Ps. 72.9-11 (heaven and hell before the king)

Before him
     may his foe / bow – and his enemies / lick the dust
     may the kings of Tarshish / and the islands / render tribute
     and the kings of Sheba / and Seba / bring a gift
     may all kings / fall down / before him
all nations / serve him. 

These verses are unique in the psalm in that here the ‘face of the king’ is brought to the fore. In order to appreciate the emergence of this presence, we must recall where we have come and specifically the previous verses. There, we saw, after the king had become aligned with cosmic duration (vs. 5), his ruling power would stretch across the entire earth, and not merely in a material way but also in a profoundly theological manner—it would encompass the ‘ends of the earth’, the usual dwelling of darkness and malevolent forces. Every power would be subjected to his rule. It is with this rule in place that his authorial presence is now revealed. Every king now stands “before him”. It is only after the accomplishment of all previous modes of ‘perpetual power’ that the king no longer stands before any other power or king but rather the earth and all its forces are “before him”. We have seen this “before him” in other psalms, specifically relating to the earth being “before Yhwh”. There, as here, it was a sign of total mastery and authority (importantly, we should note, God’s concern for Israel then moved “before them” when they journeyed toward the Promised Land).  How this actually plays out is the focus of these verses: the subjugation of enemies and the reception of tribute. This is what it means for the king to rule from the River to the “ends of the earth” (vs. 8). All worldly glory is transferred to the one king. He robs his enemies of heir honor by making them ‘bow’ and ‘lick the dust’ (shaming them), and transfers that to himself. Those who recognize his authority willing transfer and give him honor in the form of tribute and gift. The psalmist specifically points to several of these: the kings of Tarshish, and the islands and the kings of Sheba and Seba. All of these kings (those against and those for the king), however, “fall before him”. All nations “serve him”. This ‘falling before him’ highlights this complete, and glorious sovereignty of the king. It is very reminiscent of heavenly scenes where all the earth ‘falls down before the throne’ of God. Finally, the reason I have diagrammed the verse the way I have is to highlight the fact that the king’s presence manifests this type of heaven/hell dichotomy. To those who rebel against him, they will be shamed and their glory/honor taken from them (hell as a place of perpetual shame). To those who submit willingly to his rule, they “cast down their crowns” before him in honor and tribute (heaven as a place of perpetual tribute and giving). All submit before him—how they submit is determined by their stance. His presence will accomplish this reality.