Chief End of Marriage – Psalm 45

Psalm 45 is the lone wedding song in the psalter and as such, it's 17 verses are dedicated to underscoring the transcendent meaning of marriage with manifold poetic imagery. Like the Song of Solomon, the lyrical structure of Ps 45 is theatrical, character specific, and rhapsodic (expressing deep emotion in rapturous overtures and melodic beauty). The author of Hebrews cites verses 6 & 7 as revelatory proof of the divinity and supremacy of Christ, thus canonically emphasizing the Christ-centered focus of this worship and love song. For Jonathan Edwards, Ps 45 established the exegetical framework for understanding the Christo- centric nature of the Song of Solomon which overlaps this Psalm in theme and imagery This lost connection is crucial these days, as preachers are want to strip mine texts like these for carnal purposes, appealing to the flesh rather than proclaiming Christ. The 'sweetness' of reformed theology replete throughout Puritan writings finds its wellspring in these scriptural oases of lovely meditation on the ultimate meaning of love and marriage.