We have reached the final psalm of David; the one he wrote as a prayer for Solomon. But it is also prophetic of the greater Son of David, Christ Himself.

David lived to see Solomon securely on the throne succeeding him. It’s possible that he sang this, or had the Levites help him sing this, at Solomon’s coronation.

It’s interesting how similar Solomon’s prayer at the Tabernacle is to David’s prayer for him.

Let’s look more closely at both chapters.

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Solomon goes to the Tabernacle to offer 1000 sacrifices. These are “burnt offerings” where the whole carcass is burned up.

The Hebrew word is olah; which sounds almost exactly like the Spanish word for hello: “hola.” It means “to ascend,” but there is a double meaning. You have ascend up a ramp to get to the top of the altar AND, the smoke from the altar ascends into the sky.

The Greek equivalent of olah is holokauston. In Latin it is holocaustum. Holocaust.

(Astute readers who followed the Latin text of Psalm 51 in the choir video a few weeks ago might have noticed this.)

After the huge offering (which was presumably connected with his coronation), Solomon camps out near the Tabernacle. And Yahweh appears to him that night. It’s as close to a genie granting 3 wishes as one can get. And Solomon already shows wisdom in asking for wisdom and understanding. And Yahweh gives it to him along with all the things he didn’t ask for. Which reminds me of this:

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The end of the chapter talks about some of Solomon’s vast wealth. If you enjoy history documentaries, here’s one on those imported chariots from Egypt.

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PSALM 72

I counted 17 broad statements of blessing in this psalm. The pronouncement of these blessings is only interrupted by verses 12-14 which give reasons why the blessings are merited. Then it ends with blessing the LORD.

In the middle of all those blessings you may have noticed these lines and connected them with the wisemen who visited Jesus:

“May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!

Long may he live; may gold of Sheba be given to him!”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭72‬:‭10‬-‭11‬, ‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Granted, Tarshish is north (probably either what we know as Spain or Britain). And Sheba is modern Ethiopia (south). And the wisemen came from the east. So perhaps it is a stretch to apply all of this to Jesus, but it does say “May all kings fall down before him.” And that’s exactly what happened.

Well, it happened in miniature at the manger. It will happen in fullness when Christ returns to reign over all the earth.

In verse 17 there is a nod to God’s call and promise to Abraham. Compare:

“May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!” Psalm‬ ‭72‬:‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

“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.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭12‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

We’ve noticed several times throughout the psalms the double application of many of them. Solomon may be the immediate fulfillment of this psalm, but surely Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of it.

“May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭72‬:‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Solomon never ruled “to the ends of the earth” but Jesus will.

As we continue through the reign of Solomon, watch for other parallels between him and Jesus. Here are a few to get ya started:

• Son of David
• Builds the House of God
• Has a reign of peace

You may have noticed another oblique connection from the text today.

“And the king made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah.”
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭1‬:‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

🤓 POP QUIZ!

😰 But I didn’t know there was gonna be a quiz today. I thought you were about to explain the “oblique connection” (whatever THAT means) to Jesus.

🤓 It’s fine. You’ll be fine. Only 2 questions. And they will help you work out the ob…uh, indirect connection between Solomon’s gold and Jesus. Here we go:

1. What were ancient streets made of?

A. Asphalt

B. Concrete

C. Stone

D. Clay

2. What are heaven’s streets made of?

A. Pearls

B. Gold

C. Amethyst

D. Silver

😅 Ok. That wasn’t so bad. I knew those.

🤓 Good. Now, BONUS QUESTIONS to pull it together:

1. If Solomon made gold as common as stone, could he have paved a street with it if he had wanted to?

2. Who else is a king of city called Jerusalem with gold being so common they use it like stone to make streets?

A+ 💯