seed.
Weak as com is to withstand a storm, that which was to grow upon the mountain-tops should be
firm as the deep-rooted cedars. And has not the event justified the prediction? The powers of
earth and hell combined against the infant church, but were not able to crush it. Neither
imprisonment nor death could intimidate the disciples of Jesus. Even the weaker sex were
enabled to endure the most cruel tortures, and to glory in their tribulations for Jesus’ sake. In
every successive age the same holy fortitude has characterized the followers of the Lamb. If any
through the fear of man have forsaken the Church, they have only proved thereby that they never
truly belonged to it: “they went out from us because they were not of us; for if they had been of
us, they would no doubt have continued with us [Note: 1 John 2:19.].” Every true believer has
been faithful unto death.]
2. Numerous—
[What more numerous than the piles of grass? Yet such, it was foretold, should be the converts to
Christianity. And how was this verified in the apostolic age! Thousands were converted by one
single sermon. In a few years the followers of Christ filled, not Judea alone, but also the whole
Roman empire. At the reformation too the seed that had long lain under the earth, sprang up and
yielded a glorious harvest. But the promised period is vet future, though, we hope, it is hastening
on apace. In the latter day “the people of God shall be as the stars of heaven for multitude”. “A
little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation [Note: Isaiah 60:22.]”. Yea,
“a nation shall be born in a day”. And “All the ends of the earth shall remember themselves and
turn unto the Lord [Note: Psalms 22:27.]”. There still indeed may be seasons when, as in former
ages, they shall be mown down by their persecutors; but they shall spring up again like the grass:
and the very blood of the martyrs shall be the seed of the church. “The knowledge of the Lord
shall surely cover the earth as the waters cover the sea [Note: Habakkuk 2:14.]”.]
This subject may well excite in us,
1. Thankfulness for what is past—
[What a mercy is it, that, when only a handful of corn is sown on the earth, some grains of it
should fall on this barren spot! And what a signal mercy if it have sprung up in our hearts! And
have we not reason to hope that this is indeed the case? If we cannot boast of multitudes like the
piles of grass, are there not sufficient to shew the virtue of the Gospelseed, and the blessing of
God upon the sowing of it? Have not some attained a height and stability, and maintained their
steadfastness against the united assaults of the world, the flesh, and the devil? Let us then rejoice
and be thankful to God for such distinguished blessings. And let us still shew ourselves to have
been “planted in the house of the Lord by flourishing in the courts of our God.”]
2. Hope respecting the future—
[The promise of God is sure, and shall be fulfilled in its season. We cannot but grieve when we
see the barrenness of the field, and fewness of faithful labourers. But there is nothing impossible
with God. He can send forth labourers into his harvest, and give the most abundant success to the
seed sown. Yea, he can overrule the most adverse circumstances for the manifestation of his own

58. glory. Let us wait upon him then in prayer, and cry from our inmost souls, “Thy kingdom come.”
Let us beg, “That the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified” throughout the
world [Note: 2 Thessalonians 3:1.]. And let us look forward in certain expectation, that the
“grain of mustard-seed shall become a great tree [Note: Matthew 13:32.],” and that in due time
“All shall know the Lord from the least to the greatest [Note: Jeremiah 31:34.].”]
Verse 17
DISCOURSE: 621
THE PERPETUITY AND EXCELLENCY OF CHRIST’S KINGDOM
Psalms 72:17. His 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.
NONEof the Prophets, except Isaiah, have written so copiously and so plainly respecting Christ
as David. His prophecies are very frequently referred to in the New Testament; and their
accomplishment in Jesus is frequently asserted, incontestably proved, and copiously illustrated.
The psalm before us was most probably the last that David penned. It was written at the close of
his life, on occasion of Solomon’s coronation. The dying monarch hearing that his son Adonijah
had usurped his throne, gave immediate orders that Solomon should be anointed with the holy
oil, and placed upon the throne, and be proclaimed king throughout all his dominions; that by
this means his oath to Bathsheba, respecting the succession of Solomon, might be fulfilled, and
the nation be rescued from the calamities in which a disputed succession might involve it [Note:
1 Kings 1:33-35.]. The psalm begins with a prayer for Solomon, and proceeds to foretell the
peace, glory, extent, duration, and happiness of his government. But beyond, a doubt, a greater
than Solomon is here: the Messiah himself is manifestly referred to; and the words of our text
must be considered as describing his kingdom:
I. Its perpetuity—
[The names, not of the Jewish monarchs only, but also of many heroes of antiquity, have been
handed down to us, and probably will be transmitted to the latest generations. But there are
several points of view in which the remembrance of Jesus’ name differs widely from that of any
other person whatever.
It is transmitted to us in a way of filiation.—Other names come down to us by means of historic
records: but that of our blessed Lord “is continued,” or propagated (as the word means) in the
same way as the name of a father is continued in his children. Children were born to him by the
preaching of his Gospel; and, after him, were called Christians: from that period, others have
risen up, in constant succession, to perpetuate his name: nor shall the line ever be broken:
“instead of the fathers there shall be children, who shall make his name to be remembered in all
generations [Note: Psalms 45:16-17; Psalms 145:4-6.].”
It is heard with the same regard that it ever was.—There was a time when the name of C ζsar or
of Alexander made whole nations tremble: but who fears them now? What is their love or their
hatred unto us? What is Solomon himself to us? We admire his character; but for his person we
have no regard. But it is not thus with the sacred name of jesus. We tremble at it with a holy awe;
we love it, as expressing all that is amiable and endearing. We dread his displeasure above all
things, and covet his favour more than life itself. And as long as the sun shall continue its course,
so long shall the name of Jesus be venerated and adored.

59. It “endures” in spite of all the endeavours that have been made to blot out the remembrance of it
from under heaven.—No sooner was the name of Jesus exalted by the preaching of the Apostles,
than the rulers exerted all their power to suppress it: they beat and imprisoned the preachers, and
menaced them with yet severer punishment, if they should presume to speak any more in his
name [Note: Acts 4:17-18; Acts 5:28; Acts 5:40.]. Thus also, in all subsequent ages, “the
potentates of the earth have taken counsel together against the Lord, and against his Anointed,
saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us [Note: Psalms 2:2.].”
What name, like that of Jesus, is proscribed at this day? We may descant upon the virtues of
ancient sages; and the more light we can throw upon their characters, the more acceptable we
shall be in every company: but let us speak of Jesus, let us set forth his transcendent excellencies,
and expatiate upon all the wonders of his love, and we shall excite in our hearers nothing but
disgust. But has this confederacy prevailed to banish his name? No; rather, “the more his people
have been afflicted, the more they have grown and multiplied:” and however earth and hell may
combine their efforts to efface his memory, or diminish his influence, “He who sitteth in the
heavens shall laugh at them, and have them in derision [Note: Psalms 2:4.].”]
II. Its excellency—
[The administration of Solomon was attended with great benefit to his people: and such a king as
he must be considered as a rich blessing to any nation. But there are many benefits which it is not
in the power of any king to communicate. What can a creature do to mitigate our pains, or to
rescue us from the dominion of unbridled lusts? It is otherwise with the Lord Jesus: he can
impart to his subjects whatever blessings they need, for body or for soul, for time or for eternity.
Do we desire the pardon of our sins? We may be “justified freely through his blood [Note:
Romans 5:9.].” Do we long for peace of conscience? He has left it to his subjects as a legacy
[Note: John 14:27.], and gives them “a peace which passeth all understanding [Note: Philippians
4:7.].” Do we stand in need of strength? “Through him we shall be enabled to do all things
[Note: Philippians 4:13.].” Do we extend our desires to all the glory of heaven? “In him we may
be saved with an everlasting salvation [Note: Isaiah 45:17.].” It is not ufficient to say that the
subjects of Christ’s kingdom may be thus blessed; for they actually are so: there is not one in all
his dominions who is not thus highly favoured. If we consult the prophets, they declare this
uniformly; and represent them all as saying, “In the Lord have I righteousness and strength
[Note: Isaiah 45:24-25.].” If we consult the Apostles, they declare, that every blessing we enjoy
is “in him, even in him;” yea, that “in him we are blessed with all spiritual and eternal blessings
[Note: Ephesians 1:3-13. where it is repeated at least eight times. Strange that any should
overlook this truth.].”]
III. Its universality—
[The greatest monarchs of this world hare had a very limited sway: and many who have been
called their subjects have been so rather in name than in reality. But Christ’s dominion shall be
strictly and literally universal: “the kingdoms of the world shall become the kingdoms of the
Lord and of his Christ [Note: Revelation 11:15.].” Already there are some of all nations who
submit to his government. We may go to the most uncultivated parts of the earth, where human
nature seems but little elevated above the beasts, and there we shall find some who acknowledge
him as their sovereign Lord. But his dominion is certainly at present very limited. There is a time
however coming, when “all nations shall call him blessed.” The rich and great shall take upon
them his yoke: according as it is said, “All kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall
serve him [Note: ver. 10, 11.].” The poor and mean also shall devote themselves to his service,

60. according to that prediction, “Holiness to the Lord shall be written upon the bells of the horses
[Note: Zechariah 14:9; Zechariah 14:20-21].” Thus shall “all know the Lord, from the least even
to the greatest [Note: Jeremiah 31:34.].” As at this present time all the subjects of his kingdom
are blessing and adoring him as the one author of all their happiness, so, at a future period, shall
“every knee bow to him, and every tongue confess [Note: Romans 14:11.];” and “the whole earth
shall be filled with his glory [Note: ver. 19.].” But it is not till the day of judgment that the full
accomplishment of this prophecy shall be seen. Then “a multitude that no man can number, of all
nations and kindreds, and people and tongues, shall stand before him, and cry with united voices,
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain! Salvation to our God, and to the Lamb for ever [Note:
Revelation 5:11-12; Revelation 7:9-10.]!”]
We cannot more profitably improve this subject, than by inquiring,
1. What blessings have we received from Christ?
[If we be indeed subjects of his kingdom, it cannot fail but that we must have received many
blessings at his hands. Has he then “blessed us” with the pardon of our sins? Has he filled us
with joy and peace in believing? Has he endued us with grace and strength to subdue our
spiritual enemies? and transformed us into his own image in righteousness and true holiness?
This is the criterion whereby we must judge of our interest in him: for he cannot be a Saviour to
us, unless he save us from the dominion, as well as from the guilt, of all our sins.]
2. What is the disposition of our minds towards him?
[Can we possibly be partakers of his benefits, and feel no disposition to “bless his name?” Surely
a grateful sense of his goodness must characterise those who are so greatly indebted to him. To
those who believe, he is, and must be, precious — — —]
Verse 18-19
DISCOURSE: 622
PRAISE TO GOD FOR REDEMPTION
Psalms 72:18-19. Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things:
and blessed be His glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen
and Amen.
RELIGION, as experienced by the generality, is selfish and superficial: it consists almost
entirely in a desire to obtain mercy through the Lord Jesus Christ, and an endeavour, through
faith in him, and a surrender of the soul to him, to flee from the wrath to come. The religion of
the more eminent saints is of a more diffusive and ingenuous cast: it interests the soul in all that
relates to God and to the world: it delights in heavenly contemplations: it surveys with wonder
and gratitude all that God has done for a ruined world; and looks forward with holy joy to those
richer manifestations of his glory, which, by all his holy Prophets and Apostles, he has taught us
to expect. Of this kind was the piety of David, whose Psalms display a noble, generous mind,
occupied with the honour of his God and Saviour, and deeply intent on the welfare of the whole
human race. The psalm before us was written, primarily, to describe the kingdom of Israel, as it
should exist under the government of his son Solomon. But, beyond all doubt, a greater than
Solomon is here: and it is the Messiah’s kingdom to which David ultimately refers, and which
alone fully corresponds with the description here given of it.

61. In our further elucidation of this truth, we shall consider,
I. The “wondrous things” here referred to—
These are particularly specified throughout the psalm. We notice,
1. The nature of the Redeemer’s kingdom—
[It is truly a kingdom of righteousness and peace [Note: ver. 7.]. In it no law exists which does
not tend to promote the best interests of him that obeys it, and of all connected with him. Nor are
the laws recorded merely in books that are inaccessible to the great mass of the people: they are
inscribed on the very hearts of the people themselves; to whom a disposition is given to love and
obey them: so that every subject of the empire is made both holy and happy: and of every
obedient subject the King himself espouses the cause; so that, how numerous or powerful soever
his enemies may be, they shall all be subdued before him, and the great leader of them all be
bruised under his feet [Note: ver. 4.].]
2. The extent of it—
[Solomon’s kingdom extended over the whole of that country which had originally been
promised to Abraham: but the Messiah’s shall embrace the whole earth: “All kings shall fall
down before him; all nations shall serve him [Note: ver. 11.].” “From the rising of the sun to the
going down thereof his name shall be great among the Gentiles [Note: Malachi 1:11.]:” he shall
have “the utmost ends of the earth for his possession [Note: Psalms 2:8.];” and “all the kingdoms
of the world become his” undivided empire [Note: Revelation 11:15.].]
3. The means by which it shall be established—
[It was by the effusion of blood that David subdued his enemies, and conquered for his son that
vast dominion: but it is not by carnal weapons that the Redeemer extends his empire. The word
of God is that sword whereby he “subdues the nations to the obedience of faith.” The preachers
of it go forth without any human aid, like sowers to sow their seed: and it is by “an handful of
corn cast by them on the tops of the mountains,” that the vast field is cultivated: so that “the fruit
thereof shakes like the woods of Lebanon, and the converts spring up and flourish like the
countless piles of grass upon the earth [Note: ver. 16.].” It is “a atone cut out without hands, that
breaks in pieces all other kingdoms, and that fills the whole earth [Note: Daniel 2:34-35.].”]
4. The duration of it—
[Solomon’s kingdom endured but for a little time. His son and successor had scarcely assumed
the reins of government, before ten tribes out of the twelve revolted from him, and have never
since been re-united into one kingdom. But Christ’s kingdom shall endure for ever [Note: Daniel
2:44.], even “throughout all generations [Note: ver. 5, 17.].” The mode of administering the
kingdom will be changed, when there shall be no more occasion for the exercise of the
mediatorial office. Then, I say, “the kingdom shall be delivered up to God, even the Father,”
from whom it was received [Note: Daniel 7:13-14. with 1 Corinthians 15:24; 1 Corinthians
15:28.]: but of the kingdom itself there shall be no end: nor shall Christ ever cease to be the
Head, the joy, the glory of his redeemed people [Note: Isaiah 9:7.].]
Such are the wonders here celebrated: and from the Psalmist we may learn,
II. The spirit with which they should be contemplated—
The Psalmist closes his review of these wonders, as we also should do,

62. 1. With grateful adoration to God as the author of them—
[Truly, it is “God alone” that doeth these wonders. Whatever instruments he may make use of,
the work is his alone [Note: 1 Corinthians 3:6-7.]: and his should be the glory. For these things
he is adored in heaven: and from us on earth should they call forth the devoutest
acknowledgments. In truth, we should be even lost in wonder at the contemplation of them;—
that God should ever so pity our fallen world! that he should ever use such means for our
deliverance from our great enemy! that he should send his own Son to die, and “by death to
overcome him that had the power of death, and thus to deliver those who, through fear of death,
were all their life-time subject to bondage!” What shall we say to these things? If they do not fill
us with wonder and gratitude and praise, “the very stones may well cry out against us.”]
2. With an ardent desire for the manifestation of them to the whole world—
[However persuaded we may be of our own interest in these things, we should not be satisfied
without seeing the whole world brought to the knowledge of them. We have a debt to God, and a
debt to our fellow-creatures also: to Him, to glorify his name; to them, to diffuse as widely as
possible among them the blessings of salvation. On both these accounts, if there be a promise in
God’s word to extend this kingdom, we should say “Amen” to it. If there be a proposal amongst
men to aid its extension, we should add “Amen” to it: and to every effort that is made, in
whatever way, we should say “Amen, and Amen.” We should long for the time, when “there
shall be but one King upon all the earth, and his name One [Note: Zechariah 14:9.];” when “the
whole earth shall be filled with his glory,” and “all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”]
But, in examining ourselves in relation to these things, have we not need to be ashamed?
[How little sense have we had of these wonders; and of God’s glory or man’s happiness, as
connected with them! If we might but be saved ourselves, it has been, with the generality
amongst us, of little moment whether God’s glory were ever revealed to others, or his salvation
experienced by others. Basely selfish as we have been, we need, every one of us, to be humbled
in dust and ashes. O that we could imbibe a better spirit! Dear Brethren, let us henceforth
determine, like David, to meditate on the wonders of God’s love [Note: Psalms 77:11-13.], and
to recount them gratefully with songs of praise [Note: Nehemiah 9:5-24. Here the whole series of
mercies, from the first election of the seed of Abraham to their complete establishment in
Canaan, is distinctly mentioned, and might be very briefly noticed.]. Permit me to call upon you
to bear your part, and to unite with me now in this blessed work. With David, I would say,
“Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel, our father, for ever and ever! Thine, O Lord, is the
greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty. Now therefore, our
God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name [Note: 1 Chronicles 29:10-11; 1 Chronicles
29:13.].” Having thus set them the example, “David said to all the congregation, Now bless the
Lord your God. And all the congregation blessed the Lord God of their fathers, and bowed down
their heads, and worshipped [Note: 1 Chronicles 29:20.].” O that I might be alike successful! O
that this whole congregation might resemble them! Verily, if you considered what a mercy God
has vouchsafed unto you, in “delivering you from the powers of darkness, and translating you
into the kingdom of his dear Son,” I should not plead in vain. Let me then, in conclusion, first
address our God in the words of David: “Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among
the heathen, to give thanks unto thy holy name, and triumph in thy praise!” And now let me also,
in the language of that same holy prophet, offer unto God the acknowledgment due unto his
name: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting! and let all the people
say, Amen: Praise ye the Lord [Note: Psalms 106:47-48.].”]

63. Bible Commentaries
Treasury of David
Psalms 72
Psalms 71 Psalms Psalms 73
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Verses 1-20
TITLE. A Psalm for Solomon. The best linguists affirm that this should be rendered, of or by
Solomon. There is not sufficient ground for the rendering for. It is pretty certain that the title
declares Solomon to be the author of the Psalm, and yet from Psalms 72:20 it would seem that
David uttered it in prayer before he died. With some diffidence we suggest that the spirit and
matter of the Psalm are David's, but that he was too near his end to pen the words, or cast them
into form: Solomon, therefore, caught his dying father's song, fashioned it in goodly verse, and,
without robbing his father, made the Psalm his own. It is, we conjecture, the Prayer of David, but
the Psalm of Solomon. Jesus is here, beyond all doubt, in the glory of his reign, both as he now
is, and as he shall be revealed in the latter day glory.
DIVISION. We shall follow the division suggested by Alexander. "A glowing description of the
reign of Messiah as righteous, Psalms 72:1-7; universal, Psalms 72:8-11; beneficent, Psalms
72:12-14; and perpetual, Psalms 72:15-17; to which are added a doxology, Psalms 72:18-19; and
a postscript, Psalms 72:20."
EXPOSITION
Ver. 1. Give the king thy judgments, O God. The right to reign was transmitted by descent from
David to Solomon, but not by that means alone: Israel was a theocracy, and the kings were but
the viceroys of the greater King; hence the prayer that the new king might be enthroned by
divine right, and then endowed with divine wisdom. Our glorious King in Zion hath all judgment

65. committed unto him. He rules in the name of God over all lands. He is king "Dei Gratia" as well
as by right of inheritance.
And thy righteousness unto the king's son. Solomon was both king and king's son; so also is our
Lord. He has power and authority in himself, and also royal dignity given of his Father. He is the
righteous king; in a word, he is "the Lord our righteousness." We are waiting till he shall be
manifested among men as the ever righteous Judge. May the Lord hasten on his own time the
long looked for day. Now wars and fightings are even in Israel itself, but soon the dispensation
will change, and David, the type of Jesus warring with our enemies, shall be displaced by
Solomon the prince of peace.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Title. For Solomon. I shall but mention a threefold analogy between Christ and Solomon.
1. In his personal wisdom (1 Kings 4:29-30); so Christ (Colossians 2:3); "In him are hid all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
2. In the glorious peace and prosperity of his kingdom: the kingdom was peaceably settled in his
hand. 1Ch 22:9 4:24-25. And so he fell to the work of building the temple, as Christ doth the
church; so Christ (Isaiah 9:6); he is the Prince of Peace, the great Peacemaker. Ephesians 2:14.
3. In his marriage with Pharaoh's daughter. Some observe that the daughter of Pharaoh never
seduced him: neither is there any mention made of the Egyptian idols. 1 Kings 11:5; 1 Kings
11:7. In his other outlandish marriages he did sin; but this is mentioned as by way of special
exception (1 Kings 11:1); for she was a proselyte, and so it was no sin to marry her: and the love
between her and Solomon is made a type of the love between Christ and the church. So Christ
hath taken us Gentiles to be spouse unto him. Psalms 45:1-17. Samuel Mather (1626-1671), in
"The Figures or Types of the Old Testament."
Whole Psalm. The Seventy-second Psalm contains a description of an exalted king, and of the
blessings of his reign. These blessings are of such a nature as to prove that the subject of the
Psalm must be a divine person.
1. His kingdom is to be everlasting.
2. Universal.
3. It secures perfect peace with God and goodwill among men.
4. All men are to be brought to submit to him through love.
5. In him all the nations of the earth are to be blessed; i.e., as we are distinctly taught in Galatians
3:16, it is in him that all the blessings of redemption are to come upon the world. Charles Hodge,
in "Systematic Theology." 1871.
Whole Psalm. This Psalm was penned by a king, it is dedicated to a king, and is chiefly intended
concerning him who is "King of kings." Joseph Caryl, in a Sermon entitled "David's Prayer for
Solomon."
Whole Psalm. Two Psalms bear Solomon's name in their titles. One of these is the Hundred and
Twenty-seventh, the other is the Seventy-second; and here the traces of his pen are unequivocal.
A mistaken interpretation of the note appended to it, "The prayers of David the Son of Jesse are
ended, "led most of the old commentators to attribute the Psalm to David, and to suppose that it
is a prayer offered in his old age "for Solomon, "as the peaceful prince who was to succeed him

66. on the throne. However, it has long been known that the note in question refers to the whole of
the preceding portion of the Psalter, much of which was written by Asaph and the sons of Korah;
and there can be no doubt that the title can only be translated, "of Solomon." So clear are the
traces of Solomon's pen that Calvin, whose sagacity in this kind of criticism has never been
excelled, although he thought himself obliged, by the note at the end of the Psalm, to attribute the
substance of it to David, felt Solomon's touch so sensibly, that he threw out the conjecture that
the prayer was the father's, but that it was afterward thrown into the lyrical form by the son. This
is not the place for detailed exposition; I will, therefore, content myself with remarking that,
properly speaking, the Psalm is not "for Solomon" at all. If it refers to him and his peaceful
reign, it does so only in as far as they were types of the Person and Kingdom of the Prince of
Peace. The Psalm, from beginning to end, is not only capable of being applied to Christ, but
great part is incapable of being fairly applied to any other. William Binnie.
Whole Psalm. This is the forth of those Psalms which predict the two natures of Christ. This
Psalm admonishes us that we believe in Christ as perfect God, and perfect Man and King.
Psalter of Peter Lombard(--1164).
Whole Psalm. That under the type of Solomon (to whom it is inscribed) the Messiah is "The
King" of whom this Psalm treats, we have the consent, not only of the most eminent divines of
modern times, and of the Fathers of the early Christian church, but the ancient and most
distinguished Jewish expositors; of which reference, indeed, it contains the most conclusive
internal evidence. And, as under a new type, so is the kingdom here presented to us in a new
aspect, in marked contradistinction to its character as foreshadowed by its other great type, the
Davidic: for the character of David's reign was conquest. He was "a man of war" (1 Chronicles
28:1-3); the appointed instrument for subjecting the enemies of God's people Israel, by whom
they were put in undisturbed possession of the promised land. But the character of Solomon's
reign was peace, the import of his name, succeeding to the throne after all enemies had been
subdued, and governing the kingdom which David's wars had established (1 Kings 2:12), the two
types, respectively, of Christ as he is yet to be manifested at his next appearing; first revealed as
David, as seen in the vision of that event (Revelation 19:11): "I saw heaven opened, and behold a
white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth
judge and make war, "etc., subduing the Antichristian confederacy (Revelation 19:19-21), as
before predicted in the Second Psalm, of this same confederacy: "Thou shalt break them with a
rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." And then, as Solomon, taking
his throne, and extending the blessings of his kingdom of peace to the ends of the earth. David in
the Second Psalm; Solomon in this. William De Burgh.
Whole Psalm. The reader is reminded of James Montgomery's hymn, beginning, "Hail to the
Lord's Anointed; "it is a very beautiful versification of this Psalm, and will be found in "Our
Own Hymn Book, " No. 353.
Ver. 1. Give the king thy judgments, O God. Right and authority to execute judgment and
justice. The Father hath committed all judgment unto the Son. John Fry.
Ver. 1. The king... The king's son. I do not apprehend, with the generality of interpreters, that by
The king, and The king's son, David means himself and his son, but Solomon only, to whom both
the titles agree, as he was David's son, and anointed by him king during his lifetime. Samuel
Chandler.

67. Ver. 1. The king... The king's son. We see that our Lord is here termed both Klm, and Klm Nb,
being king himself, and also the son of a king; both as respects his human origin, having come
forth from the stock of David, and also as to his divine origin; for the Father of the universe may,
of course, be properly denominated King. Agreeably to this designation, we find on the Turkish
coins the inscription: Sultan, son of Sultan. George Phillips.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Whole Psalm.
I. He shall.
II. They shall. Ring the changes on these, as the Psalm does.
Ver. 1. The prayer of the ancient church now fulfilled.
I. Our Lord's titles.
1. King, by divine nature.
2. King's Son, in both natures. Thus we see his power innate and derived. II. Our Lord's
authority: "Judgments."
1. To rule his people.
2. To rule the world for his people's benefit.
3. To judge mankind.
4. To judge devils. III. Our Lord's character. He is righteous in rewarding and punishing,
righteous towards God and man. IV. Our loyal prayer. This asks for his rule over ourselves and
the universe.
WORK UPON THE SEVENTY-SECOND PSALM
In CHANDLER'S Life of David, Vol. 2, pp. 440-44, there is an Exposition of this Psalm.
Psalms 72:2*
EXPOSITION
Ver. 2. He shall judge thy people with righteousness. Clothed with divine authority, he shall use
it on the behalf of the favoured nation, for whom he shall show himself strong, that they be not
misjudged, slandered, or in any way treated maliciously. His sentence shall put their accusers to
silence, and award the saints their true position as the accepted of the Lord. What a consolation
to feel that none can suffer wrong in Christ's kingdom: he sits upon the great white throne,
unspotted by a single deed of injustice, or even mistake of judgment: reputations are safe enough
with him. And thy poor with judgment. True wisdom is manifest in all the decisions of Zion's
King. We do not always understand his doings, but they are always right. Partiality has been too
often shown to rich and great men, but the King of the last and best of monarchies deals out even
handed justice, to the delight of the poor and despised. Here we have the poor mentioned side by
side with the king. The sovereignty of God is a delightful theme to the poor in spirit; they love to
see the Lord exalted, and have no quarrel with him for exercising the prerogatives of his crown.
It is the fictitious wealth which labours to conceal real poverty, which makes men cavil at the
reigning Lord, but a deep sense of spiritual need prepares the heart loyally to worship the
Redeemer King. On the other hand, the King has a special delight in the humbled hearts of his

68. contrite ones, and exercises all his power and wisdom on their behalf, even as Joseph in Egypt
ruled for the welfare of his brethren.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Ver. 2. Thy judgments. From whom does he seek these? O God, he says, give them. Therefore is
it the gift of God that kings should judge righteously and observe justice. Moreover, he does not
simply say, O God, give judgment to the king, and righteousness to the king's son; but thy
judgments and thy righteousness. Grant them this grace, that what is just in thy sight they may
judge. The world has its own judgments and its own righteousness, but deals in such a way that
true righteousness is more oppressed than approved. Not such are the judgments and
righteousness of God. Musculus.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Ver. 2. The rule of Christ in his church.
I. The subjects.
1. Thy people, the elect, called, etc.
2. Thy poor, through conviction and consciousness of sin. II. The ruler. He, only, truly,
constantly, etc. III. The rule. --Righteous, impartial, gentle, prudent, etc. Lesson. Desire this rule.
Psalms 72:3*
EXPOSITION
Ver. 3. The mountains shall bring peace to the people. Thence, aforetime, rushed the robber
bands which infested the country; but now the forts there erected are the guardians of the land,
and the watchmen publish far and near the tidings that no foe is to be seen. Where Jesus is there
is peace, lasting, deep, eternal. Even those things which were once our dread, lose all terror when
Jesus is owned as monarch of the heart: death itself, that dark mountain, loses all its gloom.
Trials and afflictions, when the Lord is with us, bring us an increase rather than a diminution of
peace.
And the little hills, by righteousness. Seeing that the rule of the monarch was just, every little hill
seemed clothed with peace. Injustice has made Palestine a desert; if the Turk and Bedouin were
gone, the land would smile again; for even in the most literal sense, justice is the fertilizer of
lands, and men are diligent to plough and raise harvests when they have the prospect of eating
the fruit of their labours. In a spiritual sense, peace is given to the heart by the righteousness of
Christ; and all the powers and passions of the soul are filled with a holy calm, when the way of
salvation, by a divine righteousness, is revealed. Then do we go forth with joy, and are led forth
with peace; the mountains and the hills break forth before us into singing.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Ver. 3. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, etc. Those who apply this Psalm to
Solomon expound the distich thus; "That the steep mountains on the frontier, strongly
garrisoned, shall secure the land from hostile invasion; and the hills, cleared of the banditti,
which in the rude ages were accustomed to inhabit them, under the government of the king,
intended in this Psalm, should be the peaceful seats of a useful, civilised peasantry." This sense is
not ill expressed in Mr. Merrick's translation:
"Peace, from the fort clad mountain's brow,

69. Descending, bless the plain below;
And justice from each rocky cell,
Shall violence and fraud expel."
But so little of the Psalm is at all applicable to Solomon, and the greater part of it so exclusively
belongs to the Messiah, that I think these mountains and hills allude to the nature of the land of
Judaea; and the general sense is, that, in the times of the great king, the inhabitants of that
mountainous region shall live in a state of peace and tranquillity. The thing intended is the happy
condition of the natural Israel, in the latter day restored to God's favour, and to the peaceful
possession of their own land. It is a great confirmation of this sense, that righteousness is
mentioned as the means of the peace which shall be enjoyed. Samuel Horsley.
Ver. 3. The mountains shall bring peace to the people. It was, and still is, common in the East to
announce good or bad news from the tops of mountains and other eminences. By this means acts
of justice were speedily communicated to the remotest parts of the country. Thus, when Solomon
decided the controversy between the two harlots, the decision was quickly known over all the
land. See 1 Kings 3:28. Alexander Geddes.
Ver. 3. The mountains shall bring peace. The reference is to the fertility of the soil, which now is
shown in an extraordinary way, when mountain summits, which are either oppressed with
hopeless sterility or yield at a far inferior rate to the valleys, produce all things plentifully. And
by this figure he signifies that this happiness of his kingdom shall not be the portion of a few
only, but shall abound in all places and to all people, of every condition and of every age. No
corner of the land, he affirms, shall be destitute of this fertility. Mollerus.
Ver. 3. The mountains shall bring peace. You may be sure to have peace when your mountains
shall bring forth peace; when those mountains, which heretofore were mountains of prey and
hills of the robbers, shall be a quiet habitation; when peace shall not be walled up in cities, or
fenced in by bulwarks, but the open fields and highways, the mountains and the hills shall yield
it abundantly; under every hedge, and under every green tree, there shall you find it; when the
cottagers and the mountaineers shall have their fill of it; when they shall eat and be satisfied, lie
down and none shall make them afraid, then the blessing is universal: and this is the work of
righteousness. Joseph Caryl.
Ver. 3. The mountains and hills are not at all named as the most unfruitful places of the land,
which they really were not, in Palestine, compare De 33:15, Psalms 147:8, "Who maketh grass to
grow upon the mountains; " Psalms 65:12, --nor even because what is on them can be seen
everywhere, and from all sides. (Tholuck), compare against this, Joel 3:18, "The mountains shall
drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, "Isaiah 55:12, --but, as being the most
prominent points and ornaments of the country, and, therefore, as representing it, well fitted to
express the thought that the country shall be everywhere filled with peace. E. W. Hengstenberg.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Ver. 3. Mountains of divine decree, of immutable truth, of almighty power, of eternal grace, etc.
These mountains of God are securities of peace.
Psalms 72:4*
EXPOSITION

70. Ver. 4. He shall judge the poor of the people. He will do them justice, yea, and blessed be his
name, more than justice, for he will delight to do them good.
He shall save the children of the needy. Poor, helpless things, they were packhorses for others,
and paupers themselves, but their King would be their protector. Happy are God's poor and
needy ones; they are safe under the wing of the Prince of Peace, for he will save them from all
their enemies.
And shall break in pieces the oppressor. He is strong to smite the foes of his people. Oppressors
have been great breakers, but their time of retribution shall come, and they shall be broken
themselves. Sin, Satan, and all our enemies must be crushed by the iron rod of King Jesus. We
have, therefore, no cause to fear; but abundant reason to sing--
"All hail the power of Jesus' name!
Let angels prostrate fall,
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown him lord of all."
It is much better to be poor than to be an oppressor; for both the needy and their children find an
advocate in the heavenly Solomon, who aims all his blows at haughty ones, and rests not till they
are utterly destroyed.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Ver. 4. The children of the needy. The phrase, the children of the afflicted, is put for the afflicted,
an idiom quite common in Hebrew; and a similar from of expression is sometimes used by the
Greeks, as when they say uiouv iatrwn, the sons of physicians for physicians. John Calvin.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Ver. 4. The poor man's King, or the benefits derived by the poor from the reign of Jesus.
Psalms 72:5*
EXPOSITION
Ver. 5. They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure. And well they may. Such
righteousness wins the cheerful homage of the poor and the godly, and strikes dismay into the
souls of unrighteous oppressors; so that all through the lands, both good and bad are filled with
awe. Where Jesus reigns in power men must render obeisance of some sort. His kingdom,
moreover, is no house of cards, or dynasty of days; it is as lasting as the lights of heaven; days
and nights will cease before he abdicates his throne. Neither sun nor moon as yet manifest any
failure in their radiance, nor are there any signs of decrepitude in the kingdom of Jesus; on the
contrary, it is but in its youth, and is evidently the coming power, the rising sun. Would to God
that fresh vigour were imparted to all its citizens to push at once the conquests of Immanuel to
the uttermost ends of the earth.
Throughout all generations shall the throne of the Redeemer stand. Humanity shall not wear out
the religion of the Incarnate God. No infidelity shall wither it away, nor superstition smother it; it
shall rise immortal from what seemed its grave; as the true phoenix, it shall revive from its ashes!
As long as there are men on earth Christ shall have a throne among them. Instead of the fathers
shall be the children. Each generation shall have a regeneration in its midst, let Pope and Devil
do what they may. Even at this hour we have before us the tokens of his eternal power; since he

71. ascended to his throne, eighteen hundred years ago, his dominion has not been overturned,
though the mightiest of empires have gone like visions of the night. We see on the shore of time
the wrecks of the Caesars, the relics of the Moguls, and the last remnants of the Ottomans.
Charlemagne, Maximilian, Napoleon, how they flit like shadows before us! They were and are
not; but Jesus for ever is. As for the houses of Hohenzollern, Guelph, or Hapsburg, they have
their hour; but the Son of David has all hours and ages as his own.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Ver. 5. --
The lofty glory of the Flavian family shall remain,
Enduring like the sun and stars. Martial. --Bk. 9. Epig. 7.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Ver. 5. The perpetuity of the gospel, reasons for it, things which threaten it, and lessons derived
from it.
Psalms 72:6*
EXPOSITION
Ver. 6. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass. Blessings upon his gentle sway!
Those great conquerors who have been the scourges of mankind have fallen like the fiery hail of
Sodom, transforming fruitful lands into deserts; but he with mild, benignant influence softly
refreshes the weary and wounded among men, and makes them spring up into newness of life.
Pastures mown with the scythe, or shorn by the teeth of cattle, present, as it were, so many
bleeding stems of grass, but when the rain falls it is balm to all these wounds, and it renews the
verdure and beauty of the field; fit image of the visits and benedictions of "the consolation of
Israel." My soul, how well it is for thee to be brought low, and to be even as the meadows eaten
bare and trodden down by cattle, for then to thee shall the Lord have respect; he shall remember
thy misery, and with his own most precious love restore thee to more than thy former glory.
Welcome Jesus, thou true Bien-aime, the Well beloved, thou art far more than Titus ever was--
the Delight of Mankind.
As showers that water the earth. Each crystal drop of rain tells of heavenly mercy, which forgets
not the parched plains: Jesus is all grace, all that he does is love, and his presence among men is
joy. We need to preach him more, for no shower can so refresh the nations. Philosophic
preaching mocks men as with a dust shower, but the gospel meets the case of fallen humanity,
and happiness flourishes beneath its genial power. Come down, O Lord, upon my soul, and my
heart shall blossom with thy praise: --
"He shall come down as still and light
As scattered drops on genial field;
And in his time who loves the right,
Freely shall bloom, sweet peace her harvest yield."
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Ver. 6. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass, etc. This is spoken and promised of
Christ, and serves to teach us that Christ coming to his church and people, by the gracious
influences of his Holy Spirit, is most useful and refreshing to their souls, like showers of rain to

72. the dry ground, or a meadow newly cut to make it spring again. Christless souls are like the dry
ground; without the moisture of saving grace their hearts are hard; neither rods, mercies, nor
sermons, make impression upon them. Why? They are without Christ, the fountain of grace and
spiritual influences. Before the fall man's soul was like a well watered garden, beautiful, green,
and fragrant; but by his apostasy from God, in Adam our first head, the springs of grace and
holiness are quite dried up in his soul; and there is no curing of this drought but by the soul's
union with a new head; to wit, Christ our second Adam, who has the Spirit given him without
measure for the use of all his members. Now, when we are united by faith to Christ, our Head of
influences, the dry land is turned into water springs; Christ "comes down as the rain" by his
Spirit of regeneration, and brings the springs of grace into the soul. He is the first and immediate
receptacle of the Holy Spirit, and all regenerating and sanctifying influences, and out of his
fulness we must by faith receive them. And when at any time the springs of grace are interrupted
in the soul by sin or unbelief, so as the ground turns dry, the plants wither, and the things which
remain are ready to die, the soul hath need to look up to Jesus Christ to come down with new
showers upon the thirsty ground and decayed plants.
1. As the rain is the free gift of God to the dry ground, it comes free and cheap to poor and rich,
small and great, and cost them nothing: so Christ with his blessings is God's free gift to a dry and
perishing world; for which we should be continually thankful.
2. As nothing can stop the falling of the rain; so nothing can hinder Christ's gracious influences,
when he designs to awake, convince, or soften a hard heart. When those showers do fall on
sinners, the most obstinate will must yield, and cry, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?
3. As the rain is most necessary and suitable to the dry ground, and to the various plants it
produces, and also to the different parts of every plant or tree-- such as the root, trunk, branches,
leaves, flowers, and fruit; so Christ is absolutely necessary, and his influence most suitable to all
his people's souls, and to every faculty of them--the understanding, will, memory, and affections;
and to all their different graces, faith, love, repentance, etc.; to root and establish them,
strengthen and confirm them, quicken and increase them, cherish and preserve them.
4. As the rain comes in diverse ways and manners to the earth, sometimes with cold winds and
tempests, thunders and lightnings, and at other times with calmness and warmth; so Christ comes
to sinners, sometimes with sharp convictions and legal terrors, and sometimes with alluring
invitations and promises.
5. O how pleasant are the effects of rain to languishing plants, to make them green and beautiful,
lively and strong, fragrant and beautiful! So the effects of Christ's influences are most desirable
to drooping souls, for enlightening and enlivening them, for confirming and strengthening them,
for comforting and enlarging them, for appetizing and satisfying them, transforming and
beautifying them. A shower from Christ would soon make the church, though withered, turn
green and beautiful, and to send forth a smell as of a field that the Lord hath blessed; and
likewise some drops of this shower, falling down upon the languishing graces of communicants,
would soon make them vigorous and lively in showing forth their Saviour's death at his table.
John Willison.
Ver. 6. There cannot be a more lively image of a flourishing condition than what is conveyed to
us in these words. The grass which is forced by the heat of the sun, before the ground is well
prepared by rains, is weak and languid, and of a faint complexion; but when clear shining

73. succeeds the gentle showers of spring, the field puts forth its best strength, and is more
beautifully arrayed than ever Solomon in all his glory. Thomas Sherlock. 1678.
Ver. 6. He shall come down, dry There is a fourfold descending of Christ which the Scripture
mentions.
I. His incarnation, the manifestation of himself in the
flesh.
II. The abasing himself in condition; he did not only
assume human flesh, but all the natural infirmities
of our flesh.
III. The subjecting of himself to death.
IV. The distillations of his grace and spiritual
blessings upon his church. Ralph Robinson.
Ver. 6. (first clause). Some render this "like dew on the fleece." The mysterious fleece of
Gideon, which on being exposed to the air, is first of all filled with the dew of heaven, while all
the ground around it is quite dry, and which afterwards becomes dry while the earth is watered,
pictures to us, according to the old divines, that the dew of Heaven's grace was poured out upon
Judaea at the time when all the rest of the world remained in barrenness and ignorance of God;
but that now, by a strange alteration, this same Judaea lies in dryness and forgetfulness of God,
while on the contrary, all the other nations of the earth are inundated with the dew of heavenly
grace. Pasquier Quesnel.
Ver. 6. Upon the mown grass. The Hebrew word used here hath a double signification. It
signifies a shorn fleece of wool, and it signifies a meadow newly mown. This hath occasioned
divers readings. Some read it, He shall come down like the rain into a fleece of wool: so the
Septuagint. They that follow this reading make it an allusion unto the dew that fell upon Gideon's
fleece (Jude 6:37-39), when all the land beside was dry, and, again, upon the rest of the land
when the fleece was dry. Others read it according to our translation: He shall come down like
rain upon the mown grass. This seems to me more agreeable to the meaning of the Holy Ghost;
especially because of the clause following, which is added by way of explication: As showers
that water the earth. As the showers, Mybybr Rain and showers differ only as less and more; rain
signifies smaller showers, and showers signify greater rain. De 32:2. Rain falling in multitude of
drops is called a shower. That water the earth. The word Pyzrz zarziph, which is here translated
water, is only used in this place in all the Bible. It signifies to water by dispersion, to water by
drops. The showers are dispersed in drops all over the face of the earth, in a very regular and
artificial way. "God hath divided, "saith Job, "a watercourse for the overflowings of water." Job
38:25. The rain is from the cloud spouted out by drops after such a manner that every part hath
its share. Ralph Robinson.
Ver. 6. The mown grass; literally, that which is shorn, whether fleece or meadow. In the former
sense it occurs Jude 6:37, and so the older translators all take it, (Aq epi kouran, LXX and others
epi plokon, Jerome and Vulgate, in vellus, )probably with the idea that the reign of the monarch
would be accompanied by signal tokens of the divine favour and blessing, like the dew upon
Gideon's fleece; in the latter sense, the word is found Amos 7:1; and this is indisputably its
meaning here, as the parallel shows. The mown meadow is particularly mentioned, because the

74. roots of the grass would be most exposed to the summer heat after the crop has been gathered in,
and the effect would be most striking in the shooting of the young green blade after the shower.
J. J. Stewart Perowne.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Ver. 6. The field, the shower, the result. This verse is easily enough handled in a variety of ways.
Psalms 72:7*
EXPOSITION
Ver. 7. In his days shall the righteous flourish. Beneath the deadly Upas of unrighteous rule no
honest principles can be developed, and good men can scarcely live; but where truth and
uprightness are on the throne, the best of men prosper most. A righteous king is the patron and
producer of righteous subjects. None flourish under Nero but those who are monsters like
himself: like will to like; and under the gentle Jesus the godly find a happy shelter.
And abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. Where Jesus reigns he is known as the
true Melchizedek, king both of righteousness and peace. Peace based upon right is sure to be
lasting, but no other will be. Many a so called Holy Alliance has come to the ground ere many
moons have filled their horns, because craft formed the league, perjury established it, and
oppression was the design of it; but when Jesus shall proclaim the great Truce of God, he will
ordain perpetual peace, and men shall learn war no more. The peace which Jesus brings is not
superficial or short lived; it is abundant in its depth and duration. Let all hearts and voices
welcome the King of nations; Jesus the Good, the Great, the Just, the Ever blessed.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Ver. 7. Righteous. Peace. Do you ask what he is individually? The answer is, "King of
Righteousness:" a being loving righteousness, working righteousness, promoting righteousness,
procuring righteousness, imparting righteousness to those whom he saves, perfectly sinless, and
the enemy and abolisher of all sin. Do you ask what he is practically, and in relation to the effect
of his reign? The answer is, "King of Peace:" a sovereign whose kingdom is a shelter for all who
are miserable, a covert for all who are persecuted, a resting place for all who are weary, a home
for the destitute, and a refuge for the lost. Charles Stanford.
Ver. 7. Abundance of peace. Literally, multitude of peace; that is, the things which produce
peace, or which indicate peace, will not be few, but numerous; they will abound everywhere.
They will be found in towns and villages, and private dwellings; in the calm and just
administration of the affairs of the State; in abundant harvests; in intelligence, in education, and
in undisturbed industry; in the protection extended to the rights of all. Albert Barnes.
Ver. 7. So long as the moon endureth. It does not necessarily follow from these words that the
moon will ever cease to exist. The idea, commonly held, of the annihilation of the starry
firmament is without foundation in Scripture. Such an idea has a pernicious influence on the
human mind, inasmuch as it leads men to depreciate that which bears in such striking character
the stamp and impress of the divine glory. Frederic Fysh.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Ver. 7.
I. The righteous flourish more at one season than

75. another.
II. They flourish most when Jesus is with them: in his
days, etc.
III. The fruit of their growth is proportionately
abundant: and abundance, etc. G. Rogers.
Ver. 7. Abundance of peace. Abundant overtures of peace, abundant redemption making peace,
abundant pardon conferring peace, abundant influences of the Spirit sealing peace, abundant
promises guaranteeing peace, abundant love spreading peace, etc.
Psalms 72:8*
EXPOSITION
Ver. 8. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea. Wide spread shall be the rule of Messiah;
only the Land's End shall end his territory: to the Ultima Thule shall his sceptre be extended.
From Pacific to Atlantic, and from Atlantic to Pacific, he shall be Lord, and the oceans which
surround each pole shall be beneath his sway. All other power shall be subordinate to his; no
rival nor antagonist shall he know. Men speak of the Emperor of all the Russias, but Jesus shall
be Ruler of all mankind.
And from the river unto the ends of the earth. Start where you will, by any river you choose, and
Messiah's kingdom shall reach on to the utmost bounds of the round world. As Solomon's realm
embraced all the land of promise, and left no unconquered margin; so shall the Son of David rule
all lands given him in the better covenant, and leave no nation to pine beneath the tyranny of the
prince of darkness. We are encouraged by such a passage as this to look for the Saviour's
universal reign; whether before or after his personal advent we leave for the discussion of others.
In this Psalm, at least, we see a personal monarch, and he is the central figure, the focus of all the
glory; not his servant, but himself do we see possessing the dominion and dispensing the
government. Personal pronouns referring to our great King are constantly occurring in this
Psalm; he has dominion kings fall down before him, and serve him; for he delivers, he spares, he
saves, he lives, and daily is he praised.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Ver. 8. From the river. There are many modern interpreters who, from the mention of the "river"
--namely, the river Euphrates--in the other clause of the verse, think that the boundaries of the
land of Palestine are here to be understood, that country being described as extending from the
Red Sea to the Sea of Syria, otherwise called the Sea of the Philistines, and the Great Sea; and
from the Euphrates to the Great Desert lying behind Palestine and Egypt. These are the limits of
the Israelitish territory: the former, from the south to the west; the latter, from the north to the
east. (Genesis 15:18.) But, in this passage, there can scarcely be a doubt that by the river --to wit,
the Euphrates--is indicated the extreme boundary of the earth towards the east. In a highly
poetical, magnificent description, such as is given in this song, of a king exalted above all others,
nothing can be conceived more inappropriate than saying that the dominions of such a king
should be bounded by the limits of Palestine. Ernest F. C. Rosenmueller (1768-1835), in "The
Biblical Cabinet, " vol. 32.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER

76. Ver. 8. The universal spread of the gospel. Other theories as to the future overturned, and their
evil influence exposed; while the benefit and certainty of this truth is vindicated.
Psalms 72:9*
EXPOSITION
Ver. 9. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him. Unconquered by arms, they shall
be subdued by love. Wild and lawless as they have been, they shall gladly wear his easy yoke;
then shall their deserts be made glad, yea, they shall rejoice and blossom as the rose.
And his enemies shall lick the dust. If they will not be his friends, they shall be utterly broken
and humbled. Dust shall be the serpent's meat; the seed of the serpent shall be filled therewith.
Homage among Orientals is often rendered in the most abject manner, and truly no sign is too
humiliating to denote the utter discomfiture and subjugation of Messiah's foes. Tongues which
rail at the Redeemer deserve to lick the dust. Those who will not joyfully bow to such a prince
richly merit to be hurled down and laid prostrate; the dust is too good for them, since they
trampled on the blood of Christ.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Ver. 9. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him, etc. This is equivalent to saying,
the wild Arabs, that the greatest conquerors could never tame, shall bow before him, or become
his vassals; nay, his enemies, and, consequently, these Arabs among the rest, shall lick the dust,
or court him with the most abject submissions. T. Harmer's Observations.
Ver. 9. His enemies shall lick the dust. Bear in mind that it was a custom with many nations that,
when individuals approached their kings, they kissed the earth, and prostrated their whole body
before them. This was the custom especially throughout Asia. No one was allowed to address the
Persian kings, unless he prostrated himself on the ground and kissed the footsteps of the king, as
Xenophon records. Thomas Le Blanc.
Ver. 9-10. Wilderness, Tarshish, Sheba. The most uncivilized, the most distant, and the most
opulent nations shall pay their homage to him. Augustus F. Tholuck.
Ver 9-11. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the
dust. They shall humble themselves under the mighty hand of Christ; they shall acknowledge and
receive him as their Lord; they shall fear and reverence him as their King; they shall veil and
bow to his sceptre: they shall put themselves, and all that is theirs, under Christ; they shall give
themselves to the exaltation and setting up of Christ. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall
bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. They shall consecrate their abilities
to Christ's service; they shall communicate of their substance to the maintenance of Christ's
church, and minister to the preservation and increase of Christ's kingdom. All kings shall fall
down before him: all nations shall serve him. All shall adore and serve him as their king; all shall
exalt and honour him, as loyal subjects, their heavenly sovereign; all persons, from the highest to
the lowest, must serve the Lord Jesus, and study to make him glorious; grace works obedience in
the hearts of princes, as well as in the hearts of beggars. The sun as well as the stars, did
obeisance unto Christ, under his kingdom and gospel. Alexander Grosse(-1654), in "Sweet and
Soul Persuading Inducements leading unto Christ." 1632.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Ver. 9 (last clause). The ignoble end of Christ's enemies.

77. Psalms 72:10*
EXPOSITION
Ver. 10. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents. Trade shall be made
subservient to the purposes of mediatorial rule; merchant princes, both far and near, shall
joyfully contribute of their wealth to his throne. Seafaring places are good centres from which to
spread the gospel; and seafaring men often make earnest heralds of the cross. Tarshish of old was
so far away, that to the eastern mind it was lost in its remoteness, and seemed to be upon the
verge of the universe; even so far as imagination itself can travel, shall the Son of David rule;
across the blue sea shall his sceptre be stretched; the white cliffs of Britain already own him, the
gems of the Southern Sea glitter for him, even Iceland's heart is warm with his love. Madagascar
leaps to receive him; and if there be isles of the equatorial seas whose spices have as yet not been
presented to him, even there shall he receive a revenue of glory. He has made many an islet to
become a Holy Isle, and hence, a true Formosa.
The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Agriculture and pasturage shall contribute their
share. Foreign princes from inland regions, as yet unexplored, shall own the all embracing
monarchy of the King of kings; they shall be prompt to pay their reverential tribute. Religious
offerings shall they bring, for their King is their God. Then shall Arabia Felix be happy indeed,
and the Fortunate Isles be more than fortunate. Observe, that true religion leads to generous
giving; we are not taxed in Christ's dominions, but we are delighted to offer freely to him. It will
be a great day when kings will do this: the poor widow has long ago been before them, it is time
that they followed; their subjects would be sure to imitate the royal example. This free will
offering is all Christ and his church desire; they want no forced levies and distraints, let all men
give of their own free will, kings as well as commoners; alas! the rule has been for kings to give
their subjects' property to the church, and a wretched church has received this robbery for a burnt
offering; it shall not be thus when Jesus more openly assumes the throne.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Ver. 9-10. Wilderness, Tarshish, Sheba. See Psalms on "Psalms 72:9" for further information.
Ver. 9-11. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the
dust. See Psalms on "Psalms 72:9" for further information.
Ver. 10. Tarshish was an old, celebrated, opulent, cultivated, commercial city, which carried on
trade in the Mediterranean, and with the seaports of Syria, especially Tyre and Joppa, and that it
most probably lay on the extreme west of that sea. Was there, then, in ancient times, any city in
these parts which corresponded with these clearly ascertained facts? There was. Such was
Tartessus in Spain, said to have been a Phoenician colony; a fact which of itself would account
for its intimate connection with Palestine and the Biblical narratives. As to the exact spot where
Tartessis (so written originally) lay, authorities are not agreed, as the city had ceased to exist
when geography began to receive attention; but it was not far from the Straits of Gibraltar, and
near the mouth of the Guadalquivir, consequently at no great distance from the famous Granada
of later days. The reader, however, must enlarge his notion beyond that of a mere city, which,
how great soever, would scarcely correspond with the ideas of magnitude, affluence, and power,
that the Scriptures suggest. The name, which is of Phoenician origin, seems to denote the district
of south western Spain, comprising the several colonies which Tyre planted in that country, and
so being equivalent to what we might designate Phoenician Spain. We are not, however,
convinced that the opposite coast of Africa was not included, so that the word would denote to an

78. inhabitant of Palestine the extreme western parts of the world. J. R. Beard, in "A Cyclopaedia of
Biblical Literature." 1866.
Ver. 10. The isles. Myya, only in the Psalter besides, Psalms 97:1, where, and uniformly, so
rendered. The word, however, denotes all habitable land as opposed to water (see Genesis 10:5,
where first it occurs, with Isaiah 42:15), and so "maritime land, whether the sea coast of
continent or island" (Gesenius); especially the countries washed by the Mediterranean, and the
remote coasts to the west of Palestine. So in the parallel prophecy, Isa 60:9 11:11 41:1-2 Isa
42:10-12 //www.studylight.org/desk/index.cgi?q1=Isa+42:10&t1=en_nas49:1, etc. Accordingly,
"The isles shall wait for his law, "(Isaiah 42:4) is expounded in Matthew 12:22 --"In Him shall
the Gentiles trust." William DeBurgh.
Ver. 10. Sheba and Seba. There appear to have been two nations living in the same region, viz.,
Southern Arabia. One of these was descended from Cush, the son of Ham, and the other from
Joktan, a descendant of Shem. These two people were often antagonistic in interests, despite the
similarity of their names, but their divisions would be healed, and unitedly they would offer
tribute to the Great King. It is an Arab proverb, "divided as the Sabaeans, "but Christ makes
them one. "The Greek geographers usually couple Abyssinia with Yemen, in Arabia, and
invariably represent the Abyssinian as an Arab or Sabaean race. Modern travellers, also,
unanimously agree in recognising the Arab type among those Abyssinian populations which do
not belong to the African stock." That the Sabaean nations were wealthy is clear from the Greek
historian Agatharchides. "The Sabaeans, "says he, "have in their houses an incredible number of
vases and utensils of all sorts, of gold and silver, beds and tripods of silver, and all the furniture
of astonishing richness. Their buildings have porticoes with columns sheathed with gold, or
surmounted by capitals of silver. On the friezes, ornaments, and the framework of the doors, they
place plates of gold encrusted with precious stones. They spend immense sums in adorning these
edifices, employing gold, silver, ivory, and precious stones, and materials of the greatest value."
They appear, also, to have acquired great wealth by trading, both with India and Africa, their
peninsula lying between those two regions. Rich would be their gifts if Lenormant and
Chevallier's description of their commerce be correct. "The principal importations from India
were gold, tin, precious stones, ivory, sandalwood, spices, pepper, cinnamon, and cotton. Besides
these articles, the storehouses of southern Arabia received the products of the opposite coast of
Africa, procured by the Sabaeans in the active coasting trade they carried on with this not far
distant land, where Mosyton (now Ras Abourgabeh) was the principal port. These were, besides
the spices that gave name to that coast, ebony, ostrich feathers, and more gold and ivory. With
the addition of the products of the soil of southern Arabia itself, incense, myrrh, laudanum,
precious stones, such as onyx and agates, lastly, aloes from the island of Socotra, and pearls from
the fisheries of the Gulf of Ormus, we shall have the list of the articles comprised in the trade of
this country with Egypt, and with those Asiatic countries bordering on the Mediterranean; and at
the same time, by considering this activity of such a traffic." "Poor as God's people usually are,
the era will surely arrive when the richest of the rich will count it all joy to lay their treasures at
Jesus' feet." C. H. S.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Ver. 10. Christian finance; voluntary but abundant are the gifts presented to Jesus.
Psalms 72:11*
EXPOSITION

79. Ver. 11. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him. Personally shall they pay their reverence,
however mighty they may be. No matter how high their state, how ancient their dynasty, or far
off their realms, they shall willingly accept him as their Imperial Lord.
All nations shall serve him. The people shall be as obedient as the governors. The extent of the
mediatorial rule is set forth by the two far reaching alls, all kings, and all nations: we see not as
yet all things put under him, but since we see Jesus crowned with glory and honour in heaven,
we are altogether without doubt as to his universal monarchy on earth. It is not to be imagined
that an Alexander or a Caesar shall have wider sway than the Son of God. "Every knee shall bow
to him, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Hasten it, O Lord, in thine own time.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Ver. 9-11. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the
dust. See Psalms on "Psalms 72:9" for further information.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
None.
Psalms 72:12*
EXPOSITION
Ver. 12. For he shall deliver the needy. Here is an excellent reason for man's submission to the
Lord Christ; it is not because they dread his overwhelming power, but because they are won over
by his just and condescending rule. Who would not fear so good a Prince, who makes the needy
his peculiar care, and pledges himself to be their deliverer in times of need?
When he crieth. He permits them to be so needy as to be driven to cry bitterly for help, but then
he hears them, and comes to their aid. A child's cry touches a father's heart, and our King is the
Father of his people. If we can do no more than cry it will bring omnipotence to our aid. A cry is
the native language of a spiritually needy soul; it has done with fine phrases and long orations,
and it takes to sobs and moans; and so, indeed, it grasps the most potent of all weapons, for
heaven always yields to such artillery.
The poor also, and him that hath no helper. The proverb says, "God helps those that help
themselves; "but it is yet more true that Jesus helps those who cannot help themselves, nor find
help in others. All helpless ones are under the especial care of Zion's compassionate King; let
them hasten to put themselves in fellowship with him. Let them look to him, for he is looking for
them.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Ver. 12. He shall deliver the needy when he crieth. There needeth no mediator between him and
his subjects; he heareth the needy when they cry. The man that hath nothing within him or
without him to commend him to Christ, to assist, help, relieve, or comfort him in heaven or earth,
is not despised by Christ, but delivered from that which he feareth. David Dickson.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Ver. 12. Christ's peculiar care of the poor.
Ver. 12.
I. Pitiable characters.

80. II. Abject conditions: "cry; ""no helper."
III. Natural resort: "crieth."
IV. Glorious interposition. G. Rogers.
Psalms 72:13*
EXPOSITION
Ver. 13. He shall spare the poor and needy. His pity shall be manifested to them; he will not
allow their trials to overwhelm them; his rod of correction shall fall lightly; he will be sparing of
his rebukes, and not sparing in his consolations.
And shall save the souls of the needy. His is the dominion of souls, a spiritual and not a worldly
empire; and the needy, that is to say, the consciously unworthy and weak, shall find that he will
give them his salvation. Jesus calls not the righteous, but sinners to repentance. He does not
attempt the superfluous work of aiding proud Pharisees to air their vanity; but he is careful of
poor Publicans whose eyes dare not look up to heaven by reason of their sense of sin. We ought
to be anxious to be among these needy ones whom the Great King so highly favours.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Ver. 13. He shall spare; more correctly, compassionate or comfort the poor and needy; and shall
save their souls, or preserve the lives of the needy. William Henry Alexander, in "The Book of
Praises: being the Book of Psalms... with Notes Original and Selected." 1867.
Ver. 13. And shall save the souls of the needy. Scipio used to say, that he would rather save a
single citizen than slay a thousand enemies. Of this mind ought all princes to be towards their
subjects; but this affection and love rose to the highest excellence and power in the breast of
Christ. So ardent is his love for his own, that he suffers not one of them to perish, but leads them
to full salvation, and, opposing himself to both devils and tyrants who seek to destroy their souls,
he constrains their fury and confounds their rage. Mollerus.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
None.
Psalms 72:14*
EXPOSITION
Ver. 14. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence. These two things are the weapons
with which the poor are assailed: both law and no law are employed to fleece them. The fox and
the lion are combined against Christ's lambs, but the Shepherd will defeat them, and rescue the
defenceless from their teeth. A soul hunted by the temptations of Satanic craft, and the
insinuations of diabolical malice, will do well to fly to the throne of Jesus for shelter.
And precious shall their blood be in his sight. He will not throw away his subjects in needless
wars as tyrants have done, but will take every means for preserving the humblest of them.
Conquerors have reckoned thousands of lives as small items; they have reddened fields with
gore, as if blood were water, and flesh but manure for harvests; but Jesus, though he gave his
own blood, is very chary of the blood of his servants, and if they must die for him as martyrs, he
loves their memory, and counts their lives as his precious things.
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS

81. Ver. 14. And precious shall their blood be in his sight. The Angolani so despised their slaves that
they would sometimes give as many as twenty-two for one hunting dog... But Christ prefers the
soul of one of his servants to the whole world, since he died that it might be made more capable
of entering into eternal felicity. For breaking one goblet the Roman cast his slave into the pond to
be devoured by the muraenae. But the Son of God came down from heaven to earth to deliver
mankind, his vile, ungrateful, faithless servants, from the pangs of the serpent, like the golden
fleece, and save them as Jonah from the whale. Is not their blood precious in his sight? Thomas
Le Blanc.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Ver. 14. The martyr's hope in life and comfort in death. G. Rogers.
Ver. 14 (last clause). The martyr's blood.
I. Seen of God when shed.
II. Remembered by him.
III. Honoured by being a benefit to the church.
IV. Rewarded especially in heaven.
Psalms 72:15*
EXPOSITION
Ver. 15. And he shall live. Vive le Roi! O King! live for ever! He was slain, but is risen and ever
liveth.
And to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba. These are coronation gifts of the richest kind,
cheerfully presented at his throne. How gladly would we give him all that we have and are, and
count the tribute far too small. We may rejoice that Christ's cause will not stand still for want of
funds; the silver and the gold are his, and if they are not to be found at home, far off lands shall
hasten to make up the deficit. Would to God we had more faith and more generosity.
Prayer also shall be made for him continually. May all blessings be upon his head; all his people
desire that his cause may prosper, therefore do they hourly cry, "Thy kingdom come." Prayer for
Jesus is a very sweet idea, and one which should be for evermore lovingly carried out; for the
church is Christ's body, and the truth is his sceptre; therefore we pray for him when we plead for
these. The verse may, however, be read as "through him, "for it is by Christ as our Mediator that
prayer enters heaven and prevails. "Continue in prayer" is the standing precept of Messiah's
reign, and it implies that the Lord will continue to bless.
And daily shall he be praised. As he will perpetually show himself to be worthy of honour, so
shall he be incessantly praised: --
"For him shall constant prayer be made,
And praises throng to crown his head;
His name, like sweet perfume, shall rise
With every morning's sacrifice."
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Ver. 15. And he shall live; Hebrew, "So shall he live; "i.e., the poor man. Charles Carter.

82. Ver. 15. And he shall live. There is a clear reference to the coronation of kings in the loud
acclamations, Long live the King! and the bestowal of the customary gifts and presents, as is
plain from 2 Samuel 16:16, 1 Kings 1:39, 1 Samuel 10:27, 2 Chronicles 17:5. Hermann Venema.
Ver. 15. He shall live. Alexander the Great acknowledged at death that he was a frail and feeble
man. "Lo! I, "said he, "am dying, whom you falsely called a god." But Christ proved that he was
God when, by his own death, he overcame, and, as I may say, slew death. Thomas Le Blanc.
Ver. 15. He shall live. It is a great consolation to soldiers imperilled amid many forms of death,
that their king shall live. Whence one of the chief of these warriors, consoling himself, said, "I
know that my Redeemer liveth, and at the last day I shall rise from the earth." Great is the
consolation of the dying, that he for whom, or in whom, they die, shall live for evermore. With
whom, if we die, we shall also live again, and share his riches equally with himself; for rich
indeed is our Solomon, in whom are hidden all the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of
God. Gerhohus.
Ver. 15. Prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised. It might
have been rendered, "Prayer also shall be made through him continually, and daily shall he be
blessed." The word is rendered "blessed, "when speaking if an act of worship towards God; and
the word translated "for" is sometimes used for "through, "as Joshua 2:15, "Through the
window." If we hold the translation "for him, "then it must be understood of the saints praying
for the Father's accomplishment of his promises, made to the Son in the covenant of redemption,
that his kingdom may come, his name be glorified, and that he may see his seed, and that the full
reward may be given him for his sufferings, and so that he may receive the joy that was set
before him. Jonathan Edwards.
Ver. 15. Prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised. In all
conquered countries, two things marked the subjection of the people:
1. Their money was stamped with the name of the conqueror.
2. They were obliged to pray for him in their acts of public worship. Adam Clarke.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Ver. 15. Prayer shall be made for him. We are to pray for Jesus Christ. Owing to the interest he
has in certain objects, what is done for them is done for himself and so he esteems it. We,
therefore, pray for him when we pray for his ministers, his ordinances, his gospel, his church--in
a word, his cause. But what should we pray for on his behalf?
I. The degree of its resources; that there be always a
sufficiency of suitable and able instruments to carry
on the work.
II. The freedom of its administration; that whatever
opposes or hinders its progress may be removed.
III. The diffusion of its principles; that they may become
general and universal.
IV. The increase of its glory, as well as its extent. W. Jay.
Ver. 15. Prayer for Jesus, a suggestive topic. Daily praise, a Christian duty.

83. Ver. 15. A living Saviour, a giving people; the connection between the two. Or, Christ in the
church fills the exchequer, fosters the prayer meeting, and sanctifies the service of song.
Psalms 72:16*
EXPOSITION
Ver. 16. There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains. From small
beginnings great results shall spring. A mere handful in a place naturally ungenial shall produce
a matchless harvest. What a blessing that there is a handful; "except the Lord of hosts had left
unto us a very small remnant we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto
Gomorrah:" but now the faithful are a living seed, and shall multiply in the land.
The fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon. The harvest shall be so great that the wind shall rustle
through it, and sound like the cedars upon Lebanon: --
"Like Lebanon, by soft win
“BLESSED IN HIM” NO. 2451
A SERMON INTENDED FOR READING ON LORD’S-DAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1896.
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON, AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE,
NEWINGTON, ON LORD’S-DAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 7, 1886.
“Men shall be blessed in Him.” Psalm 72:17.
I wish that I could speak at my very best concerning the glorious Him who is mentioned in the
text, but I have hardly got into full working order after my season of rest. One’s voice becomes
rusty, like an unused key, and one does not, at first, feel quite at ease in speaking after a time of
comparative quietude. Do not, however, think that my subject is a poor one—if there are defects
in my discourse, remember that it will only be the speaker who is poverty-stricken—not the great
King and Lord of whom he is speaking. “Men shall be blessed in Him.” O sirs, if one had the
tongues of men, and of angels, and if one could only, for once, use that speech which it is not
lawful for a man to utter—those words which Paul tells us that he heard when he was caught up
to the third heaven—if we could even speak as never man yet spoke, we could not fully set forth
all the glories of Him of whom this text speaks! David’s thoughts, doubtless, rested in part upon
Solomon when he said, “Men shall be blessed in him”—and our Lord, Himself, spoke of
Solomon in all his glory. But what poor stuff is human glory at the very highest! The, “Him,”
mentioned in the text, the higher and the greater Solomon who is truly meant in these words, has
a real glory—not of earthly pomp and fading tinsel, nor of gold and pearls, and precious stones,
but the more excellent glory of character, and the true beauty of holiness. In Him all divine
excellences are blended. I cannot hope to set Him forth as He deserves. I cannot tell you all His
virtues, and His glories, but, oh, He is very dear to many of us! His name is engraved on the
fleshy tablets of our hearts, and when we lie upon our last bed, and all other things shall be

84. forgotten in the decay of nature, we shall still remember that dear name which is above every
name! The contemplation of our Savior’s blessed person shall then absorb every faculty of our
being! “Men shall be blessed in Him,” the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Son of man, the
Savior, the Redeemer, the God over all, blessed forever, who is also bone of our bone, and flesh
of our flesh! As I should fail altogether to speak of Him as He deserves, I will not attempt the
impossible task, but will try to speak of men being blessed in Him. That is a note a little lower. If
we cannot reach the highest octave, we may attain to a lower one. Yet, while we speak of the
blessing that comes from Him, let us still think of Him from whom the blessing comes, and let us
remember that as all blessings come from Him, it is because all blessings are laid up in Him—
because every conceivable good is stored up in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, “and of His
fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.” I. My first remark concerning the text is that
it makes mention of AN AMAZING CONDITION— “Men shall be blessed in Him.” It is an
amazing condition to be blessed, for, by nature, men are not blessed. We are born under a curse.
Our first father turned aside the blessing when he disobeyed God’s command and, in the early
dawn of the day of our race, he darkened our sky once and for all. The curve still abides upon
man, that in the sweat of his face he shall eat bread, and upon woman, that in sorrow she shall
bring forth children. How much woe lies in the curse that falls upon us in consequence of our
own personal sin! “Who slew all these”—these comforts and joys of life? Oftentimes, they have
been slain by a man’s own hands through his own sin, or through the sins of those who surround
him. The trail of the old serpent is everywhere! You cannot open your eyes without discovering
that man is not blessed, but oftentimes abides under the curse. Put that truth of God down before
you, and then read the text, “Men shall be blessed in Him.” Apart from Him, they are accursed!
They wring their hands, and
2 “Blessed in Him” Sermon #2451
2 Tell someone today how much you love Jesus Christ. Volume 42
wish they had never been born—and some sigh and sorrow almost without ceasing. Man is born
to trouble, as the sparks fly upward, and it is an amazing thing that any man should be blessed—
so amazing, that no man is ever blessed until he comes to be connected with the Lord Jesus
Christ—“Men shall be blessed in Him.” Many people who forget all about the curse,
nevertheless acknowledge that they are unhappy. Go up and down among the whole race of men,
and how few you will find really happy! I believe that none are truly happy until they are in
Christ, but even if they were happy, that is not the word that is used in our text. It does not say,
“Men shall be happy in Him.” It gives us a fuller, deeper, richer word than that— “Men shall be
blessed in Him.” To be happier may be a thing of time, and of this world only. I do not mean that
the happiness may not be true and real, but still, compared with all that the word, “blessed,”
implies, the word, “happy,” has no eternity, no depth, no fullness, and no force in it! So that,
even if men were happy, they would not come up to the fullness of the promise in our text. But,
alas, the mass of men are unhappy—sighing for this, and mourning for that—never blessed, but
only hoping to be so. The text, therefore, comes in with its sweet silvery ring, telling that men
shall cease to be unhappy, and that they shall rise even above merely being happy—they shall
come to be “blessed in Him.” I regret to say that there is a third class of people who, when they
rise above the curse, and are not absolutely unhappy, yet nevertheless are in a state of doubt and
hesitation. We could not positively say that they are cursed, for we hope that some part of the
blessing has fallen upon them. We may not call them unhappy, yet we know that they are not
eminently happy. They hope that they are saved, or they trust that they shall be safe at the last,

85. but they are not sure that the blessings of salvation are already theirs. Our text does not say that,
in Christ, this condition of luminous haze, if I may so call it—this condition of doubt and
uncertainty is all that is to be attained. No, but it says, “Men shall be blessed in Him”—and no
man can call himself truly blessed till he knows that he is blessed, till he is sure of it, till he has
passed the period of dubious questioning, till he has come out of the miry and boggy country of
hesitation and doubt, and stands upon the firm ground of full assurance, so that he can say, “I am
God’s child. The Father’s love is fixed upon me; I have a part and portion in the covenant of
grace—I am saved.” Now it is to that blessed condition that the text directs our thoughts—it
promises that men shall be delivered from the curse, that they shall be lifted up from their natural
unhappiness, that they shall be rescued from their doubtful or their hopeful questioning—and
shall even come to be blessed! God shall pronounce them blessed! He shall set upon them the
broad seal of divine approbation, and call them blessed! And with that seal there shall come
streaming into their hearts the sweetness of intense delight which shall give them experimentally
a blessing to their own conscious enjoyment! Let me tell you what Christ does for a man who is
really in Him, and then you will see how he is blessed. The man who comes to Christ by faith,
and truly trusts Christ has all the past rectified. All his sins, whatever they may have been, are
pardoned in a moment as soon as he believes in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. His iniquities are
blotted out, and are as if they had never been committed. As the cloud passes away, and is no
more to be seen, so the thick clouds of our sins are dispersed by Christ as soon as we believe in
Him! Nor will they ever return to darken our sky. The forgiveness which God gives is not
temporary, but eternal! Once pardoned, you are pardoned forever—the act of divine amnesty and
oblivion stands fast forever and ever! Is not that man truly blessed, then, who is made free from
sin? David says, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is
the man unto whom the Lord imputes not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” This is
the blessedness which Christ gives to those who are in Him, that, as for the past, in its entirety,
with all its blackness, with all its aggravated sin, He has taken it upon Himself, and borne the
penalty due on account of it—He makes a clean sweep of it, and says of the man who trusts in
Him, “Your sins, which are many, are all forgiven you; go in peace.” That is one part of the
blessedness of those who are in Christ—the past is all forgiven. At the same time, the man who
is in Christ receives present favor. As soon as we truly believe in Jesus, there steals over our
heart a delicious sense of rest according to His gracious invitation and promise, “Come unto Me,
all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” And as we go on to serve the
Lord, and take His yoke upon us, and learn of Him, we find rest for our souls, for His yoke is
Sermon #2451 “Blessed in Him” 3
Volume 42 Tell someone today how much you love Jesus Christ. 3
easy, and His burden is light. I believe that, oftentimes, a child of God, when he realizes his
union to Christ, feels so blessed that he does not know of anything that could make him more
blessed than he is! He says, “I am perfectly content with my Lord, and with what I am in Him.
With myself, I am always dissatisfied, and always groaning because I cannot entirely conquer
sin, but with my Savior I am always satisfied! I am triumphant in Him, and rejoicing in Him,
indeed, blessed in Him.” Some of you know what a blessed thing it is to be a child of God, and
an heir of heaven—how blessed it is to have the throne of grace, to where you can take your
troubles, and to have a Helper who is strong enough to deliver you. I spoke, the other day, with a
Christian friend, and I said to him, “My life sometimes seems to be like that of a man walking
upon a tight rope. The walk of faith is very mysterious—one false step, or one slip, and where

86. would we be?” My friend replied, “Yes, it is so, no doubt. But then, underneath are the
everlasting arms.” Ah, that is a blessed addition to the figure—there is no slipping off the rope
on which God calls us to walk, but if there were, underneath are the everlasting arms, and all is
well! And the Christian, when he knows that, and lives as one should live who is in Christ, is,
even now, a truly blessed man! But that is not all, for he who believes in Christ has his future
guaranteed. He does not know how long he shall live, and he does not want to know, for his
Father knows. God knows all that you and I may wish to know—and as He knows it, it is better
than our knowing it! Whether our life is long or short, He will be with us unto the end. And as
our days, our strength shall be. He will sanctify to us every trial we meet, and nothing shall, by
any means, harm us. He will bring us safely to our journey’s end, and we shall go through the
cold death stream without a fear! We shall rise triumphant on the shore of the hill country on the
other side, and we shall behold our Savior’s face without a veil between forever and forever! All
this is an absolute certainty if we are the children of God, for it is not possible that one of the
divine family should perish—that one bought with the blood of Christ should ever be cast away!
He will keep His own, and preserve them even to the end. Are they not blessed, then, and is not
the text full of sweetness as to this amazing condition, “Men shall be blessed in Him”? Where
are you, you blessed men and women? Where are you? Come and enjoy your blessedness! Do
not be ashamed to be happy! I believe that some Christians are a little frightened at themselves
when they find that they are full of joy, and if, perhaps, they should ever break through the rules
of decorum, and express their joy, then they turn crimson! It was not thus with the saints of old,
for sometimes they spoke and sang so loudly of the joy of their hearts that even their adversaries
said, “The Lord has done great things for them,” and they replied, “The Lord has done great
things for us; therefore we are glad!” And again they lifted up their hallelujahs. Then were their
mouths filled with laughter, and their tongues with singing. So let it be with you, for you are,
indeed, a blessed people if you are in Christ! II. Having thus dwelt upon this amazing condition,
I now give you another keyword. The text says, “Men shall be blessed in Him.” This is A WIDE
STATEMENT. Oftentimes, the greatest truths of God lie in the shortest sentences. There is a
great mass of truth within the compass of these few words—“Men shall be blessed in Him.”
There are only six words, here, but to make the wide statement true requires breadth of number.
You could not well say, “Men shall be blessed in Him,” if those to be blessed were a very few. It
is not possible that the election of grace should consist of a few scores of persons making up an
especially favored denomination—otherwise the psalmist would not speak after this wide
fashion, “Men shall be blessed in Him.” The Holy Spirit is not given to exaggeration, and He
would have put it, “A few men will be blessed in Him.” But here there is nothing of the kind! It
is, “Men shall be blessed in Him,” meaning the great mass of the human race, vast multitudes of
the sons of Adam! I believe that when this dispensation comes to an end, notwithstanding all the
dreary centuries that have passed, Christ shall have the pre-eminence as to numbers as well as in
every other respect—and that the multitudes who shall be saved by Him shall far transcend those
who have rejected His mercy. The text says, “Men shall be blessed in Him.” That is to say, the
most of men, innumerable myriads of men shall get the blessing that Jesus purchased by His
death on the cross. But when the text says, “Men shall be blessed in Him,” it implies great width
of variety. “Men”—not merely kings or noblemen, but, “Men shall be blessed in Him.” Men—
not working men, or thinking men, or fighting men, or this sort of men, or the other sort of men,
but men of all sorts—“Men shall be
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87. blessed in Him.” It is a delightful thought that Christ is as much fitted to one rank, and one class
of persons as to another— “While grace is offered to the prince, The poor may take their share.
No mortal has a just pretense, To perish in despair.” Christ is the Christ of the multitude! His
Father says of Him, “I have exalted One chosen out of the people,” but He is equally the Christ
of the most refined and eclectic. He comes with equal grace to those who stand in the highest or
the lowest earthly position. “Men shall be blessed in Him.” Of course, the word, “men,” includes
women and children—it means the human race! “Men shall be blessed in Him.” Do not,
therefore, let anyone say, “I am a strange, odd person,” for the text puts in this little-big word,
“men,” which takes you in, whoever you may be! If you come to Christ, you are included in this
promise, “Men shall be blessed in Him.” So that there is a width of variety implied here. Our
text also indicates length of period. “Men shall be blessed in Him.” Men have been blessed in
Him these many centuries, Christ has shone with all the radiance of omnipotent love upon this
poor fallen world, but His light is as full as ever, and however long this dispensation shall last,
“Men shall be blessed in Him.” Though some of those men are, perhaps, gray with years, and
decrepit through age, yet the promise still stands, “Men shall be blessed in Him.” And while that
verse has the word, “shall,” in it, why should not the grayest head receive the divine blessing?
Why should not a man who is on the borders of the grave yet lay hold of this blessed text, and
say, “I will trust Him in whom men shall be blessed”? Further, the text suggests fullness of
sufficiency concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a wonderful depth of meaning in this
passage when it says, “Men shall be blessed in Him.” “Oh,” says one, “men shall he blessed by
philosophy, or by Christ and philosophy!” Not at all. It is, “Men shall be blessed in Him.” “But
they shall be blessed in Him through trade, and commerce, and the like.” Not so! “Men shall be
blessed in Him.” Have we not, who are half a century old, heard a great number of theories about
how the millennium is to be brought about? I remember that at one time free trade was to bring
it, but it did not! And nothing will ever make men blessed unless they get into Christ—“Men
shall be blessed in Him.” The quacks are crying up this remedy, and that, nostrums old, and
new—but there is only one true Physician of souls! It is the Christ of God who alone has the
balm that will cure the disease of sin! When He is received, the world shall be blessed. But as
long as He is rejected, the curse will still remain upon the sons of men. “Men shall be blessed in
Him.” Oh, that our fellow men would receive Him! Oh, that they would bow down before the
Crucified, and acknowledge Him as their Lord and Savior! Oh, that all would look up to His
wounds, still visible in His glory, and put their trust in Him! Then should come that glorious time
when wars shall cease to the ends of the earth, and every evil shall be put away. His unsuffering
kingdom must yet come! Oh, that it might come speedily! But it can only come through Himself,
not by any other means. “Men shall be blessed in Him.” Anything short of trusting in Him will
end in eternal failure! You have noted, dear friends, these two things, the amazing or, singular
condition, and the wide statement. III. Now I want to dwell for a minute or two, for the
exaltation of our Lord, upon THE FULL ASSURANCE which is expressed in this text—“Men
shall be blessed in Him.” The prophet speaks here, my brothers and sisters, in a very positive
manner. There is no quiver in his voice, there is no hesitancy about his speech. I am afraid that at
the present moment there are some, even of godly men, who tremble for the ark of the Lord, and
the hand of Uzzah is visible here and there! But the ark of the covenant of the Lord needs no
steadying hand from you or from me—the cause of God is always safe in His own keeping. The
cause of the truth of God is always secure, for God preserves it. Let us not be afraid; neither let
us be discouraged. It is a grand thing to get a sentence like this with a, “shall,” in it—“Men shall

88. be blessed in Him. “It is not, “perhaps they may be,” but, “Men shall be blessed in Him.” Not,
“perhaps they may be blessed under certain conditions,” but, “Men shall be blessed in Him.”
Sermon #2451 “Blessed in Him” 5
Volume 42 Tell someone today how much you love Jesus Christ. 5
This means, in the first place, they shall not try Him and fail. There never was a man who came
to Christ who failed to get a blessing from Him! There never was one who believed in Jesus, and
yielded himself up to the gracious sway of the Prince of Love who did not get a blessing from
Him. I have never met with a Christian yet, who, in life or in death, has said, “I have been
disappointed in Christ. He has deceived me. I sought and hoped for blessedness, but I have
missed it.” Never can this be truly said! “Men shall be blessed in Him.” If they really come to
Him, they shall not miss this blessedness. No, I go further, and say that they shall not desire
Him, and be denied. There was never a soul that desired to be blessed in Christ, and was willing
to yield itself up to Christ, that Christ did ever reject! There is no one in hell who can truthfully
say, “I came to Jesus, and He spurned me.” And there never shall be one such, for it is written,
“Him that comes to Me I will in no wise cast out.” The foot that was nailed to the cross never
spurned a sinner yet! The hand that was pierced never pushed away a penitent! Christ is all
invitation—there is no rejection about Him—He constantly bids sinners come to Him, and this
text is true for you, whoever you may be, “Men shall be blessed in Him.” I am glad to go as far
as that, and to say that none who ever came to Christ failed to get a blessing from Him—and that
none who desire to come to Him have ever been denied by Him! But I am going still further.
“Men shall be blessed in Him,” that is to say, they shall come to Christ, and get the blessing.
Some, alas, will not come to Him. But, O sirs, if any of you refuse to come, do not make any
mistake about the matter! You think that by refusing His invitation you will thwart Christ, and
defeat the purposes of God, but that is absurd! The King’s wedding feast shall be furnished with
guests—and if you who are bid will not come, there are others who will! He will send His
servants out into the highways and hedges to compel others to come in, that His house may be
filled! Do not imagine that the result of the death of Christ depends upon you, and that it is in
your power to prevent the accomplishment of the almighty purposes of the Savior’s love! No,
no! “He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper
in His hand. He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied.” If you believe not, I
must say to you what Christ said to the Jews, “You believe not, because you are not of His
sheep.” His sheep hear His voice, and He knows them, and they follow Him, and He gives them
eternal life, and they shall never perish. “All that the Father gives Me,” He says, “shall come to
Me.” Not one of those whom God has given to His Son shall be left to perish! They shall all
come to Him, and so the text shall be fulfilled, “Men shall be blessed in Him.” Do not imagine
that when Jesus hung there on yonder bloody tree, and groaned away His life for men, He was
dying at a whim! There was at the back of Him the eternal purpose, and the covenant that cannot
be changed—and the invincible One who, without violating the will of men, can yet achieve the
will of God, making men willing in the day of His power—turning them from darkness to light,
and from the power of sin and Satan unto God! Be of good courage, my brothers and sisters—
the consequences of redemption are not left in jeopardy! Those results which God has purposed
will, to the last jot and tittle, be fulfilled. “Men shall be blessed in Him.” It is not to me a
question whether Ethiopia shall stretch out her hands to God—she shall do it, though I may not
live to see it. It is not to me a question whether the kingdoms of this world shall become the
kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ—they must become His! Let us work in this confidence,

89. and believe every promise in this blessed book. If we get down-hearted, and full of fear, we are
unworthy of our Lord. If we served a temporal prince with limited power, we might talk with
bated breath, but the banner that gleams on high, above our ranks, is the banner of the Lord God
omnipotent— and the shout that shall be heard at the last, is this—“Alleluia! For the Lord God
omnipotent reigns!” I ask you—Is it not very natural that He should reign? If He really is
omnipotent, are not all the certainties as well as the probabilities in favor of His universal
dominion? Must He not reign? Yes, says the Spirit, “He shall reign forever and ever.” “Men shall
be blessed in Him.” There is the tone of full assurance about this blessed prophecy! Therefore,
let us rejoice and praise the name of the Lord. IV. Now, lastly, I want you with all your hearts to
think of my text with A PERSONAL APPROPRIATION—“Men shall be blessed in Him.” Dear
hearers, are you blessed in Christ? Will you answer the question personally? Do not pass it
around, and say to yourself, “No doubt there are many who think that they are blessed who are
not.” Never mind about them! For the present moment, ask this question of yourself, “Am I
blessed in
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Christ?” Some people think that they have Christ as their Savior, but their religion brings them
no blessedness. They go to church or to chapel very regularly. They are, apparently, a good sort
of people, but a part of their religion consists in being, on the whole, as comfortably miserable as
they can! As to anything like blessedness, that does not enter into their minds. Now, if my
religion did not make me really happy, I would seriously question whether I was a possessor of
the religion of the happy God, for “Men shall be blessed in Him.” “Oh,” says one, “but we have
so many trials and troubles!” Ah, that we have! Do you know a man or woman who does not
have any? I should like you to mark all the doors in London where people live who have not any
trouble—it will not cost you much for chalk! There is nobody without trouble! If a man could be
without trouble, he would be without a blessing, for in this world one of the rarest blessings—
one of the richest, truest blessings that God ever sends to His children is adversity! He sends
more blessings upon the black horse than He ever sends upon the gray one! It is the messenger of
sorrow who often brings the choicest jewels to our door. Ah, there is many a woman who has not
left her bed these dozen years, or had a fair night of rest all that long time who is truly blessed!
There is many a man who is as poor as poverty can make him, shivering in the cold, tonight, and
scarcely knowing where to find another bit of coal to keep his little fire alight—yet he is blessed!
If it were necessary, I could get some of you to stand up and testify that though you have very
little of this world’s joys, and very little of temporal goods, yet you can say, “Yes, I am blessed, I
am blessed indeed— “‘I would not change my best estate, For all that earth calls good or great!
And while my faith can keep her hold I envy not the sinner’s gold.’” Well, you have that
blessedness, then, enjoy it! What would you think of a man who went thirsty when he had a well
in his back yard? What would you think of a person who always went about povertystricken
though he had millions in the bank? Think of Mr. Vanderbilt standing in the street, and asking
passers-by for a half-penny! Yet I have seen children of God act like that in spiritual things. A
little boy came up to me in an Italian town, and asked me to give him a soldo—he meant a half-
penny. He was quite a moneyed man, for he had a farthing in his pocket! He took it out, and
showed it to me, and he seemed delighted with it. But then he said that it was the only one he had
in the world. You might think, from the way some persons act, that they had about a farthing’s
worth of faith, but that is all they have. Is it not so? O you who have Christ and God, this world

90. and worlds to come, and whom God has pronounced blessed—what? Are you going to live the
starveling life of the unblessed and the unsaved? I pray you, do not! Gentlemen, live according to
your quality! Peers of the upper house—for you are such if you are born-again—I beseech you,
act in accordance with your true nobility. Has not Christ made you princes and kings? And has
He not said that you shall reign with Him forever and ever? Look up, then! Lift up your heads,
and say, “Yes, He has blessed me, and I am blessed, indeed! My poor spirit dances for joy
because of Him!”— “‘My heart it does leap at the sound of His name.’” “But,” says one, “I have
never enjoyed that.” My dear friend, if you can believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you may enjoy
it! To believe in the Lord Jesus Christ is to trust yourself with Him just as you are—to cast your
guilty soul on Him. Oh, that you would do it! That one act will mark your passing from the
kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. That one act will be the means of your coming
into the glorious liberty of the children of God, and your life shall be totally changed from that
time forth so that you shall joy in God by Jesus Christ our Lord! “Men shall be blessed in Him.”
Are you to be one of those men? God grant that you may be! The Lord add His blessing, for
Jesus’ sake! Amen.
HYMNS FROM “OUR OWN HYMN BOOK”—72 (SONG I), 436, 438.
EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON: PSALM 72.
Sermon #2451 “Blessed in Him” 7
Volume 42 Tell someone today how much you love Jesus Christ. 7
This is a Psalm which relates to the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, not as the Man of sorrows,
but as the King of glory—not as David, struggling to secure the throne—but as Solomon, seated
upon it, and reigning in peace. Verse 1. Give the king Your judgments, O God, and Your
righteousness unto the king’s son. Our Lord Jesus Christ is both a King and the Son of a King.
He is King of kings, and, therefore, our Sovereign by His own native right. But He is also our
Sovereign Prince as the Son of God. Oh, that the Lord would visibly give into His hands power
over all the people of the earth! “Give the king Your judgments, O God, and Your righteousness
unto the king’s Son.” 2. He shall judge Your people with righteousness, and Your poor with
judgement. It is the peculiar characteristic of the reigning Christ that He has His eyes chiefly
upon the poor. Most princes rule in the interest of the great ones around them, but our King rules
for the good of the poor of His people. 3. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the
little hills, by righteousness. The reign of Christ is the reign of righteousness, the rule of true
uprightness; and consequently it is the reign of peace, love and joy. Oh that His gentle rule were
acknowledged by all the kings of this world! 4. He shall judge the poor of the people, He shall
save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. This is the King we want
to reign over us! Oh, that the day were come for Him to take the crowns from all other heads,
and to wear them on His own! And to take all scepters from other hands, and gather sheaves of
them beneath His arms, and to be universally proclaimed, “King of kings, and Lord of lords”!
Then would the world’s loud hallelujahs rise as with the sound of mighty thunders. O God, how
long shall it be before this glorious King takes to Himself the power that is His by right? 5. They
shall fear You as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations. All other kings,
and princes, and rulers pass away. Our King, alone, has an everlasting kingdom. Where are the
dynasties that have ruled over vast empires? They have passed almost out of remembrance, but

91. the promise to our King still abides—“They shall fear You as long as the sun and moon endure,
throughout all generations.” 6. He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers
that water the earth. The reign of Christ, even now, is to the poor dispirited sons of men like rain
upon the mown grass! And when He shall come in His glory, as He will shortly come, His
coming shall be as blessed to this world as the gentle showers are to the grass that is newly
mown. 7, 8. In His days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the
moon endures. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of
the earth. This is God’s decree. As surely as He has set His King upon His holy hill of Zion, so
surely will He make Him to “have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of
the earth.” I do, therefore, expect greater glory for the cross of Christ than any that the world has
hitherto seen. The crescent shall wane and fade away in eternal night, but the light of the cross of
Christ shall burn brighter and brighter unto endless day! 9, 10. They that dwell in the wilderness
shall bow before Him; and His enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
shall bring presents. Commerce with all its wealth shall yet lend its homage to the Savior. And
every ship that crosses the sea shall yet bear its cargo of praise unto His glorious name. 10. The
kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Their barbaric splendor shall find a higher glory in
being consecrated to the King of kings! 11. Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him: all nations
shall serve Him that has no helper. That is what we look for as the true recognition of religion.
The true recognition of religion in a State is not the setting up of some favored sect to be
indulged above the rest—there is something better than that reserved for the Christ of God! He
must have the first place all the world over—“All kings shall fall down before Him: all nations
shall serve Him.” 12. For He shall deliver the needy when he cries; the poor also, and him that
has no helper.
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Again I remind you that this is the distinguishing mark of the Christ of God, that He has a special
eye to the poor and needy. 13-15. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of
the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be
in His sight. And He shall live. With all our hearts we cry, “Long live the King!” And our King
shall live forever—to Him alone of all kings may it be truly said, “O King, live forever!” “He
shall live”— 15. 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. One of the marks of sovereignty is the king’s
visage upon the coinage of the realm, and the use of His name in public prayer. And Christ
claims this homage of all His followers—“Prayer, also, shall be made for Him continually; and
daily shall He be praised.” 16. There 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. The cause of Christ in the earth may be so reduced as to be only comparable to a
handful of corn, and that handful of corn may be, as it were, sown on the bleak mountainside; yet
it shall grow and increase until it fills the whole earth! His kingdom is without end! 17-19. His
name shall endure forever: His name shall be continued 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. Is not that double Amen the very mark of the
Christ? Often when He preached, He commenced His sermons with, “Amen, Amen.” That is,
“Verily, verily, I say unto you.” He is God’s great “Amen, the faithful and true Witness.” But

92. interpreting the word in the other sense, do not you and I most heartily say, “Amen,” and again,
“Amen,” to this royal prayer? “Let the whole earth be filled with His glory.” 20. The prayers of
David the son of Jesse are ended. This is the end of the second great division of the Book of the
Psalms. It is therefore most appropriately closed with this verse—“The prayers of David the son
of Jesse are ended.” But I think that David, when he had reached this point, felt that he could not
ask for anything more than he had already requested in this great petition. If the whole earth
should be full of the glory of God, the psalmist would then have gained the utmost that he could
desire! Is it not so with us, also? If the name and the glory of Christ did but cover the whole
earth, what more could we wish for? What more could we ask of God? Till that blessed
consummation is reached, let us keep on praying, “Let the whole earth be filled with His glory.
Amen and Amen.”
JESUS: “ALL BLESSING AND ALL BLESSED” NO. 2187
A SERMON INTENDED FOR READING ON LORD’S-DAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1891,
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON, AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE,
NEWINGTON.
“Men shall be blessed in Him: all nations shall call Him blessed.” Psalm 72:17.
THERE are many famous names in human history, but many of them are connected with deeds
which have brought no blessing upon mankind. To bless, and to be blessed, is the noblest sort of
fame, and yet how few have thought it worth the seeking! Full many a name in the roll of fame
has been written there with a finger dipped in blood. It would seem as if men loved those most
that have killed the most of them. They call those greatest who have been the greatest cutthroats.
They make their greatest illuminations over massacres of their fellows, calling them victories. To
be set aloft upon a column, or represented by a public statue, or to have poets ringing out your
name, it seems necessary to grasp the sword, and to hack and slay your fellow men. Is it not too
sadly true that when men have been cursed by one of their leaders they henceforth call him
great? O, misery, that wholesale murder should be the shortest method of becoming illustrious!
There is one name that will last when all others shall have died out, and that name is connected
with blessing, and only with blessing. Jesus Christ came into the world on purpose to bless men.
Men, as a race, find in Him a blessing wide as the world. While He was here, He blessed and
cursed not. All around Him, both by speech, and act, and glance, and thought, He was an
incarnate blessing. All that came to Him, unless they willfully rejected Him, obtained blessings
at His hands. The home of His infancy, the friends of His youth, the comrades of His manhood,
He blessed unsparingly. To bless men, He labored. To bless men, He parted with everything, and
became poor. To bless men, at last He died. Those outstretched hands upon the cross are spread
wide in benediction, and they are fastened there as if they would remain outstretched till the
whole world is blessed. Our Lord’s resurrection from the dead brings blessings to mankind.
Redemption from the grave, and life eternal, He has won for us. He waited on earth a while, until
He ascended, blessing men as He went up. His last attitude below the skies was that of

93. pronouncing a blessing upon His disciples. He is gone into glory, but He has not ceased to bless
our race. The Holy Spirit came among us soon after the ascension, because Jesus had received
gifts for men; yes, for the rebellious also. The wonderful blessings which are comprised in the
work, person, and offices of the Holy Spirit—all these come to us through Jesus Christ, the ever-
blessed and ever-blessing One. Still He loves to bless. Standing at the helm of all affairs, He
guides the tiller of Providence with a view to the blessing of His chosen. He spends His time still
in making intercession for transgressors that the blessing of God may rest upon them; while His
Spirit, who is His Vicegerent here below, is ever more occupied with blessing the sons of men.
Our Lord Jesus will soon come a second time, and in that glorious hour, though His left hand
must deal out justice, His right hand will lavish blessing. His chief end and bent in His coming
will be that He may largely bless those loving hearts that watch for His appearing. Christ is all
blessing. When you have written down His name, you have pointed to the fountain from which
all blessings flow; you have named that Sun of Righteousness to whose beams we owe every
good and perfect gift. From the beginning, throughout all eternity, the Lord Jesus blesses men—
“Over every foe victorious, He on His throne shall rest; From age to age more glorious, All
blessing and all blessed. The tide of time shall never His covenant remove;
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His name shall stand forever, That name to us is—Love.” I purpose, at this time, if the Lord
shall help me, to speak very simply about the fullness of blessing which comes from our Master
and Lord. First saying, dear friends, that we ourselves are living proofs of the statement that men
shall be blessed in Him; then, desiring to say, in the second place, that we have seen it to be true
in others also. And, thirdly, expressing our conviction that it shall be true, on the largest scale,
with the nations, “All nations shall be blessed in Him,” and therefore they shall call Him blessed.
I. First, then, WE OURSELVES ARE LIVING WITNESSES THAT MEN ARE BLESSED IN
CHRIST. You and I do not pretend to be great sages, famous philosophers, or learned divines,
but we feel when a pin pricks us, or when a dog bites us. We have sense enough to know when a
thing tastes well or ill in the eating. We know chalk from cheese, as the proverb has it. We know
something about our own needs, and we also know when we get those needs supplied. We have
not mastered the extraordinary, but in the commonplace we feel at home. A man is none the
worse witness in court because he does not know all the technical terms used in science. A judge
is never better pleased than when he sees in the witness box some plain, blunt, honest fellow,
who will blunder out the truth. We will speak the truth at this time, so far as we know it, whether
we offend or please. Every man is to speak as he finds, and we will speak concerning Jesus
Christ as we have found Him. I will try, if I can, to be spokesman for all present who are
believers in Christ, and I ask a patient hearing. We bear witness that we have been blessed in
Him. How much, how deeply, how long, and in how many ways we have been blessed in Him, I
will not undertake to say, but this I will say most emphatically, for many of you now present,
whose lives and histories I know almost as I know my own, we have in verity, beyond all
question, been blessed in Jesus to the highest degree, and of this we are sure. We believe—and
faith grasps the first blessing—that we have received a great blessing in Christ by the removal of
a curse which otherwise must have rested upon us. That curse did overshadow us once, for it is
written, “Cursed is everyone that continues not in all things which are written in the Book of the
Law to do them.” We could not keep the law; we did not keep it; we gave up all hope of keeping
it. Therefore, the dark thunder-cloud of that tremendous sentence hung over us, and we heard the

94. voice of justice speaking out of it, like a volley of the dread artillery of God in the day of
tempest. The thunder of the curse rolled heavily over our heads and hearts. How some of us
cowered down and trembled! We can never forget the horror of our soul under the near
apprehension of divine wrath. To be cursed of God meant all woes in one. Some of us were
brought very low indeed by the frown of a guilty conscience. We gave up even the dream of
hope. We thought ourselves effectually, finally, and everlastingly condemned, and so indeed we
should have found it, had there not been a divine Interposer. But now that curse is taken from us,
and we do not dread its return, for He was made a curse for us, of whose name we are speaking
now—even He “who knew no sin, but was made sin for us, that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him.” No curse now remains; only blessing abides. Hallelujah! If our
Lord had done nothing else for us but the rolling away of the curse, He would have blessed us
infinitely, and we would have blessed Him forever. If He had accomplished nothing but the
bearing away of our sin into the wilderness—as the scapegoat of old bore away the iniquity of
Israel—He would have done enough to set our tongues forever praising Him. He has lifted from
the world the weight of the eternal curse, therefore, let all the bells of our cities ring out His
honor, and all the voices of the villages sing forth His praise. O, you stars of light, shine to His
glory, for He is blessed beyond all earthly measure! Let our grateful hearts in silence mean and
muse His praise. The negative being removed, we have had a positive actual experience of
blessing, for God has blessed us in Christ Jesus, and we know that none are more blessed than
we are. We are now not at all the men that we used to be as to our inward feelings. Some years
ago, under the apprehension of divine wrath, we were so unhappy and troubled, that we could
find no rest, but now we are blessed in Christ so greatly that we are at perfect peace, and our soul
has dropped its anchor in the haven of content. Our joy is usually as great as formerly our sorrow
used to be. We feared our sorrow would kill us; we sometimes think that our joy is more likely to
do so, for it becomes so intense that at times we can scarcely bear it, much less speak of it. As we
could get no rest before, so now, by faith, we feel as if we never lost that rest, for we are so quiet
of heart, so calm, so settled, that we sing, “My heart is fixed, O God; my heart is
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fixed!” Not because temporal circumstances are quite as we would wish them, but because we
have learned to leave off wishing, we are now more than satisfied. Getting God’s blessing upon
everything, we have learned to be content, and something more; we joy in God through our Lord
Jesus Christ. We used to fret before we knew Him, but His love has ended that. We thought we
could do things better than God could, and we did not like His way of managing, but He has
taught us to be like children, pleased with whatever our Father provides, and therefore we
joyfully declare, “My soul is even as a weaned child; I have nothing to wish for. I want nothing
but what my Father pleases to give me.” Having God’s sweet love, we would not give a snap of
the finger for all that princes call their treasure, or all that great men reckon to be their honor.
Unto us who believe, Christ is precious—both treasure and honor in one, in fact, Christ is all. It
is a delightful calm of mind which the believer enjoys when He dwells in Christ. Humble faith
puts the soul into the guardian hand of the Redeemer, and leaves it there in the restfulness of
entire trust. Grace baptizes us into blessedness. It plunges us into that sea of everlasting rest in
which we hope forever to bathe our weary souls. Yes, blessed be His name, the Lord Jesus has
made life worth living! It is no longer “something better not to be.” We must speak well of the
condition into which He has introduced us, since we have known His name. “Well, Jack, old

95. fellow,” said one who met a man who had lately joined the church, “I hear you have given up all
your pleasures.” “No, no,” said Jack, “the fact lies the other way. I have just found all my
pleasures, and I have only given up my follies.” Every Christian man can confirm that way of
putting it. We who have believed in Jesus have lost no real pleasures, but we have gained
immensely in that direction. If anything sinful was a pleasure to us once, it is not so now; when
we discovered it to be evil, it ceased to be pleasure, and we thrust it away without regret. We
have lost nothing by conversion that was worth the keeping, but what we gained by coming to
Christ has been an inconceivable recompense to us. Is it not so, brethren? Are we not blessed in
Christ? Now, there are some of us who, if we were asked to tell what blessings we have
received from Christ, would scarcely know where to begin, and when we had once begun, we
would never leave off unless it were from sheer lack of time or strength. Brethren, certain of us
owe all that we have to the influence of the Lord Jesus. From our birth and childhood we were
indebted to the Lord Jesus Christ. Some of us now present had the great happiness to spring of
godly parents, before we knew the meaning of language, that softly sweet name of Jesus Christ
was sung in our ears. The kindness that we received in our earliest days was very much of it due
to “Gentle Jesus,” of whom our mothers taught us to sing. He found for us the first swaddling
bands of love, and watched over our first sleep. Ah! Those poor children of the back streets—
children who are trained in infamy and blasphemy, how sad their start in life! But some of us had
great advantages, which were granted us of sovereign grace by His dear pierced hand. We bless
the Lord who saved our parents, and, through saving them, sent to our trembling infancy a mine
and a mint of blessing. In our opening childhood we began to understand for ourselves the loving
influence of an affectionate and anxious mother, and then golden showers of grace fell on us
from the love of Jesus. We recollect, some of us, those hours on the Sabbath, when mother
would talk with us of heavenly things, with tears in her eyes persuading her boy to give his heart
to Jesus early, and not to let his first days be spent in sin. We remember a wise and prudent
father, whose example and instruction all went the same way. The comforts of our home—and
they were many—we owed them all to Jesus, for His love made our parents what they were, and
created a holy, happy atmosphere around us. He might have left our father to frequent the
drunkard’s haunt, and might have suffered our mother to be what many mothers are, unworthy of
the name, and then our childhood would have been utter wretchedness, and our home the nursery
of vice. Education in crime might have been ours; we might have been tutored for the gallows.
Since that, we have had to shift for ourselves, and have left the parental roof, but I, for one, have
been casting my thoughts back, to see if I could remember any good thing that I have which I do
not owe to the Lord Jesus Christ. I do not know that I have anything that I cannot distinctly trace
to Him and His influence. I have many Christian friends—most valuable friends I find them, but
my association with them commenced in the house of God, and the friendship between us has
been cemented by common service yielded to our blessed Master. Many of you would hardly
have had a friend in the world if it had not been that Jesus introduced you to His disciples, and
they have been the best friends you have ever had, or ever will have. You used to know certain
fine fellows who called themselves your friends, and as long as you had a shilling to bless
yourself with, they stuck to you to have sixpence of it.
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You know the style of their friendship, and you must now have serious doubts as to its value.
Well, they left you when you became Christians, and their departure has been a very gainful loss

96. to you. When they cleared out altogether, you found that their removal was for your good, if not
for their own. But those friends you have made in Christ have been really helpful to you. They
have deeply sympathized with you, and as far as they could they have helped you. Many have
been carried through sharp trials by the help of Christian hands. But, whatever you may have to
say on the point, I am personally a debtor, over head and ears, to my Savior. What is there—I
repeat the question—that I do not owe to Jesus? I am again and again thinking, and thinking, and
thinking, but if anything which I call my own is worth having, I must trace it to Him. And are
you not, dear friends, many of you, compelled to say the same? Among the best things you have
are your Sabbaths, but they are His days—His resurrection days. Your Bible, too, is a priceless
treasure, but that is His Testament—His legacy of love. The mercy seat is a storehouse of wealth,
but He is that mercy seat, and His own blood is sprinkled on it. You have nothing, dear friend
that you do not owe to Jesus, the fountain of salvation. You are blessed in Him. I might single
out another class of persons, who, from quite another point of view, would be compelled to say
that they, also, have been blessed in Christ. They started in another way, and were upon a road
which led to death, but they have been rescued. Some of you started life in the midst of an
entirely worldly family. There was kindness—parental kindness, in the home, but it was unwise.
Abundance of temporal enjoyment was always supplied, but there was a very scanty recognition
of anything like religion, and, indeed, no knowledge whatever of personal piety. It is little
wonder that young persons, who are trained in a godless manner, and allowed to do very much as
they like, should plunge into this sin, and into that. That some young men are saved is a special
miracle, for their circumstances make their ruin almost inevitable. I am addressing some of my
Christian brethren, who remember what liberty to sin was, and how they availed themselves of it.
They took large license to destroy themselves under the pretence of seeing the world, and they
were never content except when they were gratifying their passions, and obeying the commands
of the devil. In their salvation they have been blessed indeed. But you also who have gone to no
great extent in open sin, you also have been signally blessed in Christ by gracious and
unmistakable conversion. In receiving the Lord Jesus into your soul, what a change has been
made! From what a bondage have you been rescued! Into what a new life have you been
brought! What new scenes now open up before you! What new hopes, what new joys, what new
prospects, are all your own! Do I speak to some who plunged into the very grossest sin, and yet
can say, “But we are washed, but we are sanctified”? Blessed be our dear Master’s name for
grace to such individuals! Such indeed are blessed in Him. I know that I am addressing those
who had in their earliest days the very worst examples; who have been brought into the house of
God from the place where Satan’s seat is; who cannot, after years of godliness, get out of their
memory the recollection of the bad, depraved old times of their youth. In your salvation Jesus
has worked a blessed deed. You could drink as others drank. You could fall into sins of
uncleanness as others did. Let us say very little about these open evils. I do not like to hear men
talk about their old sins as if they were adventures; they are a shame and a sorrow to all right-
minded persons. We humbly hint at them to the praise of the glory of His grace, for great grace it
was in the case of some of us. Oh, but the day in which you first knew that dear name, felt
repentance melting your hard heart, felt hope springing up in your formerly insensible spirit,
began to see that there was something nobler and better to live for than merely to gratify sensual
passions, that you were an immortal spirit, and not meant to fatten like the swine, but were
created to be a brother of the angels, and to be akin to God Himself—that was a happy day—a
day written in heaven, and made bright with the light of seven days! When Jesus changed your
nature, and forgave your sins, and made you to be like Himself, you were indeed blessed in Him.

97. I want you now to look back again. I ought not to tire you, even if my talk should seem dull and
commonplace, because to recollect what God has given and to be grateful concerning it ought to
be a sweet pastime to each one of us. It is not only a duty, but a recreation to be grateful. I do not
know any emotion which can give greater joy than that of thankfulness to the Most High. Dear
friends, the Lord has greatly blessed us in the name of Jesus in times of very special trouble. I
may not be able to describe your personal trial, but I will take one as a specimen. Depression of
spirits comes upon the man. He scarcely knows how or why, but his soul melts because of
heaviness. There is, at the back of his sadness, probably, some real trial; this he is very apt to
magnify, and make more of than need be, and also to ex
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pect a dark and terrible calamity to come which will not come, but yet the foreboding is as real a
trial as if the catastrophe had actually occurred. The poor despondent creature cannot endure
himself, but almost grows weary of life. Like the king of Israel, who had all that heart could
wish—gardens, and palaces, and singing men and singing women—who had all the
appurtenances, both of folly and of wisdom, to make him happy, yet he cries, “Vanity of
vanities; all is vanity.” Nothing will cheer this child of grief; he is downcast and desolate. If you
have ever gone through that experience, it has been a very great delight to you when you have
got alone, and thought of your Lord Jesus, whose everlasting love cannot cease towards you,
whose fullness of grace cannot be exhausted, whose power and faithfulness will always stand
you in good stead. If, by a sort of desperate resolve, you have cast yourself upon Him, to sink or
swim, to find everything in Him, or else to have nothing, you have risen up a new man
altogether. You have felt, “I can face the adversary, I can meet the trial, for Jesus is mine.”
Despair of spirit has fled when you have leaned hard on the Cross-bearer. I have been one of the
cave dwellers, and the dark has shut me in, but Jesus has been my heaven below. I may have a
degree of heaviness about me, but still I trust in the Lord, and I am not afraid, for the name of
Jesus has caused me to be strong. Yes, “men shall be blessed in Him” by the strength which He
gives in the hour of need. You remember the loss of that dear little child. How blessed you were
in Jesus when He came and solaced you! You remember your father’s death, or the loss of your
husband, or the death of the dearest earthly friend. Yes, then in such times you knew how
precious Christ could be, and how blessed you were in Him! Some of you have passed through
the desert of poverty. You have frequently been very hard pressed, but still, though you cannot
tell how, you have had just enough. You are yet alive though death seemed certain. You have
been “blessed in Him,” and so you have survived every storm. Some of you have had little
enough of earthly comfort, and yet you have not been unhappy. I have sometimes admired a dog
for his economical use of comforts. When it has been a long, rainy day, the sun has just peeped
out, and there has been a gleam of sunlight on the floor; I have seen him get up and wag his tail,
and shift his quarters so as to lie down where the bit of sunshine was. It is a fine thing to have
just that state of mind—never to go sullenly into the shadow, but always cheerfully to accept the
square yard of sunshine, and make the most of it. There is something, after all, to be thankful
for—something for which to praise the name of God. And if the Lord Jesus Christ had taught us
nothing else but that—the practice of lying down wherever there is a trace of sunshine, and,
better still, of always finding sunshine in His dear name—I am sure we are bound to say that we
have been “blessed in Him.” Well, every year will teach us more and more fully how blessed
we are in Jesus, and there will come a day, the last of our earthly days, when we shall know on a

98. higher scale how blessed we are in Him. One of the most pleasant scenes that ever I see is the
dying bed of a fine old Christian. I saw one but a few days ago, who, since I was at his bedside,
has entered into rest. It was very pleasant to talk with him about what the Lord had done. He was
ready to speak well of the dear name. There was much selfdepreciation, but much more honoring
of Christ by testimony concerning support given in the hour of affliction and succor in the time
of need. Brother, you think it will be hard to die? You may not find it so. One, when he was
dying, said, “Is this dying? Why, it is worthwhile going through all the troubles of life, even for
death’s own sake, if it is like this, for I have such heavenly enjoyment as I never could have
imagined.” Some of God’s saints are very needlessly anxious about dying. I knew one to whom
it was always a burden, and he went to bed one night, and he never woke any more—thus
answering his own fears, for he did not even know when he passed away, but died in his sleep.
He was gone, gone, gone to heaven without a pang. When you see how believers pass away to be
with their Lord in glory, you have a commentary upon the words of my text—“Men shall be
blessed in Him.” But do you see them? Their spirits have ascended unto God, their Father. How
full of bliss they are! Disembodied they are, but they are not destroyed. Their poor earthly frames
are still in the grave; yet are their liberated spirits supremely blessed, for they are “forever with
the Lord,” and they are blessed in Him. Wait you but a very little while, and the trumpet shall
ring out from the angel’s mouth, “Awake, you dead, and come to judgement,” and then shall men
be blessed in Him, if indeed “in Him.” When the righteous, restored to their bodies, shall, in their
perfect manhood, behold Him face to face, and dwell with Him world without end, “men shall be
blessed in Him.” I do not feel satisfied with the style of my speech at this time, but we who
speak the Word are by no means masters of ourselves. I cannot rise to the height of this great
argument, and I do not think that, if I
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were to try a hundred times, I could ever satisfy myself when speaking upon this most divine
theme. My Lord is the most blessed Master that ever a servant had, and He has blessed me
personally so unspeakably that, if I were to bear my witness with the tongues of orators and
angels by the space of a century, yet must I cease from the task, and humbly confess—“I have
not told you the half—nor can I tell you even the tenth of how good my Well-beloved is to me.”
I suspect that you are most of you of my mind, and say, “Neither can we tell either.” I sometimes
tell you the story of what happened to me when I declared, in a sermon, that, in the heaven of the
grateful, I would sing the loudest of them all, because I owed more to the grace of God than
anybody else. I meant it not out of any sense of superiority, but rather of inferiority. One good
old soul, when I came down the pulpit stairs, remarked to me, “You have made a great mistake
in your sermon.” I answered, “No doubt I made a dozen.” “No, but,” she said, “the great mistake
was this; you said that you owed more to God than anybody else, but you do not owe anything
like so much as I do. I have had more grace from Him than you have. I have been a bigger sinner
than you ever were. I shall sing the loudest!” “Well, well,” I thought, “I will not quarrel with her;
it shall make me the more glad to find myself outdone.” I found that all the Christians were much
of the same mind. Brethren, we will have it out when we get up yonder. But you shall praise
God, indeed, if you praise Him more than I will and you must be double debtors to my Lord if
you owe Him more than I do. If you are more unworthy and more undeserving than I am, you
must indeed be unworthy and undeserving, and if His rich, free, sovereign grace has exhibited
itself more fully in you than it has in unworthy me, it has indeed overflowed all its banks. We

99. will leave the loving contest for the present, but when all the birds of Paradise reach their nests
above, there shall be a competition of adoring praise, and all of us will do our best to bless the
name of the Lord. II. Our second head was to be a practical one; we can only give a few
minutes to it. WE HAVE SEEN OTHER MEN BLESSED IN CHRIST. Our observation
confirms our experience. If this were the proper time, I could narrate many instances—which I
could also confirm by producing the individuals— in which men have been remarkably blessed
in Christ. What social changes we have seen in those who have believed in Him! They have not
been the same persons; in many respects they are new. I have known persons at whose houses I
have visited—well, you could not have believed that the man who lodged in the house, where he
was first found, could ever have risen to occupy a room in a house at all like that in which he
came to reside. The room in which I conversed with him was a palace compared to the dog-hole
in which he once existed. There was a change in his dwelling. There was a change in his wife.
You would hardly know the woman; she is so different from the wretched slut and slave who
called him “husband” with a sigh and a sneer. She is here now, sitting with him, and they are as
happy as angels. I shall not point them out, but they are as good as any of you. We have known
the case in which, from rags—absolute rags—the coming of Christ into the soul has lifted a man
into competence, and respectability, and position. Godliness has a gain about it—an honest,
worthy gain for the life which now is. It teaches men habits of thrift, and prudence, and
temperance, and delivers them from the thralldom of drunkenness, and other vices, by which the
major part of poverty is occasioned. It is worth mentioning even such blessings as these, as the
poor little children know. They used to run away when Father came in, for they were afraid of
him, but now, instead of that, they are watching for the time when his work is done, to go
toddling down the street to meet dear father, for the luxury of being brought home in his arms.
Our Lord Jesus Christ has blessed some men and some women at such a rate that the devil
himself would not have the impudence to say it were not a blessing. Liar as Satan is, he could not
deny that godliness has brought sunshine where there was none; the blessing has been too
distinct and manifest for any to deny it. What a moral change have we seen in some! They
could not speak without an oath, but the habit of profane swearing ended in a minute, and they
have never been tempted to it since. Rash, bad-tempered men, who would break up the furniture
of the house in their passion, have become as gentle as lambs. Such furies usually become quiet,
peaceable, and long-suffering; grace has a marvelous influence upon the temper. Men of hot
passions, that used to give a word and a blow—but generally the blow first— now watch
themselves, and guard against their infirmity! They take a little time to think before they do let
fly a hard word or give a sharp look. The change that we have seen in some men has been as
complete as that which could have been worked by that fabled mill, into which the legend says
that they put
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old men, turned the handle, and ground them young again. Truly a far greater renovation is
worked in mind and heart where Jesus comes. Men are “blessed in Him.” Then, as to mental
blessing. What have we seen? This have I seen; here is one case out of many. A young man, who
had fallen into sin, came to me in deep despair of mind. He was so desponding that his very face
bore witness to his misery. He wore the aspect of one who could not live much longer as he then
was. I had tried to set the gospel clearly before him on the previous Sabbath, but he told me that
he could not grasp it, for that by his sin he had reduced his mind to such a state that he felt

100. himself to be little better than an idiot. He was not speaking nonsense either, for there are vices
which destroy the intellect. I told him that Jesus Christ could save idiots—that even if his mind
was in measure impaired as the result of sin, yet there was quite enough mind left to be made
glad with a sense of pardon, seeing there was more than enough to make him heavy with a sense
of guilt. I cheered that brother as best I could, but I could effect nothing by my own efforts. Soon
the Lord Jesus Christ came to him, and he is now a happy, earnest, joyful Christian. Not long ago
he sent an offering of thanksgiving to God for having lifted him up from the deeps into which he
had fallen. I hope there is a long life of real usefulness before him. We cannot mention one
tenth of what we personally know. Eternity will open a great book of record. I call upon the
spirits of the just made perfect to witness what the grace of God did for them; I call upon parents
here to tell the pleasing story of the conversion of their sons and daughters, and I call upon those
who watch for their fellow men to say whether they have not met with many cases in which men
have been blessed in Jesus, by being snatched from between the jaws of madness itself, by the
sweet, calming influence of the ever dear and blessed name of our Redeemer. Yes, indeed and of
a truth, men are, and shall be blessed in Him. The practical point is, brothers and sisters, since
we want to do good, let us preach up our Lord Jesus Christ as the sovereign balm for every
sinner’s wound. If you want to be philanthropists, be Christians. If you would bless your fellow
men with the best of all blessings, convey to them the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Do not believe
that there is anything you can do for your children which will be more effectual than teaching
them about Jesus. Do not think that anything in the workshop can soften the vulgarities, silence
the blasphemies, and end the profanities of your fellow workmen, like setting Jesus Christ before
them. When the Moravian missionaries first went to Greenland, they tried to tell the
Greenlanders about the existence of a God, they spent some months in such preliminary subjects
before they came to the gospel, but they never gained the attention of the people. Discourses
upon such necessary subjects as the Godhead, and the immortality of the soul, and the like were
flavorless to the Greenlanders. It happened one day that one of the missionaries, translating the
gospel according to John, read out these words, “God so loved the world, that He gave His Only-
begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
“What is that?” said the Greenlanders. “What is that? We never heard the likes of that. Why have
you not told us that before?” Nothing had been done till the missionaries came to the gospel
itself. Then they reached the Greenlander’s heart—awakened his dormant intellect, and led him
to Jesus. Oh, let us keep on with the subject of Christ crucified! Whatever there is not in our shop
window, let us always have Christ as the chief article of our heavenly commerce. Whatever there
may lack of grace and beauty in our speech, and our outward appearance, may there be no lack
of Jesus Christ, set forth among the sons of men, for “men shall be blessed in Him,” and not
without Him. Great schemes of socialism have been tried and found lacking; let us look to
regeneration by the Son of God, and we shall not look in vain. Nothing has come of newfangled
preaching, from the first day till now; but never has the old faith of Jesus failed. Men have been
blessed in Jesus, and they shall be blessed in Him as long as the race shall exist. III. Lastly, this
whole matter is to extend till THE ENTIRE WORLD SHALL BE BLESSED IN CHRIST. Even
at this moment the whole world is the better for Christ. But where He is best known and loved,
there is He the greatest blessing. What snatched many an island of the southern sea from
barbarism and cannibalism? What, but Jesus Christ preached among them? Men have been
blessed in Him in Europe, America, Asia, and everywhere. Africa, and other lands still plunged
in barbarism, shall receive light from no other source but that from which our fathers received it
centuries ago—from the great Sun of righteousness.

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Men shall be blessed in Christ because where He comes oppression cannot live. You may tell
me that the governor of such an empire is a despot. Oh, yes, but despots cannot long flourish
where there is an open Bible. Tyrannies may last a generation or two, but all the world knows
that their time is short. They will go down; they must go down where Christ is lifted up. That
inspired Book is a testimony for human liberty, louder than all others. It is a declaration of the
rights of men under King Jesus; despotism must fall before it sooner or later. We, in this country,
owe our liberties, beyond everything, to the Christianity which is the outflow of a present Christ
among us. Slavery? What a plague it was upon the fair hands of our sister nation across the
Atlantic! The spot is washed away, and it was true religion which forced the washing. There
would have been no freeing of the slaves from fetters if it had not been for the Christianity
which, after long silence, at last spoke out, and when it spoke, it was as when a lion roars. The
Christianity of England is always pleading for the slave, for the aborigine, for the downtrodden.
Leave our politicians alone, and we shall soon have all the infamies alive again. Slavery would
be tolerated, if not encouraged, if there were not Christian souls upon the watch. What saves us
from war at this moment? What influence is it that is always contrary to war, and always cries
for peace? Why, it is the Christian element among us which counts anything better than
bloodshed! Let the Christian element spread and it will be a power to bless mankind. It shall, in
proportion as it spreads, put down evil, and foster good. Already, many a monopoly has been
ended, and many a liberty has been gained. Much religious intolerance has been subdued by the
power of Jesus Christ over His people, and I do pray, dear friends, that we may live to see all
nations more manifestly affected by the gospel of Jesus Christ. May every nation be ruled by just
and righteous laws! May every nation be willing to submit exterior disputes to the arbitration of
justice! It will be so one day. The nations shall be friends, and all men shall feel that they are
members of one great family. “Do you unto others as you would that they should do to you,” is
the sum of the moral teaching of our divine Lord, and if that is followed, it will bring about a
halcyon era, the likes of which the world has never seen. If His Spirit will come and renew men’s
hearts, and teach them to love and to obey the Lord their God, then shall all nations call the
Redeemer blessed, and from every corner of the whole earth, the song shall go up, “Blessing, and
honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sits upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever
and ever!” Amen.