... in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Amen. Through the prayers of our
holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us. Amen. Glory
to You, our God, Glory to You.
O Heavenly King,
the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things,
Treasury of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us
from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy
Immortal, have mercy on us (three times).
Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the
beginning, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
To the chief Musician on Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah,
Maschil, A Song of loves.
My heart is recording a good matter. I speak of the things that I have made
touching the king. My tongue [is] the pen of a ready writer.
You are fairer than the children of men. Grace is poured on Your lips. Therefore, God has blessed You forever. Gird Your sword on [Your] thigh, O [most]
mighty, with Your Glory and Your majesty.
In Your majesty ride prosperously, because of truth, meekness, [and] righteousness. Your right hand shall teach You terrifying
things. Your arrows [are] sharp in the heart of the king’s
enemies. The people fall under You.
Your throne, O God, [is] forever and ever. The scepter
of Your kingdom [is] a scepter of
justice (right). You love righteousness,
and hate wickedness. Therefore, God, Your
God, has Christened You with the oil of gladness above Your fellows.[2] All Your garments [smell] of myrrh, aloes, [and]
cassia, from the ivory palaces, whereby they have made You glad.
Kings’ daughters [were] among Your honorable women. On Your right hand stood the queen in gold of
Ophir. Listen, O daughter, Consider, Incline
your ear. Forget also your own people,
and your father’s house. So shall the
king greatly desire your beauty: for he [is]
your Lord. Worship Him. The daughter of Tyre [shall be there] with a gift.
The rich among the people shall beg your favor. The king’s daughter [is] all glorious within. Her
clothing [is] of wrought gold. She shall be brought to the king in raiment
of needlework. The virgins, her companions
that follow her, shall be brought to You.
With gladness and rejoicing, they shall be brought. They shall enter the king’s palace.
Instead of your fathers, shall be your
children, whom you may make princes in all the earth. I will make your name to be remembered in all
generations. Therefore, the people shall
praise you forever and ever.[3]
[1] The
title shows us that this is a love song.
The author's preface indicates that the author is very excited about
being chosen for this honor: his role is that of poet laureate. The subject matter divides itself into two
main parts, with a brief conclusion indicating the further development of the
kingdom. We have separated a portion of
the first part for special emphasis, not because the subject matter has
changed, but because it is so clearly messianic, being part of the introduction
of Hebrews 1. Nevertheless, the king’s
throne cannot really be distinguished from the king’s righteous character. Likewise the conclusion is really attached to
the queen’s character and cannot be distinguished from it. The Psalm looks first at Solomon as the type
(icon) of the perfect messianic king, and then to Jesus who is the reality of
the perfect messianic king. In Jesus,
the things we perceive as serious flaws in the life of Solomon, are turned into
good, as Jesus, the true Solomon, consummates the royal wedding. It is not accidental that the name Solomon
means Peace.
The king is flawless, both in his strength and behavior. This is an idealized standard to which
Solomon could never attain. The king’s weapons
(his sword and his arrows) are seen as overpowering (the people fall) and
terrifying. Even so these weapons are “truth, meekness, and righteousness.”
We now understand that to be conquered by this king is to be blessed by
his redemption. Solomon’s reign lasted a
mere forty years, but the true Solomon will reign eternally. He is Christ, the Anointed or Christened
One. Consequently, His life is a sweet
smelling aroma to the Father.
The king perfects His bride until she is a
worthy match for the king. Her beauty is
unexcelled. She is to worship the
King. “God became man so that man could
become god.” It would have been gross
idolatry for any of Solomon’s wives to worship him. This speaks of the Bride of Christ, The
Church who worships God, her King appropriately. Even Solomon’s sin in the accumulation of
wives pictures a type (icon) of the kingdom of God; here in the description of
the exceptional bridesmaids. These are a
picture of the many Gentiles, who will join the Israelites in the worship of
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
We now know that these are all joined together as the One Bride of
Christ: for the walls of partition have been torn down (Ephesians 2:14-18).
The Spiritual consummation of the perfect royal
couple results in salvation that spreads throughout the whole earth and for all
time (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:14-18).
As the King’s character is most visible in His enthronement, so the queen’s
character is most visible in her rich productivity, giving birth to redeemed
children. The outcome of this Glorious
growth is eternal praise for God.
[2] Hebrews
1:8-9
[3] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations in
Psalms, please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish.
These meditations are not controlled by
Creative Commons or other licenses, such as: copyright, CC, BY, SA, NC, or ND. They are designed and intended for your free
participation. They were freely
received, and are freely given. No other
permission is required for their use.
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