{Psalm 45}

{My heart is overflowing with a good theme;
I recite my composition concerning the King;
My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
You are fairer than the sons of men;
Grace is poured upon Your lips;
Therefore God has blessed You forever.
Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One,
With Your glory and Your majesty.
And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness;
And Your right hand shall teach You awesome things.
Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King’s enemies;
The peoples fall under You.
Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.
All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia,
Out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad.
Kings’ daughters are among Your honorable women;
At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.
Listen, O daughter,
Consider and incline your ear;
Forget your own people also, and your father’s house;
So the King will greatly desire your beauty;
Because He is your Lord, worship Him.
And the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift;
The rich among the people will seek your favor.
The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace;
Her clothing is woven with gold.
She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors;
The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You.
With gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought;
They shall enter the King’s palace.
Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons,
Whom You shall make princes in all the earth.
I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations;
Therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever.}

Psalm 45, also called “The wedding song”, celebrates a spectacular royal wedding. Written by the sons of Korah, it describes in great detail a bride and groom on their wedding day. This Psalm not only speaks of the joy of human marriage, but also prophetically describes Jesus’ time on the earth and the church’s role as His bride. Some Bible students think that the sons of Korah sang Psalm 45 when King Solomon married his queen. Others think it was a prophetic oracle of the coming of the Messiah, given to them in a personal worship time.

This psalm can be seen as God’s love letter to His son and His people. God expresses His exhilarated love for them. The King described in the first half of the psalm is said to be the most excellent of men, blessed forever, and clothed with splendor and majesty. “He will ride forth victoriously in the name of truth, humility, and righteousness.” (vs. 4) This perfectly describes Jesus, who reigns in power and magnificence. The Messiah is perfect, full of joy and grace, and is to be highly honored. He is God’s son, in whom He is greatly pleased.

The second half of the psalm calls attention to the Princess, or the bride of Christ. God wants to share with her the secret of catching Jesus’ attention. "Listen, O daughter, Consider and incline your ear;Forget your own people also, and your father’s house;" The bride's people and family represent her identity-- her hopes, dreams, and future. The bride leaves her life and her home to be with the King. Wholehearted abandonment is exactly what He wants. He wants his bride to fall in love with Him, and prefer him over her identity.

I love the picture that Psalm 45 paints--The majesty of the groom, and the pure devotion of the bride. Comparing it to Jesus and the church shows us how to be all that He has called us to be, by abandoning our identity, our plans, and following after him with all that’s within us. All He wants is for us to prefer the voice of the bridegroom over anything else in our lives, and to be completely in love with Him, our Savior.

{life psalm}

I lift you high in praise, my God, O my King, and I'll bless your name into eternity.

I'll bless you every day,
and keep it up from now to eternity.
god is magnificent; he can never be praised enough.
There are no boundaries to his greatness.
One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
Your beauty and splendor have everyone talking;
I compose songs on your wonders.
Your marvelous doings are headline news;
I could write a book full of the details of your greatness.
The fame of your goodness spreads across the country;
your righteousness is on everyone's lips.

God is all mercy and grace—
not quick to anger, is rich in love.
God is good to one and all;
everything he does is suffused with grace.
Creation and creatures applaud you, God;
your holy people bless you.
They talk about the glories of your rule,
they exclaim over your splendor,

Letting the world know of your power for good,
the lavish splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is a kingdom eternal;
you never get voted out of office.
God always does what he says,
and is gracious in everything he does.
God gives a hand to those down on their luck,
gives a fresh start to those ready to quit.

All eyes are on you, expectant;
you give them their meals on time.
Generous to a fault,
you lavish your favor on all creatures.
Everything God does is right—
the trademark on all his works is love.
God's there, listening for all who pray,
for all who pray and mean it.

He does what's best for those who fear him—
hears them call out, and saves them.
God sticks by all who love him,
but it's all over for those who don't.
My mouth is filled with God's praise.
Let everything living bless him,
bless his holy name from now to eternity.

Psalm 145