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.
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| Scroll at a synagogue in Israel. |
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
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