Messiah the Mighty One appearing as King and Bridegroom

This, writes one, is “an epithalamium”, that is a wedding hymn between Christ and the church. Notice its title is a “Song of loves”, which gives it a direct affinity to the Song of Songs of Solomon. Indeed, Solomon’s epic poem is built upon this foundational song of his father, David.

David, in v. 1, writes from a full heart. The phrase, “inditing a good matter”, literally means, “to boil up”, bubbling up an ebullition of feelings or content. This is the result of contemplating the glory and majesty of Christ. David becomes the pen of a ready writer, as he is moved by the Holy Spirit to compose this eulogy of the greatness and the blessedness and beauty of the church.

The first half describes Christ, and the second the beauty and desirability of the Church dressed in His finished work and reflecting His glory. She is to forget her father’s house, and separate herself from the world and anything that would distract from her duty and love to her bridegroom and king. Anything that steals our hearts, loyalty and love to Christ is to be shunned. 

Pastor Jeff O’ Neil

Psalm 45 – Second Version (Short Metre)

¹My heart inditing is
Good matter in a song:
I speak the things that I have made,
Which to the King belong:

My tongue shall be as quick,
His honour to indite,
As is the pen of any scribe
That useth fast to write.

²Thou’rt fairest of all men;
Grace in thy lips doth flow:
And therefore blessings evermore
On thee doth God bestow.

³Thy sword gird on thy thigh,
Thou that art most of might:
Appear in dreadful majesty,
And in thy glory bright.

⁴For meekness, truth, and right,
Ride prosp’rously in state;
And thy right hand shall teach to thee
Things terrible and great.

⁵Thy shafts shall pierce their hearts
That foes are to the King;
Where by into subjection
The people thou shalt bring.

⁶Thy royal seat, O Lord,
For ever shall remain:
The sceptre of thy kingdom doth
All righ teousness maintain.

⁷Thou lov’st right, and hat’st ill;
For God, thy God, most high,
Above thy fellows hath with th’oil
Of joy anointed thee.

⁸Of myrrh and spices sweet
A smell thy garments had,
Out of the iv’ry palaces,
Whereby they made thee glad.

⁹And in thy glorious train
Kings’ daughters waiting stand;
And thy fair queen, in Ophir gold,
Doth stand at thy right hand.

¹⁰O daughter, take good heed,
Incline, and give good ear;
Thou must forget thy kindred all,
And father’s house most dear.

¹¹Thy beauty to the King
Shall then delightful be:
And do thou humbly worship him,
Because thy Lord is he.

¹²The daughter then of Tyre
There with a gift shall be,
And all the wealthy of the land
Shall make their suit to thee.

¹³The daughter of the King
All glorious is within;
And with embroideries of gold
Her garments wrought have been.

¹⁴She cometh to the King
In robes with needle wrought;
The virgins that do follow her
Shall unto thee be brought.

¹⁵They shall be brought with joy,
And mirth on ev’ry side,
Into the palace of the King,
And there they shall abide.

¹⁶And in thy fathers’ stead,
Thy children thou may’st take,
And in all places of the earth
Them noble princes make.

¹⁷I will show forth thy name
To generations all:
Therefore the people evermore
To thee give praises shall.