Psalm 45

¹ My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.
² You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever.
³ Gird your sword upon your side, O mighty one; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
⁴ In your majesty ride forth victoriously in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness; let yourright hand display awesome deeds.
⁵ Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies; let the nations fall beneath your feet.
⁶ Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
⁷ You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.
⁸ All your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory the music of the strings makes you glad.
⁹ Daughters of kings are among your honored women; at your right hand is the royal bride in gold of Ophir.
¹⁰ Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear: Forget your people and your father’s house.
¹¹ The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord.
¹² The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift, men of wealth will seek your favor.
¹³ All glorious is the princess within her chamber; her gown is interwoven with gold.
¹⁴ In embroidered garments she is led to the king; her virgin companions follow her and are brought to you.
¹⁵ They are led in with joy and gladness; they enter the palace of the king.
¹⁶ Your sons will take the place ofyour fathers; you will make them princes throughout the land.
¹⁷ I will perpetuate your memory through all generations; therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever.

This psalm can only refer to one person and that is Christ. The writer of the book of Hebrews uses this verse in chapter one to introduce Christ, God’s son, as the one who has provided purifications for sins and is now seated at the right hand of God in heaven. This process of our growth in understanding why God provide redemption through Christ for mankind is a mystery I cannot fully understand; however, it is psalms such as this psalm that makes it so real to me. Paul states it better in Philippians 3:8 as I count all things loss for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus. The goal of this knowledge is to be found in him and to obtain the righteousness that is provided by our faith in him. The end result is that we will know Christ and that the new life given to us by the result of his resurrection and by our partaking in his suffering will make us more Christ like so that we will become sons of God. No wonder this psalm starts out with the phase “My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the King”. When studying the Bible, I hope that Christ is the noble theme that you look for in your studies.