Thursday 6 March, 2014
Psalm 45
1 My heart is full of beautiful words as I say my poem for the king. My tongue is like the pen of a skillful writer. 2 You are the most excellent of men. Your lips have been given the ability to speak gracious words. God has blessed you forever. 3 Mighty one, put your sword at your side. Put on glory and majesty as if they were your clothes. 4 In your majesty ride out with power in honor of what is true and right. Do it in honor of all those who are not proud. Let your right hand do wonderful things. 5 Shoot your sharp arrows into the hearts of your enemies. Let the nations come under your control. 6 Your throne is the very throne of God. Your kingdom will last for ever and ever. You will rule by treating everyone fairly. 7 You love what is right and hate what is evil. So your God has placed you above your companions. He has filled you with joy by pouring the sacred oil on your head. 8 Myrrh and aloes and cassia make all of your robes smell good. In palaces decorated with ivory the music played on stringed instruments makes you glad. 9 Daughters of kings are among the women you honor. At your right hand is the royal bride dressed in gold from Ophir. 10 Royal bride, listen. Think about this and pay attention to it. Forget about your people and the home you came from. 11 The king is charmed by your beauty. Honor him. He is now your master. 12 The people of Tyre will come with gifts. Wealthy people will try to gain your favor. 13 The princess comes into the palace in all her glory. Her gown has gold threads running through it. 14 Dressed in beautiful clothes, she is led to the king. Her virgin companions follow her and are brought to him. 15 They are led in with joy and gladness. They enter the palace of the king. 16 Your sons will rule just as your father and grandfather did. You will make them princes through the whole land. 17 I will make sure that people will always remember you. The nations will praise you for ever and ever.
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!