Ready For The King | Psalm 45
Ready For The King
Psalm 45
It’s great to see you this morning. My name is Zack, and I’m the Executive Pastor here at City Awakening. We’re nearly halfway through July, which means summer is flying by. One month from today, August 9th, we’ll be kicking off our fall semester, and we have a lot of great things coming up in the life of our church. But for right now, I want to encourage you to start thinking and praying about what the next season of life and ministry looks like for you… What steps do you need to take to grow as a disciple? Is it getting more connected to community, recommitting to daily Bible reading, finding a place to serve? Maybe stepping up to lead, inviting a friend to church, or even establishing a rhythm of rest… Spend some time praying about where God is leading you in the coming months, because we believe God has greater things in store for you and for our church. We don’t want to be stagnant or complacent. God didn’t just save us from something; he saved us for something. But we can only live that way when we understand where we fit in this big story that’s unfolding every day, and that’s where we’re going today.
I want to invite you to go ahead and turn in your Bibles to Psalm 45. I’m thankful to be preaching this Psalm today because most of the Psalms we’ve covered over the course of the summer have had a similar theme…the psalmist expresses the tension between trusting God but also dealing with the suffering and uncertainties of life. And that’s good because it’s very real and relatable for all of us. But today, we get a different kind of song. If you’ve made it to Psalm 45, you’ll notice immediately that the heading is something like,
A Royal Wedding Song
For the choir director: according to “The Lilies.” A Maskil of the sons of Korah. A love song.
All the ladies just gave a little “awwww” inside, and the guys said, “mmm.” But guys can be romantic, too. I’ve done a lot of weddings, and I’ve seen just as many grooms cry at the altar as brides. I like to perform weddings, especially for couples I know well. It is romantic; two people choosing to commit to one another, out of all the other people in the world…and in front of their community to look each other in the eyes and say, “As long as I’m living, I’m yours.”
Not everyone will get married, and that’s ok. Paul even commends singleness as a good option. But the truth is, everyone desires that level of commitment. Everyone longs to be chosen, not because of what they’ve accomplished or what they can do for the other person, but because they are genuinely loved. That’s what a covenant relationship is, and it’s what we see in Biblical marriage, it’s what we see in church membership, and ultimately, it’s what we see in our relationship with Jesus. Every marriage of a husband and wife should be a reflection of the relationship between Christ and His Church.
And that’s what we’re going to focus on today. Psalm 45 is a beautiful love song that was most likely written for an actual wedding. We don’t know who’s. It could have been Solomon. It could have been another king in Israel’s history. But while the context is a song written for a royal wedding, it carries very clear prophetic implications for Christ and his Church, and it gives us a glimpse of this great love story we get to be a part of. Let’s see what it says.
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.
2 You are the most handsome of men;
grace flows from your lips.
Therefore God has blessed you forever.
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.
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 first 9 verses paint a detailed picture of the King. That’s more than half of the song devoted to the king! This highlights the differences in today’s weddings from those in ancient cultures. If this wedding song were written today, the majority of the song would be about the bride, and the groom might get a verse or two. But in all seriousness, we need to understand a little bit about weddings during this time. The common practice was for a man to select a woman to marry, and oftentimes this was arranged through the family. He would approach the girl’s father to find out what the bride price was to marry his daughter. Then, if he could, he would pay that price (whether that was a dollar amount, property, etc.), and they would become betrothed. At that point, they were essentially legally married, but the marriage wouldn’t be consummated until after the wedding.
That’s significant for a couple of reasons. First, notice that the girl had no say in who she was marrying. It was an agreement between her father and her suitor, which meant there was a high probability of her being betrothed to someone she wouldn’t have chosen herself if given the chance. So, to be chosen by someone she would want to marry was a big deal. Secondly, notice that if the man couldn’t pay the bride price, there was no marriage. The father could lower or raise the price to use it to protect his daughter, to use it to his advantage, or work a trade for something specific, like power. It was often very business-like, and not like the 90s rom-coms we know and love.
I explain all of that to highlight the significance of the description of the King in Psalm 45. He was a noble and worthy king. Any father and any girl would have been thrilled for this guy to come knocking at the door. But more importantly, remember that this description of the king is pointing us to Jesus. It tells us a lot about who he is. I want to point out six noteworthy characteristics of the king from this song.
The King
Beautiful - Verse 2 says he is the most handsome of men. He’s one of those guys who captures everyone’s attention…tall, dark, and handsome. The kids might say he was snatched or had max aura. But it’s not just his looks that set him apart; it’s also his character. The way he speaks shows that he’s full of grace, which adds to his attractiveness.
I don’t know how often you think about Jesus in this way, but the Bible says Jesus is beautiful.In Psalm 27, David expresses his desire to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life, “gazing on the beauty of the Lord.” Jesus incarnate was probably very average-looking physically. But what makes him beautiful is his holiness, his perfection. There is no one like him, and David was expressing that there’s no one more worthy of our attention (like a captivating sunset or mountain view); you just don’t want to look away. Nothing compares to the beauty of the Lord.
Powerful - The king is handsome, but he’s so much more. Verse 3 says he’s a mighty warrior. This is a king who’s seasoned in battle. He doesn’t sit back while his soldiers fight the battles. He straps on his sword and leads the charge.
Exodus 15:3 says, “The Lord is a warrior…” Scripture clearly depicts the power that Jesus has in the face of his enemies. He came to earth pushing back the darkness, casting out demons, he conquered the grave, and robbed Satan of his power, and Revelation leaves no question about who will fight for us in the final battle. He is a powerful King.
Victorious - Verse 5 shows that the king doesn’t just fight the battles; he wins them. “Your sharpened arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies; the peoples fall under you.” This king is victorious, and Jesus is victorious.
Revelation 7:10 says, “Victory belongs to our God.” We know how the story ends. Jesus will sit on the throne forever, and because we belong to him, that victory belongs to us also. We don’t have to wonder if we are on the winning side. The King is victorious!
Permanent - The Psalmist says “Your throne, God, is forever and ever.” That is clearly prophetic since we know that no human throne will last for eternity. And the angel Gabriel carried this promise forward when he announced Jesus’s birth to Mary in Luke 1:33. “He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.” There is no political figure or party that can offer that kind of stability. Only a divine and eternal king can make a promise to rule for all eternity, and that’s exactly who Jesus is and what he will do. His Kingdom will never end; it’s permanent.
Just - “…6the scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of justice. You love righteousness and hate wickedness…” This is so important because no bride wants to be joined to a wicked husband, and nobody wants to be under the oppressive rule of an unjust king. For the past several weeks, we’ve studied Psalms that take us through all the doubts and uncertainty of life. Circumstances cause us to question God, but verses like these remind us that we can trust him. His way is always right and good and true.
Deuteronomy 32:4 says, “His work is perfect; all his ways are just. A faithful God, without bias, he is righteous and true.” We serve a King who will not let injustice go unpunished. He is a defender of the weak, and he rights wrongs. We can trust his way and delight in honoring him.
Honorable - Notice the adoration that the king receives. He is anointed with oil, he is praised with music, and he is surrounded by royalty. This is a king and a husband who is worthy of the hype; he deserves it all! We know that no human can really live up to that level of honor, but Jesus is the divine King.
1 Chronicles 29:11 says, “Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendor and the majesty, for everything in the heavens and on earth belongs to you. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom, and you are exalted as head over all.”
Aren’t you glad to know that that’s the King we get to serve? That’s the groom that we get to be joined with for eternity…that he chose us? Jesus is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. No one compares to him.
We could walk away with just that today, and it would be enough for us. It’s like a wedding portrait that we should never get tired of looking at. It never goes out of style…it doesn’t age…it’s never blurred by hurt, resentment, or regret…He’s perfect. It’s a picture that can and should capture our hearts over and over again.
The Psalmist doesn’t stop there. His song moves to the bride, and in the next few verses, he doesn’t just describe the bride, but he actually addresses her, giving direction on how to respond to this great king. In the context of an actual wedding, this would have most likely been a young girl (a teenager), about to be married to this king. I’m sure she would be nervous, excited, maybe even scared to leave her home and family. So, I think this is meant to be more of an encouragement and comfort than instructions on how to live, but it accomplishes both as these verses guide her through an appropriate response to the king. This is where we see ourselves in the Psalm.
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.
13 In her chamber, the royal daughter is all glorious,
her clothing embroidered with gold.
14 In colorful garments she is led to the king;
after her, the virgins, her companions, are brought to you.
15 They are led in with gladness and rejoicing;
they enter the king’s palace.
Like we pointed out the characteristics of the king, I want to highlight four characteristics of the bride.
The Bride
Devoted - When the writer tells her to forget her people and her father’s house, he doesn’t literally mean to forget about them because they don’t matter. He means that she should give herself fully to her husband. Nobody wants a spouse that’s only halfway committed. But it can be hard to let go of what we know and are comfortable with, even if we believe that what’s ahead is better. We know this because we tend to hold on to things, old habits, patterns of sin…we may even come to believe that they are just a part of our lives that we can’t let go of. But the Bible is clear that in marriage and in our union with Christ, we leave and cleave. Our hearts can’t be divided.
Jesus said in Luke 14:26-27, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”
What in your life are you still holding to that you need to leave behind? What sins need to be confessed? What agreements need to be broken? Following Jesus means giving your heart fully to the King… to be devoted to Him.
Pure - This is similar to being devoted, but devoted is more future-focused, whereas purity is more reflective of the past. To be devoted means that from this point forward, I am wholly yours, and to be pure means that up until this point, I have kept myself whole for you. This idea is woven through these few verses as the bride is adorned in her chamber, honored with gifts, and led to the king with her company of virgins. It all implies that she is a virgin and a worthy bride for the king.
There’s a problem. We can all stand up and say that we want to be devoted to Jesus moving forward, but none of us can stand up and say that we come to him completely pure. Our sin makes us unworthy…we don’t belong at the altar, but that’s what makes this such an amazing story…You can read the book of Hosea to get a better understanding of this, but Jesus came and paid our very high bride price even though we weren’t worthy of it. And because of that, 1 John 1:9 says that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse (purify) us from all unrighteousness.”
We don’t come to Jesus pure, but he makes us pure. He erased our filth, and he adorns us with white wedding garments, worthy of the king. It’s time to stop believing that what you’ve done in the past defines who you are in the future. In Christ, you are made pure.
Submissive - We don’t like that word, I know. But any negative connotation of submission does not come from the Bible. It’s a distortion of God’s Word and is a result of sin. Scripture lays out clear expectations of submission in a Godly marriage and in our relationship with Christ. And if we are joined to the king that we described earlier, where’s the problem in submitting to him? Isn’t that who we want leading us?
Paul lays out this relationship in Ephesians 5:22-23, “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, 23 because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body.” I always use this in pre-marital counseling to point out that this is not meant to be an exploitation of power. There is a role that wives have, but this passage is much harder for husbands to live up to because Paul is comparing our role to Jesus. And Jesus didn’t lord his power over his bride; he laid down his life for her, which makes him the kind of king…the only King, that’s worthy of submitting to.
Is there an area of your life that you’ve been unwilling to submit to Jesus? Maybe it’s your job, or a relationship, or your plans for the future…. Are you willing to trust him as Lord of all?
Blessed - Notice in verses 14 and 15, the celebration around the bride. 14 In colorful garments she is led to the king… 15 They are led in with gladness and rejoicing…” This is so much more than a hashtag or a t-shirt. This has to do with our union with the King and our belonging in His Kingdom that will never end. The Bible says that because he chose us, we are blessed.
In Revelation 19, John describes the celebration in Heaven right before the final judgment. He heard an angel say, “7Let us be glad, rejoice, and give him glory,
because the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has prepared herself. 8She was given fine linen to wear, bright and pure. For the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints. 9Then he said to me, “Write: Blessed are those invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb!”
We are that bride! This wedding song in Psalm 45 is about this moment. This is not just an ancient song or a fairytale. This is real. One day in the future, we will be ushered into this ceremony. We don’t know when that will be, but just like in ancient times, we wait for the groom, yet we are already legally married. What does that mean? It means we live like the Bride now.
This is the Big Idea: Live every day like Jesus is coming back. Live like a bride ready for her groom. Have a courageous devotion to the King. Keep your heart pure with unadulterated affection. Submit every area of your life to Jesus as Lord. But key to all of that is to set that wedding portrait of the King in front of you so that you don’t forget the depths of his splendor and you fix your gaze on eternity, believing that Jesus is coming soon. It changes everything. That perspective affects every area of our lives.
Because if Jesus is coming back…..
Our problems don’t seem quite as big.
Our bank account balance isn’t quite as important.
If Jesus is coming back…..
How we fill our calendars begins to shift.
Our priorities fall into place.
If Jesus is coming back…..
Sin is more appalling, and God’s Word is more appealing.
If Jesus is coming back…..
The weight of our suffering lightens.
The urgency to share the gospel is heightened.
This love song is not one the Lord intends for us to sit on. He wants it to be the anthem of our lives. Think about it…every bride-to-be I’ve ever known is excited to tell their story. They walk around with their hand out, so people can see their ring. If that weren’t the case, you might be concerned. Marriage is a big deal; life-changing news.
We share this story, which means we live with an identity that already is, but we wait for the fulfillment that is to come, and that gives us the privilege and responsibility of inviting more people into the story. In fact, the last two verses of Psalm 45 talk about the sons that will come from this marriage. They will be princes and carry on the family name. In other words, this is a marriage that will bear fruit, and that should be true for us as well.
City Awakening, our mission to Reach People with the Gospel, and send them out to Reach the World. The only way that works is if we have confidence in who we are, the Bride of Christ, and who He is, our Savior King. Hymn writer Fanny Crosby called this a blessed assurance.
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
If you have that blessed assurance, embrace this story and live like the bride waiting for the groom. Keep the wedding portrait of the groom before you so you can maintain steadfast devotion to Him.
If you don’t have that assurance, I want to invite you to put your trust in Jesus today.
Romans 5:8 says that “God demonstrated his love for us in this way, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
God loves you, and he made a way for us to be joined with him forever. Confess your need for him today, and let your sins be washed clean.
