"To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah; a love song.
My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;
I address my verses to the king;
my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2 You are the most handsome of the sons of men;
grace is poured upon your lips;
therefore God has blessed you forever.
3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
in your splendor and majesty!
4 In your majesty ride out victoriously
for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;
let your right hand teach you awesome deeds!
5 Your arrows are sharp
in the heart of the king's enemies;
the peoples fall under you.
6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;
7 you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;
at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
10 Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear:
forget your people and your father's house,
11 and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him.
12 The people of Tyre will seek your favour with gifts,
the richest of the people.
13 All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.
14 In many-colored robes she is led to the king,
with her virgin companions following behind her.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along
as they enter the palace of the king.
16 In place of your fathers shall be your sons;
you will make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;
therefore nations will praise you forever and ever."
Psalm 45
Three lessons may be gathered from the Psalm, which have relevance for the Christian life. The first is that it teaches something of the true nature of Christian experience. The Christian life consists primarily and supremely in a personal relationship with the Lord Himself. This is no arbitrary exegesis, but borne out by the New Testament. Paul's words in Ephesians 5:25-27 are a nuptial metaphor, and this is what lies behind the words of the hymn,
From heaven He came and sought her
To be His holy bride.
Not only so: it is certainly no accident that our Lord's parables so frequently strike the nuptial note in their emphases - the parable of the Wedding Feast, the wise and foolish virgins, etc. And, of course, in the book of Revelation the consummation of all things is depicted in nuptial terms - 'the Lamb's great bridal feast of bliss and love'. And Paul, in describing what happens when someone comes to Christ, speaks in terms of becoming married to the Lord (Romans 7:4). Nor is this a new conception, for it was used commonly in the Old Testament where the people of God could say that their Maker was their Husband. In all this not only is the personal relationship with the Lord stressed - salvation consists in being brought into a new and right relationship with God, in contrast to the wrong relationship which is the essence of our sinner-hood - but also that relationship is spoken of as friendship with God, walking in fellowship with Him and with His Son Jesus Christ in a bond that is not only close and indissoluble, but also enriching and emancipating. For to be 'married to the Lord' is to be united to One who has risen from the dead, it is to be heir to all that He has done, and won, in His death and resurrection. And to know Him is to love Him. This is the simple truth of the situation. Not for nothing does Paul describe believers as 'them that love God' (Romans 8:28).