This morning, you are invited to a wedding. Now, don’t worry if you haven’t had your fake tan done; or if you haven’t worn your big hat or fascinator; you can come as you are. You see, the summer Psalm that we’re looking at this morning is all about a wedding. We see that in the very tiny writing just under where it says Psalm 45 on p569. ‘For the director of music. To the tune of Lilies. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil. A wedding song.’
This is a song for a wedding, but it’s also a song about a wedding. Whenever you’re organising a wedding, there’s so much to think of - invitations, gifts, venue, reception, honeymoon, and... music. And when it comes to music, there’s the entrance music, the hymns, the going out music, and what you’ll have at the reception - band, or DJ, or both!
Our Psalm today is from the Sons of Korah, the praise leaders of the temple. And one of them has been commissioned to write and sing this wedding song. We’re introduced to the wedding singer in verse 1: ‘My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skilful writer.’
His heart has been stirred by a noble theme. He sings about the wedding, but as you see, it’s no ordinary wedding. This is a royal wedding. Now, we’ve had a couple of these in recent years - William and Kate, Harry and Meghan. But this one is the wedding of the king himself. And the wedding singer is on hand to capture the event, to sing about it and write about it with skill.
Now, for a wedding to take place, you need a man and a woman. That’s the pattern that God established in Genesis 1&2, and affirmed by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 19. And that’s what we see here at this royal wedding.
Now, whenever we have a wedding in church, the groom is here first, waiting around, hoping that the bride won’t be too late. And that’s what we see here in the Psalm, in verses 2-9. We see the king.
And the wedding singer is singing directly to the king. As you can see, it’s all ‘you’ and ‘your’. So what is the king like, on this his wedding day?
‘You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you for ever.’ (2) The focus isn’t on his clothing as much as his character - who he is, what he is like. And the reason he is so excellent, the most excellent of men, is that God has blessed him. This is a man who is living under the blessing of God - to do the right thing and say the right thing (out of lips anointed with grace).
Now, when William and Harry were married, they did so in uniform. So here, the king is girding his sword on his side, clothing himself with splendour and majesty - because he has a job to do. He is to act for truth, humility and righteousness; displaying awesome deeds; defeating his enemies and conquering nations.
In a world of pain and fear and injustice, how we need a king like this! With all sorts of fake news and downright lies, we need someone to act on behalf of truth. In a world of social media which is obsessed with self-promotion and pride and self-importance, this king stands up for humility. And as for unrighteousness and wickedness - that’s what fills our newspapers and TV news, and courtrooms. But this king rides forth on behalf of righteousness.
This is the sort of king that we need. And this is the sort of king that is celebrated by the wedding singer. Now, maybe you think to yourself, this king sounds too good to be true. Maybe the wedding singer is only saying these things because he’s paid by the king. You know the saying - he who pays the piper calls the tune. And so it must be the wedding singer’s job to make the king look good. Is this just a bit of spin, some positive PR, at the heart of the government?
You would think so, especially with the way that he continues in verse 6. Remember, he’s speaking to the king, and then he says this: ‘Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a sceptre of justice will be the sceptre of your kingdom.’ Did you get that? He’s singing to the king, and then he calls him God. Is that right?
Well, look at how verse 7 continues. ‘You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.’
Put those two verses together, and what do you get? ‘Your throne, O God... Therefore God, your God...’ The king is described as God; who has a ‘God, your God’ So what’s going on here? As the singer sings of the royal wedding happening in front of him, it’s as if he is also seeing beyond those events to their fulfilment.
You sometimes hear of childhood sweethearts who met on the first day of P1, and when children, played at weddings. Then twenty years later, they are getting married for real. And so here, it’s as if the royal wedding he’s attending is just the playing at weddings compared to the real royal wedding - the wedding to end all weddings - the wedding at the end of time; the wedding between the king who is God and his bride.
Here in Psalm 45, as a royal wedding is happening, the wedding singer gets a glimpse of the real royal wedding, the same royal wedding that John is shown in Revelation 20-21. The groom is the king who is God - the Lord Jesus, who is the Messiah (the Christ), the anointed one.
Now, just in case you’re not sure of what I’ve been saying, just in case you think I’ve gone down the garden path, just think of how the New Testament uses Psalm 45. We heard it in our second reading, from Hebrews 1. The whole letter to the Hebrews is about convincing Jewish Christians to not go back to the temple religion; to instead stick with Jesus. And through the letter there are a number of comparisons, showing that Jesus is better than, for example, Moses, or the priesthood, or the sacrificial system.
And in Hebrews 1, Jesus is shown to be better than the angels. And one of the quotations from the Old Testament are these very verses from Psalm 45. And how are they introduced? ‘But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever...”’ (Heb 1:8-9)
Jesus is the conquering king; the one who rides on behalf of truth and humility and righteousness; the one whose throne is for ever and ever. And Jesus, the king, the royal bridegroom stands to receive his bride.
Now, whenever there’s a wedding, there’s always great interest in what the bride is wearing. And if I’ve been to a wedding on my own, I always have to take pictures , because ‘a white dress’ just doesn’t cut it as a description! Here, the bride is in gold of Ophir (9); her gown interwoven with gold (13); in embroidered garments (14).
In verse 10, the wedding singer speaks to the bride, the new queen. Here is the way to come to the king. ‘Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear: Forget your people and your father’s house. The king is enthralled by your beauty; honour him for he is your lord.’
Forget what lies behind; forget your past and focus on your relationship with him. Honour him, or bow to him, as other versions put it. There is joy and gladness at the celebrations, as she enters the palace of the king. He brings her in, and she finds her place beside him. The marriage has begun.
In the last two verses, the focus is back on the king himself. And it’s a future focus - your sons taking the place of your fathers, them becoming princes. But even more than that, the king will be remembered:
‘I will perpetuate your memory through all generations; therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever.’ (17)
A few years ago, when we were clearing out my granny’s house, we discovered her old wedding photo in a cupboard. None of us knew it was there. To be able to see granny and granda McMurray on their wedding day in .... was great. Their photo has lasted a long time, recording that special day. But even longer lasting is this psalm. Here is a record of a royal wedding so that thousands of years later we can see what he saw that day.
So how much more, then, the fulfilment of that day? The real royal wedding that that day pointed to; the real royal wedding that EVERY wedding points towards - the royal wedding when Jesus is united fully and finally with his bride, the church.
This best wedding is still to come. And you can be involved in it - not just as a wedding singer; nor even as a guest. You can be involved as the bride, the people of God, the church. The praise of Jesus, our king and our God, will resound for ever and ever. So why not come today, rsvp to the invitation; turn from all that’s past. Forget what’s behind, and bow to Jesus the king.
This sermon was preached in St Matthew's Church, Richhill on Sunday morning 12th August 2018.
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