Psalm 72:15

EXPOSITION

Verse 15. And he shall live. Vive le Roi! O King! live for ever! He was slain, but is risen and ever liveth.

And to him shall be given of 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 shall 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 for evermore lovingly carried out; for the church is Christ's body, and the truth is his sceptre; 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 honour, so shall he be incessantly praised: --

"For him shall constant prayer be made,
And praises throng to crown his head;
His name, like sweet perfume, shall rise
With every morning's sacrifice."

EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS

Verse 15. And he shall live; Hebrew, "So shall he live;" i.e., the poor man. Charles Carter.

Verse 15. And he shall live. There is a clear reference to the coronation of kings in the loud acclamations, Long live the King! and the bestowal of the customary gifts and presents, as is plain from 2 Samuel 16:16 1 Kings 1:39 1 Samuel 10:27 2 Chronicles 17:5 . Hermann Venema.

Verse 15. He shall live. Alexander the Great acknowledged at death that he was a frail and feeble man. "Lo! I," said he, "am dying, whom you falsely called a god." But Christ proved that he was God when, by his own death, he overcame, and, as I may say, slew death. Thomas Le Blanc.

Verse 15. He shall live. It is a great consolation to soldiers imperilled amid many forms of death, that their king shall live. Whence one of the chief of these warriors, consoling himself, said, "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and at the last day I shall rise from the earth." Great is the consolation of the dying, that he for whom, or in whom, they die, shall live for evermore. With whom, if we die, we shall also live again, and share his riches equally with himself; for rich indeed is our Solomon, in whom are hidden all the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God. Gerhohus.

Verse 15. Prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised. It might have been rendered, "Prayer also shall be made through him continually, and daily shall he be blessed." The word is rendered "blessed," when speaking if an act of worship towards God; and the word translated "for" is sometimes used for "through," as Joshua 2:15 , "Through the window." If we hold the translation "for him," then it must be understood of the saints praying for the Father's accomplishment of his promises, made to the Son in the covenant of redemption, that his kingdom may come, his name be glorified, and that he may see his seed, and that the full reward may be given him for his sufferings, and so that he may receive the joy that was set before him. Jonathan Edwards.

Verse 15. Prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised. In all conquered countries, two things marked the subjection of the people:

1. Their money was stamped with the name of the conqueror.
2. They were obliged to pray for him in their acts of public worship. Adam Clarke.

HINTS FOR PASTORS AND LAYPERSONS

Verse 15. Prayer shall be made for him. We are to pray for Jesus Christ. Owing to the interest he has in certain objects, what is done for them is done for himself and so he esteems it. We, therefore, pray for him when we pray for his ministers, his ordinances, his gospel, his church -- in a word, his cause. But what should we pray for on his behalf?

1. The degree of its resources; that there be always a
   
   sufficiency of suitable and able instruments to carry
   
   on the work.
   
2. The freedom of its administration; that whatever
   
   opposes or hinders its progress may be removed.
   
3. The diffusion of its principles; that they may become
   
   general and universal.
   
4. The increase of its glory, as well as its extent. W. Jay.

Verse 15. Prayer for Jesus, a suggestive topic. Daily praise, a Christian duty.

Verse 15. A living Saviour, a giving people; the connection between the two. Or, Christ in the church fills the exchequer, fosters the prayer meeting, and sanctifies the service of song.