Supreme song in Psalm 45

Psalm 45 is a classic psalm written for the “head choir director,” hence its heading: “To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil. A Song of Loves.”

As Jordan explains, “This psalm wasn’t written just for anybody; it’s written for the Top Guy. That term Maschil, meaning to teach or to educate, tells you this psalm is designed not just to encourage or give comfort, but for its teaching and edification purposes.

“There are actually three of these kinds of psalms. One is Isaiah 5:1: ‘Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:’

“In other words, this is a love song that God sings with regard to, and concerning His purpose, for the nation Israel. The vineyard here is the nation Israel. Verse 7 says, ‘For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel.’

“The Song of Solomon begins, ‘The song of songs, which is Solomon's. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.'

“When it says ‘the song of songs,’ this means it’s the top, most important--BINGO! The Supreme Song. The song of all the songs of Solomon and, of course, it’s a song about the little flock’s loyalty to her beloved and her resistance to the seduction policy of the Adversary to draw her away from her husband.

“Psalm 45 is the third psalm of its kind. These psalms are designed to demonstrate the purpose God has in the nation Israel and the special love relationship and manifestation of His love in relationship for them.

“Psalm 42 begins the second book of the Psalms (indicated by a double ‘Amen’ preceding it) and deals with the Messiah as Israel’s Deliverer. The first set of the Psalms deals with Israel’s Redeemer.

“Psalm 42-44 talks about the need for Israel to have a Deliverer, and literally the songs are praying and seeking for and panting after, as Psalm 42 says, a Deliverer.

“So in Psalm 45, here comes the King! It’s, ‘The Deliverer is here!’ and if you wanted a title to the psalm, some people call it the 'Marriage Psalm.’

“The kingdom is ready to be established, and what you have here is the song that is sung after the king sets himself up as king and as he comes into the inaugural ball. I’m not suggesting there will be a dance, or any of that kind of thing, but you understand there is coronation celebration when someone is inaugurated.

“By the way, Psalm 46 is a psalm about the coming kingdom that He’s going to establish. Psalm 47 talks about the range or extent of His kingdom and how it’s going to encompass all the earth. Psalm 48 is about the center of His kingdom. It’s going to be ‘the city of God in the mountain of His holiness, beautiful for situations.’

“So you’re in a section here where the King comes and the kingdom is described, including its worldwide impact, and then that city where He reigns is the focal place of the earth.

“Psalm 45:6 is quoted in Hebrews 1:8 as a direct reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. The ‘He’ in the verse is God the Father. Notice how God the Father calls God the Son God? That’s one of the proof texts of the deity of Christ. He’s fully God as well as truly man. He’s God-man. God the Father calls Him God. 

“You read down through the psalm and you can easily spot songs we sing. That last verse is in the great old hymn that goes, ‘Out of the ivory palaces into a world of woe, only His great eternal love made my Savior go. My Lord has garments so wondrous fine, And myrrh their texture fills; Its fragrance reached to this heart of mine With joy my being thrills.’

“That’s what the verse is talking about. Hymn writers often write hymns right out of the Scripture. I know sometimes people chafe a little bit at the poetic license that people sometimes use in the hymns . . .

“There’s another great hymn that starts out, ‘Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature, O Thou of God and man the Son, Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor, Thou, my soul’s glory, joy and crown.’

“That comes from Psalm 45:2: ‘Thou art fairer than the children of men.’ The greatness of the King talks about how God the Father looks at Him and He sees Him as one in whom He finds all His joy and the greatness of who He is.

“That’s the first thing you do when you talk about a king on his coronation day; you talk about what a great hero he is.”

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Here is a great passage from the book, “Christ and His Bride; An Exposition of the Song of Solomon,” written by Cora Harris MacIlravy in 1916:

Are you longing for a continual consciousness of His presence? Then must you pass through that lowly door into the chamber of Humility, and there must you evermore abide. There you will find your Beloved waiting to reveal Himself to you more clearly; waiting to take up His abode with you more intimately; waiting to lead you into every chamber of His treasure house, and to lead you on from faith to faith, from victory to victory, from glory to glory.

It is when the King has begun to lead the bride into His precious chambers, that she says: ‘We will be glad and rejoice in Thee.’ There was a time when she rejoiced in that which He was doing for her; when she sought the experiences, looking upon them and rejoicing in them.

But when she was passed a little further into the chambers of the King, love for Him fills her heart and rises up within her like mighty, increasing fountains. She no longer looks upon what He is doing as being the object of her search; she loses all sight of all experiences as apart from Him. By faith Her eyes are fastened more continually upon Him, and she is glad and rejoices in Him . . .

The bride will not be satisfied with imaginary victory, which is really the deceptive peace of not entering in. She will strengthen herself in the Lord and put on His whole armor. She will fight the good fight and finish her course. She will not mistake the call, and revelation of God, for possession. She will not be content with visions and passing glimpses of the land of promises, but by faith she will walk up and down through the land and begin to possess her possessions. She will become more than conqueror through Him who loved her. . .

It is a means of humiliation, and the way to a most precious place of humility down at His feet, when we reach the place where we can see our weakness and unloveliness apart from Him; and at the same time apprehend and appropriate His power and enabling at every step. We then begin to comprehend that all that has been done in us and for us, is through unmerited favor; and that the glory all belongs to Him who wrought it.

At the same time that we see ourselves as we would be apart from His imputed merit, He helps us to behold ourselves in Him; righteous and beautiful through our union with Him in the work of His great Salvation. As she meditates upon His drawing; and recalls the chambers into which she has already entered; and that which she has already received, her desire for His presence and for divine fellowship increases; her love goes out with more fervor, and there is deeper intensity in her prayer that she may know where to find Him . . .

All that the world or any creature can give, is as ashes to that hungry soul who is longing for a revelation of her Lord. Nothing else can satisfy, nothing else can bring peace and joy. All other love is as husks, to the love and companionship of God, and to the love which He draws from the heart that is yielded to Him.

It was that fervent love and abandonment that caused the bride to carry out: ‘I have suffered the loss of all things that I may know Christ' . . . This is a solace to the bride, as she obeys His voice and follows in the footsteps of the flock; as she hastens on guided by Him, though unseen, along that path which grows plainer as she goes forward. . .

She has entered a place of communion with Him such as she has never had before; communion that is deep and full of peace and feeding upon Him in uninterrupted quiet. A fellowship where she both feeds and rests in His presence. An intimacy in which He sets before her the hidden manna and fills her cup to overflowing with living water. A holy familiarity, which floods her soul with joy and peace; peace that flows like a river and passes all understanding . . . 

He, in whom is all the perfume of Heaven and earth, has taken up His abode within her, and He has not come in for just a little while, but He will stay there through all the dark night of this dispensation. The word ‘lieth,’ means to ‘remain over night; to abide permanently.’

He is our precious bundle of Myrrh; He is the secret treasure whose perfume fills our hearts and is for us alone. All the perfume that is ever perfected in us, comes from this hidden Heavenly Myrrh. We are told here that it is all the night this little bundle of Myrrh abides . . . 

As Christ fills this space, there is no room for anybody or anything else. More than all other attractions is He to us. . . His odors steal us over; and we are conscious of the fact that, however dark it is and however alone we feel, ‘Closer is He than breathing and nearer than hands and feet.’

. . . The bride first supped with Him out in the green pastures beside the still waters, but now He spreads before her a banquet. His Banqueting House is that relation with Him, into which He brings those who have followed hard after Him and are counting all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Him; those who are willing to go all the way with Him, no matter where it brings them or what it means. It is a foretaste of the revelation of Himself and His everlasting love, which only Eternity can fully reveal . . .

The bride sees His banner floating over her, which is His own name, ‘Love.’ It was through love that He conquered her and carried her away a love captive for Himself. ‘We love Him because He first loved us.’ ‘While we were yet weak, Christ died for the ungodly.’ ‘I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.’