Psalms 45:1

The Bible says in Psalms 45:1-2, “My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.[2] Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.” David mentions his heart first and then his speech. If you control your innermost being, your heart, then it will be shown by the speech that you have. Words are so important. Words can change anything and effect everything. Say the right words at the right time, and you will do well at whatever you pursue in life. Sometimes the right words are fewer words. But it starts with the heart. David said, “My heart is inditing a good matter.” In other words David thought good thoughts about good things. There is some good in everything because God is everywhere, and God is good. That being the case, we should be able to see good in all things, and we should be able to think good thoughts about every situation in life that we experience or remember or foresee. We do not want to be overcome by evil and failure that is all around us by seeing and thinking about the evil and the human failure. In order to say the right things, we must think the right things about what is good. People are negative enough on their own as it is. We need to be able to say the things that will help them. We want grace to be on our lips, and not condemning and cursing.

The Bible says in Psalms 45:3-6, “Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.[4] And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.[5] Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.[6] Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.” It is as though David is both praising God and making requests to God at the same time. As soon as David asks the Lord to go into action on David’s behalf, David knows that the Lord is going to do just that. That is because David knows what God is like. David knows that God has “glory” and “majesty” and it is just a matter of time and God will reveal it. Verse four tells us why God will intervene for the prosperity and benefit of His children: because of “truth and meekness and righteousness.” God loves His truth to go forth, and who is going to spread His truth: only the believers. That is why God blesses the preaching of His Word and why Christians should love hearing His Word preached in the congregation of the righteous. God loves “meekness” because so many people are proud and arrogant. Jesus said, “The meek shall inherit the earth.” And of course God wants His righteousness to also grow and increase. Every person who believes in Jesus becomes one of the righteous ones. And once a person believes, that person wants to lead a more righteous life for the glory of God. Why will God intervene in our affairs and help us: because of “truth and meekness and righteousness.” Why will Jesus return and finally fix all things and punish the evildoers: because of “truth and meekness and righteousness.”

In verse six David is reminding us that God is always king. Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords, and He always will be. In the hierarchy of power and authority Jesus is at the top. After He rose from the dead, He said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Jesus rules His kingdom much differently than human rulers exercise their authority. Jesus rules His kingdom with “a right sceptre.” A sceptre is a rod that symbolizes the power and authority of the king. A good king does what is “right.” Jesus always does what is right. That is why when He returns and sets up His rule on earth as King from the throne of David in Jerusalem, it will be the best of all earthly kingdoms. Jesus will end all wars. He will end all injustice. He will rule with a rod of iron. It will be what we are all longing for as we live in these countries ruled by the hand of humans. Everything gets fixed because one great principle is in effect: do right. As Bob Jones Sr. said, “Do right until the stars fall.”

The Bible says in Psalms 45:7, “Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” This is a Messianic Psalm. It tells us something about Jesus, and it also tells us something about how to be happy. Love what is good, and hate what is evil. That describes Jesus, and that describes how to be a happy person. For us human beings, it also shows the importance of being forgiven and starting over with a clear conscience. The world lies all the time. The world says that if you do certain sinful things, then it will bring you more pleasure and more happiness. It might bring you some sinful pleasure for a very short time, but it definitely will not bring you more happiness. Sin will ruin you. Sin will take away your happiness.

For the rest of this chapter King David talks about life within a king’s palace, and uses that to demonstrate what he was talking about concerning happiness and serving the Lord. David’s kingly palace symbolized the beauty and greatness of heaven. All believers in Jesus are children of King Jesus. The Bible says in Psalms 45:8-16, “All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.[9] Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.[10] Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house;[11] So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.[12] And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour.[13] The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.[14] She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.[15] With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king's palace.[16] Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.” If you know Jesus as Savior, this is your lot in life as far as God is concerned: the best of fragrances, an ivory palace in which to live, happiness and joy. Your friends and fellow-believers are the most honorable of people. You are rich with much gold because your heavenly Father owns everything and you are His heir. Nothing is more valuable than your own soul. Therefore, to be saved and to know Jesus as Savior can only be compared to gold, much fine gold.

Verse ten says, “forget also thine own people, and thy father's house.” When you come to the King’s house through faith in Christ, you are leaving your past life and starting a new life following Jesus. The apostles left their nets and followed Him. Jesus said in Matthew 19:29-30, “And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.[30] But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.”

Verse eleven says, “So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty.” How greatly God loves and treasures His children. God loves us more than a groom loves his new bride. Every woman is beautiful to the man who loves her. God loves every believer. Marriage between a man and a woman is supposed to symbolize the love of Christ for His believers. Does your marriage do that?

Verse fourteen says that this daughter of the king “shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework.” Being beautifully dressed symbolizes the robes of righteousness with which we shall all be adorned when we stand before the King of glory. There is nothing wrong with being beautifully or richly adorned as long as it is done modestly. Being beautifully and richly adorned is the picture that God’s Word paints for us here in Psalm chapter forty-five. Notice what it says about the beautiful young woman in verse fourteen who is used in this passage as an example of the believer: “the virgins her companions that follow her.” Birds of a feather stick together. The young woman learned the importance of making friends of other girls who also want to do the right thing. They understand their bodies: both how to adorn it and how to keep it for marriage. It says that “the virgins her companions that follow her.” This young woman is a leader. People are looking for someone of character to follow. Do the right thing, and you will not only help yourself, but you will also help all those who will follow you.

Notice the results in the life of a beautiful Christian woman who has chosen a life of chastity and holiness and faith. Verse fifteen speaks of gladness and rejoicing. Don’t you want a life that will give you gladness and rejoicing? Don’t you want a life that will have lasting results? Verse sixteen speaks of the lasting results of a believing young woman who has chosen such a way in life. It says, “Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.” Such a woman who has taken a vow of chastity and holiness will eventually have her man and have her children. And she will be a great mother teaching her children goodness and spirituality and belief in the Lord. No matter what her family or her upbringing was like, because she turned to the Lord Jesus and put Him first, a new way in life for her family and a new pattern for her children to follow, if they are wise enough to value the example and the teachings that she gives. Some of the greatest people in the world from God’s standpoint come from a family with such a mother. Paul wrote to Timothy in Second Timothy 1:5, “When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.” Solomon wrote in Proverbs 1:31, “The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him.”

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