Wedding Day in Heaven!
Psalm 45
Introduction:
Psalm 45 – is one of if not the most magnificent songs of praise and worship found in the 150 Psalms that made up the Hebrew Hymbook.
Story Behind the Psalm:
Don’t know who the human penman was that wrote Psalm 45… wants no glory for himself… desires for all the glory to go the one he is singing of.
v.1 – “My heart is inditing a good matter” = (lit) to bubble up, to gush forth – heart so caught up in the moment… so overwhelmed with joy of the occasion he couldn’t hold it in…
v.1c – “my tongue is the pen of a ready writer” = not only has to do with skill but also eagerness – “from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” … on this day the Psalmists heart like an artesian well bubbling up and gushing forth words of praise and adoration.
What’s the Occasion???
v.1b – “I speak of the thing which I have made touching the king” = it’s King’s wedding day!!!
Divinely Inspired Title:
“Shoshannim” = (lit) whiteness – Lilies that carpeted the fields in Israel in the springtime – tune which the Psalm was sung.
“A Song of loves” = wedding song composed for the King’s wedding day.
Obvious from the words of the Psalm that the Psalmist had in mind another king other than Solomon… not earthly King but a Heavenly King… inspired Psalmist looking beyond Solomon to Solomon’s greater Son, King Jesus… wedding not on earth but in Heaven.
Look: Rev.19:7 – Wedding Day of the great King… Lord Jesus our Heavenly Bridegroom…. Married to His Gentile bride the church!
Look: 45.6 – “O God” = never use those words of a mere man – Solomon may have been a great man, but he wasn’t the God-man… words can only be used of the Lord Jesus who alone is God and Man!
Hebrews 1:8,9 = quotation of Psalm 45:6,7 applied to Jesus.
Lord Jesus = Shoshannim or Lilies… that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed or robed like one of them… behold a greater than Solomon is here.
Psalm 45 = Maschil Psalm – teach us how to love Him who first loved us!
Psalm easily divides into 2 parts… describes this, “Wedding Day in Heaven!”
1. The Coming of the Bridegroom!
Bridegroom enters and it takes the Psalmist breath away!
Illust: Bible days Middle Eastern weddings far different than in our western culture. Saturday Noah & Ashlyn will be married here at our church… sorry Noah but you will be hardly noticed… all eyes will be on Ashlyn as she comes down the isle… bride takes center stage.
Middle Eastern culture it was the bridegroom that had center stage… when Bridegroom entered all eyes were on him.
Scene before us in the opening verses of Psalm 45:
A. His Countenance
v.2a – “Thou art fairer than the children of men…”
“Fairer” = beautified with beauty.
Isa. 53:7 – “There is no beauty that we should desire him…”
When He comes a 2nd time… bride is presented to the Heavenly Bridegroom… far different… see Him as He is! See the King in His beauty!!
His beauty and His glory will be absolutely without equal!
B. His Communication
v.2b – “grace is poured into thy lips…” = speaks of the gracious words that fell from the lips of the Son of God.
Jesus = bringer of Grace!
John 1:14 – “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
- Leper = I will be thou clean
- Lame man = wilt thou be made whole
- Woman at well = water that I shall give thee
- Sick of the Palsy = son, be of good cheer thy sins be forgiven thee
- Disciples = let not your heart be troubled
Never man spake like this man!
C. His Conquest
Jesus = pictured as a Warrior-King
• Glory (1b) – pictures Jesus coming in all His glory Rev. 19
• Goodness (4a) – throughout the centuries kings & potentates have rule out of selfishness, greed, lust for power and control… King Jesus will reign in truth, humility and uprightness… His rule will be a righteous rule… kingdom will be a righteous kingdom. Set wrongs of this world right!
• Greatness (4b-5) – looks forward to Armageddon… destroy the antichrist and his armies… satan defeated… cast into the lake of fire!
D. His Crown
v.6a – all other leader’s thrones temporary…their rule comes to an end… Christ’s is eternal!
Isaiah 9:7 – “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.”
Rev. 11:15 – coming a day when, “The kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ: and he shall reign for ever and ever.”
E. His Character
Look: v6b-7 = every government in the world has some corruption in it somewhere… most are totally corrupt.
Christ’s = government, Kingdom will always be right.
His scepter is a right sceptre!
Every thought, decision, action, of King Jesus will be right.
Kingdom = righteousness, justice and integrity always prevails.
“Oil of gladness” = joy – in His presence is fullness of joy!
“above thy fellows” = none higher, none worthier, none more glorious than Jesus - God has highly exalted Him, given Him a name that is above every name…
Now men mock, curse, blaspheme that name coming a day when men will bow and confess that name!
“at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”
Saved = His Name is a Glad name, Glorious Name, Precious Name!!
Hymn:
Precious Name, O how sweet!
Hope of earth, and joy of Heaven!
F. His Clothes (8a)
Fragrance of His garments!
Quote: Spurgeon commenting on this verse in his classic work, “The Treasury of David” – “To attempt to spiritualize each spice here mentioned would be unprofitable, the evident sense is that all sweetnesses meet in Jesus, and are poured forth wherever he is present.”
Oh to have the fragrance of Jesus upon our lives!!!
G. His Court (8b)
“Out of the ivory palaces” = pictures the splendor and glory of Heaven.
Think for a moment of what Jesus left in order to come to this sin-scarred world to redeem us! He who was the Joy of the angels… the glory of Heaven… thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation and took upon himself the form of servant and was made in the likeness of men.
2Cor. 8:9 – “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”
O what a Savior!!!!
2. The Call to His Bride!
A. Her Position (9a)
“Upon thy right hand did stand the queen” = place of honor… rule and reign with Christ!
Think about where we were and where Christ is going to bring us to!
B. Her Prestige (9b)
“gold of Ophir” = land of wealth, finest and purest of gold.
All the wealth and glory of Heaven is ours! May not have much down here… in Christ inherit all things!
All of the status, wealth, honor of this world pales in comparison to the world to come. Whatever the devil offers he pays off in counterfeit.
Heb. 11:24-26 – “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.”
C. Her Past (10)
Call to Pharaoh’s daughter to forget those things which were behind her and embrace all that was before her. Glories of Solomon’s kingdom far surpass anything that was hers in Egypt.
Call to us as the bride of Christ…
Phil. 3:13 – “forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before.”
Glories of what we are and have in Christ far surpasses anything this world had or has to offer… forget our past sin, failure… reach forth unto what God has for you!
One day… when we are in His presence… see Him face to face… forget all the trials and troubles of this life… former things passed away… God wipe away all tears from our eyes!
D. Her Passion (11)
“So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty” = presented to our Heavenly Bridegroom being without spot or blemish! Perfectly righteous. All sin gone, all defilement gone, all the failure gone!
Coming a day when this robe of flesh we’ll drop and rise to seize the everlasting prize… saved to sin no more! Presented faultless before His throne!
“For he is thy Lord,” = all that we are, all that we have belongs to Him!
“Worship thou Him” = what a privilege! He alone is worthy!!!
E. Her Provisions (12-16)
As the Bride of Christ we will be adorned in the garments of glory…
Isaiah 61:3 – “To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion,
to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning,
the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;”
Isa. 61:10 – “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,
my soul shall be joyful in my God;
for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation,
he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments,
and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”
F. Her Praise (17)
Psalm = ends as it begins with a note of praise!
Throughout all eternity… eons of the generations to come… remember His name for all He has done for us. Praise His name for ever and ever!!!
Never get over what God has done for us!!!
