Psalm 45  "A Love Song to the Christ"             February 4, 2007
Nowadays we hear a lot of Christian music that fits in the category of "God or girlfriend"  
     with ambiguous lyrics that are either directed toward God or my romantic interest.
If such songs make your skin crawl,
     then you may be in trouble today!
Because that is exactly what Psalm 45 is doing!
Psalm 45 uses language ordinarily reserved for God
     and applies it to the anointed King (the son of David).
And Psalm 45 addresses you as the royal daughter.
     You are betrothed to the Christ.
     And you are to devote yourself to him.
Introduction: Singing to the Christ (45:1)
To the choirmaster: according to Lilies.
     Lilies is probably the tune.
A Maskil of the Sons of Korah.
     Maskil is probably the style of the song.
A love song.
     Or "a song of the beloved."
     Either way, it seems quite clear that this was designed to be sung at the royal wedding
          of the Son of David.
     Perhaps it was written for Solomon's wedding with the daughter of Pharaoh.
          (The reference to Tyre seeking her favor suggests a time when Tyre was an ally)
     But whenever it was written,
          its inclusion in the Psalter means that it is designed for the people of God
          to sing about their king   the Son of David.
And there is no Son of David so worthy of this song than Jesus.
     While every Davidic king was the LORD's anointed,
          only Jesus fully lived up to that calling.
     Therefore it is entirely appropriate that we sing this love song to Jesus.
[Sing Psalm 45 and read Hebrews 1]
Introduction, Part 2
Psalm 45 is a wedding Psalm.
What is the point of marriage?
     Some would say procreation.
          Certainly God's command "Be fruitful and multiply"
               would suggest that procreation is one of the central purposes of marriage.
     
We baptized three children last week,
     and we are going to be baptizing Kayla Barreto Hill in a couple weeks.
We seem to be doing pretty well at the procreating side of things around here!
But even the procreating side of marriage needs to be seen 
     not only in the light of creation,
     but also in the light of redemption.
There is something about marriage that reflects God's redemptive love for his people.
     Even sexual union   and perhaps especially sexual union  
          expresses the union of God with his people.
     That's why idolatry is so frequently referred to "spiritual adultery"
          by the prophets and apostles.
When husband and wife come together in sexual union,
     that is a picture of the union of Christ and his bride, the church.
And that is part of the reason why sex outside of marriage is so repulsive to God.
     Because sex is not just the physical expression of "love"   
          not even "committed love."
     The sexual act is the expression of "covenanted love"  
          even as God has covenanted with us.
Because, after all, God's purpose in marrying us to become one with us  
     that is what he has done in Jesus Christ.
God has come in the flesh so that 
     we might become partakers in the divine nature (as Peter says).
And part of that union between Christ and his bride,
     is spiritual procreation.
God wants to make babies with us!
     We see this in the baptism of infants 
          but also in the baptism of adults 
          who are converted through the preaching of the Word.
               
Our calling, as the bride of Christ,
     is to make babies with Jesus!
My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;
     I address my verses to the king;
     my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe. (Verse 1)
Verse 1 is almost more of a prologue or an introduction than a part of the Psalm.
     It is the only first person singular reference to the author of the Psalm.
     At the end of the Psalm we also hear a first person singular 
          but there it is God speaking to the king.
But the Psalmist introduces his love song with this brief statement,
     in the language of the courtier   rejoicing that he is able to address the king.
     
For surely our hearts ought to overflow when we are able to address our songs to the King.
     Our Lord Jesus Christ is our beloved.
     And we should not hesitate to call him such!
Psalm 45 has two main parts:
     verses 2-9 focus on the greatness of the King,
     and verses 10-15 focus on his bride.
And then, as your outline shows,
     each of these can be divided into sections.
Throughout the Psalm, these sections ordinarily end by pointing forward to the next section.
     So for instance, the first section, which focuses on the beauty of the King (verses 2-3),
          concludes with a statement of his splendor and majesty.
     The second section then focuses on the majesty of the King (verses 4-5),
          concluding with a statement of how he rules over the peoples.
     The third section then focuses on the rule of the king   his justice (verses 6-7a),
          which brings us to the conclusion of part 1  
          the anointing of the king and the presentation of his royal bride.
1. The Greatness of the Christ (45:2-9)
     a. The Beauty of the Christ (45:2-3)
Psalm 45 starts with the beauty of the Christ.
     (Remember that "Christ" means "anointed"   and the Davidic king is the anointed king  
          therefore, he is the Christ   see v7)
We don't pay so much attention to masculine beauty in our culture,
     but the ancient Hebrews appear to have appreciated it.
David is said to have been a beautiful man.
     (We use the word "handsome," 
          but Hebrew does not have a separate word for "handsome.")
Verse 2 would best be translated:
     "You have beautified yourself among the sons of man."
You see, the word "handsome" or "beautiful" is a verb.
     It is not just an attribute of the King.
     It is something the king has done.
Among all the children of men,
     the King, the Christ, has made himself beautiful!
Grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.
     Not only is he good to look at,
          but he also speaks well.
     Grace is poured upon his lips 
          and so when he speaks, his words are delightful!
Do you see why the Jews never thought of the suffering servant of Isaiah
     and the Messiah as being one and the same?
The Messiah is a beautiful King 
     but there is nothing attractive about the suffering servant.
But Jesus humbled himself to become the servant,
     so that he might be glorified as the beautiful king!
The beauty of Jesus is not simply a physical attribute,
     but his beauty is something revealed in what he does.
Those of who you have been married for a while hopefully understand this.
     The beauty of your wife (or of your husband)
          is not simply a physical characteristic.
     It is revealed in the actions of your beloved,
          and in the totality of your life together.
So the point of the first section is that we should see the beauty of Jesus,
     and we should hear the sweet and gracious words that drop from his lips.
The first section ends by pointing forward to the second:
     Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
          in your splendor and majesty!
This is language that might well be used of God,
     as Yahweh goes forth to battle against his enemies.
But of course, the son of David had been adopted as the Son of God,
     and so the Son of David is supposed to be a picture of God in his majesty!
     b. The Majesty of the Christ (45:4-5)
In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;
     let your right hand teach you awesome deeds!
Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies;
     the peoples fall under you.
The King is not only a good-looking fellow,
     but he is also a majestic King,
     and he rides out before his people victoriously 
          giving the victory to the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness.
This is a king who is not merely seeking his own glory and power.
     The victory comes to the cause of truth.
          Every king always believes that he is in the right 
               that his cause is just 
          but far too often we are self-deceived.
     We persuade ourselves that we are righteous,
          but only Jesus truly and fully defends the cause of the meek.
It is rare to find a leader who will do what is right simply because it is right.
     Too often we ask "what is in it for me?"
But the Psalmist praises the king because he fights 
     for the cause of truth, meekness and righteousness.
And therefore, because he is a good king,
     the nations fall under him.
     c. The Justice of the Christ (45:6-7a)
This leads us to consider the justice of the King.
     Not only is the Son of David a gorgeous man,
          and not only does he fight for the cause of truth, meekness and righteousness,
               but he also is a just King at home.
     He is consistent.
     What you see on the road is what you find at home.
(Incidentally, men, this is a model for you!
     There should be no distinction between how you speak and act in public,
          and how you speak and act in private.
     If you are trying to "look good" in front of people here at church,
          but then you go home and yell at your kids, or your wife,
          then you are not a just man.)
But the Son of David is a just man.
     He is so just and righteous that the Psalmist even calls him "God."
Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;
     you have loved righteousness
     and hated wickedness.
Jesus is a righteous judge.
     And he will make everything right in the end.
     This is great comfort to those whose hope is in him 
          to those who belong to his kingdom.
     But to the wicked, to those who have rejected Christ,
          this is bad news!
     Because when Jesus makes everything right,
          he will overthrow everyone who stands against him.
     d. The Anointing of the Christ (45:7b-9)
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
     your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
     daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;
     at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
In verse 6 the King is referred to as "God"   elohim   
     which is made clear from the reference in verse 7 which says that God, "your God"
     has anointed him.
How can the King be called "God"?
     God had told David that he would adopt David's son and seat him at his right hand.
     That is to say, that the Son of David is a human person with divine status.
          The Davidic never became God,
               but because he ruled over God's kingdom,
               he had godlike status.
After all, God had created Adam to be the ruler over his kingdom.
     And between Adam and Christ,
          there is no man who came closer to divine status than David and his sons.
     Because David ruled over the kingdom of God.
     In David you see one who was more like God than anyone else 
          from the creation of the world until the Word became flesh.
And when the Davidic king was anointed   when the Davidic king became the Meshiach,
     that would have been a glorious day!
All Israel (or at least all Judah) would have gathered to rejoice at the anointing of the King.
     Because as long as the Son of David sits on his throne,
          that is a reminder that God's promises never fail.
Jesus now sits as the Anointed King on the throne of his father David at the right hand of God.
And at his right hand stands the Queen.
2. The Bride of the Christ (45:10-15)
So the Psalmist turns to address the bride.
     This part has two sections:
          the first is a direct address to the bride, focusing on her calling;
          and the second is a narration of the coming of the bride in her glory to the King.
Remember, O Church, that this is you!
     a. Her Calling (45:10-12)
Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear:
     forget your people and your father's house,
     and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him.
In Genesis 1 it says that a man will leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife.
     Why does the Psalmist say that the princess should 
          forget her people and her father's house?
If this is Solomon's wedding,
     then this is the daughter of Pharaoh.
She is being called to forget her people and be joined to the people of God.
But then again, this would work for any Davidic wedding.
     Because the Davidic King is the Son of God.
     He is not a divine person, but he does have divine status.
But it works most gloriously for the wedding of Christ and his bride,
     because he is a divine person!
Forget your nationality!
     Forget your family.
     Jesus is your identity.
And what is more,
     when you forget your people and your father's house,
     and you devote yourself entirely to the Christ,
          then He will desire your beauty.
In short, the Christ wants to make babies with you!
     Jesus desires his church.
     You are desired by God.
          
And it is not because of anything in you.
     Remember, sexual union is all about covenanted love.
     You are married to Christ.
          Married love is not a matter of googly-eyed romance.
          It is so much better!
The reason why you love your wife is not because she's such a great person.
     The reason why you love her is because Christ loves the church.
     It is because of that covenantal union that already exists.
If you try to base your love for your wife on something in her,
     you will quickly discover that you have built your marriage on sand.
     (And that goes for you too, ladies).
And this is because our marriages here on earth are rooted in that heavenly marriage
     between Christ and the church.
It is when we are faithfully devoted to Christ 
     that we can faithfully love one another.
Verse 12 then points out that the nations will seek your favor.
     As the footnote in the ESV points out, this is literally, "the daughter of Tyre"
          who will come with gifts (feminine singular),
     but the wealthiest of people (masculine plural) will seek your favor.
Why is this?
     Verses 13-15 explain:
     b. Her Glory (45:13-15)
All glorious is the princess in her chamber,
     with robes interwoven with gold.
In many-colored robes she is led to the king,
     with her virgin companions following behind her.
With joy and gladness they are led along
     as they enter the palace of the king.
The queen comes in glory to the palace of the king.
     Because the King has placed his love upon her,
          she now shares in his glory.
     His name is placed upon her, 
          and even as the nations yield to him and fall before him,
          so also they seek her favor as well.
     When the Church is living faithfully with her bridegroom,
          forgetting her own family in order to devote herself entirely to him,
          then truly the Church is a beautiful and glorious bride.
Conclusion: The Future of the Christ (45:16-17)
Psalm 45 concludes with God's promise to the Christ.
In place of your fathers shall be your sons;
     you will make them princes in all the earth.
I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;
     therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.
God promises that the Son of David will indeed have many babies with his bride.
     The house of David will rule over the earth forever.
Notice that in verse 16 the Psalmist does not limit the scope of the kingdom 
     to Israel or Jerusalem.
Rather, the sons of the Christ will be princes in all the earth.
     This reminds us that the promise to Abraham 
          was not just a piece of real estate in the Middle East,
               but that he would inherit the whole earth.
     Even so the promise of the Davidic kingdom 
          was a kingdom that would cover all the earth.
     
And the name of the Christ would be remembered in all generations.
     That name is Jesus!
     That at the name of Jesus, every knee would bow and every tongue confess
          that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
Our calling as the bride of Christ is to be active in making babies with Jesus.
     This includes both the "covenant evangelism" of rearing our children in the faith,
          as well as the word and deed evangelism of bringing the gospel to the nations.
          If we love our husband if we are devoted to him and desire to see his kingdom expand,
          then we should be busy making babies with him!