Psalm 45.
The subject of this beautiful Psalm is given in the writer's own words in the first verse — "The King"; and he leaves us in no doubt as to who the King is, for in verse 4 He is addressed as God, and in verse 5 He is viewed in the perfections of His Manhood. There is only One who answers to this description, and the Holy Spirit in quoting from this Psalm in Hebrews 1 tells us that the King is none other than the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ.
While pondering his subject the heart of the Psalmist overflows; the beauty and glories of the King are so affecting that, by the Spirit, his "tongue is the pen of a ready writer." There is not a blemish to be found in this glorious King, not a stain on His character with which He can be reproached, nothing that requires to be hidden from the searching gaze, not a shadow to impair His deep perfections, and nothing to restrain the expression of admiration of His personal qualities and royal glory.
The Spirit of God first of all delineates the features of the King that are portrayed typically in David, though the antitype infinitely excels what is seen in the type. When David is first seen in Scripture his appearance is recounted in the words, "Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to" (1 Sam. 16:12). David, chosen from among the sons of Jesse to be God's king, was indeed fair to look upon, but the One he foreshadowed was "fairer than the children of men." There are many excellent moral qualities to be seen in such men as Abraham,
Moses, David and Daniel, who were outstanding among the children of men, but Jesus stands alone, unique in His moral perfections, the only One upon whom the Father could look with unbroken delight, and declare from the opened heavens His pleasure in Him. Every moment of that holy life was lived for the Father's will in perfect devotion and obedience; His every motive pure and unsullied, His every step taken in dependence upon God for God's glory and the blessing of men.
From the inward springs of His being grace poured into the lips of Jesus, for the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth not only declared God's disposition towards men, but were the expression of His own heart of love. The hidden springs of His nature were revealed in the words He spoke, for He was in Himself altogether what He spoke. Servants of the Lord have, in their measure, expressed in their lives what they ministered from God, but with all there were imperfections and failure; only in Jesus was there perfect accord between His life and His words. Men often conceal their true character, thoughts and feelings, in words spoken to please their hearers, but it was not so with Jesus; His words of grace came from a heart touched by the need of men and moved with pity and desire to bless.
Though men had no desire for Christ's grace, and though they manifested their hatred towards Him in seeking to take His life, after wondering at the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth, God was delighted with Him, and with all that He was in Manhood here: therefore does the Psalmist pen, "God hath blessed Thee for ever." Christ's present place in glory at God's right hand is not only the answer to all He wrought on the cross for the will of God, when He procured redemption; it is also the answer to all that He was for God's pleasure in His holy life of obedience in which all His perfections arose constantly as a sweet savour to the Father.
Very soon, the Lord Jesus as the true David, the warrior King, will appear to subjugate all His foes. His present session at God's right hand is until His foes are made the footstool of His feet, and with this in view comes the divine call, "Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O most mighty, with Thy glory and Thy majesty, and in Thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and Thy right hand shall teach Thee terrible things."
Once the Lord of heaven, God's King, appeared on earth in lowly guise for the blessing of men, but men treated Him shamefully, heaping upon Him every in-dignity that the evil of his nature, engendered by the malice of Satan, could devise; and although God took the occasion of man's wickedness to accomplish the great work of redemption, He was not indifferent to all that man did to His well-beloved Son. Men have had centuries in which to repent of what they did to Jesus, and all who have repented and turned to God have received forgiveness and the richest of heavenly blessings in Christ; but God will shortly bring judgment upon the world that so dishonoured His Son, and His King will be the instrument of divine retribution.
Grace and blessing poured from the lips of Jesus on earth, and while in longsuffering God has waited, His servants have proclaimed the Glad Tidings of free salvation, and have shared Christ's place of suffering and rejection; but the day is near when "The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess. 1:7-8). "Terrible things" will fall upon this guilty world which continues to reject God's overtures in grace.
Truth, meekness and righteousness were all seen in their perfection in Jesus. He was not only "The Truth," but He is "The True," the perfect expression of all that God is in His nature and disposition towards men, and thoroughly reliable in all things and at all times. Men took advantage of His meekness to insult, reject and abuse Him, and to mock Him when they had nailed Him on a malefactor's cross. How varied were His sufferings, and among them His suffering for righteousness' sake. God has already honoured His Son for all that He was for Him here by seating Him at His right hand, but the day is near when, in His majesty, He shall "ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness." His walk on earth did not appear to prosper when He was cut off and had nothing; but He will ride prosperously when He comes forth out of heaven to put down all evil and introduce God's blessings on earth.
As the true David His right hand will be stretched forth for the deliverance of His people Israel, and in the execution of terrible judgments on their enemies. The enemies of the godly remnant of Israel are His enemies, and His arrows of retribution will be sharp in their hearts. Those among the nations of the earth who are not slain in the judgments will be brought into subjection, and will own Him as Lord, paying tribute to Him. Having brought peace through judgments to this troubled earth, the work of the true David will be over, and the time will have come for Christ to reign as the true Solomon.
Before the Psalmist describes the glories of Christ's coming kingdom, the Spirit of God speaks of the personal glory of the King, and of the perfections of His Manhood. Only of the true God could it be written, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever," and this is the personal glory of Jesus, God's King. The One who is fairer than the children of men is none other than the Son of God, the creator of the universe, whose throne is eternal, without beginning and without end. If the Son of God has humbled Himself and become Man, and men have taken the occasion of His lowly mind to deny His true glory, the Father has jealously safeguarded the honour of the Son in such Scriptures as these.
The throne of David, and those of every earthly monarch pass away, but the throne of God is outside of time, and will never pass away. Yet, in wondrous grace, the One to whom the eternal throne belongs has condescended to take a kingdom on earth, and although men refused to own His title, He will yet reign from the river to the ends of the earth, and the sceptre of His kingdom will be "a right sceptre"; righteousness marking His millennial reign of glory.
The King is so truly God that it can be written "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever"; He is so truly Man that it can also be said to Him, "God Thy God, hath anointed Thee"; and that God has given Him companions from among men to share His joy.
The apostle John writes of Jesus, "He is the true God and eternal life" (1 John 5:20); but the Son of God was also the true Man. Manhood in Christ was not only real, it was perfect; His every thought and desire being for the pleasure and will of God; One to whom God could entrust the carrying out of His purpose, confident that all His counsels would be brought to full fruition. What holy and infinite delight there was for God in the Second Man, the Man out of heaven, the Son of Man that He made strong for Himself. Only of Him could it be written in an absolute way. "Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness." This was true of Him in every moment of His life on earth, and it is true of Him where He is now in the glory of God. As having received His life, we have a life that loves righteousness and hates evil; but we have the flesh in us, which hates righteousness and loves evil. If we allow the flesh to assert itself, it must he judged; but there was nothing to judge in Jesus, nothing on which the enemy could act, even as He said, "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me" (John 14:30).
Because of the grace and perfections that marked Jesus as Man, God anointed Him with the oil of gladness. The perfections of Jesus brought Him untold sorrow and suffering. It is not possible for us to enter into all that it meant for One in whom there was no sin to be in a world of sinners, to be surrounded by men who hated righteousness and loved wickedness. His nature was intrinsically holy, and His capacity for sorrow and suffering infinite. His love of righteousness and hatred of evil led Him to the cross. He suffered all the way to the cross: He suffered in anticipation of the cross; and He suffered on the cross. Man's unrighteousness condemned Him to die, and He suffered at the hands of men for righteousness a martyr's death; but God took the occasion of man's unrighteousness in slaying His Son to manifest His righteousness in dealing with the question of evil; and "made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21).
Having come out of death, His sorrows and sufferings are for ever gone, and now He is the Man of joy, anointed with the oil of gladness. Through His death, He has secured companions who have been made the sharers of His joy: but the One who went into the depths of sorrow, shame and suffering, must have the chief and highest place of joy. How great is the grace that has called us to share His joy; and how blessed for Him to have the joy in the midst of those for whom He died to make them His companions in the day of His glory and in the scene where His joy is complete.