The King’s Bride

Day 45.

Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear:
forget your people and your father’s house,
¹¹ and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him.
¹² The people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts,
the richest of the people.
¹³ All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.
¹⁴ In many-colored robes she is led to the king,
with her virgin companions following behind her.
¹⁵ With joy and gladness they are led along
as they enter the palace of the king. (Ps 45:10-15 ESV)

I can’t help but grin at God this morning. I’m performing a wedding in a few hours and I come across this Psalm in my reading – which is about a wedding! In particular, it is about a woman, probably a daughter of a neighboring nation’s king, who is about to marry the king of Israel. Why is this psalm in the Bible? It looks like something that ought to be in the Song of Solomon. It is even more amazing to realize that this is a woman from Tyre (i.e. not part of the covenant people) that is being married to the king.

I can’t help but thinking about the excitement the people have for the wedding, and the anticipation the psalm produces for a wedding of our own as the bride of Christ. God often speaks about Israel as His bride so the connection is not lost on the Old Testament readers. The New Testament gives us such a more clear picture of this as we see Jesus, the King, wedding His bride, the Church in the last scene. And what a glorious wedding it is! She has been made radiant as He has washed her by His own sacrifice. He has provided a beautiful garment by His own righteous living. What joy and gladness will there be among all of creation (cf. Ro 8:18-19) as they are invited to this wedding!

Do you get excited at weddings? What goes through your mind when you see the bride for the first time?

Chronological Reading Plan plus Psalms: Lev 5-7, Ps 45