Beloved, I am glad to share with you today the above theme from Ps 45:1 and following. Indeed, under the action of the Holy Spirit, “skilful writer”, this psalm invites us to praise Christ, the Beloved, the One who surpasses in beauty and grace all the sons of men. But before it sprang on the lips, the praise was prepared, meditated on in a bubbling heart (Matthew 12:33-37); it celebrates his person, his words, his works. It has been said that Sunday worship was the hymn of all the stanzas that the Spirit taught at the redeemed during the days of the week on the inexhaustible themes of the glories and graces of the Lord Jesus. He is “the king,” but verses 7 and 8 quoted in Hebrews 1:5-12 call him “God.” When He appears in His majesty and magnificence, He is the object of universal admiration. His power is affirmed in the terrible judgment He performs (verses 4 to 6). Perfumes permeate his clothes: myrrh recalls his sufferings, aloe his death (John 19:38-40) and breaks his elevation. But what will be more valuable to Christ than all these glories will be the beauty of the bride who will be presented to Him (here Jerusalem) and the love she will return to Him. Dear faithful, it is your privilege to express this grateful love to Him now. “He is your Lord: worship Him” (verse 12).
For this psalm celebrates the Messiah in his second coming; and this properly forms the Lord’s grace response to the sighs of residue expressed in the preceding psalm, and to the cry they cast upon their Messiah in this psalm (44:26) for him to come as the deliverer of Zion. When the King in his beauty becomes their object, the heart and the tongue give free rein to an activity full of joy. For in developing such a theme, the “skilful writer”,the Holy Spirit, finds his favorite occupation. He takes from what is Christ’s to communicate it to us. And the spirit of the believer also finds its delight in it. As a poet said when talking about things that concern Jesus: My tongue, wake up! rejoice, my heart
But before coming to the Lord as King, the prophet’s heart and tongue pause for a moment on his person and ministry in the days of his flesh. And it may be that his present glory, as a Priest in heaven, is evoked in these words: “That is why God has blessed you forever.” But soon everything is left in the background, to see Him, as King David, fighting the battles of the Lord in the name of truth, debonairness and justice, and purifying the land of all workers of iniquity; then as King Solomon, seated on the throne of his glory. God consecrates him in this office, recognizing that righteousness is His title, and all welcome him with love, as did the one who one day broke her alabaster vase full of perfume to anoint her head (verses 9-10). There is also a word to Jerusalem, the mystical queen; and the nations, his companions, enhance the joy and glory of the king.
But there is something very remarkable about this queen. She is seen as leaving, like any sinner among the Gentiles, an unclean place that she is exhorted to abandon (Deut. 21:13). This teaches us in what character Jerusalem will be approved in the end, to know in the same way as a prodigal son in his father; and so the king will desire her beauty. For it is in such beings that his delights are. It is his own beauty that he recognizes in them – the beauty that he himself has put on them – the sandals, the ring and the most beautiful dress. Consequently in this psalm the title of the Lord is recognized to him because of his righteousness (verse 7); but the title of Jerusalem, the title of the queen, as well as that of every sinner, can only be recognized on the foot of grace. This is both appropriate and admirable. And the Song of Songs presents us with the feelings of this bride: she sees, according to the exhortation addressed to her (verse 10), that the discipline through which she passes prepares her for her union with the King. Notice that the queen here is the earthly queen, not the heavenly Jerusalem; first, because his wedding is with the King, not with the Lamb; then his wedding follows – and does not precede – victory. In their ancient writings, the Jews speak of a Jerusalem from above and a Jerusalem from below, the former built in heaven, the latter on earth, one being similar to the other. We can read verses 17 and 18 as addressed to the King – the possessive “tes” in v. 17 as “tone” in v. 18 being masculine.
Then the psalm has two main divisions, prefaced by a prelude (Ps 45:1), and followed by the prediction of the happy outcome of marriage and a lasting and broad domination. The two main parts are addressed respectively to the royal husband (Ps 45:2) and to the bride (Ps 45:10). The singer claims at least one poetic inspiration. His heart is bubbling with beautiful words, or perhaps the joyful affair that animates his song, namely the royal wedding. He dedicates his “work” (like the original meaning of “poem” – a done thing) to “a king.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
Poem for the king’s wedding:
· Kingship of Christ
Ps 2:6 It was I who anointed my king on Zion, my holy mountain! Isaiah 9:6 To give the empire of growth, And an endless peace to the throne of David and his kingdom, to strengthen and sustain Him by law and justice, Now and forever: This is what the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do. Jer 23:5 Behold, the days come, says the Lord, where I will raise up to David a righteous seed; He will reign as a king and prosper, He will practice justice and fairness in the country. Dn 7:14 He was given dominion, glory, and reign; and all peoples, nations, and men of all tongues served Him. His dominion is an eternal dominion that will not pass, and his reign will never be destroyed. John 1:49 Nathanael answered and said to him, Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are the king of Israel. John 18:37 Pilate said to him, “Are you king? Jesus answered: You say, I am king. I was born and came into the world to bear witness to the truth. Whoever is of the truth listens to my voice. 1 Cor 15:25 For he must reign until he has put all the enemies under his feet.
· Words of Christ, characteristics
-Imperishable Mk 13:31 Heaven and earth will pass, but my words will not pass.
-Full of grace Luke 4:22 And all bore witness to him; they were astonished at the words of grace that came out of his mouth, and they said, ‘Is this not the son of Joseph?’
-Full of authority Lk 4:32 One was struck by his doctrine; for he spoke with authority.
-Spiritual Jn 6:63 It is the spirit that vivifies; the flesh serves no purpose. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.
Bring life Jn 6:68 Simon Peter answered him: Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
-Incomparable Jn 7:46 The ushers answered: Never has man spoken like this man.
Words of judgment Jn 12:48 He who rejects me and does not receive my words has his judge; the word I have announced, it is she who will judge him on the last day.
-Divine Jn 14:24 He who does not love me does not keep my words. And the word you hear is not from me, but from the Father who sent me.
· Sword of the Lord
Jos 5:13 As Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up, and looked. Behold, a man was standing in front of him, his naked sword in his hand. He went to him, and said, “Are you one of us or of our enemies? Ps 45:3 You are the most beautiful of man’s sons, Grace is poured out on your lips: That is why God has blessed you forever. Isaiah 34:6 The sword of the Lord is full of blood, covered with fat, of the blood of lambs and goats, of the fat of the kidneys of rams; For there are victims of the Lord at Botsra, And great carnage in the land of Edom, Isaiah 66:16 It is by fire that the Lord exercises his judgments, It is by his sword that he chastises all flesh; And those whom Jehovah will kill will be in great numbers. Rev 19:15 From his mouth came out a sharp sword, to strike the nations; he will graze them with an iron rod; and he will tread the vat of wine with the ardent wrath of the Almighty God.
· Spiritual royalty, conditions of the
-Faithfulness Lk 22:28-29 You are those who have persevered with me in my trials; 29 that is why I have the kingdom in your favor, as my Father has disposed in my favor,
Patience 2 Tim 2:12-13 if we persevere, we will also reign with Him; if we deny Him, He too will deny us; 13 if we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
Spiritual purification Rev 1:5-6 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth! To him who loves us, who has delivered us from our sins by his blood, 6 and who has made us a kingdom, priests for God his Father, to him be glory and power, in the ages of ages! Amen!
Victory over Satan Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones; and those who sat there were given the power to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the witness of Jesus and because of the word of God, and of those who had not worshipped the beast or its image, and who had not received the mark on their foreheads and on their hands. They came back to life, and they ruled with Christ for a thousand years.
From all of the above, we note that This Ps. 45 introduces the Messiah to the stage and, with him, a complete change. The scope of this Psalm is simple and so clear that, for all its interest and strength, it is almost useless to go into much detail about it: The Messiah is there in judgment and takes possession of the throne. He had already proven that he loved justice and hated wickedness, that he was unique to government. He is greeted by God: however, his disciples (the residue) are called “his companions”, while Zechariah (chap. 13:7), who presents him to us in his humiliation and beating, calls him Jehovah’s companion. For the queen (the woman), mentioned in verse 10, must be Jerusalem. Tyre and others offer him gifts; it is received gloriously “in the apartments of the King himself,” for this is probably the meaning of the expression “within” of verse 13. She is in the most intimate relationship with the King. For the virgins, his companions are, it is assumed, the cities of Judah. The glory of Israel is no longer that of the fathers, but the presence of the Messiah who came to fulfill the promises, overshadowed the glory of the ancient custodians of the promise. Instead of fathers, they have sons who will be established for princes throughout the country. For the entry of the Messiah on the stage, in glory and judgment, brings the complete triumph of Jerusalem and the Jewish people and their glory in the midst of the nations. This Psalm is therefore exclusively filled by the Messiah, considered as man: God is his God; but the Messiah is God. Sing a love song. Jesus is your Savior! Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow “the glorious reign of the promised king.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.