THE EARTH FILLED WITH HIS GLORY

This prayer of David for his son Solomon has been prayed many times by parents wanting their children to do better than themselves. David, although a man of war, took no pleasure in it, but for his son requested “abundance of peace”. David had suffered many personal injustices, but these had not turned him into a bitter man, rather it made him more sympathetic of others. He had been poor and of a humble background himself, so he knew the disadvantages of poverty in terms of justice being done. He had lived in fear of his life and knew that fear of God alone was desirable.

Interwoven into the psalm are prayers for spiritual, social and material wellbeing. The geographical extent of the kingdom was important, because it was delineated by divine decree.

The ideal king takes a personal interest in his subjects, even the most insignificant, for “precious shall their blood (i.e., life) be in his sight”, v. 14.

David’s hopes clearly transcend the kingdom of Solomon, and pass on to the kingdom of Messiah the King, the Lord Jesus Christ. Today, we know Him as the perfect Saviour who knows every man, John 2. 24, and more particularly knows His sheep by name, 10. 3. Their lives are so precious to Him that His precious blood was shed for them, 1 Pet. 1. 19. Thus we have the privilege of knowing the character of earth’s coming King, who will fulfil the hopes of the psalmist completely. Solomon started well but failed; the Lord Jesus will never fail.

The spiritual conditions of the coming kingdom are set out in the last few verses of the psalm: God’s wondrous works will be acknowledged, His glorious name will be known and the end result will be the original purpose of God fulfilled, “Let the whole earth be filled with his glory”, v. 19.

David’s prayer for peace is reflected in Paul’s instructions about the contents of prayers, namely, “prayers … for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty”, 1 Tim. 2. 1, 2. Our prayers can have more influence than the votes of the men of this world, for men cannot guarantee peace in our time, but the “powers that be” are the ministers of God, Rom. 13. 1-7.