Revival and Renewal

Psalm 45

There’s nothing quite like a wedding. Look far and wide, and in almost every culture you’ll find traditions, celebrations, and rituals signaling when two people leave their father and mother and become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). The Bible is full of weddings, too. The Song of Solomon is all about two lovers and the craving they have as they await the wedding day. Jesus performs his first miracle at a wedding feast to keep the party going (John 2:1-11). David describes the sunrise as a “bridegroom leaving his chamber” decked out and ready for the big day (Psalm 19:5). Psalm 45 describes such a bridal procession, as the king and his betrothed come together for the ceremony. 

There is one wedding in Scripture, a wedding that in fact all other weddings prefigure and allude to. As in all weddings, there is a bride and a groom, a procession, a uniting of the two into one, and a feast. In this wedding, Christ is the groom, and we are his bride (Ephesians 5:25-27; Revelation 19:6-8). John sees a day when the procession will begin, and the heavenly Jerusalem will descend “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:2). At this moment, two will become one (Revelation 21:3-4). And then the feast comes: the wedding supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9). 

As we look back to Psalm 45, we see this wedding pictured dimly. In verses 1-9, the psalmist (who has described this as “a love song” in the inscription) praises the king adorned for his wedding day. He is anointed with spices and oil (v.7). He rides out on his chariot (v.4). He is decked out in splendor and majesty, sword and all (v.2-3, 8). The psalmist gets so carried away that he exclaims in verse 6, “your throne, O God, is forever and ever!” It was common to ascribe divinity to kings in the ancient world (Psalm 82:6) and was intended as a form of flattery. But the author of Hebrews picks this verse up and shows how this psalmist is really talking about the true King, the King of kings himself, the Lord Jesus (Hebrews 1:8-9). This King, coming in the splendor as a bridegroom, is a picture of the One we await to come and take his bride to himself. 

In verses 10-17, we read about the king’s bride. She waits for the bridegroom with abandon, focused fully on him (vv.10-12). She adorns herself with splendor, joy, gladness, reverence and awe (vv.13-15, see Hebrews 12:28-29, 1 Peter 3:4). And she waits in hope, knowing that her identity and destiny are now wrapped up in the King (vv.16-17). So, as we await our wedding day, we know how to wait: with single focus on our King; adorned with holiness, purity, and reverence; and full of hope, seeing how our whole life is wrapped up in the coming of the King.