Psalm 45 For the choir director; according to the Shoshannim. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. A Song of Love.
Ron Ferguson 2021 ronaldf@aapt.net.au
You will notice a title to this Psalm, and the word “shoshannim” means lilies and it is probable referring to the shape of the musical instrument or to a tune. It is a song of loves, called a conjugal song. By way of introduction Jamieson-Fausset-Brown says The union and glories of Christ and his Church are described. He is addressed as a king possessed of all essential graces, as a conqueror exalted on the throne of a righteous and eternal government, and as a bridegroom arrayed in nuptial splendour. The Church is portrayed in the purity and loveliness of a royally adorned and attended bride, invited to forsake her home and share the honours of her engaged Lord. That commentary specifies Christ but to the Jewish mind when written, it did not mean that.
Psalm 45 v 1 “My heart overflows with a good theme. I address my verses to the King. My tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Psa 45:2 You are fairer than the sons of men. Grace is poured upon Your lips, therefore God has blessed You forever.”
This is a most beautiful psalm written by a gifted writer and inspired by God. We shall see the beauty of the psalm as we study it today. There is an extra blessing associated with this psalm because it is one of the Messianic Psalms. Messianic Psalms are about the Lord Jesus Christ, and are often prophetic in some way. The writers at the time did not know they were writing about Jesus as His coming was 1 000 years still future, but the Holy Spirit spoke through these writers, holy men of old whom God moved. One of the proofs of a Messianic Psalm is that the New Testament quotes from it to refer to the Lord Jesus. We will see that as we progress through this one. I think there are about 18 Messianic psalms.
The writer begins with his own inner feelings about what he is penning. Verse 1 begins with the excitement felt by what he is doing. His heart overflows with the subject – actually an image of a fountain that is just bubbling over and can not be contained. The psalm is praise to the King and is a rare Old Testament song to Messiah. It is noted that only "psalms of high and solemn importance" have formal explanations of this kind, announcing the intention of the writer. He uses a metaphor – his tongue is his pen.
Verse 1 begins with the occupation of the writer’s mind, and this psalm is the unfolding of the majesty of this king (a king). It is all about the king that gives such joy and readiness to the writing of majestic themes. But, you may ask, “Who is this king being addressed?” There is no doubt that the king here is King Messiah, because the New Testament supports that. Even the Jewish comments on this verse support that. The Chaldean Targum paraphrases verse 2 by saying, “Thy beauty, O King Messiah, is greater than that of the sons of men.” And the eminent Jewish expositor Aben-Ezra says, “This Psalm treats of David, or rather of his son the Messiah.” The original has “a king” but the clearest understanding is that it is THE King.
Verse 2 goes beyond any earthly description of a man and belongs to the Person whose Name is above every name, that every knee should bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. Jesus is the Son of Man but He is greater than all men for He is the God-Man. Grace is poured on Him for He is grace and His lips spoke grace here on earth, and He is today the gracious Redeemer whose life was given in love. He was the One who was rich in the palaces of heaven but for our sakes, He became poor so that through His poverty we might become rich. That is grace, the grace that belongs to the only begotten Son of the Father. O, yes, God has blessed Him. Through His suffering, He has been given a Bride and is seated at the right hand of the Father until He rises to claim His Bride in full at the Rapture. This is the same one as in Hebrews 1 v 3 “He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
Psalm 45 v 3 “Gird Your sword on Your thigh, O Mighty One, in Your splendour and Your majesty! Psa 45:4 In Your majesty, ride on victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness. Let Your right hand teach You awesome things. Psa 45:5 Your arrows are sharp. The peoples fall under You. Your arrows are in the heart of the King’s enemies.”
Here we have a multi-faceted picture of the Saviour. From verse 4 we see He Himself is the Truth, and He is meek and humble, and He is righteous, and the King of Righteousness. But He is not meek without power; nor is He righteous without action; nor is He the Truth without establishing the truth. To do all those things means His enemies must be defeated. His enemies are everywhere. Our world is full of enemies of the truth, and of righteousness and of humility. They are enemies of God. They are increasing in wickedness. The whole demonic world is the enemy. The passage here speaks of victory over the evil enemy and over evil itself, that is, Satan.
Verse 3 is a picture of Jesus Christ seen in Revelation - Revelation 1 v 15 “His feet were like burnished bronze when it has been caused to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. Rev 1:16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and His face was like the sun shining in its strength. Rev 19 v 11 I saw heaven opened and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. Rev 19:12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. Rev 19:13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood and His name is called The Word of God.” You will notice in verse 11 this is the True and the Righteous One, the Victor in the battle. (verse 4 again in Psalm 45). Truth and righteousness will be the marks of the Millennial Kingdom. Verses 3-5 in Psalm 45 speak of the defeat of the Lord’s enemies when every foe will be subdued under His feet and Satan and his horde will be consigned to the Lake of Fire. During the Tribulation, truth and righteousness will be killed in the world of men, but the Lord of Lords and King of Kings of Revelation 19 will come and set up righteousness and truth in His Kingdom.
Psalm 45 v 6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. Psa 45:7 You have loved righteousness, and hated wickedness, therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of joy above Your fellows.
Here in verses 6 and 7 we have another New Testament quote. Here it is - Hebrews 1 v 8 but of the Son He says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. Heb 1:9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your companions,”
The King is King Messiah who is being addressed by the Father. This passage in both the Psalms and Hebrews is just overflowing with the deity of Christ. The Son of God is truly God, and His throne (reign) is forever. Being God, Jesus hates lawlessness and loves righteousness, and therefore the Father has anointed the Son with the oil of joy/gladness above all others. I find in both these quotes the emphasis is on righteousness. For us Christians, righteousness is being in the right state with God. The righteousness of Christ is that attribute that belongs to God, to the deity. His nature is righteousness; His dealings are righteous; His justification is righteous; His reign will be in righteousness, and all His judgements will be righteous. There is a precious verse in Corinthians - 2Cor 5 v 21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” What that verse says is that the righteousness that belongs to Christ, to God, has been placed on us, so that God views us as if viewing Christ. That implies a huge responsibility. We must live as the righteous people of God in all aspects. We fail. We all admit that. However God looks at us and sees His Son. That is a glorious truth.
Psalm 45 v 8 “All Your garments are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made You glad. Psa 45:9 Kings’ daughters are among Your noble ladies. At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.”
The psalm now concentrates on the king. A person’s station is measured by his or her clothing and regalia. For example one knows, a policeman, or a Council worker, or an airline pilot because of appearance. In verse 8 the appearance is splendid – fragrant garments, association with stringed instruments, and in verse 9, a queen in gold. He comes from ivory palaces. This is a very special person, and it is possible that the psalmist had a king in mind, but we already know this is a Messianic psalm, so there is no doubt that the Lord Jesus Christ is the King in view. The words of the writer try to capture His beauty and majesty with lovely description.
The spices here are significant. Think for a moment about the fragrance of the spices mentioned in verse 8. Does that ring a bell with you? Here is part of the story - John 19 v 38 “After these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus and Pilate granted permission. He came therefore, and took away His body, John 19:39 and Nicodemus came also, who had first come to Him by night, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds weight. John 19:40 They took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices as is the burial custom of the Jews.”
Myrrh and aloes represented burial spices. The Lord came, figuratively, out of the ivory palaces of heaven to earth, which led to death and burial, but then to the victory of resurrection. The stringed instruments of heaven play out the melodies of the Person and work of Christ in worship and honour. The wise men who came to Jesus, the young child at Nazareth brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold always represents deity (Jesus is God); frankincense always is a fragrant spice and used for sweetness and a lovely aroma in the Tabernacle and Temple (Jesus is the sweetness of heaven, the altogether lovely One); and myrrh was to speak of the Lord’s death and burial. The Lord was anointed with these spices and the aroma of that connects with Him, but in resurrection, for burial led to resurrection. Figuratively, Jesus has the garments of resurrection.
Then there is the cassia. It is not mentioned in the New Testament but it is many times in the Old Testament. One component was cinnamon, or a very similar bark. It was an essential oil in the mix of the anointing oil used on the holy furniture of the Tabernacle. Exodus 30 v 22 “Moreover, the LORD spoke to Moses saying, Ex 30:23 “Take also for yourself the finest of spices: of flowing myrrh five hundred shekels, and of fragrant cinnamon half as much, two hundred and fifty, and of fragrant cane two hundred and fifty, Ex 30:24 and of cassia five hundred, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and of olive oil a hin. Ex 30:25 You shall make of these a holy anointing oil, a perfume mixture, the work of a perfumer. It shall be a holy anointing oil, Ex 30:26 and with it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony, Ex 30:27 and the table and all its utensils, and the lampstand and its utensils, and the altar of incense, Ex. 30:28 and the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and the laver and its stand. Ex 30:29 You shall also consecrate them that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.”
Every piece of furniture was a beautiful type of Christ. He is anointed with the oil of gladness. In what we just read, the oil anointed the Tabernacle, the ark, the showbread table, the utensils, the lampstand, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering and the laver. All these vessels in the Tabernacle were perfect pictures and types of Jesus Christ. The oil covered the Lord with fragrance, and all His work as well. Paul wrote a short statement but it is heavy with meaning - Ephesians 5 v 2 “and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”
In verse 9, the queen is the king’s bride and she is clothed or decorated with gold (the gold of Ophir is the finest gold). We will stand with our Lord in a coming day as His Bride, and we will be clothed with the finest linen which represents righteousness. 2Cor 5 v 21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” We have no righteousness of our own. Our lovely Lord has made us God’s righteousness. Can you comprehend that? It is so deep. How can wicked sinners be declared holy with God’s righteousness?
Psalm 45 v 10 “Listen, O daughter, give attention and incline your ear. Forget your people and your father’s house, Psa 45:11 Then the King will desire your beauty. Because He is your Lord, bow down to Him. Psa 45:12 The daughter of Tyre will come with a gift. The rich among the people will entreat your favour.”
It is the daughter of another who is spoken to here, the one who shall become the queen. She is told to forget her previous relationships because she has a brand new relationship, a connection with the king. She is told the king will desire her beauty and she is to pay him reverence. I won’t do verse 11 but it is relevant too. All this has an application to King Jesus and the Church. In the Lord’s presence, the members of the Church will have no memory of past relationships. The Church has a brand new relationship when it enters the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. The Bridegroom, Jesus, will always desire the beauty of the Bride, the Church. It is His treasured possession bought by sacrifice and blood. The Church will always bow in His presence – that is, the Church will acknowledge His Person, and glory, and majesty, and His atoning work in love.
Psalm 45 v 13 “The King’s daughter is all glorious within. Her clothing is interwoven with gold. Psa 45:14 She will be led to the King in embroidered work. The virgins, her companions who follow her, will be brought to You. Psa 45:15 They will be led forth with gladness and rejoicing. They will enter into the King’s palace.” All the Commentators except Gaebelein say the king’s daughter is the Bride, the daughter of a foreign king, and is brought to her future husband. The whole psalm presents the bride in splendour, all beautiful and holy. This is the Bride of the Lamb being presented to King Jesus and takes us to the start of Revelation 19. Have you ever thought of how the Lord sees His Bride? This psalm answers that question. The Church as the Bride is spotless, purified, righteous and holy, seen in pure gold, clothed in the excellence of Christ.
Psalm 45 v 16 “In place of your fathers will be your sons. You shall make them princes in all the earth. Psa 45:17 I will cause Your name to be remembered in all generations, therefore the peoples will give You thanks forever and ever.”
I would like to end my message there and omit v 16-17. We have looked at the lovely character of Messiah-King in this psalm, the Son who came to earth to seek and save the lost, while at the same time, building His Church. Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it in His willingness to die to redeem a glorious Bride. Here are two famous verses about Christ and the Church - Ephesians 5 v 26 “that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, Eph 5:27 that He might present to Himself the Church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and blameless.”
We love Him because He first loved us. Let us be serious about our confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, our loving and beautiful Saviour.
[Hymns we sang - Majesty the song; Out of the Ivory Palaces; And Can it Be]
