Verse 20 states, “This ends the prayers of David son of Jesse”. We will find more psalms by David as we continue through the book, but this must have been written just before his death and the crown transferred to Solomon. This contains wonderful thoughts as David prays for his son and all the people.
David asked God to bless his son in several ways: 1 .Give him Your love of justice and righteousness; 2. Help him to defend the poor and rescue the children of the needy; 3. Help him crush those who oppress the needy; 4. May the king’s rule be refreshing for the people; 5. May the Godly flourish; 6. May there be abundant prosperity; 7. May his reign cover the earth.
We know that Solomon lived up to those expectations at first, but after several years as king, he became dissatisfied with life. None of the great things he pursued gave his life meaning and satisfaction. He had married foreign women who worshipped other gods, and Solomon built places for them to worship their idols until he finally tried worshipping with these wives to try to find purpose to life.
God finally appeared again to Solomon, rebuked him for his idolatry and promised to split the nation during his son’s reign. What was Solomon’s response? The historical books give us no indication, but the rest of the story can be found by reading Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon.
Yes, Solomon repented and God continued to bless him. Why? Maybe because of the type of prayers his father prayed for him.