Thursday 6 March, 2014
Ah, weddings. They are beautiful occasions full of celebration and hope. They always carry with them an air of something new and amazing. As I read this psalm I feel that the same was true of weddings 4000 years ago. I can almost feel the excitement, hear the music and smell the food from this royal wedding in Psalm 45!
Joy is the right response to many earthly celebrations. However I can see more in this psalm than meets the eye. God is at the very centre. It is God who has established the King of Israel in this psalm and it is God who exalts this man and this woman. It is God’s blessing that provides the essence of hope in this wedding.
Lord, would you establish me, like you established this man? Would you bless me to carry out righteousness on your behalf? Would you do the same for my wife?
I know you have! Thank you Jesus!
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father – to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. Revelation 1:5b-6
Written by Andrew Mellor
This is likely to be one of the earliest psalm written. Most likely a pre-exile psalm around 1000BC if it was written by King David but some scholars think it to be between 600-400BC.
It is a royal psalm to be sung at the wedding of Kings and is considered prophetic of the coming Messiah, a type of King David.
Personally, I consider v7 to be the most interesting verse.
“You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
If God was prepared to anoint the King with “the oil of joy” because he “loved righteousness and hate wickedness” isn’t it reasonable to think in some small way He would do the same for us.
I know I could do with more ‘joy’ in my life!
Thank you Andrew!