Psalm 72:10 -
May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands
render him tribute;
may the kings of Sheba and Seba
bring gifts!
Though this is a psalm of Solomon, son of David, it is clearly what is called a Messianic Psalm, a common category given to many of the psalms of David. It’s a psalm that makes sense in its original context regarding kingship, it clearly points to someone who is to come, whose name will endure forever (v.17). This king to come would have gifts brought to him from afar, from magistrates from the east - the place of Sheba and Seba. The Queen of Sheba famously visited Solomon in 1 Kings 10 after hearing of his wondrous wisdom. She was greatly impressed, and had brought the king gifts including spices and gold.
But Solomon’s star would fade of course. He would sin against the Lord and he would not be the one to whom Psalm 72 ultimately points. It’s hard to know of people who even know that Solomon was a king! So who is this that is a king in the line of David whose name would last forever, and through whom all nations would call him blessed (v.17)? That would be a true king who also received gift from lords of the east. The wise men were most likely astrologers, some of the most respected people in the ancient world within that culture - and they would bring the king gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We’ll get to what these gifts point to in a later post - but know that part of the prophecy of the birth of the Messiah includes this outstanding event. The prophecy points to the expanse of the blessing of God through Christ - a grace extending to the Gentiles, and the gifts point to his kingship and his ultimate purpose. The salvation found in Christ is a global one - not bound by borders, languages, or nations, for “as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us” (Ps. 103:12).
Hymn for Reflection: What Child is This? Here’s a Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90RpXqqBCcU