PSALM 45 - Messiah: The Great King -

Outline of Psalm 45 | The King's Glory overflows to nearby Psalms.
--- | ---
A. His Glory (vs. 1-8, 16-17) - | He is greatly exalted (Psalm 47)
B. His Victory (vs. 3-7) - | He is our refuge (Psalm 46)
C. His Marriage (vs. 8-17) - | He is our Lord (Psalm 45)

45:1 To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim,
  Shoshannim = lilies; ie., in spring time, the season of the Passover.
for the sons of Korah{who were priests ministering in music}, Maschil {ie., instruction},
A Song of loves.
  loves - the plural indicates intensity and excellency.
    Therefore, "A song of supreme love." [GWms]
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.
  my heart is inditing {ie., stirs with, overflows with}
  a good {beautiful, pleasant} matter {HB=dabar, a word, an utterance, speech}
    The Talmud renders this: "My heart was stirred to compose this song by a spirit of prophecy."
  a ready {ie., skilled} writer- not the psalmist, but the One who moved his heart to speak His Word.
    cp. Job 32:18-20; 2Pet 1:21
  touching {pertaining to} the king- some think the psalm commemorates one of Solomon's marriages.
    (cp. the psalm title "Upon Lilies" with Luk 12:27)
    But the glory of this King surpasses that of earthly kings. He is in fact the Deity (v.6).
    He is the Lord Jesus Christ who comes to conquer His enemies & to claim His Bride. cp. Psa 2:6; 24:7-10; Isa 32:1,2
45:2 Thou art fairer than the children of men:
  fairer {lit., more beautiful}. The word is doubled: "Beautiful, Beautiful art thou." [CHS]
    Words strain to describe Him. When He comes, we will see Him as He is.
    But, even now, though veiled, the Bride's eyes are filled with her Beloved.
    cp. Song 2:3; 5:10-16; Joh 1:14; 2Cor 3:18; Heb 1:3,4
grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.
  cp. Luk 4:18-22; Mat 7:28,29; Joh 7:45,46
45:3 Gird thy sword upon [thy] thigh, O [most] mighty,
with thy glory and thy majesty.
  cp. Psa 2:9; 24:7-10; Isa 9:6,7; Mat 24:29,30; Rev 19:11-21
  Thy sword- While this verse anticipates His return, to take vengeance on His enemies,
    this should also be our prayer in the present Age of Grace.
    Who, but He, can wield His sword with strength & skill? Heb 4:12; 2Thes 3:1
45:4 And in thy majesty ride prosperously
because of {ie., for the cause of} truth and meekness [and] righteousness;
  cp. Zech 9:9,10; Mat 11:29; 12:14-20; Rev 19:11
and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible {ie., awesome} things.
  Psa 21:8,9; 110:5,6; Isa 59:17,18
45:5 Thine arrows [are] sharp in the heart of the king's enemies;
[whereby] the people fall under thee.
  Christ's word cuts to the heart.
    All fall under His rule, either to repentance or to judgment.
    Acts 2:37,38; 5:33; 7:54; 2The 1:6-10
45:6 Thy throne, O God, [is] for ever and ever:
the sceptre of thy kingdom [is] a right sceptre.
  Thy throne, O God...-
    vs. 6-7 are quoted in the NT, as God the Father speaking to God the Son:
    "Heb 1:8,9"; cp. 1Tim 3:16
  Thy throne... for ever and ever - cp. Psa 90:2; 93:1,2; Rev 22:1-5
  [Thy] sceptre... a right sceptre.- cp. Gen 49:10; Num 24:17; Isa 11:1-5
45:7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness:
therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
  anointed...- cp. Psa 2:2; Isa 61:1-3; Joh 3:34; Col 1:18-20
    The Messiah {the Anointed One} is addressed as God, by God the Father (in v.6-7).
    Here, the Father acknowledges His unique relationship, as being 'Thy God,' to the Son (cp. 'my God' in Psa 22:1-2,10). No other man can claim such intimate knowledge of the Godhead (Mat 11:27). cp. Psa 21:5,6, where the source of the King's joy is 'Thy countenance' {the 'face' or 'presence' of God}
  oil of gladness- The same phrase is translated "oil of joy" in Isa 61:3.
    The Spirit of God overflows from the King to heal His people of their sorrows.
45:8 All thy garments [smell] of myrrh, and aloes, [and] cassia,
out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.
  myrrh, aloes, cassia - Such aromatic spices were blended into the Holy Anointing Oil
    which consecrated the priests (Ex 30:22-33). Some of these spices were used to prepare the dead for burial (Joh 19:39,40).
    The Messiah, our High Priest, sacrificed Himself, because of His great love for us. Eph 5:2,25-27; Song 1:3; 2Cor 2:14-16; Heb 7:26,27
  out of the ivory palaces - He comes from His Father's house to receive His Bride.
  glad {ie., joyful} - The long awaited day has come. Joh 14:2,3; Heb 12:2; 1Pet 1:6-9
45:9 Kings' daughters [were] among thy honourable women:
upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.
  The Queen- apart from all other daughters, is the King's Bride.
    She alone is His "Dove." Song 6:8,9
  Ophir- a land, in southern Arabia on Solomon's trade routes, known for its fine gold.
    Observe the Bride's glory: At His right side... Arrayed in the most costly of garments.

  "Jesus, thy blood and righteousness
    My beauty are, my glorious dress;
  'Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
    With joy shall I lift up my head."
    [Hymn, translated from German by John Wesley]
45:10 Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear;
forget also thine own people, and thy father's house;
  The Bride's heart is to be occupied with the King, not with her earthly roots.
    cp. Song 2:10-13; Ruth 1:16; Mat 19:29; Col 3:1-4; 1Joh 2:15-17
45:11 So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty:
for he [is] thy Lord; and worship thou him.
  thy Lord {HB= 'adon, ruler, master, husband (as in Gen 18:12; cp. 1Pet 3:5,6)}
  thy beauty - The Church 'without spot or wrinkle...' Song 2:2,14; 4:7; Eph 5:25-27
    cp. Israel, restored... Isa 62:4,5; Zeph 3:16,17
45:12 And the daughter of Tyre [shall be there] with a gift;
[even] the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour {lit., thy face}.
  the daughter of Tyre- is representative of all Gentile nations, which will be
    in subjection to the Messiah, during His Millennial Kingdom. cp. Psa 72:7-11; Isa 2:1-5
45:13 The king's daughter [is] all glorious within: her clothing [is] of wrought gold.
  the King's daughter- ie., the Bride, who received her life through Him.
    cp. 2Cor 5:14,15; 11:2
  all glorious within...- her beauty is of the heart, not merely external.
    Rev 19:7,8; cp. 1Pet 3:3,4
  her clothing... of wrought {interwoven} gold...- cp. v.9
    In Scripture, gold often speaks of the glory of God.
    The Bride is clothed in her Husband's glory.
45:14 She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: {cp. Song 1:4}
  needlework {embroidered work} - ie., garments of the finest kind.
    cp. the garment of the priests: Ex 28:39
the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.
  companions {ie., attendants}...
  virgins {ie., 'separated ones' (of feminine gender)} -- Who are these?
    Note that they 'follow' the Bride.
    'Follow' {HB='achar} means 'to come along' (accompany, escort), or 'to come after' (later in time).
    While the Church will be taken out of the world, in the Rapture, at the end of the Church Age (the Age of Grace), many more people will come to faith in Christ during the subsequent Great Tribulation period. At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will return to judge the earth. His Bride (the true Church) will return with Him. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb will take place on the earth, as Christ establishes His Millennial Kingdom.
    Thus, these 'virgins' may include the 144,000 specially sealed Jewish witnesses and/or all who separated themselves unto the Lord, during the Great Tribulation. cp. Rev 6:9-11; 14:1-4 (where 'the firstfruits' refers to the first believers of the Tribulation period).
    [For more about the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, see the Notes at Rev 19:7-9.]
45:15 With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought:
they shall enter into the king's palace.
    cp. Isa 35:10; Rev 20:4
45:16 Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children,
whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.
  The King's inheritance is not limited to human ancestry (eg., the Davidic line),
    but consists of His spiritual offspring ('thy children').
    cp. Psa 22:30,31; Isa 53:10-12; Joh 1:12,13; 1Joh 3:1-3
  princes- cp. Rev 1:6; 5:10; 20:6
45:17 I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations:
therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.
    Psa 72:17-19; Mal 1:11; Php 2:9-11

This Concludes the study in Psalm 45.
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