Psalm 45: A Song Of Love Series

Home Lessons

May 15, 2015

Tom Lowe

PSALM 45

Title: A Song of Love

Theme: The coming of Christ to establish His kingdom on this earth.

Psalm 45 (KJV)

1 My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

2 Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.

3 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.

4 And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.

5 Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.

6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.

Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

8 All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.

9 Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.

10 Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house;

11 So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.

12 And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour.

13 The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.

14 She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.

15 With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king's palace.

16 Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.

17 I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.

Introduction

This is a messianic psalm and that is how it is quoted in the Epistle to the Hebrews (1:8-9[1]). This is another maschil[2] psalm, that is, for instruction, written by the sons of Korah, and is inscribed “To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim” (Shoshannim identifies the tune to which it was to be sung),” which means “lilies” (the name of the tune). It is a picture of Christ as the Messiah—He is the Lily of the Valley as well as the Rose of Sharon. In translating this, the Targumim[3] adds, “Thy beauty, O King Messiah, is greater than that of the children of men.”

We do not know who wrote Psalm 45 nor exactly why it was written. Several men have been suggested for the writer: Solomon, David, Hezekiah, Isaiah, Ahab and some unknown poet laureate of Judah. It may have been written to commemorate Solomon’s marriage. Another king, Hezekiah, also may have been the author, and for the same reason. It is believed that he married the daughter of his best friend, Isaiah. So the marriage psalm was written by one of these men. It pictures a royal wedding. We read of at least two such in the Old Testament, one at 1 Samuel 18:27 and another at 1 Kings 16:31. This poem is therefore a love song, as every wedding hymn should be. The Holy Spirit placed it in our Bibles as a memorial to Israel’s brief but brilliant golden age, the harbinger of a better golden age to come. There are some who call this simply a love song, but it is much, much, more than that. If this were merely a secular love song, why would it be given to the chief musician to be used in the worship of the Lord at His sanctuary? That would be blasphemy. This psalm shows us how to love Him who first loved us.

The union between Christ and his people is often described in imagery similar to that found in this psalm (2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:23). Let us pray for the time when the universe shall ring with this marriage-song; when the hour of the marriage of the Lamb shall have come, and heathen nations partake of the joy—“Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7). Whatever may have been the historical use of this psalm, the ultimate message is about Jesus Christ and His bride, the Church (Ephesians 5:23[4]; Revelation 19:6-21; 22:17).

This very wonderful psalm speaks of the second coming of Christ. This changes the tenor of the Psalms from the cry of a people in the anguish of tribulation to the glorious triumph of their coming King, as it is described in Revelation, chapter 19. Our Lord Jesus Christ spoke of it also (Matthew 24:29-30[5]), and it is the hope of the world.