Psalm 71 is another from David and has similar themes to all the others he’s written. This must have been written later in life because he mentions being old and gray a couple times, and seems in a bit of a nostalgic mood. In verse 16 he tells of the secret to his relationship to God, and why he I think God found in as a man after his own heart. It also showswhy he points so directly to Christ and the gospel:
16 I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord;
I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone.
Our righteousness comes from God, the Sovereign Lord, alone, period. Nothing we can do or not do will change this fact. We can be no more accepted before him if we sin or don’t sin, which is why we can have a clear conscience. If we confess our sins, John says, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Yes, because he’s given us, granted us, bestowed upon us Christ’s righteousness. I’m not sure David would have fully understood imputation, and that God would literally give us his own righteousness, but looking back through the lens of the NT we can see this is exactly what God is communicating to us.
Psalm 72 say, “Of Solomon,” and starts with this prayer:
1 Endow the king with your justice, O God,
the royal son with your righteousness.
2 May he judge your people in righteousness,
your afflicted ones with justice.
At first I thought it was Solomon writing, but from the commentaries and the context it is David praying for his son. Yet it is as Messianic as any Psalm.This king is to judge with justice and bring safety and prosperity to his people. All the kings of the earth and the nations will bow down to him and serve him. He will deliver and rescue the needy and afflicted, and his name will endure forever. This verse clearly connects it directly with Christ and God’s covenant promise to his people:
Then all nations will be blessed through him,
and they will call him blessed.
This coming right after his name enduring forever. David says the Lord God alone does marvelous deeds, specifically saving and caring for his people, and says finally, may the whole earth be filled with his glory. We know everything is leading to the complete restoration of all things, and it is the presence of his glory, his beauty, his life and light which we will bask in forever, and which Christ secured by his obedience to death, even death on a cross.
My Walk Through The Bible 
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