The King and His Bride, Psalm 45

Has your heart ever overflowed with a good theme? Have you ever experienced or witnessed or learned of something that was so extraordinary, so amazing that you could not keep it to yourself, you had to speak of it, you had to try to describe it to others that they might share a bit of your experience? Maybe you were watching the night sky and all of the sudden you saw a bunch of comets, or something spectacular up there, and you couldn’t help but say, “Whoa!  Wow!” and to the people next to you, “Did you see that? It was incredible! There was this! And it did this! And was like this!” This Psalm is the overflowing of the author’s heart. He was a son of Korah and a prophet. He has seen something, a vision perhaps, or he’s been told of something that is so extraordinary that he cannot keep it to himself. His heart overflows with this good matter. And apparently, from the contents of the Psalm, what he’s seen or heard of has to do with a great and glorious king and his bride and their upcoming wedding.

wedding photo
Photo by numfoto

Now, I don’t about you, but I don’t get too excited about weddings, even royal weddings or famous people weddings. I know they’re on the covers of magazines at the grocery store, but I couldn’t care less. And when it comes to attending weddings, unless it’s the wedding of a close family member or close friend, I would rather stay home and do yard work or just about anything else. My wife and others like those shows on TV about weddings and brides preparing for their weddings and finding the perfect dress. But I don’t get the thrill of it.  Maybe I’m too insensitive. But this Tuesday when I was doing the Bible reading for this week, this Psalm about a king and his bride and their upcoming wedding was part of the reading, and after I read it once, I read it again. Then I read it again and again. My heart overflowed when I read about this wedding. I went home at lunch and said, “Ally, I just read something really awesome that I hadn’t noticed before. Look at this and this…”  I had to speak of it. This wedding is awesome even to insensitive fellas like me when you see…

Who this king and his bride are

They are not identified in the Psalm.  Different commentators and scholars have suggested different kings of Jewish history and their wives as being who this Psalm is about. Many suggest that this is about king Solomon and his marriage to Pharaoh’s daughter. But to me, that doesn’t fit. One reason is that this king is a conquering warrior. At the end of verse 5 it says the peoples, the nations, fall under him, and his arrows are in the heart of his enemies. But Solomon was not a warrior. Solomon enjoyed a peaceful reign. Others have suggested this is about king Ahab and his marriage to Jezebel or perhaps king Jehoram and his marriage to Athaliah. But that doesn’t fit either, because the Scriptures summarize the conduct of those kings saying they did evil in the sight of the LORD. But this king in Psalm 45, we’ll see, has loved righteousness and hated wickedness and grace is on his lips and he’s pleasing to God. That was not Ahab or Jehoram at all. Unless this Psalmist was really flattering king Ahab or Jehoram, this can’t be about them. And we’re going to see that some of the descriptions of this king are too exalted, too lofty, to be fitting for any earthly king that ancient Israel ever had. Some say this Psalm is not describing any king in particular; it is rather just describing the ideal king, who the king should be, and the ideal queen and the ideal wedding, how it should be. And perhaps this Psalm was sung as part of the royal wedding ceremonies, encouraging the king and queen to be this way.

Maybe this Psalm was used that way, but I’m convinced it’s about an actual king. Look at verses 6-7. This is addressed to the king.  “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.” This king is called God. And because He loved righteousness and hated wickedness, God exalted Him over all others and anointed Him with joy and His throne is forever and ever. Does that sound like an actual king that you know?  And look at the last statement in verse 17, “Therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.” Has there ever been a king to whom the nations will give thanks forever and ever? Yep. But only one. King Jesus. I’m not the only one who believes this is about Jesus. So did the writer of Hebrews in the NT. Hebrews 1:8-9, “But of the Son [of Jesus] He says, “YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER, AND THE RIGHTEOUS SCEPTER IS THE SCEPTER OF HIS KINGDOM.  9 YOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS; THEREFORE GOD, YOUR GOD, HAS ANOINTED YOU WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS ABOVE YOUR COMPANIONS.”  That comes right out of Psalm 45:6-7 and he says that’s about King Jesus.

Now, if Jesus is the king and groom in this Psalm, then who is His bride? Did Christ have a bride? Does He have a bride? II Corinthians 11:2, “For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.” Paul wanted the Corinthian Christians to see themselves as betrothed to Christ.  The wedding day is coming. And Paul hopes that on that day, they may be presented as a pure virgin, as one who has been a faithful fiancé. Ephesians 5:25-27, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” Christ’s bride is His church, His disciples. Right now we are in the betrothal period. The wedding day is coming when we will be presented glorious without a spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Revelation 19:6-8, “Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah!  For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.  Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”  It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

You see, Psalm 45 is awesome because it is not just about some royal couple and their wedding. It is about us and our king and our wedding. This wedding is the purpose and culmination of all creation. We and this world exist because the Lord wanted this bride to receive and reciprocate His love. So with that understanding, let’s look real quick at Psalm 45.

Introduction (verse 1)

My heart overflows with a good theme;” I am bubbling over!  I can’t contain it!  I have to speak of it!  “I address my verses to the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.”

Address to the king (verses 2-9)

I think this Psalm is envisioning the Messiah from a Christian perspective.  It’s viewing Him from our point in time after His perfect life on earth and death and resurrection and He’s on the throne of the universe. “You are the most handsome of the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips.” His lips are covered with grace. So every word that proceeds from His mouth is gracious; never hurtful, never vulgar, never deceptive, never ugly. Always true and blessing, like a gift, every word. “Therefore God has blessed you forever.” God has found Him to be the fairest of the sons of men. So He has blessed Him and blessed He shall be for eternity.

Gird Your sword on Your thigh, O Mighty One, In Your splendor and Your majesty!  And in Your majesty ride on victoriously, For the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; Let Your right hand teach You awesome things.  Your arrows are sharp; The peoples fall under You; Your arrows are in the heart of the King’s enemies.” He still has enemies at the time that have not yet been brought into submission to His rule. His enemies are evil. Conquering them is for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness. His enemies promote lies and pride and unrighteousness in the world. So the Psalmist says, “Conquer them! Make them a footstool for Your feet.”

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever…” He will always win against those who oppose Him. He is God. In Him is no weakness, no flaw, no vulnerability, no limitation. He will always win and reign forever and ever.  “A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.” All His laws and decrees and judgments and decisions are right and good, always for the ultimate glory of God and good of man. “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.” He was a man after God’s own heart. He loved what God loves and hated what God hates. “Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond companions.

your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad.” In His presence your senses are filled with pleasantness. He smells wonderful. It sounds wonderful. Everything around Him looks wonderful. All associated with Him is pleasant and extravagant and glorious. “daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;” I think the picture is of the ladies who serve in His palaces. They are the most desirable ladies in the world, king’s daughters.

At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.”  He can have any woman He wants. But He has chosen one. And He loves her. She is at His right hand dressed in the purest and finest gold. He shares with her His wealth and His rule. But the wedding hasn’t happened yet. That’s later in the Psalm, I believe.

Address to the Bride (verses 10-12)

Hear, O daughter [I think he’s talking to the queen, the bride of the king], and consider, and incline your ear…”  Here is something important for the bride to hear, for us to hear.  There are two instructions here and two promises.

The first instruction is “Forget your people and your father’s house“.  I take that to mean we must not look back longingly or become distracted by whatever or whoever we’ve had to leave behind to be with Christ. I take it to be the same kind of thing Jesus taught in Luke 9:61-62 when a man came to Him and said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home,” which sounds like a reasonable request.  But Jesus appears to have detected that this man was still very attached to his old life and the family he would leave behind to follow Him, and that this man would be distracted by those things. Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” In plowing a field back then they’d steer the plow with one hand and use the other hand to goad the ox that was pulling the plow. You’d have to pay attention to keep the ox and the plow going straight. It would be disastrous to try to do that while looking back over your shoulder. There’s no way you could plow a straight furrow while looking back. The Lord is saying that those who look back longingly at the old life and at what they are missing as they follow Him are unfit for the kingdom of God. Realize that the pleasures of sin we experienced in our past and whatever the world has to offer us is fleeting, momentary, and pulls us away from our King to whom we are betrothed. So the first instruction here is Forget what you’ve left behind to be with Christ.

Then there’s a promise.  Verse 11a, “and the King will desire your beauty.” You make Him your heart’s desire and you will be His.

Then verse 11b, the second instruction, “Because He is your Lord, bow to Him.”  To bow is to show respect and submission.  Ephesians 5:23-24 says, “the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.” The bride of Christ is subject to Him. If we’re the bride of Christ we must be subject to Him. In other words, we must not be defiantly doing things our own way in life; we must be trying to do things His way, to be honest in all we say, to keep our language clean, to control our temper, to be kind and helpful to everyone we meet, to use our money without greed, to raise our kids to know Him, to be excellent employees and a light for Him in the work place, and to be encouraging to our fellow Christians. He doesn’t require us to be perfect, but subject to Him, trying to follow His will in our lives.

Then verse 12 is another promise.  If we are wholly devoted to Christ and not looking back, here’s a picture of what our position will be.  “The people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, the richest of the people.”  If we submit ourselves to the Lord, He will exalt us over the richest. The wealthiest and strongest of the world will one day seek our favor. The bride of the King will be exalted over all.

The Wedding (verses 13-15)

It’s helpful to understand a little about weddings in ancient Israel. Before the wedding the bridegroom would prepare his home for his bride, and a great wedding feast would be prepared, and family and friends invited. Then on the appointed day of the wedding the bridegroom would go forth at the head of a procession that would make its way to the residence of the father of the bride. As they arrived, she would be waiting in her wedding dress. She would have her attendants with her. They would lead her out to meet the bridegroom. Then the entire procession would return to perhaps the home of the bridegroom for the wedding celebration. You remember the parable Jesus told in Matthew 25 about the ten virgins who were part of a bridal party. And they were to wait one evening with their lamps lit for the bridegroom to come and then lead a lighted procession to the home where the wedding feast was to be held. Perhaps that’s what’s being pictured in verses 13-15.

Verse 13, “All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.”  You have never seen a more beautiful gown. Ephesians 5:27 describes her/us has having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, holy and blameless. Philippians 3:21, “He will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory…”  I John 3:2, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be.  We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”

Verses 14-15, “In many-colored robes she is led to the king, with her virgin companions following behind her. 15 With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king.” Jesus told His disciples, John 14:1, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”  And He said there’s going to be a great banquet. He said many from east and west and north and south are going to recline at the table with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God (Luke 13:28-29). And then we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (Psalms 23:6).

Conclusion (verses 16-17)

The conclusion to this Psalm is interesting. Verse 16 speaks of the King’s children, His descendants. Normally when a couple gets married, eventually they have children. That imagery is used in verse 16. It’s speaking to the king. The pronouns in the Hebrew text are masculine singular. To the king it says, “In place of your fathers shall be your sons; you will make them princes in all the earth.”  So as His forefathers (like David and Solomon and others) were rulers, so shall His sons be rulers. Hmmm, if this is about Christ, who are these children? Well, in Scripture that’s another image used for the church, the people of Christ.  Isaiah 53:10, “when His soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days…”  So after offering Himself as a guilt offering, Jesus had offspring. Not only are we to see ourselves as the bride of the King , but also as the children of the King.

And it says in Psalm 45:16 His sons will reign in all the earth. As does Revelation 5:9-10. The beings of heaven sing to the Lamb, “Worthy are You… for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.  You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”  I Corinthians 6:3, “Do you not know that we will judge angels?”  We will even judge angels?!  I don’t know what all it entails or what it will be like, but it sure sounds to me that the bride and children of Christ will rule over the world to come with Christ.  Verse 17, “I [which is either the Psalmist or God. I’m not sure which.] will cause Your name to be remembered in all generations; Therefore the peoples will give You thanks forever and ever.”  Forever and ever. Let that register in your heart for a moment. 100 years from now we will be saying, “O, thank You, Lord!” 10 million years later we will still be saying, “Thank you, Lord!”  Forever and ever we will be giving Him thanks for His grace and kindness to us. God has so much more in mind for us than just this short life. This life is just the time to accept His offer of marriage through the gospel and then to keep ourselves wholly devoted to Him until the wedding day. Have you said through repentance of your sins and baptism in His name, “Yes Lord, I will marry You”?  And are you living as His bride, loving Him over all others?

– James Williams

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