Had you never read Solomon’s writing in the context of the broader Hebrew Wisdom Literature, you might mistake this for a smug self-congratulation. Rather, this is typical of the way Solomon writes, not in some description of real events, but a characterization of things as they ought to be. If anything, Solomon hopes his reign starts to resemble some of this, because his wise heart knows just how sweet it could be if he lays claim to the full measure of what God can do.
The English translation is a little ambiguous in the first few lines. Solomon asks for the greatest miracle he can imagine, that God would grant to him a full grasp of divine justice. By extension, he prays that his sons would receive hearts committed to righteousness. The first naturally leads to the second. And what great joys would proceed from such a divine grant?
What a blessing it would be to pass that divine justice down to the people, all the way to the bottom of society! That alone would provoke Creation to respond, so that the mountains and hills themselves would manifest the peace only God can give. Doesn’t any king hope that he could lift up the lowest and crush oppression? Doesn’t this cultivate an atmosphere where folks tend to be conscious of what pleases God? The sweet favor of God distills in the dew and rain, the luminaries shine with His glory, and genuine peace will make the moon seem like a dim lamp far away at night.
It all points back to God. Such a royal reign would actually be the reign of God Himself. No one would dare to question Jehovah’s claim over the whole territory held by Solomon at the peak of his power. Can you imagine such divine peace and justice? Other rulers from the farthest reaches of Hebrew awareness would come just to get a taste of what the Creator could do in their domains. They would readily submit to Jehovah. Yes, the same God could easily set things right anywhere the humans place themselves under His authority.
At this point, Solomon’s lyrical words foreshadow the Messiah, writing of God as a human ruler. Rulers from far-flung kingdoms would lay their finest treasures at His feet. They would seek God’s face in heartfelt intercession for the Messiah’s welfare, along with praise and singing for His name. How could the earth fail to respond, pouring forth abundance? Lebanon was famous in those days for a phenomenal agricultural output in such a small space, but any land could be like that when God truly reigns in divine justice over the people.
Think of it! There would never be a moment of silence in His Temple, but people would line up just to take a turn at singing and worshiping His name. Israel, such is your God! He does these things by reflex, He alone. Don’t blow this off as some silly dream. Start now in worship of His glory and don’t let any part of the world ignore your message.
The psalm ends with what should be an editorial comment between this, the Second Book of Psalms, and the beginning of the Third. It’s not the last we see of David’s writing, and even Solomon gives us one more, but that this is the last of the songs David wrote specifically for inclusion in this book of worship.
