Click here to read PSALM 45 in poetic form.
Background
This Psalm has the title “A Song of loves.” It includes a section on the king (verses 2-8) and a section on the queen (verses 9-16). Some think it refers to Hezekiah and his wife Hephzi-bah (II Kings 21:1; Isaiah 62:4). Yet Isaiah 62 is full of references to the coming Messiah who fulfills that “salvation cometh” for the “redeemed of the Lord” (Isaiah 62:11,12). And Isaiah 62:5 says: “as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.” Jesus Christ was the bridegroom for Israel and spoke of himself in parables to that end (Matthew 9:15; 25:1,5,6,10; Mark 2:19,20; Luke 5:34,35; John 3:29).
This Psalm is one of the most obvious prophecies about Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. Verses 6 and 7 of this Psalm are quoted in Hebrews 1:8,9 to show that Jesus Christ as God’s Messiah is greater in authority than the angels.
Let’s see Hebrews 1 and note what it is saying. It quotes from numerous Old Testament sources to show to the “Hebrews” who Jesus Christ is and what he did for us. Listed below are the verses from Hebrews 1 along with these Old Testament quotes.
Note the structure of Hebrews 1:
Verses 1,2
God has spoken in these last times by way of His Son, Jesus Christ
Verses 3,4
As the Messiah at God’s right hand, Jesus Christ has more authority (a greater name) than any angel
Old Testament quotations in Hebrews 1 to prove this:
Verse 5
Psalms 2:7: “I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.” JESUS CHRIST IS A PERSON, GOD’S ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, NOT A SPIRIT BEING LIKE AN ANGEL
II Samuel 7:14: “I will be his father, and he shall be my son.” GOD WOULD LITERALLY BE THE MESSIAH’S FATHER
Verse 6
Deuteronomy 32:43 (Septuagint): “let all the angels of God worship him.” THE MESSIAH IS SECOND IN AUTHORITY UNDER GOD, THEREFORE ANGELS GIVE HIM THAT HONOR
Verse 7
Psalms 104:4: “Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire.” ANGELS ARE SPIRIT BEINGS WHO MINISTER FOR GOD
Verses 8,9
Psalms 45:6,7: “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” THE MESSIAH’S THRONE IS FOREVER. HIS GOD HAS ANOINTED HIM AS THE MESSIAH
Verses 10-12
Psalms 102:25-27: “Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.” GOD IS THE AUTHORITY OVER ALL. HE IS THE CREATOR AND THE SAME FOR ALL TIME.
Verse 13
Psalms 110:1: “The Lord [Jehovah, God] said unto my Lord [adon, the Messiah], Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” GOD THE CREATOR GAVE HIS AUTHORITY TO HIS SON, SO THAT THE MESSIAH IS LORD OVER ALL THINGS, INCLUDING ANGELS
Psalm 45 includes a postscript “for the sons of Korah.” Regarding the sons of Korah, I Chronicles 9:19 says: “And Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brethren, of the house of his father, the Korahites, were over the work of the service, keepers of the gates of the tabernacle: and their fathers, being over the host of the Lord, were keepers of the entry.” They were responsible for service in the tabernacle and later the Temple. The postscript also includes “upon Alamoth,” which relates to maidens.
Structure
(Verse 1) David’s joy at writing of the coming Messiah
(Verses 2-9) Messiah’s majesty and authority under God
(Verses 10-16) Messiah’s bride and blessings under him
(Verse 17) David’s joy at writing of the coming Messiah
Key Scriptures
Verse 1—“I speak of the things which I have made touching the king.” I speak of the actions of the great king, the Messiah.
Verse 2—“grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.” This can be said of Jesus Christ who brought “grace and truth” (John 1:17).
Verse 6—“Thy throne, O God [Elohim], is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.” This refers to the Messiah as “O God.” This use of the Hebrew word Elohim referring to men is found in other Old Testament records. Moses is called by this title in Exodus 7:1: “And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god [Elohim] to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.” It refers to judges of Israel in Exodus 22:28: “Thou shalt not revile the gods [Elohim], nor curse the ruler of thy people.” In John 10:34, “Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?” He was quoting Psalms 82:6, which says: “I have said, Ye are gods [Elohim]; and all of you are children of the most High.” All of these uses of Elohim refer to men, just as Psalm 45:6 refers to the Messiah, also a man.
Verse 7—“therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee.” The word for “anointed” is mashach, which gives us the word Messiah, anointed one. This verse refers to Jesus Christ, according to Hebrews 1:9. The phrase, “therefore God [Elohim], thy God [Elohim] ” could be addressing the Messiah as “God” as explained above in verse 6. Or it could be saying that God is the Messiah’s God. Either way, Jesus Christ is a man and not the Creator.
Verse 17—“I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations.” This is true of Jesus Christ.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
All 150 of The Psalms in Poetic Form are available from Amazon in a book, either Large Print or a smaller Bedside Reader. Also available for free with a Kindle Unlimited membership. Enjoy!
The entire blog series is now available in the publication The Psalms: Background & Structure with Key Scriptures Explained.
