Prayer – Lord, show me something in Your word today that
I can apply to my life. May everything I think, say and do bring glory, honor,
and praise to You, Lord God Almighty. Along with the nations of the earth, I praise
You—forever.
Beautiful words stir my heart. I will recite a lovely
poem about the king, for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet. You are
the most handsome of all. Gracious words stream from your lips. God himself has
blessed you forever. Put on your sword, O mighty warrior! You are so glorious,
so majestic! In your majesty, ride out to victory, defending truth, humility,
and justice. Go forth to perform awe-inspiring deeds! Your arrows are sharp,
piercing your enemies' hearts. The nations fall beneath your feet. Your throne,
O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice. You love
justice and hate evil. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you, pouring out
the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else. Myrrh, aloes, and cassia
perfume your robes. In ivory palaces the music of strings entertains you.
Kings' daughters are among your noble women. At your right side stands the
queen, wearing jewelry of finest gold from Ophir! Listen to me, O royal
daughter; take to heart what I say. Forget your people and your family far
away. For your royal husband delights in your beauty; honor him, for he is your
lord. The princess of Tyre will shower you with gifts. The wealthy will beg
your favor. The bride, a princess, looks glorious in her golden gown. In her
beautiful robes, she is led to the king, accompanied by her bridesmaids. What a
joyful and enthusiastic procession as they enter the king's palace! Your sons
will become kings like their father. You will make them rulers over many lands.
I will bring honor to your name in every generation. Therefore, the nations
will praise you forever and ever. Psalm 45:1-17
Meditate. Consider the grandeur and the joyous entrance of the
King and his bride in their royal robes and the magnificent smell of the
perfumes wafting through the procession.
I read in a commentary that C.S. Lewis suggested this
passage, Psalm 45, was referring to the birth of Christ, the arrival of the great
warrior—the bridegroom—with great joy and celebration. Jesus Christ is indeed
the King of kings, Lord of lords. This passage describes Him as more beautiful than
any others, and we could consider other interpretations of “fairer” to be as
more powerful or impartial. Look at the verse that describes the gracious words
that the King spoke. Near the beginning of His ministry Jesus was spoken of as using
gracious words.
 |
| Scroll at a synagogue in Israel. |
When he came
to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue
on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the
prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where
this was written: "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed
me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives
will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free,
and that the time of the LORD's favor has come." He rolled up the scroll,
handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked
at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. "The Scripture you've
just heard has been fulfilled this very day!" Everyone spoke well of him
and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. "How
can this be?" they asked. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" Luke
4:16-22 (Underlined for emphasis.)
In the book of Revelation there is a description of Jesus,
King of kings and Lord of lords, riding on a white horse.
Then I saw
heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named
Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes
were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written
on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood,
and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest
of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp
sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will
release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a
winepress. On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings
and Lord of all lords. Revelation 19:11-16
Note that the sword comes from His mouth. Recall other places
in scripture that talk about the sword…as in the sword of the Spirit, which is
the Word of God. This verse below is from Paul’s letter to the church at
Ephesus concerning putting on the armor of God so that Christians can withstand
the evil strategy of the devil.
Put on
salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word
of God. Ephesians 6:17
God has blessed Jesus, because of His obedience, loving
justice and hating evil. This passage in Psalm 45 tells us that God has anointed
Jesus with the oil of joy. This is repeated in Hebrews 1:9. Are you anointed
with joy, like Jesus?
What do you think of the verse…Your sons will become
kings like their father. You will make them rulers over many lands…?
Another translation, the King James Version, states this as making
the sons princes. Appointing or regarding them as such. This past week we just
saw a prince become a king as Prince Charles became King Charles. But some
people interpret this passage, and others, as to indicate that those who faithfully
believe in Jesus as their Savior will serve Him as kings and priests as
described in Revelation.
And when he
took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down
before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with
incense, which are the prayers of God's people. And they sang a new song with
these words: "You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and
open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation. And you have caused them
to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the
earth." Revelation 5:8-10
Now is the time to make the choice to faithfully serve our
Lord, if someday you want to serve God as a king or priest. Only the faithful
believers will be given that honor and privilege. You may think you just want
to make it into heaven…but consider how you could serve Jesus someday reigning
with and for Him. Just like Joshua and the early Hebrew people as they were
just about to cross into the Promised Land were challenged…chose this day whom
you will serve. How can you serve the Lord?
Verses of Salvation ~ This is a trustworthy saying, and
everyone should accept it: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners"—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that
Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even
the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him
and receive eternal life. All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is
the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen. 1
Timothy 1:15-17
Memory Verse of the Week ~ In the same way, let your good
deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly
Father. Matthew 5:16
`© 2022 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Books by Mickey M. Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks
at Amazon.com
Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for
Building Character
Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories
