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Scripture Reading: Psa. 69:9, 35-36; 72:6-11, 15-19
Psalm 72 is the last psalm of Book Two, and it ends in this way: “Blessed be Jehovah God, the God of Israel, / Who alone does wondrous deeds; / And blessed be His glorious name forever; / And may His glory fill the whole earth. / Amen and Amen” (vv. 18-19). Psalm 41 closes the first book of the Psalms, and its last verse says, “Blessed be Jehovah the God of Israel, / From eternity to eternity. / Amen and Amen.” By comparing the closing verses of Book One and Book Two, we see the improvement. The conclusion of Book One is not so definite and strong as that of Book Two. In Book Two something is added: it still says, “Blessed be Jehovah God, the God of Israel,” but it adds, “Who alone does wondrous deeds; / And blessed be His glorious name forever.” Then the psalmist proceeds to speak something of the earth. We have read in Psalm 8, “O Jehovah our Lord, / How excellent is Your name / In all the earth” (v. 1). Psalm 8 is not fulfilled in Book One, but in Book Two. Therefore, at the end of Book Two, the psalmist exclaims, “May His glory fill the whole earth. / Amen and Amen.”
Have you seen the improvement? In Book One we have mainly Christ with the house and just a hint of the city — that is all. But when we come to the second book, we have Psalms 46, 47, 48, and 68, in which we reach the climax of the city, and we see that the city is for the entire earth. Hence, at the conclusion of Book Two, we find such a marked improvement.
When we reach the end of Psalm 68, everything has been accomplished. Christ has ascended on high, He has received all the gifts for the building up of God’s house, and the house is built and enlarged to the city for the recovery of the entire earth. We may feel that there is no need of any additional psalms. But we must realize the style in which the Psalms are written. They always cover certain matters, repeat, and then add a little more later on. Something is mentioned in Book One, and then something more in Book Two, until we reach Psalm 68, the peak of all the peaks. But following Psalm 68, something is still repeated and something is added.
In Psalms 69 to 71 we mainly see the sufferings of Christ and how He behaves and expresses Himself in all His sufferings. Let us note His sufferings as mentioned in Psalm 69 with the New Testament references concerning their fulfillment: (1) He was hated by many without a cause — Psalm 69:4; cf. John 15:25. (2) He bore reproaches for God’s sake — Psalm 69:7, 9; cf. Rom. 15:3. (3) The zeal of God’s house has devoured Him — Psalm 69:9; cf. John 2:17. While Christ was suffering, the zeal of God’s house consumed Him. His suffering could not cause Him to forget the house of God. He was one hundred percent for God’s house, for He came to this earth with the express purpose of building it up. (4) He suffered much, and no one took pity upon Him — Psalm 69:29, 19-20; cf. John 16:32. (5) He wept and entreated God to deliver Him out of the waters of death — Psalm 69:10, 13-17, 1-2; cf. Heb. 5:7. (6) He asked God to set Him up on high — Psalm 69:29; cf. Acts 2:32-33. (7) He promised God that He would praise Him — Psalm 69:30-34; cf. Heb. 2:12. (8) While He suffered on the cross, He was given gall as His food — Psalm 69:21; cf. Matt. 27:34. (9) In His thirst on the cross He was given vinegar to drink — Psalm 69:21; cf. John 19:28-30. (10) He was stricken and wounded by God — Psalm 69:26; cf. Isa. 53:10. He was not only persecuted and crucified by man, but, because He suffered in our stead, He was smitten and wounded by God. (11) His suffering was for the salvation of Zion and the building of the cities of God’s people — Psalm 69:35-36; cf. Eph. 5:25b. His suffering was for God’s house, for the local church, for all God’s people. In other words, He suffered so that God’s people might have a dwelling place on this earth. (12) His betrayer’s camp will become desolate — Psalm 69:25; cf. Acts 1:20.
Psalm 70, briefly, is the desire uttered by the Spirit of the suffering Christ in the expression of the suffering saint. Psalm 71 is also the utterance of Christ in His suffering in the suffering saint’s expression.
Now we come to the last psalm of Book Two, Psalm 72. The Psalms are like a great mountain with many peaks, and here we have another peak. Psalm 72 tells us how Christ shall reign over the whole earth and how the saints will be glorified and blessed with Him. First, we see that He will reign with righteousness and justice, by which peace will be ushered in (vv. 1-5). When Christ returns, He will be the King, ruling over the entire earth with righteousness and justice. Hence, the earth will be full of peace. People today speak much about peace, but there will be no peace until Christ returns. Under His rule, real peace will begin its reign. “He will judge Your people in righteousness, / And Your poor with justice. / The mountains will bear peace to the people” (vv. 2-3).
Second, this psalm presents Christ in His rule like rain watering the earth; so the saints will flourish. “He will drop like rain upon mown grass, / Like abundant showers dripping on the earth. / In His days the righteous will flourish, / And there will be an abundance of peace / Until the moon is no more. / And He will have dominion from sea to sea / And from the River unto the ends of the earth. / The desert dwellers will bow down before Him, / And His enemies will lick the dust. / The kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands / Will pay tribute; / The kings of Sheba and Seba / Will present gifts. / And all the kings will bow down before Him; / All the nations will serve Him” (vv. 6-11). Even at the time when Christ returns for judgment, He will be like rain upon mown grass, like abundant showers dripping on the earth. This is the way Christ gains the earth. He gains it by His watering, not by fighting, not by condemning, not by judging. Praise the Lord!
“He will have dominion from sea to sea / And from the River unto the ends of the earth” (v. 8). The significance of this river is the same as the one mentioned in Psalm 46:4: “There is a river whose streams gladden the city of God.” It is really meaningful. The river in verse 4 signifies the flowing out of the Triune God, indicating that the Lord’s kingdom and reign is spread to the ends of the earth by the flowing of the Triune God. His dominion is by Himself as the watering river, and He gains the dominion by watering. Whether you say watering or flowing, rain or the river, they are the same. The rain is the river, and the watering is the flowing. The Lord will recover the entire earth, not by examining, not by judging, not by smiting, but by watering. Undoubtedly the Lord Jesus will return to exercise His righteous judgment upon this earth. But that is only one aspect of His return. The other is that He will come back as the rain to water the earth.
Today the entire earth is as a dry and barren wilderness. Many evil and sinful things spring forth from this drought and dryness. Men are sinful because they are disappointed and dissatisfied. If you merely judge them, smite them, and condemn them, the problem will not be solved. Of course, the Lord Jesus in His righteousness must exercise His judgment upon all sinful things, but this is not the main aspect of His return. The primary feature is that He will come down as abundant showers dripping on the dry and thirsty land. He will have pity on this earth, and thus His dominion will not be by judging and smiting but by watering. Such a Christ will have dominion from sea to sea and will flow as a river to the ends of the earth. Where the flow is, there also is the dominion of the Lord Jesus. In that day all people — black and white, yellow and red — will be rained upon. They will be so happy under Christ’s dominion. Oh the watering, oh the satisfaction, oh the peace, oh the security when Christ returns! The Lord Jesus will return to satisfy people. He will be the King, not by exercising power to subdue others but by supplying living water to satisfy the thirsty. All will be satisfied by His living water. Hallelujah! He will reign from the River unto the ends of the earth. He will have dominion over the whole earth.
When I was a young Christian, I was given much teaching concerning the second coming of Christ. All these teachings set forth Christ as a judge. I was taught that He would blast and smite the people in His anger. Never did I hear a message saying that the Lord Jesus would come back so graciously as showers of rain to water the barren land and satisfy the depressed and empty people. But from the Psalms I have assurance to say that, while in one sense He will come back to judge, yet even in His judging, the earth will be watered. The river will be there. He will come to possess the earth not only by exercising power but by the flowing of the Triune God. He will take the earth by means of that river, the river which flows from Jerusalem. Jerusalem in that day will be the center of the earth, and in the center of Jerusalem will be the house, from which the river flows. I believe that this river will reach all the earth in four directions, as in Genesis 2. His dominion will be from the River unto the ends of the earth — not just by power, but by watering. Praise the Lord!
In that day all the nations will worship and serve Him (vv. 8-11). He will deliver the needy and have compassion on the poor, and oppression and violence will vanish away (vv. 12-14). These evil things will disappear, not by being judged but by being watered, by being satisfied. People steal because they are not satisfied. But when the Lord Jesus returns, all will be satisfied; so there will be no more oppression and violence. They will vanish by the Lord’s satisfying riches.
He shall live forever, the earth shall be restored because of Him, and men will be blessed in Him and bless Him (vv. 15-17). Do you still remember how Psalm 1 begins? It says, “Blessed is the man...” But here it says, “Blessed be Jehovah God...” (72:18). This is a real improvement. God’s name is blessed forever, and His glory is manifested in the whole earth (vv. 18-19).
Psalm 72 gives a glorious picture of what it will be like for the Lord to recover, possess, and reign over the earth. “Blessed be Jehovah God, the God of Israel, / Who alone does wondrous deeds; / And blessed be His glorious name forever; / And may His glory fill the whole earth. / Amen and Amen” (vv. 18-19).
There is no “Amen” in Psalm 1. But here we have “Amen, and Amen.” Praise the Lord for such an improvement. Praise Him that we may now be in the house within the city in anticipation of that soon coming day when the Lord will take the earth in such a way.
