May 31, 2017 Wednesday)
This psalm has much in common with “The Song of Solomon,” and is a nuptial ode, celebrating the marriage of a king with a king’s daughter. The poet passes from thought to thought as his enthusiasm kindles with the grandeur of his theme. This psalm refers to an actual happening.
The Cambridge Bible Commentary, acknowledging the prophetic emphasis, says, “Whatever may have been the original occasion of the psalm, its Messianic significance has been almost universally recognized. ‘The marriage-song of the Jewish monarch laid 
open thoughts which could only be realised in the relation of the Divine King to His Church.’ The Targum paraphrases Psalm 45:2; ‘Thy beauty, O King Messiah, exceeds that of the children of men; a spirit of prophecy is bestowed upon thy lips:’ and Psalm 45:10, ‘Hear, O congregation of Israel, the law of his mouth, and consider his wondrous works.’ The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews quotes Psalm 45:6-7 as a description of the moral and eternal sovereignty of Christ (Hebrews 1:8-9). If the king was typical of Christ, the marriage of the king might symbolize the bridal of Christ and the Church; and this interpretation was facilitated by the common use of the figure of marriage in the O.T. to describe the relation of Jehovah to His people. The natural relationship is consecrated as the sacrament of the mystical relationship; and the mystical relationship is rendered more comprehensible to the human mind by the sanction of the analogy. Comp. Ephesians 5:23 ff.; Revelation 19:7 ff; Revelation 21:2; Revelation 22:17.”
Psalm 45
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
A Song Celebrating the King’s Marriage.
For the choir director; according to the Shoshannim.
A Maskil of the sons of Korah. A Song of Love.
INTRODUCTION: PRELUDE (1)
1 My heart overflows with a good theme;
I address my verses to the King;
My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
I. THE GLORY OF THE KING (2-9)
2 You are fairer than 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 Your majesty!
4 And in Your majesty ride on victoriously,
For the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;
Let Your right hand teach You awesome things.
5 Your arrows are sharp;
The peoples fall under You;
Your arrows are in the heart of the King’s enemies.
6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
7 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of joy above Your fellows.
8 All Your garments are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia;
Out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made You glad.
9 Kings’ daughters are among Your noble ladies;
At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.
II. THE GLORY OF THE BRIDE (10-17)
10 Listen, O daughter, give attention and incline your ear:
Forget your people and your father’s house;
11 Then the King will desire your beauty.
Because He is your Lord, bow down to Him.
12 The daughter of Tyre will come with a gift;
The rich among the people will seek your favor.
13 The King’s daughter is all glorious within;
Her clothing is interwoven with gold.
14 She will be led to the King in embroidered work;
The virgins, her companions who follow her,
Will be brought to You.
15 They will be led forth with gladness and rejoicing;
They will enter into the King’s palace.
16 In place of your fathers will be your sons;
You shall make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will cause Your name to be remembered in all generations;
Therefore the peoples will give You thanks forever and ever.