Psalm 45:7-17 - Jesus, The Glorious Bridegroom

Psalm 45 is a beautiful wedding song that is really all about Jesus Christ the Messiah, Who He is and what He has done and what He is going to do for His bride the church!  In this Psalm the palmist gives us four pictures of Jesus and the presentation of His bride!  First, he presents Jesus as the Gracious Son of Man (vv. 1-2). Then he pictures Jesus as the majestic, mighty, victorious Warrior (vv. 3-5). Next as the Righteous King (vv. 6-7a). Now in verses 7b-17, Jesus is presented as the Glorious Bridegroom. To fully appreciate and understand these verses we must remember Revelation 19:7-9: “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!' " And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God." Revelation 19 is the unveiling of Jesus Christ as coming King who will come back to the earth at the end of the tribulation. At this time, He will throw the false prophet and the beast (the Antichrist), into the Lake of Fire and set up His kingdom for a thousand years. We are also told it is the time for the marriage ceremony and supper of the Lamb, who of course is the LORD Jesus Christ! The bride, the church, who becomes His wife is now ready to be presented. Psalm 45:7b-17, describes this royal wedding, beginning with the preparation of the Bridegroom (vv. 7b-9). The anointing in verse 7b is not His anointing as King but as the honored guest at the wedding feast. It is the "oil of gladness" representing the eternal joy that belongs to the happy bride and Bridegroom (Isa. 61:3). The soldiers gambled for our Lord's garments when He hung on the cross (John 19:23-24), but at the wedding feast, His garments will be fragrant and glorious. Next comes the preparation of the bride (vv. 10-13). Today, the church of Jesus Christ is spotted by the world and looking old and wrinkled because of inner decay, but one day it shall be a glorious bride, spotless, blameless, and without spot or wrinkle (Eph. 5:27). Though criticized today, the church in that day will be beautiful and bring great glory to Christ (Eph. 1:6-12, 18). As the queen waits within her palace chamber (v. 13), she is dressed in the finest garments, embroidered with the finest gold (1 Kings 9:28), and she is given counsel as she enters this new relationship. She must forget the past, submit to her Husband the King, and seek only to please Him. What a word for the church in the world today—"forgetting those things which are behind" (Phil. 3:13). Our Lord loves us and sees beauty in His bride, and we must acknowledge that He is Lord and worship Him, showing respect and homage to Him (1 Peter 3:6; Gen. 18:12). In the next stage of the wedding, the bride is brought to the King (vv. 14-15), and her companions are with her. It is a time of beauty and joy as the wedding party enters the banquet hall in the palace and shares in the wedding feast. (See Rev. 19:1-10.) As the King and His queen leave, the writer pronounces a benediction (vv. 16-17), speaking especially to the King. We may paraphrase it: "No matter how great your ancestors were, your descendants will be even greater. They will be princes in all the earth, not just government officers in the kingdom. You will reign forever and ever and your name will never be forgotten. The people will praise you forever." Words like these spoken at an ancient eastern wedding would be considered polite exaggeration, but when applied to Jesus Christ, they aren't strong enough! He is bringing many children to glory (Heb. 2:10, 13), and His family will share His glory and His reign. Hallelujah, what a Savior! God bless!