Psalm 45
PSALM FORTY-FIVE
For the director of music. To the tune of "Lilies." Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil.
A wedding song.
1 My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.
2 You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever.
3 Gird your sword upon your side, O mighty one; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
4 In your majesty ride forth victoriously in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness; let your right hand display awesome deeds.
5 Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king's enemies; let the nations fall beneath your feet.
6 Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.
8 All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory the music of the strings makes you glad.
9 Daughters of kings are among your honored women; at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir.
10 Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear: Forget your people and your father's house.
11 The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.
12 The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift, men of wealth will seek your favor.
13 All glorious is the princess within [her chamber]; her gown is interwoven with gold.
14 In embroidered garments she is led to the king; her virgin companions follow her and are brought to you.
15 They are led in with joy and gladness; they enter the palace of the king.
16 Your sons will take the place of your fathers; you will make them princes throughout the land.
17 I will perpetuate your memory through all generations; therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever.
This psalm is written in a major key. The sons of Korah sing a love song of the highest order. This is one of the most joyful hymns in the hymnal. Nobody knows, of course, what is meant by "To the tune of 'Lilies,' " but it seems as if no more suitable flower could have been picked to match the tone of this psalm. The lily surpasses any human garb in beauty. Jesus said: "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these."1
The subject of this psalm is the love between a bride and bridegroom on the day of their wedding. In the verses 1-9 the bridegroom, who is the king of the land, is the subject, and in the verses 10-17 the bride. We are not told at what occasion the song was composed, but Solomon's wedding with the daughter of Pharaoh seems to be the most logical event.2
We could write above this psalm the words of the Apostle Paul: "This is a profound mystery-- but I am talking about Christ and the church."3 The symbolism of the psalm suggests more than a human wedding, even a royal wedding. There is quite a lot of resemblance between this psalm and the Song of Solomon. In the Song of Solomon, however the bride and groom are the main speakers, here the speaker is a third person, the court's composer. We are reminded of the words of John the Baptist about Christ: "The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete."4
The real topic of this psalm is about the Lord Jesus and us. We are the bride. C. S. Lewis once said about God: "What is above and beyond all things is so masculine that we are all feminine in relation to it."5 The joy of the poet is about the joy of our fellowship with Christ. It is the song of John the Baptist; it is the joy of the angels who rejoice "in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."6 That joy is theirs, and it is now complete. This joy is the contents of the blessing of God.
The psalm opens with the introduction of the poet, who describes his emotions: "My heart is stirred by a noble theme." His joy runs over. It can happen that a subject will seize a poet, or a composer so passionately that he cannot contain himself. Frans Schubert is said to have written his lied Fairy King7, with burning cheeks on a piece of scrap paper within only a few minutes. That is evidence of real inspiration. An artist produces something that is greater than he is. This psalmist proves that real art is purpose driven. There is no such thing as "art for art's sake." All things beautiful, everything that has artistic value, is written for "the King." Bach wrote about his compositions: "Soli Deo Gloria,"8 and Bruckner marked his last symphony with: "Dedicate to Dear God."9 In real art, man gives back to God what God had given to him. This requires an art form that strives for perfection. Dilettantes do not perform before kings. One does not become a "skillful writer" in one day either. Perfection demands patience, perseverance, and hard work. He who thinks that real art comes by itself is naïve. With this introduction, the poet sets the tone for his poem. It is a beautiful thing that prophecy in the Bible is often so poetical.
Vs. 2 describes man, as God created him, not as we know him now, after the fall, besmirched with sin, and a prey of sickness and death. The psalmist depicts a man who knows no sin. In doing this, he draws our attention immediately to our Lord Jesus Christ. No Greek god can be compared to Him. As a man, Jesus must have been strikingly handsome, and virile. Amongst the billions born on earth, no one has ever been His equal. More than Saul, about whom it was said: "As he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others."10 He surpasses everyone. We know nothing about Jesus' physical appearance; at least there is no description of Him before His resurrection from the dead. John describes Jesus, as he saw Him in Revelation as: "Someone 'like a son of man,' dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance."11
We know that, during His life on earth, He proved to be more intelligent than the whole Jewish intelligentsia. Nobody ever succeeded in trapping Him. As a public speaker, He kept His audience spellbound to the point that His enemies forgot to arrest Him. John tells us: "Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him. Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, 'Why didn't you bring him in?' 'No one ever spoke the way this man does,' the guards declared."12 The police, who had come to arrest Him in Gethsemane, fell to the ground. We read in John's Gospel: "Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, 'Who is it you want?' 'Jesus of Nazareth,' they replied. 'I am he,' Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, 'I am he,' they drew back and fell to the ground."13
The NIV renders vs. 2 with: "You are the most excellent of men." Most other translations read: "You are fairer than the sons of men."14 The beauty of man is a divine quality. Since man is created in the image of God, the glory of God is reflected in the human body, both male and female. Artists and sculptors grope for this beauty in depicting the naked figure. Greek mythology, and other modes of art also strive to depict this. Human emotions, intelligence, and will, the look of the eye, and the expression of personality can all be traced to the personality of God. When the psalmists, therefore, use the expression "fairer than the sons of men" they do not speak of something that surpasses what man ought to be, but what he is. The concept of being human is used in the context of a fallen creation, as being sinful; and fairer means sinless. It is clear that King Solomon was far from being sinless, but at some points in his life he was an image of "the Lord of glory." Every love relationship between a husband and wife, and every sincere love song is a picture of the reality of Jesus Christ.
"Your lips have been anointed with grace" is a beautiful metaphor. It describes the king's speech. There is in this simile a subtle suggestion that eloquence, and the content of words are not merely the product of human cleverness, but the result of divine intervention. God reinforces man's word with an association of His grace, and He gives to it an appropriate form. The Hebrew word used here is chen, which Strongs defines as "graciousness, i.e. subjective (kindness, favor) or objective (beauty)."
In the context of this psalm, the expression is used for what the king says to his bride. We see a new perspective if we place these words against the background of what Jesus says: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."15 The opening statement of the Sermon on the Mount also acquires new depth: "Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: 'Blessed …'16 If we love the Lord, His Word will convey to us an experience of grace, and joy, and the grace of God will influence our own speech.
We should not take the following statement, "since God has blessed you forever," to mean that God's blessing would depend on our eloquence, but more that eloquence may be an indication of God's blessing. We often fail to realize what it means to be blessed by God. We read that, at man's creation, God blessed man. "God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.' "17 Blessing, there, meant fruitfulness and authority. The Jews of old saw in material prosperity and physical wellbeing an expression of God's blessing. God's blessing of Abraham, ("I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing),18 expresses both the Old Testament as well as the New Testament definition of blessing. It meant for Abraham, both material prosperity and honor, or authority, as well as redemption from the curse in Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, blessing stands for salvation and rehabilitation. According to the Apostle Paul, the blessing of Abraham is the coming and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, by which we have become partakers of the divine nature. In his epistle to the Galatians, Paul writes: "He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."19 In the context of this psalm, God's blessing stands, undoubtedly, for the love between husband and wife, or between Christ and His church. This encompasses both the physical element of the Old Testament blessing, as well as the spiritual dimension of blessing in the New Testament. Ultimately, God's blessing means that God gives Himself to us in Jesus Christ. So God has blessed us forever with eternal life. In order to keep things in the right perspective, we have to keep in mind that this psalm speaks about Jesus Christ. As a man He was the blessed one.
It would be easy to misinterpret the following images of the hero and his heroic acts. Weapons of destruction, conquests, and righteous wars reminds us all kinds of evil associations that are difficult to justify. If we think of Gideon, there is hardly any Bible character who had a poorer self-image than Gideon had. Yet, the angel of the Lord addressed him as "mighty warrior."20 The call of God makes one a hero. We can hardly call Gideon's victory an example of a war won by superior weaponry. He chased the Midianites with 300 clay jars, torches, and trumpets.21 Actually, the enemy defeated itself.
The presence of the enemy also is an important factor in the picture, which we cannot overlook. It is hard for a man to remain a pacifist if there is a murderer prowling around his house and who threatening the life of his wife and children. Many of God's children have performed acts of heroism because they were prompted by the activities of the enemy. God's victory makes us heroes. Many people, who were modest and inconspicuous, have turned into heroes, simply because "they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death."22 When the urge for survival ceases to dominate, heroism begins.
In the wars we know, the opposite is often the case. There it is a matter of killing before being killed. But in the spiritual warfare, being killed is not the most urgent matter to consider. In this psalm, the spiritual battle looms predominantly. Here too, "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."23 If the cause of Christ is characterized by truth, humility and righteousness, then the enemy we face stands for lies, pride, and injustice. It is impossible for us to love Christ and to experience His love for us, without being involved in this battle. We cannot share in Christ's love without opposing the enemy relentlessly.
As a man, Jesus owes His glory to this warfare. The Apostle Paul shows us how Jesus attacked the enemy by emptying Himself, and by becoming obedient unto death, and that in this way He conquered the enemy.24 Paul says: "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name." In Christ we are partakers of this victory, and of His glory. If we seek honor, and influential positions in this world, we will not share in the glory to come. In the Roman empire, Jesus of Nazareth was a nobody, but in God's reality He is King of kings, and Lord of lords.
The NIV reads in vs. 4: "Let your right hand display awesome deeds." Most other versions use the verb "teach" here. The Hebrew word used is yarah, which literally means "to flow as water," or "to point out," or "to teach." It would be appropriate, therefore, to say that study, and exercise are important factors in the Kingdom of Heaven. According to the writer of the Hebrew epistle, even Jesus had to learn obedience. We read: "Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered."25 Spiritual life is a matter of training. God's arrows may be sharp, but we need exercise to use the bow. A Christian has to learn to become a good marksman, who can hit the hearts of men.
If we put things this way, it is clear that we are not speaking about the natural level, but about the spiritual, which is consistent with the overall message of the Bible. In Paul's words: "The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."26 John says about the risen Lord: "Out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword."27 Those weapons are not weapons to kill but to make alive. However paradoxical this may sound, God borrows here images from man's sick and sinful society to make us understand His spiritual realities.
It is also strange that, in our interpretation of these verses, we go back and forth between demons and men. At the same time, we do not lose sight of the fact that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."28 It is also clear that, in all this, the devil manipulates human beings; and it may be difficult to determine, in the life of every human being, what is directly the result of demonic influence, and what is not. A clear example of this is Peter who, at one moment spoke under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and the next instant allowed Satan to use his mouth.29
In the days of David and Solomon, nations that practiced gruesome idolatry and sexual perversion were looked upon as personifications of the devil. In our present age, we believe that the lines can no longer be drawn that clearly; this belief is true to a certain extent, but the polarization augments rapidly. It is, therefore, important for Christians to identify clearly with the cause of Christ. We all ought to "ride forth victoriously in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness." The world would be a different place if every Christian would identify one hundred percent with his Lord. If sinful men identify with the cause of evil, why would Christians not identify with Jesus?
This principle of identification is carried even further in the verses 6 and 7. We miss the point if we see in these verses only a prophecy about the Messiah as the Son of God. Jesus Christ is, of course, the main topic of these lines, but they do not speak about Him alone. The writer of the Hebrew epistle quotes these verses in his argumentation for the divinity of the Son,30 but the purport of the first two chapters of Hebrews, if not of the whole epistle, is that Jesus has become what we ought to have been, and which we will become by means of His atonement for our sins. Jesus Christ is God, whose throne will last for ever and ever. The Lamb is in the center of the throne,31 but we will reign with Him as kings.32 God's plan is accomplished in Jesus Christ, and in all those who are in Christ.
The power of our Lord Jesus Christ is absolute and uncorrupted. It has been said that power corrupts man, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This may be true for fallen man, but it is not for Jesus Christ. Truth and righteousness are the foundation of His reign. His scepter is not merely a symbol of justice, but also the means of carrying out justice. God's character harbors both love and hatred, and both are absolute. God loves, with an eternal love, that which conforms to His character, and with an eternal hatred, He hates sin and everything else that is not congruent with His Being.
This love and hatred ought to exist in everyone's heart also. Someone has said: "He who says a strong 'Yes' should also say a strong 'No!' " We can only oppose sin with all that is within us, if we love the character of God with all our heart, soul, and strength. If we don't feel the same love of righteousness that God has, we will always be inclined to compromise with sin. Jesus' sinless nature cannot be detached from His love for the Father.
The statement: "Therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy" has a very profound significance. The Greek word for "the anointed" is christós, which is used for Jesus; it is derived from chrio, "I anoint." The Father has anointed the Son with the Holy Spirit, and has given to Him a human body. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."33 The incarnation, and the subsequent suffering, death, and resurrection that resulted from it, are not mentioned in this psalm, but they are included in the anointing.
It is true, of course, that the Korahites speak here, in the first place, about the anointing of a man, probably Solomon, by means of which he became king of Israel. This means that a human being is addressed here as "Elohim." Elsewhere, the title is used for the judges of Israel, or the ministers of David's cabinet. "I said, 'You are ' 'gods' '; you are all sons of the Most High.' "34 Jesus quotes this verse in John's Gospel, and He said that those, to whom the Word of God has come, are called gods.35 In doing so, He made a connection between the man's elevation, and His own divine status as Son of God. It amounts to the fact that, through the anointing of the Holy Spirit, man becomes a partaker of the divine nature. As Peter wrote: "Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires."36 In a sense, this will make man equal to God in terms of glory and character. We will never reign as kings, if we are not gods. This truth is so great that it can bring about our fall, if we do not handle it with care. We will have to learn to cast our crowns before the throne, like the twenty-four elders in the book of Revelation, of whom we read: "The twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing, 'Worthy art thou, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou didst create all things, and by thy will they existed and were created.' "37 Real glory is only confirmed to us if we surrender it. The safe thing to do is to fix our eyes upon Jesus, so that He can do the rest for us. He is the One the God, the Father, anointed with the oil of joy of the Holy Spirit above His companions. We are His companions "if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast."38
It is interesting to see that the bridegroom's garments are described in terms of fragrance: myrrh, and aloes, and cassia. Matthew Henry's Commentary says about this: "His robes of state, wherein he appears, are taken notice of, not for their pomp, which might strike an awe upon the spectator, but their pleasantness and the gratefulness of the odors with which they were perfumed (v. 8): They smell of myrrh, aloes, and cassia (the oil of gladness with which he and his garments were anointed): these were some of the ingredients of the holy anointing oil which God appointed, the like to which was not to be made up for any common use <Exo. 30:23-24>, which was typical of the unction of the Spirit which Christ, the great high priest of our profession, received, and to which therefore there seems here to be a reference. It is the savour of these good ointments, his graces and comforts, that draws souls to him <Cant. 1:3-4> and makes him precious to believers, <1 Pet. 2:7>." As Matthew Henry remarks, the ingredients mentioned were specifically used in the preparation of the holy anointing oil, of which we read: " Do not pour it on men's bodies and do not make any oil with the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred. Whoever makes perfume like it and whoever puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off from his people."39 The use of this anointing oil elevated the king to the priesthood, a combination of offices that was not allowed in the Old Testament. Myrrh was used in burials. The mention of it evokes images of sorrow, and suffering. A parallel image would be that of Jesus, as He appears in Revelation, where John says: "He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God."40
The picture of the palaces adorned with ivory may refer to the throne of king Solomon, of which we read: "Then the king made a great throne inlaid with ivory and overlaid with fine gold. The throne had six steps, and its back had a rounded top. On both sides of the seat were armrests, with a lion standing beside each of them. Twelve lions stood on the six steps, one at either end of each step. Nothing like it had ever been made for any other kingdom."41 But what are thrones of ivory in comparison with the one on which is seated the One whose appearance is of jasper and carnelian; the throne on which the Lamb reigns together with the Father? It is on the description of this throne that the hymn writer based his hymn: "Out of the ivory palaces, into a world of woe; only His great eternal love, made my Savior go." We can say a hearty "amen" to the fact that the music of the strings makes the king glad! The king loves music. I am glad to realize that my love for classical music is somehow related to the Lord Jesus. We will be treated to an eternal concert in ivory palaces.
Vs. 9, which reads in the NIV: "Daughters of kings are among your honored women," is difficult for us Westerners to interpret. There is a suggestion of polygamy in it. TLB, even, renders it with: "Kings daughters are among your concubines." The Hebrew uses the word bayikrowteykaa, which has as root yaqar. Strongs Definitions defines this as "valuable … clear, costly, excellent, fat, honorable women, precious." A translation "loved ones" would be quite acceptable.
For us as twentieth century Christians, a monogamous marriage is the only acceptable marriage relationship. It seems, however, as if God objected less to polygamy in the Old Testament than we would have. God said to David: "I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more."42 It becomes even more difficult if we discover that, in some instances, polygamy is presented as a picture of the relationship between Christ and the church. Would this be the case also in this psalm? I have no doubt about whether a monogamous marriage is God's will for modern man. Objectively seen, we have to state that monogamy is better than polygamy. After all, polygamy degrades a woman. I also understand that a monogamous marriage relation is not God's ultimate goal for man; sexual relations will cease to exist in the resurrection. Jesus said: "At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven."43 We should not think, though, that this will mean a lesser state. We will discover in heaven that the intimacy, and openness which was only possible in a relationship between husband and wife on earth, will govern all interpersonal relations. We will love the Lord, and all humans, and angels, as we have loved our spouses on earth, only in a greater and deeper, and more complete way. Some of this new dimension is expressed in this polygamous image. The "resurrection marriage" will be, both exclusive, as well as general. This, of course, does not give an excuse to pollute present marriages on earth with adultery, fornication, or extramarital affairs. "The one who can accept this should accept it."44
Vs. 9 also speaks about the supremacy of the bride; she is not put on the same level with the other princesses. The "gold of Ophir" is an external symbol for superior inner beauty. This verse forms the bridge to the next stanza in which the bride is directly addressed by the poet. Here the Holy Spirit speaks to the church through the mouth of the poet. In the book of Ruth, we find an illustration of what it means to "forget your people and your father's house" in order to enter a world of new relationships. It means a leaving behind the old life, and a complete surrender to the new. Some of this principle of giving up the old to inherit that which is new, we find in the life of each Christian. We cannot live in two worlds at the same time. The poet pleads with the bride for a complete surrender. Often, there are reservations in our surrender to the Lord; traces of the old life remain.
It is not bad, of course, to keep remembering one's people, and one's father's house. God does not require that we give up only that which is bad; a complete surrender to Him means giving up everything for Christ's sake. This does not mean either that we will have nothing left. " 'I tell you the truth,' Jesus said to [His disciples], 'no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.' "45 The point is that we abandon inwardly those things that would detract our attention from the Lord. The poet, therefore, appeals to the senses of the bride: "Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear." Our relationship with the Lord is not like a blind date; there is no leap of faith; we don't commit intellectual suicide if we put on the altar all that we have and are. The only thing we have to take by faith is the fact that the king would be enthralled by our beauty because our senses cannot confirm this. It would be incompatible with our total surrender if we were conscious of our own perfections. Genuine sacrifices exclude a high opinion of ourselves. We come to the conclusion that what we give to God was not worth hanging on to. If God makes beauty out of ashes, that is His work. We can hardly be proud of something that we did not accomplish ourselves.
Real love means surrender. This is clearly expressed in a marriage relationship. The surrender of a woman to her husband does not prove any inferiority, but it is the fulfillment of her being. Peter says that Sarah called Abraham "master."46 This did not mean that Abraham could walk all over his wife. The Genesis record clearly shows this was not the case. We read: "Then Sarai said to Abram, 'You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me.' 'Your servant is in your hands,' Abram said. 'Do with her whatever you think best.' Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her."47 And elsewhere: "The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, and she said to Abraham, 'Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.' The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. But God said to him, 'Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.' "48 Sarah certainly did not lose her strong personality when she surrendered to Abraham. The surrender of a wife to her husband does, in no way, diminish her individuality. When the bride honors the bridegroom, and calls him "lord," she does not bow down before him as a slave. The Hebrew word is shachah, which is defined by Strongs as to "prostrate, especially reflexive, in homage to royalty or God." The KJV uses the word "worship" here. Worship does not debase a person. Being subjected to someone else does not demean. When a man works in a large concern, he is not a lesser person, because he is not the director of the works. The image portrays the reality that Christ is our Lord. We bow before Him, because we owe our life and our salvation to Him. That is how we receive His glory.
Love and obedience always go together in the Bible. Jesus said: "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him. …If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him."49 And the Apostle John adds: "This is love for God: to obey his commands."50 Not only do love and obedience go hand in hand, but worship is part of that also. When the bride bows down before the bridegroom, she does more than submit herself. There ought to be some form of worship in every marriage relationship. We may not, of course, give to one another that which belongs only to God, but if God occupies the first place in our love and worship, our relationship with our spouse will reflect this.
This marriage of the princess to the king means a great exaltation of the princess in the eyes of her fellowmen. When a prince marries a girl from the people, as Prince Charles of England did, when he married Diana, it elevated a common girl to the rank of royalty. Diana was just an average, ordinary girl until she married. Our relationship with God lifts us out of the mass of humanity to a position of royal privileges. On the one hand it is true that the world hates us, and the devil will inspire people to persecute us, but, on the other hand, many people will respect the manifestations of the Holy Spirit's presence in our lives.
It is difficult to interpret the phrase: "The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift." We suggested in the beginning that this psalm was written at the occasion of the wedding of King Solomon with the daughter of Pharaoh. If we take the daughter of Tyre to be a literal person, it could jeopardize this theory. Some scholars believe that the psalm was written for the wedding of King Ahab with Jezebel, but the Bible has nothing good to say about that union. If this were true, the beautiful poem would be in sharp contrast with the rest of Scripture. If we maintain the assumption that the occasion was Solomon's wedding to Pharaoh's daughter, the mention of the daughter of Tyre could refer to another marriage. We have already stated that there are traces of a polygamous lifestyle in this psalm. It is, however, also possible that the daughter of Tyre stands for foreigners in general, that is people not belonging to Israel. Then it would reinforce the image of the church of Jesus Christ in this psalm.
I do not know if we may connect the daughter of Tyre with the prince of Tyre, mentioned by Ezekiel.51 There Tyre is a picture of the Evil One, but Christ has called us out of darkness into His wonderful light.52 We may be pushing this interpretation too far.
The Adam Clarke Commentary remarks: "As, at this time, Tyre was the greatest maritime and commercial city in the world, it may be here taken as representing those places which lay on the coasts of the sea, and carried on much traffic; such as parts of Syria, Egypt, Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, France, the British Isles, etc., which first received the Gospel of Christ and were the instruments of sending it to all the other nations of the earth."
The Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary searches even deeper by saying: "[And the daughter of Tyre (shall be there) with a gift]-- as the consequence of thy entire self-surrender to the King. It is only when Israel, the literal and the spiritual, occupies her true position, giving herself up wholly to the Lord, that she will be entreated by the people of the world to receive them into her communion, 'The daughter of Tyre' is Tyre herself, with her people, personified (cf. <2 Kin. 19:21>). So Israel here is called 'daughter' <Ps. 45:10>. Instead of 'shall be there,' supply the ellipse from the latter clause: 'the daughter of Tyre, with a gift (shall entreat thy favour), even the rich among the people, shall entreat thy favour.' 'The rich' are in apposition with 'Tyre.' She in particular is selected as being the richest city of the old world, <Isa. 23; Ezek. 27>. The Hebrew for to 'entreat thy favour' is literally to make weak, or soften the countenance [paaniym … chaluw …]; to entreat so beseechingly that the other cannot show himself hard. The entreaty is that the Gentile suppliant may be received into the kingdom of God <Isa. 44:5; 60:6-14; Ps. 72:10>. When Israel gives herself to the Lord, Messiah shall become 'the Desire of all nations' in the fullest sense (<Hag. 2:7>; cf. <Ps. 87:4>). Then 'Tyre's merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord' <Isa. 23:18>."
The NIV renders vs. 13 with: "All glorious is the princess within [her chamber]; her gown is interwoven with gold." "Her chamber" is obviously added for meaning, but is not in the text. The KJV keeps closer to the original by saying: "The king's daughter is all glorious within." The Hebrew only uses the word peniymah, which, according to Strongs' Definitions is derived from the word paniym, "face." It is defined as "faceward, i.e. indoors." The KJV uses it in the sense of within, or the inner part. The Brown-Driver-Briggs' Definitions defines peniymah as: "toward the inside, within, faceward. The suggestion is that the beauty of the bride is, primarily, inward. Peter Craigie, in the Word Biblical Commentary, says that the phrase is translated with: "A princess is all honor within." The Apostle Peter says this so beautifully about the Christian woman: "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."53 This character is the image of God within us, which has been restored by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This is the beauty of Jesus, which is expressed in this psalm in outward forms that point to inner loveliness. This is the beauty of Jesus' transfiguration, when we read about Him: "There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light."54 It is the glory of His resurrection, as John observed in Revelation: "His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance."55 In these verses of Scripture, Jesus' inner glory shone through. There is a saying: "The fine coat makes the fine gentleman." In the Bible it is the fine person who makes the fine clothes. It is the love, joy, and peace, and the other fruits of the Spirit that make us attractive to the Lord. In C. S. Lewis' book Till We Have Faces, the bride of the Greek god is clothed in precious garments, and she lives in a palace, but in the eyes of her sister, she roams around in the wild, and is dressed in rags. The sister had no eye for the spiritual reality in which the bride lived, nor for the glory that was part of it.
The bride is accompanied by the bridesmaids as she is led before the king. This greatly increases the joy and gladness. Angels not only rejoice over the conversion of one sinner,56 but they will also shout for joy at the triumphant entrance of the bride. As the heavenly Jerusalem comes down out of heaven, as John sees is it in Revelation,57 the angelic song will be sweeter even than the one that was heard in Ephrathah.
It is difficult to determine whether the king or the queen is addressed in the last two verses, and who the speaker is. In his commentary on the psalms, Peter Craigie says that the Hebrew grammar makes it clear that the king is the person addressed. The sons born from this marriage will continue the royal line. The father lives on in his children. In that way children acquire the symbolical significance of eternal life. This is the reason no children will be born in heaven. The man who has eternal life does not have to beget children in order to continue his existence. But there is more: our children are more than a continuation of ourselves; they are people with their own personalities. This should be the reason for our parental pride. Every father and mother who understands some of the mystery of life will always be overwhelmed at the birth of a child. When we enter into a marriage relationship, we receive so much more than we realize at the beginning. People who marry hardly understand the meaning of the act they enter into. In the same way, we can hardly foresee the results of our entering into fellowship with the Lord, of which the bond of marriage is an image.
Then we ask who it is who says: "I will perpetuate your memory through all generations." In this psalm it is, of course in the first place, the poet, who speaks by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Jesus says: "My Father will honor the one who serves me."58 God builds a monument for all those who honor Him. In the same fashion Jesus promoted Maria, the sister of Lazarus, to the hall of fame, when she anointed His feet. He said: "I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."59
The real meaning of this last verse is, of course, a prophecy about the glorification of Jesus. Paul speaks of the fulfillment of this prophecy which the Holy Spirit pronounces here, when he says: "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."60 "My heart is stirred by a noble theme…," and I say "Amen" to this.
1
Matt. 6:28,292
See I Kings 3:1
3
Eph. 5:32
4
John 3:29
5
C. S. Lewis That Hideous Strength
6
Luke 15:10
7
Erlkönig
8
To God Alone be Glory
9
Dem lieben Gott gewitmet
10
I Sam. 10:23
11
Rev. 1:13-16
12
John 7:32,45,46
13
John 18:4-6
14
See NKJ, RSV, ASV, KJV, NAS
15
Rev. 2:7
16
Matt. 5:2,3a (NKJ)
17
Gen. 1:28
18
See Gen. 12:2
19
Gal. 3:14
20
See Judges 6:12
21
See Judges 7:15-22
22
Rev. 12:11
23
Eph. 6:12
24
See Phil. 2:5-11
25
Heb. 5:8
26
II Cor. 10:4,5
27
Rev. 1:16
28
Eph. 6:12
29
See Matt. 16:16-23
30
See Heb. 1:8.9
31
See Rev. 5:6; 7:15, 16 etc.
32
See Rev. 2:21; 5:10 etc.
33
John 1:14
34
Ps 82:6
35
See John 10:34,35
36
II Pet. 1:4
37
Rev. 4:10,11 (RSV)
38
See Heb. 3:6
39
Ex. 30:32,33
40
Rev. 19:13
41
I Kings 10:18-20
42
II Sam. 12:8
43
Matt. 22:30
44
See Matt. 19:12
45
Luke 18:29,30
46
See I Peter 3:6
47
Gen. 16:5,6
48
Gen. 21:8-12
49
John 14:21,23
50
I John 5:3a
51
See Ezek. 28
52
See I Pet. 2:9
53
I Pet. 3:3,4
54
Matt. 17:2
55
Rev. 1:14-16
56
See Luke 15:7,10
57
See Rev. 21:2
58
John 12:26b
59
Matt. 26:13
60
Phil. 2:9-11
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