Psalm 45
A love song to be sung to the tune “Lilies.” A psalm of the descendants of Korah.
1 Beautiful words stir my heart. I will recite a lovely poem about the king, for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet.
2 You are the most handsome of all. Gracious words stream from your lips. God himself has blessed you forever.
3 Put on your sword, O mighty warrior! You are so glorious, so majestic!
4 In your majesty, ride out to victory, defending truth, humility, and justice. Go forth to perform awe-inspiring deeds!
5 Your arrows are sharp, piercing your enemies’ hearts. The nations fall beneath your feet.
6 Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice.
7 You love justice and hate evil. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.
8 Myrrh, aloes, and cassia perfume your robes. In ivory palaces the music of strings entertains you.
9 Kings’ daughters are among your noble women. At your right side stands the queen, wearing jewelry of finest gold from Ophir!
10 Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say. Forget your people and your family far away.
11 For your royal husband delights in your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.
12 The princess of Tyre will shower you with gifts. The wealthy will beg your favor.
13 The bride, a princess, looks glorious in her golden gown.
14 In her beautiful robes, she is led to the king, accompanied by her bridesmaids.
15 What a joyful and enthusiastic procession as they enter the king’s palace!
16 Your sons will become kings like their father. You will make them rulers over many lands.
17 I will bring honor to your name in every generation. Therefore, the nations will praise you forever and ever.
Introduction
This is called the wedding Psalm and the only one of it’s kind. It is the description of a King being wed to a bride from another country. It is the description of a royal wedding with all the pomp and circumstance.
Many suggestions have been offered but there is no match. Israel never had a king like the one described here. Is it wishful thinking? Is this the king of their dreams? Someone suggested that it was written for Ahab and Jezebel but that is totally unacceptable. Others have suggested Solomon but Solomon was not a warrior. The truth is: no king comes close to matching this description.
Let us look at the king describes…
[1] He is more handsome than any other man
[2] His words are filled with grace
[3] God blessing are upon Him forever
[4] He is a mighty Warrior
[5] He is glorious, and majestic!
[6] He is victorious
[7] He is a defender of truth, humility and justice
[8] He performs awe-inspiring deeds
[9] His words are sharp and pierce the heart
[10] Nations will worship Him, fall at His feet
Now, who does that sound like? It is not David or Solomon. It is no earthly king. This is a description of Jesus the KING of kings.
So, literally, this Psalm is about Jesus! But…It is about a wedding.
The Jews at one time thought they were the bride but they rejected the King. The N.T. tells us that the church is the bride.
Ephesians 5:25-27
25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her 26 to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.27 He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault.
2 Corinthians 11:2
For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ.
The Great Mystery
31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” 32 This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.
Point of Interest
Marriage was the very first institution ordained by God and it was between a man and a woman. It was a celebration of God’s creative work. In marriage, we can have the privilege of procreating. God created from nothing: we humans cannot do that but He gave us the gift of creating children. Both marriage and procreation are under attack today.
Verse 7 is the Apex
Therefore God, your God, has anointed You, pouring out the oil of joy on You more than on anyone else.
This is in reference to Jesus for certain: it is quoted in Hebrews chapter one…
Hebrews 1:8-9
8 But to the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice.
9 You love justice and hate evil. Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.”
Many portray Christ as a wet blanket: somber, sullen and sorrowful. He was a man of sorrows because He took our sin upon Himself but Jesus was the happiest man a live. He was anointed with JOY, more than any other.
[1] Obviously this poem or psalm is about Jesus. Israel is a state but they have no king.
[2] We all associate JOY with weddings. Wedding are usually good times: the best of the best
[3] Just as there is JOY in the marriage union, there is greater JOY in our union with Christ. Most brides {who we are} look forward to their wedding day. I think it is safe to say: we have never had any experience on this earth that will compare to the wedding that is coming.
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