Scripture: Psalm 72 / Matthew 2:1-6, 11
I. We need the righteousness and peace and prosperity of King Jesus.
A. In the first two verses of his prayer for Solomon, King David prays twice for Solomon to rule with justice and righteousness. David’s prayer for Solomon to crush the oppressor (vs. 4) went far beyond Solomon’s ability as king to completely defeat evil. This prayer could only be answered in King Jesus. Right after Adam and Eve sinned, God made a promise to the evil serpent in Genesis 3:15: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
B. David prays that the kingdom of his son might last for as long as the sun and moon last (vs. 5, 7). He prays that his son’s kingdom might last forever. Why would David pray such a prayer? Because God had promised David a descendant who would rule forever in 2 Samuel 7:13: “He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”
II. We need the worldwide rule of King Jesus.
A. David does not just want his son to rule forever. He wants his son to rule in all places (vs. 8, 11). David’s prayer for his son in vs. 8 is the fulfillment of God’s command to Adam in Genesis 1:28: “And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
B. In Psalm 72:11 we see David’s prayer tie in with Christmas and the story of the wise men: “May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!” All nations were to serve David’s son. And the wise men who came from other nations did fall down before Jesus and worship Him in Matthew 2:11. The wise men tell us that Jesus came for Gentiles, for outsiders, for people that the religious people and the powerful hated. Jesus came for different races and for all people.
III. We need the blessing of King Jesus.
A. At the end of Psalm 72:15 David prays that blessings would be invoked for his son all the day. And in Psalm 72:17 David prays, “May people be blessed in (my son), all nations call him blessed.” This prayer sounds very much like God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3: “And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Application:
Receive the gift of Jesus and worship Him as your King.
Sources:
The books of Psalms and Matthew
Commentaries by J.A. Motyer, James Hamilton Jr., Allen Ross, Gerald Wilson & Christopher Ash
Sermon Discussion Questions
1) How do you think believers in King David’s day would have felt to sing this song about their king? Would they have been disappointed that their king did not live up to this song? Would they have looked forward to another king?
2) Why do you think it is so wonderful that Jesus rules and will rule over the entire world?
3) How might this prayer of King David for his son Solomon change the way that you pray?