Psalm 45:1 ¶ «To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A Song of loves.» My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. 2 Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. 3 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. 4 And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. 5 Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.
While a direct reference to King David by this psalmist there is a
deeper level we can explore as well.
To indite in this context, as in inditing, is not to accuse
of a crime but to declare something, to even put it down in writing. Here the
Psalmist compares his tongue to a scribe’s pen.
Ezra 7:6 This Ezra went up
from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses…
Commentators have pointed out that this is also a psalm to the
Messiah to come. Fairer than men in the eyes of God, grace pouring from the
words He says, blessed by God for ever. This is a declaration made in the way
an Israelite would have understood and accepted. Notice in verse 3 the
expectation that the Messiah would be a conqueror, avenging Israel. This may be
a picture of Christ in His return to rule without a clear understanding of the
need for the Cross first.
Revelation 19:11 ¶ And I
saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was
called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his
head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he
himself. 13 And he was clothed with a
vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed
him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword,
that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of
iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty
God.
Remember that the Son of Man will come to suffer first, which the Jews
did not understand especially after the rabbi, Rashi, in the 11th
century claimed Isaiah 53 for the Jewish people as a whole rather than the
Messiah to come as literally intended understood by the Ethiopian eunuch in
Acts 8. Read Isaiah 53 and context.
Even Christ’s disciples still expected Him to restore Israel’s
lost greatness and wanted to know when that would be.
Isaiah 49:6 And he said, It
is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of
Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a
light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the
earth.
Acts 1:6 When they
therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at
this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
Psalm 45:6 ¶ Thy throne, O
God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right
sceptre. 7 Thou lovest righteousness,
and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil
of gladness above thy fellows. 8 All thy
garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory
palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. 9
Kings’ daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right
hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.
Ps 93:2 Thy throne is
established of old: thou art from everlasting.
Ps 145:13 Thy kingdom is an
everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
Here is a prayer and a praise of God for His blessing upon His
earthly king.
However, these two verses are alluded to by Paul in Hebrews as a
reference to Christ as well. See how Paul says that God directs this statement
to the Son of God, Christ.
Hebrews 1:8 But unto the
Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of
righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9
Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even
thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
And then in comparison see;
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a
child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his
shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God,
The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7
Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon
the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it
with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the
LORD of hosts will perform this.
Daniel 7:13 I saw in the
night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of
heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
14 And there was given him
dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages,
should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass
away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
In that case the queen mentioned is a reference to the church of
Christ.
2Corinthians 11:2 For I am
jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband,
that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
Revelation 19:9 And he
saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage
supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
So you can see the at least two applications of this passage; one
applying to David and one to Christ.
Psalm 45:10 ¶ Hearken, O
daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people,
and thy father’s house; 11 So shall the
king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou
him. 12 And the daughter of Tyre shall
be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall intreat
thy favour. 13 The king’s daughter is
all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. 14 She shall be brought unto the king in raiment
of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto
thee. 15 With gladness and rejoicing
shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king’s palace. 16 Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children,
whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth. 17 I will make thy name to be remembered in all
generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.
While speaking directly to the king’s daughter, this passage also
continues a prophetic reference to the church of Christ. The bride would leave
her family and unite herself with her husband’s family in ancient tradition.
Satan is the spiritual father of all unsaved people who live in rebellion to
God.
John 8:44 Ye are of your father
the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the
beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When
he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of
it.
The church leaves the house of its worldly father to enter into the
eternal union with Christ, having God the Father as its father now, entering
also the family of God.
Ephesians 3:14 ¶ For this
cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 Of whom the whole family
in heaven and earth is named,
I believe it helps the Christian to read this Psalm in light of
our understanding of the church, something the Israelites of that time would
not have had a clue about. Having said that specific interpretations of what
line by line means are very subjective and results in much speculation. I
recommend reading and praying for understanding. Remember many times a
conclusion is what you come to when you’ve stopped praying and thinking.
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