Heart of a Psalmist - Worshipping Christ Through The Psalms

PSALM 45: THE MARRIAGE OF THE KING Christ and His Bride

This psalm describes the wedding of one of the kings of Judah and/or Israel and his bride yet it quickly unfolds into a prophetic picture of the Messiah/King marrying his bride the church. Verses 6 and 7 are quoted in Hebrews 1:8-9 proving to us the deity of Jesus Christ. Historically it is thought to refer to the marriage of Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, to Athaliah the princess of Israel 1 or more fittingly, one of the marriages of Solomon, perhaps to the daughter of Pharaoh of Egypt. “ Solomon made an al- liance with Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and married one of his daughters.” (1 Kgs. 3:1) The Psalm is eas- ily divided into these sections:

THE WRITER COMMENCES - (1) THE WARRIOR-KING - (2-9)

• •

• THE WEDDING OF THE QUEEN - (9-15) • THE WRITER COMMENTS - (16,17)

INTRODUCTION:

“ For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah, to be sung to the tune, “Lilies.” A love song.”

This is one of the more complicated psalm inscriptions. It is first written for the music director to arrange and present to the worship service. It is a composition of the sons of Korah (see Introduction to Psalm 42) who are the descendants of the rebellious Levite in Moses’ time. It seems that it was to be sung to a popular tune of the day entitled, “Lilies” which reinforces the idea of taking well known music from the culture and using it in praising God. Three other psalms carry the inscription of ‘Lilies’, Psalms 60, 69, 80. It is called a Maskil, or teaching psalm and lastly it is a ‘Love song’ reminiscent of Solomon’s ‘Song of Songs.’

THE WRITER COMMENCES - 1

“ My heart overflows with a beautiful thought! I will recite a lovely poem to the king, for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet.” (1)

The Hebrew language describes this high prophetic state of inspiration as ‘bubbling over with emo- tion.’ Great inspirational themes incite great poetry and here the beauty of the King and Queen over- whelms the son of Korah as they commence their marriage. He has been transported to the future to see the wedding of the Messiah to his Bride and allowed to hear a heavenly conversation between God the Father and his eternal Son. The Holy Spirit gives divine inspiration to his tongue as he sings in un- rehearsed prophecy and writes down the sacred scripture. This verse is worthy of memorization by all who seek to become inspiring writers of literature, poetry and lyrics.

THE WARRIOR/KING - 2-9

“ You are the most handsome of all. Gracious words stream from your lips. God himself has blessed you forever. ”

There is a striking parallel between the following passages and the celebration of Christ’s wed- ding to his church as described in Revelation. The marriage is worship-filled and joyous! “ Let us be glad and rejoice and honor him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself.” (Rev. 19:7) This verse calls attention to the beauty of Christ’s words and the eternal blessing he has received. These are words reserved for deity alone. “ Put on your sword, O mighty warrior! You are so glorious, so majestic! In your majesty, ride out to victory, defending truth, humility, and justice. Go forth to perform awe-inspiring deeds! Your arrows are sharp, piercing your enemies’ hearts. The nations fall before you, lying down beneath your feet.” (3-5)

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