What is the meaning of Psalm 72:5? May they fear Him • The psalmist is asking that people respond to the King—ultimately foreshadowing Christ—with reverent awe. • “Fear” here is not terror but wholehearted worship and obedience (Proverbs 1:7; Psalm 33:8). • This petition echoes God’s desire that “all the earth may know that the LORD is God” (1 Kings 8:60). • It presumes that genuine blessing flows when people rightly honor their God-appointed King (Psalm 2:11-12). As long as the sun shines • The duration is literal: sunrise to sunset, day after day, without interruption. • By tying devotion to the enduring sun, the psalmist underscores the constancy God expects (Psalm 89:36; Jeremiah 33:20-21). • The image anticipates Christ’s unending reign—“the light of the world” (John 8:12)—whose authority never dims. • Creation’s most prominent light becomes a daily reminder to keep honoring the King. As long as the moon remains • Nighttime’s faithful luminary reinforces the theme of perpetual loyalty (Genesis 8:22). • Psalm 89:37 compares David’s throne to the moon: “established forever… a faithful witness in the sky.” • The cyclical phases of the moon hint that even in seasons of seeming waning, the King’s rule persists. • Revelation 21:23 looks ahead to a day when the Lamb’s glory will outshine moonlight, proving the petition fulfilled in Christ. Through all generations • The prayer reaches beyond the original audience to every age that follows (Psalm 100:5). • God’s covenant promises are multigenerational (Genesis 17:7; Acts 2:39); therefore, the call to fear Him must be taught diligently to children (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). • Matthew 28:18-20 shows Jesus commissioning His followers to extend this reverence worldwide until the end of the age. • The verse assures us that no generation is exempt from acknowledging the rightful King. summary Psalm 72:5 asks God to stir lasting, universal reverence for His King—from sunrise to moonrise, age after age. The prayer trusts God’s unbreakable promises, ties devotion to the steady rhythms of creation, and looks forward to the everlasting reign of Christ, the greater Son of David. |
    |