Psalms 72:17-19. 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. 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.
Who does the prophet speak about? The language certainly cannot apply to any earthly ruler. A greater than Solomon is here. Distinguished as Solomon was for his wisdom, his wealth and the prosperity of his reign, he has no glory in all these respects, “by reason of the glory that excelleth”. Long ago he resigned the crown, laid aside the sceptre and descended to the silent grave, where kings mingle with their subjects. And, unless his throne had been occupied by the Prince of peace, “the root and the offspring of David”, his name would long ago have been forgotten, together with the line of kings to which he belonged.
Christ is in the Psalmist’s eye. His glorious themes are the perpetuity of Christ’s reign, the blessedness it brings, the universal acclamation with which it shall one day be hailed by the nations, and the praise due to the wonderful power and grace by which it is established. His name, as the unchangeable Saviour, has endured as long as the sun. Scarcely had it begun to shine when He began to act as mediator. He was the object of Abel’s faith, of Enoch’s prediction, of Abraham’s vision. Moses foretold His character in types: Christ was the true tabernacle, the spotless sacrifice, the sacred temple.
When in the fullness of time he walked on the surface of the world He had made, the very malice of men, which sought to extinguish His name, was made the unwilling instrument of extending it. For it was by His death that He specially triumphed over death, spoiled principalities and powers, and introduced the gospel age. Then was His salvation proclaimed over the face of the earth, and men bowed at the name of Jesus. When that great name whereby we must be saved was in part obscured amid the darkness of superstition and idolatry, its inherent qualities remained ever the same. And when the clouds that darkened it were made to pass away, it shone forth in all its original glory. Its continuation amid all the fluctuations of human affairs, and all the vicissitudes of events, accords with the voice of prophecy in telling us that it shall endure for ever. It shall endure as a continual and increasing blessing. Men shall be blessed in Him.
Besides the indirect benefits which His spiritual administration brings to the world, it confers unnumbered and lasting blessings on His true subjects. They are blessed in Him with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places – with pardon, acceptance, peace, purity, eternal life. The happiness enjoyed by the subjects of the most powerful and enlightened of human governments is a faint emblem of the blessedness of those who submit to Him who reigns on Zion’s hill.
Earthly kings cannot know all their subjects, but He knows them all intimately. Earthly kings cannot always defend their subjects from the aggression of another power, but He will at last bruise Satan and their other enemies under their feet. The laws of earthly kings cannot reach the heart, the seat of much of the misery that embitters man’s existence; but He has access, by all possible routes, to the spirit He has made. He can rectify its disorders and pour into it the oil of spiritual gladness. And where human power and legislation cannot extend – for their jurisdiction is limited by the grave – Christ, who has the keys of the invisible world and of death, has authority to open, for His subjects, the gates of immortality and make them blessed with Himself throughout eternity.
Well may they who are so highly favoured ascribe gratitude and praise to the One who is the source and dispenser of their blessedness. How refreshing to the Christian spirit to reflect that such blessedness is yet to be shared, and such praise is yet to be raised, by all nations. As yet the rightful authority of this heavenly King has only been partially acknowledged. Many causes have impeded the establishment of His kingdom. It shall not be so always. The truth as it is in Jesus, suited as it is for universal diffusion, shall be universally diffused to bless the world. “He shall have dominion from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth.”
To whom do we owe such wonderful blessedness? To the power and grace of Him who alone does wondrous things. Lest, from the deceitfulness of our own weak, wicked hearts, the prospects here revealed should produce a feeling of personal elation, we are reminded of the Giver of them all. A deep consciousness of obligation to free and sovereign grace should mingle with every favour we enjoy and every hope we cherish. These feelings of humility and gratitude will prompt the prayer, “Let the whole earth be filled with His glory”.
The sincerity of this language must be demonstrated by corresponding obedience; it will ever be the language of all true subjects of Christ’s spiritual kingdom. What claim did they have to God’s favour which all do not possess equally? If we are the happy people who truly know the joyful sound, it reached our ears when we were the captives of sin. Let it penetrate still deeper into the dark dungeon and bring forth other sinners from their captivity. If we have been made obedient and our minds enlightened with the knowledge of God’s will, no resistance is too great to be subdued by His power, no soul too dark to be irradiated by His glory. Let that light shine into every heart till the whole earth, filled with its brightness, shall reflect the uncreated radiance of the Sun of righteousness.
1Taken, with editing, from The Christian’s Daily Companion. Macfarlane (1798-1875) was, at the time he wrote this piece, minister of Colleslie, in Fife.