| A WEDDING FIT FOR A KING |
| Why should this poem be found in a book of prayers? |
| Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever. 45:6 |
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| In the middle of a book of heartfelt prayers, a wedding poem suddenly appears. Does Psalm 45 belong here? Its "noble theme" (verse 1) is not God's kindness, but the excellence of his majesty the king as he prepares to take a bride. While most of the psalms express an intimacy with God that could have been written yesterday, "thrones," "scepters," and royal robes make us think of an old Hollywood epic. To understand why this psalm was included we need to know, first, that the king in biblical times was more than just a symbol. He was the president and the commanding general and the chief justice of the Supreme Court, all rolled into one. An unjust or cowardly king could cost his people their lives. A clever, successful king, on the other hand, could assure them of prosperity. When the Israelites wished the king well, therefore, they wished themselves well. Seeing their king decked out in finery was like looking at a picture of their own success. And when their king made a happy and fruitful marriage, it assured them of stable leadership for years to come. The king's welfare represented the welfare of God's people. The Promise to David David was the first good king Israel had known. God had told David that his "house" would endure forever (2 Samuel 7:16). This meant that Israel would endure, too. When David's people combined this promise with the other benefits God had promised to Abraham and Moses, they could foresee a great future for their small, poor, war-weary nation. Yet David's descendants disappointed these hopes. Israel remained a small, hemmed-in nation. Gradually, Israelites began to expect another king who would live up to the Bible's praises and promises. They called him "the Anointed," |