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 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 rules in the name of God over all lands. 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 him
of his Father. He is the righteous King; in a word, he is “the Lord our
righteousness.” We are waiting till he is manifested among men as the
ever-righteous Judge.
2. He shall judge thy people with righteousness. CLothed with divine authority, he will use it on behalf of
the favored nation, for whom he will show himself strong, that they be not
misjudged, slandered, or in anyway treated maliciously. His sentence will 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. 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 despised. 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 labors to conceal real poverty, which makes people
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 contrite ones, and exercises all
his power and wisdom on their behalf, even as Joseph in Egypt ruled for the
welfare of his brethren.
3. The mountains shall bring peace to the people. Thence rushed the robber bands which infested the country;
but now the forts there are the guardians of the land, and the watchmen publish
the tidings that no foe is to be seen. Where Jesus is there is peace. 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. 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 is revealed. Then we go forth with joy, and are led with peace;
the mountains and the hills break forth before us into singing.
4. He shall judge the poor of the people. He will do them justice, and 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. Oppressors have been great breakers, but
their time will come, and they will be broken themselves. Sin, Satan, and all
our enemies must be crushed by the iron rod of King Jesus.
5. They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon endure. 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, people 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. Throughout all generations shall the throne of the Redeemer
stand. Humanity shall not wear out the religion of the Incarnate God. No
infidelity will wither it away, nor superstition smother it; it will rise
immortal from what seemed its grave. As long are there are people on earth
Christ will have a throne among them. Since he ascended to his throne, his
dominion has not been overturned, though the mightiest of empires have gone
like visions of the night.
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 softly refreshes the weary and
wounded and makes them spring up into newness of life. My soul, how well it is to
be brought low, and to be like the meadows eaten bare and trodden down by
cattle, for then the Lord will remember your misery, and with his own most
precious love restore you to more than your former glory. As showers that
water the earth. Each 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 people is joy. We need to preach him more, for no shower can so
refresh. Philosophic preaching mocks people 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 will blossom with
thy praise.
7. In his days shall the righteous flourish. Where truth and righteousness are on the throne, the best
people prosper most. A righteous king is the patron and producer of righteous
subjects. 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 because craft formed the
league and oppression was the design of it; but when Jesus proclaims the great
Truce of God, the peace is not superficial or short-lived; it is abundant in
its depth and duration. Let all hearts and voices welcome the King of nations.
8. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea. Widespread shall be the rule of Messiah. All other power
will be subordinate to his; no rival nor antagonist will he know. And from
the river unto the ends of the earth. Start where you will, by any river
you choose, and Messiah’s kingdom will reach on to the utmost bounds of the
round world. We are encouraged 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, he
delivers, he spares, he saves, he lives, and daily is he
praised.
9. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him. Unconquered by arms, they will be subdued by love. Wild and
lawless as they have been, they will gladly wear his easy yoke; then will their
deserts be made glad. And his enemies shall lick the dust. If they will
not be his friends, they will be utterly broken and humbled. 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.
Those who will not joyfully bow to such a prince richly merit to be hurled down
and laid prostrate.
10. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring
presents. Trade will be made subservient to
the purposes of mediatorial rule; merchant princes, both far and near, will
joyfully contribute of their wealth to his throne. Tarshish 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. The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
Foreign princes from inland regions, as yet unexplored, will be prompt to pay
their reverential tribute. 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 forced allegiance.
11. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him. Personally they will pay their reverence, however mighty
they may be. All nations shall serve him. The people will 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 honor in
heaven, we are altogether without doubt as to his universal monarchy on earth.
12. For he shall deliver the needy. Here is an excellent reason for our submission to the Lord
Christ; it is not because we dread his overwhelming power, but because we are
won over by his just rule. Who would not fear so good a Prince, who makes the
needy his especial 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 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. 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.
13. He shall spare the poor and needy. His pity will be manifested to them; he will not allow
their trials to overwhelm them; his rod of correction will 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, will find that he will give them his salvation.
Jesus calls not the righteous, but sinners to repentance. We ought to be
anxious to be among these needy ones whom the great King so highly favors.
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. 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. Jesus, though he gave his own blood, is very wary of the blood of his
servants, and if they must die for him as martyrs, he loves their memory, and
counts their lives precious.
15. And he shall live.
O King, live forever! He was slain, but is risen and ever lives. And to him
shall be given 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 will 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 forevermore lovingly carried out; for the church is Christ’s
body, and the truth is his scepter; 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 honor, so shall he be incessantly praised.
16. There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the
top of the mountains. From small beginnings great results
will spring. A mere handful in a place naturally ungenial will produce a
matchless harvest. The fruit thereof shall be like Lebanon. The harvest
will be so great that the wind will rustle through it, and sound like the
cedars upon Lebanon. God’s church is no mean thing; its increase is of the most
astonishing kind. As Lebanon is conspicuous and celebrated, so shall the church
be. And they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth.
Christ’s subjects will be as plentiful as blades of grass, and will as suddenly
appear as eastern verdure after a heavy shower. We need not fear for the cause
of truth in the land; it is in good hands, where the pleasure of the Lord is
sure to prosper.
17. His name shall endure for ever. In its saving power, as the rallying point of believers,
and as renowned and glorified, his name will remain forever the same. His
name shall be continued as long as the sun. While time is measured out by
days, Jesus will be glorious among mankind. And men shall be blessed in him.
There will be cause for all this honor, for he will really and truly be a
benefactor to the race. He himself will be earth’s greatest blessing; when
people wish to bless others they will bless in his name. All nations shall
call him blessed. The grateful nations will wish him happy who has made
them happy. Not only will some glorify the Lord, but all; no land will remain
in heathenism; all nations will delight to do him honor.
18–19. These
verses explain themselves. They call rather for profound gratitude than for an
exercise of the understanding; they are rather to be used for adoration than
for exposition. It is, and ever will be, the acme of our desires, and the
climax of our prayers, to behold Jesus exalted King of kings and Lord of lords.
He has done great wonders such as none else can match, leaving all others so
far behind that he remains the sole wonder-worker; but equal marvels yet
remain, for which we look with joyful expectation.
20. He has
climbed the summit of the mount of God; he desires nothing more. With this upon
his lip, he is content to die. He strips himself of his own royalty and becomes
only the son of Jesse. Before his believing eye the reign of Jesus
filled all around with light, and the holy soul of the man after God’s own
heart exulted in it. We too will cease from all petitioning if it be granted to
us to see the day of the Lord. Our blissful spirits will then have nothing
further to do but forever to praise the Lord our God.
Excerpt from:
The Treasury of David
By Charles H Spurgeon
