Psalm 45: Jesus Christ, The Majestic King & His Bride
Notes
Transcript
Dismiss the children if you haven’t already
GREETINGS
Good afternoon again, Church! Please grab your Bibles as we continue our worship through the preaching of God’s Word. We're in a series on the Messianic Psalms, and today we'll be in Psalm 45.
As you make your way there, let me just say that we are glad that you are here this morning. If you are visiting or are new to the church, we encourage you to observe, watch, and listen. If you have any questions about the church, about the Bible, about the gospel—feel free to pull me aside after church to talk about any of those things.
Let’s read Psalm 45.
To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah; a love song. 1 My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2 You are the most handsome of the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever. 3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and majesty!
4 In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome deeds! 5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; the peoples fall under you.
6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; 7 you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad; 9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor; at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
10 Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear: forget your people and your father’s house, 11 and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him. 12 The people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, the richest of the people.
13 All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold. 14 In many-colored robes she is led to the king, with her virgin companions following behind her. 15 With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king.
16 In place of your fathers shall be your sons; you will make them princes in all the earth. 17 I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.
The title of our sermon is “The Majestic King and His Bride: Jesus Christ is the Majestic King”
PRAY
Introduction
Introduction
Have you ever tried to find the perfect gift for a couple who already seems to have everything?. Maybe they're so wealthy that anything you could buy, they could get for themselves. Imagine trying to buy a gift for a King and Queen who already rule everything in sight.
In our text, the psalmist's "gift" to the king and queen isn't a physical object, but a beautiful and lasting song of praise. This "love song" is a poetic work of the highest literary quality, meant to be arranged and sung to usher God’s people into worship
You see it there in the…
Inscription
Inscriptions in the Bible are inspired and are typically considered part of the biblical text. For example when Jesus references Psalm 110:1, He says in Matthew 22:45, “If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” The only indication in Psalm 110 that David wrote Psalm 110 is the inscription which reads “A Psalm of David.” So let me just touch on the inscription briefly here.
To the Choirmaster
The choirmaster is the person who, one commentator says, directed...
...the choir with reference to the tones, the voices, and the musical instruments to be used in the rendering of certain psalms in public worship.
There are 46 Psalms which have this inscription. But 29 of those 46 times have musical directions attached to them which gets us to the next part of the inscription...
According to Lilies
This is the direction and this is not referring to plants like how I first took it. Some think that it was an instrument in the shape of a lily. And others think that it’s a word indicating tonality or melody.
I think the main thing to note is that the choirmaster was directing the delivery of this, the presentation of this and that it was for the public, the broader audience, to enjoy and be engaged in.
The inscription further reads…
A Maskil of the Sons of Korah
13 Psalms are introduced this way, as a Maskil, which is a meditative poem. Some say that the sons of Korah are part of a musical guild as mentioned in 2 Chronicles 20:19 which mentions the Korahites...
19 And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
...and yet other scholars think that their unrelated, but there is agreement that these Psalms attributed to the Sons of Korah...
are all highly poetic in content, and on the whole the choicest collection in the Psalter from a literary point of view.
And so the choirmaster is given this piece to arrange, this poetic work, to usher God’s people into worship. And the subject matter of that work is found in the last part of the inscription...
A Love Song
This is a love song, which as we’ll see and already have read, involves...
The king in verse 1 - “I address my verses to the king”
and the queen in verse 9 - “at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir”
It’s a love song that gives attention to each one in the marriage … the groom and the bride.
It describes in so many words why they are loved. Why they are lovely and noteworthy. Why in this poetic Psalm, they are worth contemplating over.
What holds this all together of course, is God in verse 6 whose throne is forever. Apart from Him, this “Love Song” would be more like a dirge. Because everyone of us, even the kings and queens of this world, are fallen creatures with sin tied to our names, with tainted natures, and imperfect lives. God hold’s this love song together.
The king, in verse 2, is blessed of God. So whatever good we read about him here, it’s because of God.
The queen, in verse 9, shares in that blessing as the kings bride, at his right hand. And in verse 12 she has a delightful future to look forward to.
It turns out that this love song is a wedding song.
13 All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold. 14 In many-colored robes she is led to the king, with her virgin companions following behind her. 15 With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king.
The picture there is going down the aisle. This is a happy and joyous occasion. A Psalm most likely sung at the wedding of a king.
First we see a King who is loved.
The King Who Is Loved (v. 1-9)
The King Who Is Loved (v. 1-9)
The first part of this Psalm is all about the King. Verse 1 emphasizes the joy over him and this moment.
1 My heart overflows with a pleasing theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
There is a fond affection for this king that cannot be contained. This king is loved. And just so we do not question it or second guess it, the Psalmist is going to help us understand why.
It’s like when you go to a wedding of someone you don’t know that well. It seems quite strange that everyone is so happy for that person and you don’t share in that happiness. Maybe it’s for a wedding for your spouses side of the family and you just don’t get it. Well of course, because you hardly know the person.
And then they put up the slide show.
-Cute kid
-Happy, helpful
-Star athlete
-Scholarly, graduating with honors
-Highly successful in their career
-Older, but not married. Year after year would go by...still single. Though content, everyone would wonder, when is he going to get married. Until of course, he lays eyes on her and the music for the slideshow takes a turn and I begin to share in the joy for this person I didn’t even know so well.
This Psalmist is helping us get there. That’s why he says his “tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.” He is ready to sing the praises of this king.
This king is glorious in his beauty (v. 2-3)
This king is glorious in his beauty (v. 2-3)
SHOW THE VERSE, BUT DON’T READ THE VERSE
2 You are the most handsome of the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever. 3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and majesty!
He has a commanding presence. He’s very handsome. In fact it says he’s the most handsome.
It’s one thing for People Magazine to name a person “Sexiest Man Alive” of which I might add Brad Pitt held the honor twice and we all know that Brad Pitt is handsome, but it’s a completely different level of praise for the Bible to say, “you [king] are the most handsome of the sons of men.”
His handsomeness is not what makes him blessed, though. He’s blessed because “Grace is poured upon [his] lips.” This hearkens back to Isaiah 6 when Isaiah was confronted with God’s holiness. What does he say? “Woe is me” in verse 5, “for I am a man of unclean lips.” Verse 6 goes on to say...
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
And if you fast forward to Isaiah 61, what does Isaiah do with his lips?
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;
3 to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.
The cursed mouth of Isaiah, by grace, became the blessed mouthpiece for God. By God’s grace, we are made clean. Back in Psalm 45, this king was not just beautiful on the outside but also on the inside.
In his attire, with his sword on his thigh, he is glorious in his splendor and majesty.
The king is glorious in his bravery (v. 4-5)
The king is glorious in his bravery (v. 4-5)
SHOW THE VERSE, BUT DON’T READ THE VERSE
4 In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome deeds! 5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; the peoples fall under you.
The king is a mighty warrior. He rides out in verse 4, “for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness.” He fights the right, just battles, and wins. He defeats evil and has the victory. It takes no less than “awesome deeds” and he does them. He strikes fear in his enemies verse 5 and they tremble before him. He is the mighty One!
The king is glorious in his brilliance (v. 6-9)
The king is glorious in his brilliance (v. 6-9)
SHOW THE VERSE, BUT DON’T READ THE VERSE
6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; 7 you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions; 8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad; 9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor; at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
By brilliance I mean the exceptionally excellent One, who is splendid in grandeur...as a royal king. He is both impressive and magnificent.
He’s royal and noble in verses 6 - 7. He has a scepter which he uses to uphold righteousness. And so he’s the anointed one in verse 7 which of course points to Christ, which we’ll come back to.
But note that he’s anointed with the oil of gladness. This king is joyful. He’s happy. God is on his side. God is for him. God is with him.
Verse 8 - he’s filled with fragrant aromas and surrounded with pleasant music. He is at ease with the joy that God fills him with.
The queen at the end there meets the king in his brilliance with her own brilliance.
She stands in gold which transitions us from the King who is loved to ...
The Queen Who is Loved (v. 10-17)
The Queen Who is Loved (v. 10-17)
In singing the kings praises in verse 1, the Psalmist focuses on the queen in verse 10.
She is clearly glorious. Her robe is interwoven with gold (v. 13).
She goes to marry the king in (v. 14).
She has friends to share this moment with. The virgin companions who follow behind her.
She has joy in verse 15 and she is in the palace with the king.
And as we saw in verse 9, she’s at the right hand of the king. A place of honor. A place of prestige.
In the midst of this pageantry, the way the Psalmist sings the queen’s praises is different from the king. It’s not focusing on her beauty, her bravery or her brilliance. She’s clearly beautiful in verse 11; it says she has beauty. She’s clearly brave, verse 10, she leaves her father’s house. She’s clearly brilliant, verse 12, she’s sought after.
But the way the psalmist praises her is different. He gives her advice, which shows how far she has come.
For example, when you were a child, your parents' advice was about things like "look both ways before you cross the street" or "don't talk to strangers." As a teenager, it became about homework and relationships perhaps. It’s around this time that you begin to develop lifelong friends. Be careful who they are. Now, as an adult, the advice might be about buying a house or raising your own kids. The advice evolves as your responsibilities and needs change. The progression in the nature of the advice indicates maturity, a depth of life that has advanced.
The psalmist gives the queen advice directly, showing that she is now in a place of royalty and honor. Look at the first part of verse 10...
10 Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear...
This is how the Psalmist sings her praises. By showing her how far she’s gone by the advice he now gives her.
-Verse 10 - Don’t look back. You are now part of the king’s family. “Forget your people and your father’s house.” This is where you belong. And in the king’s palace, verse 11, you are loved. You are wanted. You are desired.
-Verse 11 - Honor your husband. You are no longer single. You are one with him. He has joined himself to you. You are the object of his affection. You belong to each other. And God has a design for this.
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
-Verse 12 - Instead of looking back, look ahead. Be encouraged by all that the Lord has in store for you.
Verse 12, you will be sought after. You will be a blessing. You will be used greatly of the Lord for His glory.
Verses 13-15, you are surrounded with companions who share in your joy.
Verses 16, 17 - you and your husband will have a family with children who will carry on your work and extend your legacy to many generations.
What a lovely couple. Regal, Royal, Romantic! This is the kind of stuff that captures the attention of a nation, even the world.
In recent times, back in 2011, I think of the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. He, an English prince… and she from a working-class family. Their wedding was viewed by millions of people around the world. UK viewership at just under 40 million. And then worldwide, 72 million live streams on YouTube.
But this is a messianic psalm, that goes even deeper than the wedding we observe at face value. Deeper even than the glory of an earthly king or an earthly queen. There is love here that goes deeper than the regal, royal, romance of a king and queen! We turn our attention now to…
The Savior Who Loves (Hebrews 1:8-9)
The Savior Who Loves (Hebrews 1:8-9)
In the New Testament Hebrews 1:8-9 quotes Psalm 45:6-7. This is a messianic psalm. Christ was meant to be seen in this Psalm. That’s why when Hebrews 1 talks about Jesus, it draws from this Psalm.
In Hebrews 1:1-3 it says this of Christ...
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
And then he goes on in verse 8 to quote Psalm 45:6-7, so that you know the king described there is ultimately King Jesus.
8 But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
He is the majestic Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm 45, as a messianic psalm that pictures a royal wedding, helps us to understand that Jesus Christ, the ultimate King, is coming for His bride. He’s coming for you dear Christian, and it’s going to be good. Referring back to that marriage passage I read earlier. When Paul was speaking about the husband and the wife, what he was really talking about was in Ephesians 5:32
32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
As is the case in Ephesians 5:32, the royal wedding pictured in Psalm 45 is a "profound mystery" that "refers to Christ and the church.” Jesus, the ultimate King, is coming for His bride, the Church. He is the royal groom. In the future, there will be a heavenly roar from a "great multitude" celebrating this union.
6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;
8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
This love song is about Jesus, our King, and His glorious bride, the Church. He is lovely, brave, and brilliant, and He has made His bride ready for their eternal union.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Find Your Gladness in Jesus: The King was anointed with the "oil of gladness" because God was on His side. Remember that true and lasting joy doesn't come from your circumstances, but from the secure relationship you have with Jesus.
"Forget" Your Old Life: For those who are in Christ, apply the advice given to the queen. "Forget your people and your father's house" by letting go of past sins, habits, or worldly identities that do not align with your new identity in Christ.
Look to the Future with Hope: The queen was encouraged to look forward to a legacy and a delightful future. As a bride of Christ, you can have a hopeful outlook on life, knowing that you will be used greatly by the Lord for His glory.
PRAY
Communion
As the men come up to pass out the elements for communion, we now enter into a time of remembrance. If you are a baptized believer in good standing with your church, we invite you to join us for communion as we celebrate the Lord Jesus Christ in a time of remembrance.
In many ways, communion foreshadows the marriage supper of the lamb I read about earlier in Revelation 19. After proclaiming in verse 7 that the marriage of the Lamb has come it says in verse 9, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” We know that Jesus Christ is with us. Matthew 28:20, “I am with you always until the end of the age.” And we also know that He’s coming back … I’ll leave it at that :) In communion we remember his presence and his promise. The elements of bread and juice represent his body and blooed, which were given to make His bride. the Church, holy. This act of remembrance is a joyous, foretaste of the great wedding feast to come in heaven.
Christians, eat and drink, knowing Christ forgives our sins though His body by His blood. Go ahead and take the bread and then the juice.
PRAY
