Psalm 45
The Gracious Groom & His Beautiful Bride
I was standing at the front with a cacophony of emotions rattling inside my chest. Then everyone else stood up as the music swelled and turned their heads to look behind them to the open door. A beautiful young woman, dressed in white, walked down the aisle next to her father.
As she walked among smiling faces filling the pews, she was accompanied with the gorgeous and sonorous voice of our friend Hannah singing,
“Because your beauty is so great,
the king is held in thrall.”
These words come from the Sing Psalms version of the Psalter’s Wedding Song. We thought this was an appropriate song as it reminded us that our Morningside wedding pointed to something much greater and grander than our own nuptials. This was a song composed for a king and his bride. But they point toward the greater reality of the heavenly wedding between Christ and his Church.
For the director of music. To the tune of ‘Lilies’. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil. A wedding song.
1 My heart is stirred by a noble theme
as I recite my verses for the king;
my tongue is the pen of a skilful writer.2 You are the most excellent of men
and your lips have been anointed with grace,
since God has blessed you for ever.3 Gird your sword on your side, you mighty one;
clothe yourself with splendour and majesty.
4 In your majesty ride forth victoriously
in the cause of truth, humility and justice;
let your right hand achieve awesome deeds.
5 Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies;
let the nations fall beneath your feet.
6 Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
a sceptre of justice will be the sceptre of your kingdom.
7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy.
8 All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia;
from palaces adorned with ivory
the music of the strings makes you glad.
9 Daughters of kings are among your honoured women;
at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir.10 Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention:
Forget your people and your father’s house.
11 Let the king be enthralled by your beauty;
honour him, for he is your lord.
12 The city of Tyre will come with a gift,
people of wealth will seek your favour.
13 All glorious is the princess within her chamber;
her gown is interwoven with gold.
14 In embroidered garments she is led to the king;
her virgin companions follow her –
those brought to be with her.
15 Led in with joy and gladness,
they enter the palace of the king.16 Your sons will take the place of your fathers;
you will make them princes throughout the land.17 I will perpetuate your memory through all generations;
therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever.
This is a song about the true King. The One who rules in truth and grace. The Monarch who is gentle and lowly. This is about Jesus.
The author of Hebrews quotes vv6-7, informing us that this Psalm speaks of God the Son, Jesus Christ, who is the radiance of the glory of God. And this Psalm invites us to revel in his radiant goodness and justice, to behold his glory and brilliance, and to marvel at his majesty and mercy.
Jesus therefore is the true bridegroom of the church. He pledges his loyalty and love to us his people. Unwanted and undeserving, Christ makes us his very own. We are his bride, resplendent in his righteousness.
The Bible is unashamed of using these images to describe our relationship with Christ. They are obviously not to be pushed too far. But we should see the beauty in what it reveals about God and our place in his glorious plans for creation and eternity. In this picture of marriage, we get a glimpse of the intimacy, tenderness, affection and faithfulness of God toward us. But we are also summoned to contemplate the glory and grandeur of the King who weds our future to his.
The Psalmist’s heart is exhilarated and elevated for he sees the King in all his magnificent splendour. His excellence outshines all other men in the world. The word in v3 is literally ‘to be beautiful’. That is, his character is beautiful. He is one who speaks with grace and poise. For he is the one who is full of grace and truth (John 1.14). He carries himself with real and regal dignity. He walks in the favour and blessing of God the Father.
And with the Psalmist, we call on this King to display his awesome power and exercise his royal authority. It is a call for him to ride at the head of the hosts of heaven as they march into battle against the hordes of sin. In a world of deception, haughtiness and corruption, it is a plea for him to contend for what is true, humble and just. It is a prayer for him to defeat the powers of evil, conquer his cosmic foes and lead his Bride in a victorious procession.
But look at how the King is addressed in v6. This is not a mere mortal that is being sung of here. This is a divine King. This is God. This is why we can be assured of his triumph for his is the eternal Kingdom. The sandcastle kingdoms of this world will be washed away before his almighty power. They will be like a paper aeroplane trying to puncture the sun.
God will establish his rule through his Son, the King. And his rule will be unlike the present kingdoms. Wickedness will not be tolerated. In fact, it will be purged forevermore. His Kingdom will be one of righteousness. It will be filled to overflowing with light, life and love. As one commentator puts in, “He will conquer the world and fill it with the aroma of his glorious humility and the joy of his reign.”
The King will come to his bride. He will delight in her beauty, as she is clothed in the most wonderful garments. The world which once taunted her will now stand back in awe at her.
But as we read this description in vv9-15, we might suffer a severe case of cognitive dissonance. That is, what we read about here does not compute. It doesn’t make sense. If the King is Jesus, then the bride must be the people of God, the church. But this does not match our picture of the church. We seem weak and insignificant. Sadly, there is often as much sin in as there is out. As Samuel Stone put it in his hymn, “with a scornful wonder/ men see her sore oppressed/ by schisms rent asunder/ by heresies distressed”.
But here’s the reality, from heaven’s perspective, we are, by the power of the Spirit and the word of the gospel, being transformed from one degree of glory to another. The work is going on. We are being beautified by the King in all his beauty. As we wait for him to return, he is patiently forming us into the image we were destined to be.
And we are being led into sweet communion with our King. His purity will be ours, for we shall see him as he truly is and we will become like him. At the cross, he took our ugliness so that we could receive his beauty.
So the Psalmist concludes with a commitment to seeing the true King honoured and loved, both now and forevermore, for his Kingdom will have no end.
Glory be to God the Father, who blesses us with every spiritual blessing through Christ.
Glory be to God the Son, our King of glory and of grace.
Glory be to God the Spirit, who beautifies the church through the word of the gospel.
Ever three and ever One.