The Psalms - Psalm 45

Song for a Royal Wedding

by Rev. Jim Jester

March 1, 2026

SCRIPTURE READING: Revelation 19:7

Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.

INTRODUCTION

The title of Psalm 45 is “To the Chief Musician. Set to ‘The Lilies.’ A Contemplation of the sons of Korah. A Song of Love” (NKJV). These sons of Korah were Levites, from the family of Kohath. By David’s time they served within the musical aspects of the temple worship. “And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice” (2 Chr. 20:19, RSV).

Set to “The Lilies” may refer to the tune or general beauty of the composition, or even to a six-stringed instrument known as the Shoshannim (H7799). Some say a straight trumpet.

It is possible that this psalm was the occasion of a literal marriage of a real king and his bride; such as Solomon with Pharaoh’s daughter. But, it definitely has a prophetic fulfillment in Jesus Christ with his Church.

READY TO WRITE (v. 1):

My heart is overflowing with a good theme;
I recite my composition concerning the King;
My tongue is the pen of a ready writer. (Ps. 45:1, NKJV)

There is a sense of joy throughout this psalm; yet these words also hint that the psalmist had a sense of inspiration in writing it, as if the good theme flowed up from within.

I recite my composition: The idea is either that this psalm is about the King, or it is to the King. It celebrates a royal wedding, but there is no firm place to connect it to a specific king in the royal House of David.

At the same time, the text of the psalm itself and the way the New Testament quotes this psalm require us to regard its general tone and many of its specific lines to speak of the ultimate King, Jesus the Messiah. “This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (Eph. 5:32). 

THE BEAUTY OF THE BRIDEGROOM (v. 2-5):

You are fairer than the sons of men;
Grace is poured upon Your lips;
Therefore God has blessed You forever.
Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One,
With Your glory and Your majesty.
And in Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness;
And Your right hand shall teach You awesome things.
Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King’s enemies;
The peoples fall under You. (Ps. 45:2-5, NKJV)

You are fairer than the sons of men: This begins a poetic description of the King, praising and exalting Him both for who He is and what He does. The psalmist begins by simply noting the beauty of the King, saying He is more beautiful (fairer) than all others. In saying this, we believe the emphasis here is on the character of the Messiah, on the beauty of His nature and personality. Isaiah 53:2 says that the Messiah was not remarkable for His physical appearance or beauty. But fulfilled in Jesus Christ, we can say there was never a more beautiful person than Jesus of Nazareth.

Grace is poured upon Your lips…God has blessed You forever: The beauty of the King extends to His words, which are filled with grace. This was amazingly true of Jesus Christ. In His early years it was said, “So all bore witness to Him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth” (Lk. 4:22). Even the opponents of Jesus said, “Never man spake like this Man” (Jn. 7:46)! Because of this character, the King enjoys the blessing of God forever.

Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One: The King may be beautiful in character and speak grace-filled words, but he is nowhere near a soft or effeminate man. This King is a man of war, a Mighty One armed with a sword.

The phrasing of this psalm is likely the source of some of the phrasing of John’s description of Jesus returning in triumph in Revelation chapter 19:

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. (Rev. 19:11-16)

In Your majesty ride prosperously because of truth, humility, and righteousness: The King is full of majesty and blessing, not primarily because of conquest and force, but rather, his blessing flows from His truth, humility, and righteousness.

Your right hand shall teach You awesome things: In the thinking of ancient Israel, the right hand spoke of a person’s strength and skill, because most people are right-handed. Applying this to Jesus Christ may seem strange. We may wonder what awesome things Jesus learned through His own right hand. Hebrews 5:8 says of Jesus that “He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.” So Jesus learned obedience in the fiery test of His own suffering, an exercise of His strength.

Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King’s enemies: The weapons of the King are many. He not only has a sword, but also sharp arrows, ready to be sent out against His enemies. His might brings the world into submission, “the peoples fall under You.”

GOD PRAISES MESSIAH AS GOD (v. 6-7):

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions. (Ps. 45:6-7, NKJV)

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever: The King is praised and exalted as God. The previous description in verses 2-5 might apply to a remarkable man who was nevertheless merely a man. But as the description continued, it clearly refers to this King as God, seated upon an eternal throne.

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews explained how these words specifically apply to Jesus. It is a direct quote out of our psalm:

8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. (Heb. 1:8-9)

The writer of Hebrews noted not only that these words say Jesus is the eternally enthroned God, but also that the Father regards Him so. He also explained that prophetically, the sons of Korah gave us the words that God the Father spoke to God the Son.

A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom: This King’s reign is not founded on mere domination; it isn’t a matter of might making right. His kingdom is founded with righteousness—so much so that the symbol of His authority (a scepter) is righteousness itself.

You love righteousness and hate wickedness: The righteousness of His kingdom comes from the character of the King. It is the natural result of His love for goodness and His hate toward wickedness. He doesn’t have to work hard to make His kingdom righteous; it happens naturally.

Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness: Because of His great holiness of character, Jesus the King is blessed with the oil of gladness. It is true that Jesus was a Man of Sorrows, well acquainted with grief (Isa. 53:3). Yet His work of righteousness, in all its fullness, was rewarded as the most glad and satisfying work ever performed. Despite the sorrow and grief in His work, this accomplishment left Him an anointed King.

The Person of the anointed King is described in a fascinating way. In verse 6, He is addressed as God; now in verse 7, the King is described as relating to God, from Whom He has received an anointing. So, this King is God, and yet receives from God. Passages like this are the foundation for the idea of the Trinity—that there is One God who exists in Three Persons. This is the way to make sense of what seems to be contradictory statements in the Bible. There are passages stating there is one God, and many more stating that three Persons are God, and they relate to One another.

THE GREATNESS OF THE KING (v. 8-9):

All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia,
Out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad.
Kings’ daughters are among Your honorable women;
At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir. (Ps. 45:8-9, NKJV)

All Your garments are scented: This is another reference to the beauty of the King. In some way it could be said that He smells good, giving a more complete picture of His pleasantness.

Out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad: The psalmist did not think of just one palace but many palaces—so majestic that they were inlaid and decorated with ivory. We sometimes think of majestic palaces such as Solomon in his splendor, pointing toward the white and pure dwelling place of God in heaven. Jesus the King is not only of earth, but came forth from palaces found only in heaven.

King’s daughters are among Your honorable women: The anointed King is great not only for who He is, but also for those He associates with. The highest royalty (king’s daughters) are the maids of honor at His wedding.

Prophetically speaking, this reminds us that one measure of the greatness and majesty of Jesus is the greatness of the men and women through the centuries who have been His most devoted followers. These were and are, men and women “of whom the world was not worthy” (Heb. 11:38).

At Your right hand stands the queen: The wedding is about to begin, with the bride (the queen) standing in the place of honor next to the King. The bride was seated to the right of the king and was adorned with the valuable gold of Ophir (1 Ki. 9:28; 10:11).

SPEAKING TO THE BRIDE (v. 10-12

Listen, O daughter,
Consider and incline your ear;
Forget your own people also, and your father’s house;
So the King will greatly desire your beauty;
Because He is your Lord, worship Him.
And the daughter of Tyre will come with a gift;
The rich among the people will seek your favor. (Ps. 45:10-12, NKJV)

Listen, O daughter: Now the psalmist turned to the bride and spoke to her with encouragement and guidance.

Forget your own people also, and your father’s house: Using the concept of Genesis 2:24, this was an invitation to this royal daughter to leave her people and her father’s house to be joined to the King in marriage.

If we knew nothing else about this King, we might think this described a literal invitation of marriage to an actual woman. But knowing that Jesus is the King and that He was never married during His earthly life, we understand this as a familiar metaphor: The people of God as the wife of God, and the Church of Jesus as His bride.

So the King will greatly desire your beauty: One reason the King invited this royal daughter to marriage was that He saw her beauty, and so desired her. Since the King’s beauty was that of character (Ps. 45:2), we can be sure that the bride’s beauty included character as well.

Extending the analogy, Jesus sees the beauty of His people collectively as the Church, and desires them in committed relationship, in the sharing of all things, in a future linked together. Her beauty, so greatly desired by Jesus, is spiritual; it is the beauty of holiness. Her clothing is “the righteousness of saints” (1 Pet. 3:3; Rev. 19:8). The more we renounce all sinful and selfish inclinations, that we may please the Lord Christ, the more acceptable we shall be found in His sight.

Because He is your Lord, worship Him: This has the sense of something greater than the normal respect due to a husband, even a royal husband. This bride sees that her husband is also her Lord and worthy of worship. This was the same principle with Sarah who obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord. Christ is the Head of the Church, and the Church is subject to Him. The Church must pay honors to her Lord; must submit to His authority, and worship Him as God.

The daughter of Tyre will come with a gift: Being joined to the King means many benefits for this royal daughter. She receives gifts from the nations—the rich seek her favor. Normally others seek the favor of the rich, but the King has set her in a higher place of respect.

THE GLORY OF THE BRIDE (v. 13-15):

The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace; 
Her clothing is woven with gold.
She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors;
The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You.
With gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought;
They shall enter the King’s palace. (Ps. 45:13-15, NKJV)

The royal daughter is all glorious: Because she is joined to the anointed King in committed love, great benefits come to her. She is all glorious, and not because of herself, but because of her link with the King.

We can’t help but compare this with how Jesus sees His bride. We see the Church and notice many flaws; but Jesus looks at His blood-bought people and says, “all glorious.” The Church of Christ is glorious when fully consecrated to Him. The glory of holiness adorns her wonderfully as a garment of fine gold. Christ has given her His own glory; “The glory which Thou gavest me I have given them” (Jn. 17:22).

The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You: The royal daughter, wife to the King, is accompanied by bridesmaids and together they come for the wedding service. The Apostle Paul spoke of the Church, “I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (2 Cor. 11:2).

THE LEGACY OF THE BRIDE (v. 16-17):

Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons,
Whom You shall make princes in all the earth.
I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations;
Therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever. (Ps. 45:16-17, NKJV)

Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons: A blessing is pronounced on the marriage of the anointed King. The fathers have passed away, but will be replaced by sons that come from the marriage. The King’s legacy passes from generation to generation. This ongoing work means that the name of the King will be remembered in all generations. “Many sons are brought to glory” (Heb. 2:10).

Therefore the people shall praise You: The result of it all is that the anointed King is exalted and praised forever. His choosing of a bride, granting great privileges to her, and giving a blessing that endures through generations all bring praise to Him.

CONCLUSION

Are we doing as the psalmist did? Do we praise Him who has purchased us to be his bride? Are we working to see that all of Israel come to honor Him as well? Our opening text says, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready” (Rev. 19:7). Have you, or are you making yourself ready?

God was once married to Israel under the old covenant, and he will take the same Bride (the Church) again under the new covenant. As one Christian Israel pastor once said, “It’s the greatest love story never told.”

The Gospel of Matthew speaks about the return of Jesus Christ in chapter 24. Then in chapter 25 there are valuable guidelines to observe as we await His return. The parable of the ten virgins teach us the famous Boy Scout motto: “Be Prepared.”

Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. (Matt. 25:1-13)

Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins: The word “Then,” according to context, refers to the time of our Lord’s second coming. The Bride is not in view here; only the Bridal Attendants.

That there were ten “virgins,” or maidens, is not certain. Tradition says that the number was usually ten attendees. But the number reminds us of the ten tribes of Israel taken in the earliest of the dispersions. These are commonly known as “Gentiles” in the New Testament; a misunderstood term, which simply means “nations.” And the context must determine the identity of said nations. So these virgins could actually represent the royal daughters of the House of Judah, through Tamar. We do not know for sure since this is a parable.

Five of them were wise, and five were foolish: The wise took an extra supply of oil for their lamps; the others did not. Let me spiritualize this just a little. This one thing separates them: It seems the foolish virgins have a profession of faith but lack the dedication and diligence of the others. They are like the seed planted, but then it dies out from lack of moisture. The wise are in possession of the oil, a symbol for the Holy Spirit; but they cannot give that away. The foolish would have to go to the Source, to get the “oil.” In this parable Jesus probably did not intend a distinction between “Spirit-filled” and “Non-Spirit-filled” Christians; the difference is likely between true Christians and false believers. Is there the “oil” of the Holy Spirit in your vessel? The lesson is, be watchful and prepared in the nourishing of the inner life. 

While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept: This is one of the many things the bridal party had in common: They get the same name, “virgins” (symbol of purity); they wear the same dress; they are on the same assignment; they all have lamps; they all have vessels; they all slumber and sleep; they all wanted to celebrate with family and friends. This was not a guilty sleep, as in the parable of the thief coming by night (Matt. 24:43), but a sleep of ignorance as to the time of Christ’s coming.

It was the duty of the bridal party to go forth at night with lamps, and be ready at the appearance of the Bridegroom to conduct the bride to the groom’s house, and go in with him to the marriage banquet.

Behold, the bridegroom cometh…Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps: The lamp is the turning point of the parable. What? A lamp that is useless! A lamp without oil! No lamp is its own end, and the profession of being a Christian is not its own end either. Lamps are to give light, for progress, for duty, and for comfort. Trimming implies obtaining fresh oil, and removing clogged ashes from the wick.

Many profess Christianity, but we must possess it, making it real in our lives. Let us trim our lamps. We have no time to sleep. You have a “lamp” to trim—a faith.