The Royal Wedding

Throughout history weddings have been special events.

They are a time when two people come together to commit to spending their lives with one another.

Love them or hate them weddings are special.

Different cultures have different expectations and traditions for the wedding ceremony.

Some wedding ceremonies go on for days.

Some weddings happen in the back yard of a family or friend’s home.

Some are at the justice of the peace.

But just about every major culture has a big hubbub around weddings.

Several years ago, I remember that my best friend asked me to give a speech at his wedding.

That’s something that’s pretty standard in western weddings.

We want to say nice words about our friend or family member on their special day.

I tried to tie whit and eloquence into the speech.

I wanted to honor my friend and his bride on their wedding day.

And what’s cool about this tradition is that it isn’t limited to just Americans.

We see something like that here in the scriptures too.

Psalm 45:title CSB

For the choir director: according to “The Lilies.” A Maskil of the sons of Korah. A love song.

Psalm 45 is a royal wedding Song.

A love song of sorts.

In fact, outside of the Song of Solomon, this is the greatest love song in the Scriptures.

This is the greatest love song in the book of Psalms.

Now scriptures like this tell us the God takes marriage seriously.

These are the inspired scriptures and he chose to include them in the writing of his story.

As a side note, to what we are going to look at this morning.

It should be recognized that we should view marriage the same way that God does.

We should have a high view of marriage.

If we think about it the first relational thing God gave man was a wife.

The first wedding took place in the Garden.

Meaning that in the very design of the universe God saw marriage as a good thing.

This doesn’t mean that if you aren’t married or you are divorced that you are less than.

Obviously we live in a fallen world and things aren’t always Ideal.

But if we are married or even desire to be married we should cherish our mates.

We should behold them as God beholds them.

Unlike the heading above this psalm, the title is in the Hebrew Text meaning that it is there for a reason.

We see first that it’s for the choir director.

This means that this specific Psalm would have been sung at the wedding of the king.

There’s something special about Songs.

They know how to touch the heart.

They can communicate truth that is otherwise difficult or too cumbersome to say.

The Phrase “according to ‘The Lilies’, doesn’t mean anything to us.

It’s possible that “the Lilies” was a common tune that the people would know. But we just aren’t sure.

But we do know what a Maskil is.

A Maskil is a Psalm intended to teach or instruct someone.

So not only is this Psalm a love song, but it is also meant to teach and instruct the hearers.

What is the instruction?

How to love and adore the one you marry.

So we know the occasion for this psalm was a wedding, but who’s wedding?

Who is getting married?

This is where we don’t really know.

There is some speculation though.

Most scholars and theologians think that this psalm is about Solomon’s wedding to Pharaoh's Daughter.

We read about this in 1 Kings 3.1

1 Kings 3:1 CSB

1 Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt by marrying Pharaoh’s daughter. Solomon brought her to the city of David until he finished building his palace, the Lord’s temple, and the wall surrounding Jerusalem.

This may be the case, but the author of Ps 45, doesn’t give us this information.

But what we do know is that it is for a descendant of David.

And we also know that this psalm is attributed to Jesus as well.

So it’s messianic in nature.

And when we are reading and studying this Psalm, we need to read it both historically and Messianic-ally.

This was written for a specific person/people, and it looks forward to the coming King.

And the second part, That’s this psalm is looking forward to the coming king, is why it’s part of this sermon series.

Jesus is the ultimate descendant of David the Perfect Groom at the wedding.

Now as we read and apply this Psalm to Jesus we have to be careful that we don’t read it as an allegory.

Not everything needs to match up one to one between Jesus and this psalm.

However, we can read it as analogous, meaning that the psalm is comparable in certain respects, but not in every respect.

What we are going to see in this Psalm is the love of a King for his Queen and a Queen that worships her King.

This psalm though a wedding psalm rooted in history is a picture of Christ and his Church.

Throughout the NT, the church is often Called the Bride of Christ.

And this psalm right here helps us to see that truth.

For Jesus is the Perfect Davidic Kingly Descendant and his Bride is the Queen that he loves dearly.

Now before we look at the text, let’s ask for the Lord’s guidance.

Let’s Pray.

Most of the time when a wedding is coming there is some excitement, some rejoicing going on and this occasion is no different.

We read in the first verse.

Psalm 45:1 CSB

1 My heart is moved by a noble theme as I recite my verses to the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.

Celebration

This Psalmist was employed by the King to write this psalm, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t excited to be there.

In fact, he sees it as an honor.

He is moved in his heart to write this psalm for the King and his bride.

And he’s good at it.

He’s a skillful writer who wants to, for future generations, recount this event.

The Psalmist sees the beauty of this special day.

The phrase here about his heart being moved in Hebrew means that it is bubbling forth.

There is an overflowing of emotions and gratitude for being able to record this event.

This isn’t simply another event.

This is special.

And the Psalmist knows this and rejoices at the fact that he gets to be here to record such an occasion.

And the way he begins this psalm is by introducing us to the Royal Groom.

This is different then the way we do weddings today.

Most of the time the focal point of the wedding is the bride, but here we are meant to see and the know the importance of the King.

He is the central figure in the wedding song.

Psalm 45:2 CSB

2 You are the most handsome of men; grace flows from your lips. Therefore God has blessed you forever.

The Graceful Royal Groom

The first introduction that we get to the groom is that he is the most handsome among men.

This could be simply how attractive he is.

And at the same time, it means something more deeply.

The king’s handsomeness refers to the fact that he is excellent.

He is above all.

There is no one that even comes close.

He is the idyllic picture of one who stands above all other humanity.

So this groom is the picturesque example of one who is ideally the perfect picture of humanity.

There is something that radiates from him that makes him stand out in a crowd and above all other men.

Though this may have been said about Solomon, this is no doubt a picture about someone else.

This is a picture of none other than Jesus.

He is the most beautiful example of humanity that has ever existed.

He is excellent and above all.

He is the ideal picture of how humanity was supposed to be.

So when we look at Jesus and the way he lived his life we truly see how we are supposed to live.

And one of the ways that Jesus lived that made him most excellent was that grace flowed from his lips.

He spoke words filled with grace.

One commentator said this “Oftentimes a sentence from his lips has turned our own midnight into morning, our winter into spring.”

The way that Jesus communicated especially to those he loved was full of grace,

That does not mean that he didn’t speak the truth.

But that means that when he confronted people with their sin, it was for the purpose of leading them to repentance.

John 1:16–17 CSB

16 Indeed, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness, 17 for the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

So we see here that even the gospels talk about how full of Grace and truth Jesus is.

So we see that this king spoken of in v. 2 is both the most perfect, beautiful, and striking person, and that he is full of grace flowing from his lips, and b/c of this he is blessed by God.

But notice, that he isn’t temporarily blessed by God.

He is blessed by God forever.

This is an eternal blessing.

One that never ends.

This is true of King Jesus.

That b/c of his splendor, majesty, beauty and obedience to the Father he has been blessed forever.

Though this is a beautiful picture of the king on his wedding day, the psalmist goes further to help us understand the deeper beauty and majesty of this king.

Psalm 45:3–5 CSB

3 Mighty warrior, strap your sword at your side. In your majesty and splendor— 4 in your splendor ride triumphantly in the cause of truth, humility, and justice. May your right hand show your awe-inspiring acts. 5 Your sharpened arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies; the peoples fall under you.

The Mighty Royal Groom

Here we see that this king is a mighty warrior.

He is ready for battle with the sword strapped at his side.

This King has power and majesty.

He isn’t a puny, weak, and effeminate King.

Rather he is a strong warrior ready to both defend his kingdom and wreak havock on his Enemies.

His strength is majestic and demonstrates his splendor.

This king knows what he fights for and will stand firm on the battlefield.

And he wins the battles.

He rides triumphantly. Knowing that his might is greater than his enemies.

Yet he’s not a tyrant or bully.

He doesn’t just throw his weight around.

Rather he fights for good causes.

Did you see that?

In the middle of v. 4 we see that he fights for “truth, humility, and justice”

The battles that this king engages in are battles that are for the greater good.

Truth is something worth fighting for.

B/c if we lose truth then we lose understanding.

We lose purpose.

We lose power.

Humility is worth fighting for.

B/c the arrogant and prideful destroy lives.

Arrogance and Pride destroy relationships.

And pride goes before the fall.

Justice is worth fighting for.

B/c injustice is wicked.

It’s evil.

In the sight of the Lord, truth, humility, and justice are good and right.

so what we see is that this king fights for what God loves.

What God deems as good and right.

Not only does he do what is right.

He is also about defending his people

That’s what v. 5 is all about.

This king goes out in truth, might, beauty, and splendor.

He fights for the right causes.

He defends his people.

He is a good king.

He is a mighty king.

He is a powerful king.

And this Psalm relates to Jesus.

Jesus isn’t simply a roaming prophet who died on a cross some 2000 years ago.

He is a king with a kingdom.

He fights for his own.

He is clothed in splendor and majesty.

He is power, infinitely powerful.

He came to build his own kingdom.

He came to fight against sin and death.

And he conquered them.

He carries with him the sword that is going to defeat his enemies.

I talked about this last week, but we really need to have a better picture of Jesus then many American Christians have.

Jesus isn’t weak.

He isn’t soft.

He isn’t puny.

Jesus is the almighty King of Glory.

Who carries with him the power and Majesty of God.

Jesus is a powerful king who defends his people.

He fights for what is good and right.

Jesus is such a good and noble king, that he took on the form of flesh.

Came and lived in his creation, speaking words of truth.

Teaching about the Kingdom of God.

Preparing the hearts and minds of his disciples.

He came with a mission to seek and save the lost.

He come with the passion to demonstrate humility.

With each lash of the whip.

With the mocking from those who would kill him

And he stood in the line of fire for his people when he died on the cross.

Jesus bore the wrath of God on our behalf.

That’s not a weak or powerless thing.

That’s a demonstration of power, devotion, and above all love for his people.

He died so that through him we may have life.

We may know the goodness of God.

He isn’t a king that only reigns on high, he’s a king that got down in the muck and the mire for us.

He condescended to us so that we could know who he is.

And that’s the first part of his mission.

Here’s the thing, he’s going to come again and complete what he started.

He’s going to be a valiant king who comes to rescue and restore what was lost.

And next time he isn’t going to come to die.

He’s coming to establish his rule and reign for eternity.

And he’s going to come as the triumphant king.

Wielding not the sword of grace and truth.

But the sword of judgement.

Revelation 1:16 CSB

16 He had seven stars in his right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from his mouth, and his face was shining like the sun at full strength.

Revelation 19:15 CSB

15 A sharp sword came from his mouth, so that he might strike the nations with it. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty.

Those who stand opposed to him and his kingdom will face his wrath.

Those who are on his side will enjoy his goodness and mercy.

Which side are you on?

If you haven’t given your life to Jesus I would love to talk to you after the service.

B/c everyone is going to have to stand before the king one day.

and you will either be for him or against him.

I’ve been making the argument that this Psalm, though history and historical is about something more than a mere person in history and where we really see this shift is in v. 6-9.

Psalm 45:6–9 CSB

6 Your throne, God, is forever and ever; the scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of justice. 7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy more than your companions. 8 Myrrh, aloes, and cassia perfume all your garments; from ivory palaces harps bring you joy. 9 Kings’ daughters are among your honored women; the queen, adorned with gold from Ophir, stands at your right hand.

The Divine Royal Groom

Here we see this shift in the language from what can be described as a mere mortal to someone or something more.

Here the throne of the King is referred to as God’s throne.

In existence forever and ever.

This king has been anointed by God and is also called God.

It’s an interesting perspective shift in the middle of the Psalm to this type of Imagery.

Now as we spoke about last week, the King is the representation of God on Earth.

Historically, especially for the Israelites, the king is a type mediator between God and man.

He has been chosen and established to rule and reign over God’s people.

However, in the grand story of Scripture, we see that Messianically Jesus is God.

v. 6-7 are used in the New Testament and Attributed to Jesus.

In Hebrews 1:8-9, therefore its’ easy to correlate that this psalm is talking about more than an earthly King and is focused on Jesus the eternal king.

and he is going to reign forever and ever.

And one of the reasons that we would want to attribute this Psalm to Jesus is b/c of what the Psalmist says next in v. 7.

“You love righteousness and hate wickedness.”

If you read about the history of Israel, there isn’t a statement that could be further from the truth when it comes to the kings.

Many of the kings embraced wickedness and hated righteousness.

There may have been a bright spot here and there, but overall, it was darkness abounding in the lives of the Israelite Kings.

Yet, Jesus was perfect in this way.

He loved the righteousness of God.

He hated the wickedness of Sin and the devil.

He stood opposed to those who wanted to commit wicked acts of injustice, those who hated the truth, and those who overflowed with pride.

And we know that Jesus loved righteousness b/c we know that Jesus loved and served the Father unwaveringly and wholeheartedly.

Perfectly and fully.

This means that he is going to rule well and for the glory of God.

He is going to pursue justice, love mercy, and walk humbly.

This is the kind of ruler that we want.

The kind of King that we need.

And b/c of that God anointed him with the oil of Joy.

We talked about this when we went through the gospel of John.

Jesus is the source and fount of all joy.

Therefore his rule and reign are full of joy too.

He reigns as the joyful king.

Delighting in his people.

Delighting in his bride.

Speaking of the bride there is a shift to her in the following Verses.

Psalm 45:10–12 CSB

10 Listen, daughter, pay attention and consider: Forget your people and your father’s house, 11 and the king will desire your beauty. Bow down to him, for he is your lord. 12 The daughter of Tyre, the wealthy people, will seek your favor with gifts.

The Radiant Bride

The bride has a decision to make here.

If she is going to be wed to this man then she is going to have to leave everything she knows and loves behind.

She has to forget her people and her father’s house.

This doesn’t mean that she shouldn’t think about them, rather it means that from this point forward she has now become part of a new family.

It’s interesting that this is said of the bride in this context b/c in the genesis account it’s not the bride that is commanded to leave and cling it’s the husband.

Genesis 2:24 CSB

24 This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.

This is going to be a difficult transition for bride.

She’s an outsider and now she is being welcomed into the Royal Family.

Not only is she told that she needs to abandon her past, she is also told to submit to her husband.

The King is inviting his bride into his family and he is responsible for her protection.

He is to lead her and love her well.

And in response to this the wife is to submit to her husband king.

In our modern state, people hate the idea of submission in just about any context, but there is a particular type of bristle that happens when we speak about submission when it comes to marriage.

But the Scriptures are clear.

Ephesians 5:22 CSB

22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord,

And for guys that where they usually like to stop but lets not get to hasty.

Though that command may seem hard for the ladies, I would argue that the husbands command is even greater and more difficult.

Ephesians 5:25–28 CSB

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. 27 He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. 28 In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

So husbands, don’t lord it over your wives that they are to submit to you if you aren’t loving them as Christ loves the church.

Now, why would I bring this up at this point in the Psalm?

B/c Ps 45 is about Jesus the king, and his bride is the church.

Those he purchased on the cross.

And our marriages should be a reflection of this reality.

Just as this psalm is a beautiful portrait of Jesus and the church so should be each of our marriages.

In fact, just a couple of verses down from these in Eph 5:29-32, Paul wants to convey this point all the more.

Ephesians 5:29–32 CSB

29 For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 since we are members of his body. 31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. 32 This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church.

Marriage was instituted by God for this purpose.

To paint a picture of Jesus’ love for the church.

So even before the foundation of the earth was laid, God had in mind that he would provide humanity with an institution that would mirror Jesus and his bride.

This is a summary of something that Jonathon Edwards said:

God created the world to provide a spouse and a kingdom for his Son.

And just imagine how flippant and disrespectful we can be of our spouses and our marriage.

For those of us who follow after Jesus we should be making sure that our marriages Reflect the love, grace, and servant-mindedness of Jesus and his Bride.

And to take it even further, we as those who follow Jesus should love his church like he loves his church.

If you love Jesus you will love his bride.

That’s all those who have placed their faith in him.

To take this further if we want to be wed to Christ, if we want to be a part of the royal family we must leave this world behind and cling to our king.

Leave our sin and shame behind and cleave to the cross.

Much like the bride in the Psalm we should also bow down to worship and serve him.

B/c he is our lord.

He is our savior and if we love him we will serve him.

We will submit to him.

We we pursue him wholeheartedly.

And one of the ways that we do this is by proclaiming the gospel message to the world.

Look at what is said in Ps 45:16-17

Psalm 45:16–17 CSB

16 Your sons will succeed your ancestors; you will make them princes throughout the land. 17 I will cause your name to be remembered for all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.

As the Bride of Christ we are to reproduce those that follow after Jesus.

We are to proclaim the good news of Jesus to all people of all nations.

And those who come to believe in Jesus b/c of the message we bring our a spiritual offspring.

They are our sons and daughters.

And notice that this isn’t for just come people, this is for all people

There is no one who is too far gone to receive the love of Jesus.

But we need to be the one to invite to the wedding.

The great thing about God is that he uses ordinary means, me and you, to do extraordinary things, forgive sins and make sons and daughters out of enemies.

Jesus came to save a people for himself.

To create a new family and a new kingdom.

So I ask you today, where do you stand?

Are you part of his family or do you stand against him?

If you belong to Jesus, love him dearly.

Delight in him as you know he delights in you.

If you are not part of the family, here’s the invitation to the wedding.

Give you life to Jesus.

Come and know the gracious, mighty, divine king who loves you in such a way that he died on a cross for your sins.

He’s calling out to you.

Answer him?

Let’s pray.