Psalms 45
McGeePsalms 45THEME: The coming of Christ to establish His kingdom on this earthThis is a messianic psalm and is so quoted in the Epistle to the Hebrews. This is another maschil psalm, that is, for instruction, written by the sons of Korah, and is inscribed “To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim,” which means “lilies.” It is a picture of Christ as the MessiahHe is the Lily of the Valley as well as the Rose of Sharon. In translating this, the Targumim adds, “Thy beauty, O King Messiah, is greater than that of the children of men.” This very wonderful psalm speaks of the second coming of Christ. This changes the tenor of the Psalms from the cry of a people in the anguish of tribulation to the glorious triumph of their coming King, as it is described in Revelation, chapter 19. Our Lord Jesus Christ spoke of it also (Mat_24:29-30), and it is the hope of the world.
Psalms 45:1
“My heart is inditing” means bursting forth or overflowing. There is something he must say and wishes he could tell it, because his tongue moves faster than his pen. That is true of many of us. Have you ever been excited about something and have tried to put it in a letter to a friend, and when you read it over you see how inadequate it is and wish you could tell it instead of write it? I had that experience a few minutes agoI couldn’t say what I wanted to say to a friend in a letter; so I called him by phone. Well, the psalmist couldn’t call us by telephone, so we have Psalms 45 in printed form.
Psalms 45:2
MESSIAH, HIS PERSON AND POWERThis is a lovely psalm which is occupied with the person of Christ. Paul mentioned that: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2Co_3:18). My friend, we need to behold Him more. In this psalm we are seeing Him, not as a Savior, but as a King.
Psalms 45:3
This is a picture of Christ coming forward, not as Savior, but as the King at His second coming. Israel expected Messiah to come to earth with a sword. The first time He came to earth He came without a sword. You will recall that when Jesus was arrested, one of His disciples drew his sword and cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest. And Jesus said, “…Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword” (Mat_26:52). In our day they are looking for the Messiah who will bring peace, without a sword, but Psa_2:9 says of the Lord, “Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Psalms 2 speaks of Christ’s coming to earth the second time.
In fact, it is quoted several times in the Book of Revelation in respect to His second coming. When He returns, He is going to find the world in rebellion. The Antichrist will be in power. He will be persecuting God’s people, both the remnant of Israel and that great company of Gentiles who turned to God. “Grace is poured into his lips"that is emphasized, but there will also be condemnation and judgment. I think we ought to be realistic, not idealistic. He will have to come in power and wrath against a world that is in rebellion against Him.
Psalms 45:4
“Terrible things” means awe-inspiring things. Notice, the Lord is riding to victory, and here are the three planks of His platform: truth, meekness, and righteousness. Do you know of any candidate today who uses these three planks in his platform? The candidates don’t sound meek to me, and I wonder about the truth of their statements, and righteousnesswell, the whole motive is to get elected, not to do right. How this poor nation needs a candidate who will speak truth, who exhibits a little meekness, and who goes all-out for righteousness. These are eternal principles of our Lord’s kingdom. No president, leader, dictator, or king has ever come to power on this platform in the history of this world.
This King is different. The character of Christ is truth; His words are truthyet men call Him a liar. But all men are liars, not Christ. You won’t hear the truth today in the halls of Congress, or in the marts of trade, or on Wall Street, or in our industrial complexes, or on our college campuses, or read it in the newspaper, or hear it on TV or radiobecause all news is slanted. Unfortunately you can’t even hear the truth in many of our churches. But our Lord is coming to power on the platform of truth and humility.
Someone has said, “If you wish to astonish the whole world, tell the truth.” That is the way our Lord is coming to powerit will be startling.
Psalms 45:5
This is a portrait of the King coming to earth.
Psalms 45:6
MESSIAH, HIS GOVERNMENT AND GLORYThis is coronation day, and it is the key of this psalm. He is going to rule in righteousness. How the world needs a righteous ruler! Regarding His return to the earth, the Lord Jesus Himself said, “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory” (Mat_25:31). Not until then will we have peace on this earth. That is the need of the world. When Betsy Ross made the first American flag, George Washington expressed the wish that it would wave for a thousand years. We have recently celebrated our two hundredth anniversary, and already we are growing old as a nation. But the government of God is eternal.
Psalms 45:7
The Anointed One is Messiah, of which Christ is the Greek form. It is not a name, but it is His official title. The first time He came, He came as Prophetthe messenger and message of Godwhich refers to the past. In our day He is our Great High Priest at the right hand of God; that is His present ministry. But His second coming will be as King, the Messiah. This is for the future. “God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness.” It is unfortunate that we tend to think of Him as a Man of Sorrows. I believe that He was the most joyous person on this earth when He was here. That this is a messianic psalm referring to our Lord Jesus Christ is fully attested by the quotation of these two verses in the Epistle to the Hebrews: “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. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows” (Heb_1:8-9). The critic who attempts to apply this psalm to Solomon or some unknown king fails to note that He is addressed as God. It is not conceivable that Solomon or any other king would be addressed as God. The entire first chapter of Hebrews presents our Lord Jesus in His exaltation, being the express image of God, far superior to angels, and seated at God’s right hand.
Psalms 45:8
He came to this earth that our joy might be full. And it was for “the joy that was set before him” that He endured the cross. Oh, how we as believers need to rejoice! The tribe of Judah, which means “praise,” led the children of Israel in the wilderness march; yet they complained, they whined, they sang the desert blues when they should have been praising God. This is the same thing the church is doing in our day. My friend, believers should be praising Godnot complaining! At Christmastime we sing the song, “Joy to the world! the Lord is come; Let earth receive her King.” That is not a Christmas hymn at all; it refers to Christ’s second coming and should not be relegated to a seasonal section of our hymnbook. Moving down in this wonderful psalm, we have a scene at court:
Psalms 45:9
The church is not mentioned by name in the Old Testament, but I believe you see it in type or in figures of speech. I think most of the brides in the Old Testament are pictures of Christ and His bride, the church. Examples of this are Eve, Rebekah, and Ruth. Who is the queen in this verse? I believe she is a picture of the church, although she is not specifically identified, and Christ will lift her to the throne.
Psalms 45:10
We are to leave the world. We are not to love the world. We have been saved out of it. We are to cling to the Lord.
Psalms 45:11
The church is to be made beautiful. All sin will be removed. What a prospect this is!
Psalms 45:17
This verse speaks of the millennial kingdom. But the kingdom goes on into eternity after the Lord has made a few adjustments, which includes Satan being loosed for a time and then his being cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. This is a glorious psalm, and when it is put in proper perspective, it has great meaning for us today.