Of Solomon
72 Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to the royal son!
2 May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice!
3 Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness!
4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the children of the needy,
and crush the oppressor!
12 For he delivers the needy when he calls,
the poor and him who has no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
and precious is their blood in his sight.
Psalm 72:1-4; 12-14 ESV
Derek Kidner, in his Tyndale Old Testament Commentary on the Psalms suggests that verses 1-4 and 12-14 of Psalm 72 highlight two great qualities of Israel’s King; Righteousness and Compassion, and adds that these are, ultimately, qualities of God Himself, and as such the King (and the people) are to find their source in God alone, and their clearest expression in Christ Himself.
Derek Kidner writes, “Righteousness (1, 2, 3 dominates this opening, since in Scripture it is the virtue of government, even before compassion (which will be the theme of 12-14). This point is made explicitly in the Mosaic law, which forbids partiality in judgment, whether it favours (surprisingly) the poor or the rich (Exodus 23:3, 6)….Solomon continues to speak more wisely than he was ever to act. His prayers, at his ascension and the dedication of the temple (1 Kings 3:6 ff.; 8: e.g. 38 ff.), show the sensitivity which he admired in the king whom he describes here; but his people’s verdict was that ‘he made our yoke heavy’. It was again the opposite of what his greater Son would be known for (Matthew 11:28ff.).
Singing in Babylon 
Of kings and the King?
Of Solomon
72 Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to the royal son!
2 May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice!
3 Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness!
4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the children of the needy,
and crush the oppressor!
12 For he delivers the needy when he calls,
the poor and him who has no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy,
and saves the lives of the needy.
14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
and precious is their blood in his sight.
Psalm 72:1-4; 12-14 ESV
Derek Kidner, in his Tyndale Old Testament Commentary on the Psalms suggests that verses 1-4 and 12-14 of Psalm 72 highlight two great qualities of Israel’s King; Righteousness and Compassion, and adds that these are, ultimately, qualities of God Himself, and as such the King (and the people) are to find their source in God alone, and their clearest expression in Christ Himself.
Derek Kidner writes, “Righteousness (1, 2, 3 dominates this opening, since in Scripture it is the virtue of government, even before compassion (which will be the theme of 12-14). This point is made explicitly in the Mosaic law, which forbids partiality in judgment, whether it favours (surprisingly) the poor or the rich (Exodus 23:3, 6)….Solomon continues to speak more wisely than he was ever to act. His prayers, at his ascension and the dedication of the temple (1 Kings 3:6 ff.; 8: e.g. 38 ff.), show the sensitivity which he admired in the king whom he describes here; but his people’s verdict was that ‘he made our yoke heavy’. It was again the opposite of what his greater Son would be known for (Matthew 11:28ff.).
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