He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him, and His enemies will lick the dust. (Psalm 72:8-9)
Once again, let us recall that according to Jewish tradition, David wrote this psalm on behalf of his son Solomon. But as we have also addressed, David’s words speak prophetically of Messiah who, as King over all the earth, will surpass that of any king who came before Him including Solomon. That being said, Scripture reveals that Solomon was the one king of Israel who even came close to fulfilling this prayer. It is written that “he had dominion over all the region on this side of the River from Tiphsah even to Gaza, namely over all the kings on this side of the River” (1 Kings 4:24).
The expanse of his kingdom was not his greatest feature, however; it was the wisdom given to him by God that led to this unprecedented prosperity. It was wisdom that prompted him to rule in a manner unlike other monarchs who typically governed impersonally and by proxy. In other words, Solomon was known for being one who became intimately involved in the situation and affairs of the people. In a great sense, he personally led the people — an attribute hinted at the Hebrew word translated as “dominion.” In its’ purest form, the root word means to “go down,” which in this case means, the king came down to the level of the people in order to guide them himself.
In my opinion, this attribute most certainly points us to the Messiah who literally came down from heaven to earth in order to personally guide us in the ways of righteousness. As John said of Messiah, “We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14), and being so, we can “cast all our cares upon Him, for He cares for us” (1 Peter 5:7). In other words, we don’t serve a God that is far removed from our struggles and concerns; no, we have a heavenly High Priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses, and yet guide us through life to victory over the world because He has overcome it. And so in that vein of thought, I’ll conclude with the words of a song which says;
“You came from Heaven to earth to show the way; from the earth to the cross, my debt to pay. From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky; Lord I lift Your Name on high!”
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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