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Study No.19 : Psa 45:1-9 : The Bridegroom

A. Find Out:

1. Who is being spoken about? v.2

2. What things is he encouraged to do? v.3-5

3. Who is then spoken about, and how? v.6

4. How is one then described in terms of outlook? v.7

5. How is he further described? v.8

6. What about him is further revealed? v.9

 

B. Think:

1. How is this psalm seen to be about a man?

2. How is he seen to be more than a mere man?

3. What does this psalm encourage him to do?

C. Comment:

   Without doubt this is a messianic psalm. It is about a man who is a ruler, but who shares so intimately that he is obviously far more than just another king. He is the coming Messiah.

    He is a man (v.2) whose words have divine blessing (v.2), who is being encouraged in the song to put on his royal splendour and go forth and conquer (v.3). Yet this is not an ordinary battle, this is a battle for truth, humility and justice (v.4). Then the throne that is being spoken about, is God's throne. Suddenly there is a blurring of the distinctions between this man's rule and God's rule (v.6). This king loves righteousness (v.7) and God has therefore elevated him. Verse 8 gives us a picture of this king beautifully dressed in wonderfully scented clothes as he enjoys the life of the palace. Then comes the final piece of the jigsaw: this king is also a bridegroom (v.9) with his bride at his side. That is why the heading of this psalm is a “Wedding Song”.

  In his public teaching Jesus referred to himself as a bridegroom (see Mk 2:19,20). In the book of Revelation (19:7) the picture is given of Jesus, the Lamb, coming together with his bride, the church. Immediately after he is shown as the coming conquering king (19:11 -16). Can this present psalm be interpreted in any other way? No.

 

D. Application:

1. Jesus is a conquering king. He comes to take a kingdom to himself.

2. Jesus is also the bridegroom, and he takes us to be his bride.

 

Study No.20 : Psa 45:10-17 : The Bride

A. Find Out:    

1. What is she counselled to do? v.10

2. What also is she to do and why? v.11

3. What will happen? v.12

4. How is she described? v.13-15

5. What of the future? v.16

6. How will she be viewed by others? v.17

 

B. Think:

1. Read again Rev 19:7,8

2. How is the bride viewed by the bridegroom?

3. How is the future more important than the past?

C. Comment:

   The second half of the psalm moves from the bridegroom to focus on the bride. If the first half was prophetic about Jesus, the second part must be prophetic about the church. Let's so view it.

   The first instruction is to forget the past (v.10b). Jesus also warned us not to look back (Lk 9:62). Lot 's wife failed by looking back (Gen 19:26 ). The Israelites grumbled because they “looked back” (Ex 16:3). In verse 16 she is told that her fruitfulness will mean she forgets the past. Be fruitful!

   The second instruction is to honour the Lord. Having committed yourself to him, go on and honour him - because he is so blessed by you. As we receive his love, our hearts should respond. As we respond to this love and are seen for what we are, the world will come and seek us out (v.12). They will seek Jesus in us.

   Verses 13-15 describe her beauty. Rev 19:8 tells us that the beauty of the clothes of the bride are her righteous acts. Increasingly as the time nears, the Lord will enable his bride to be dressed in more and more righteous acts.

   Finally, in eternity, all who look on will praise the Lord for the wonder of what they see God has done in His church (see Eph 3:10 ).

 

D. Application:

1. Jesus is preparing his bride for his return.

2. May our lives glorify him and draw others.

 

  

Study No.21 : Psa 46 : The Lord, our fortress

A. Find Out:    

1. How does the psalmist view the Lord here? v.1,7,11

2. What effect does that have on him? v.2,3

3. What supply is there for the city and what effect does it have? v.4

4. What comfort does the city have? v.5

5. What does the Lord do? v.6,8,9

6. So what are we counselled to do? v.10

 

B. Think:

1. How do verses 1-3 bring comfort?

2. How do verses 4 & 5 bring comfort?

3. How do verses 8 & 9 bring comfort?

C. Comment:

   Central to this psalm is the psalmist's knowledge of God as a refuge or fortress. We need such a refuge when things go wrong. For him, there is a sense of security in knowing the Lord.

  His first area of “things going wrong” is in the natural realm, so even if the natural elements around us break up under an earthquake (v.2 & 3) the psalmist feels secure in God.

  The next area is that of human conflict. Even if there are wars, he will be secure, for the Lord is one who brings an end to war when He sees the time is right.

  The comfort that the psalmist has in respect of these two areas - natural and human - is that God is in control. But his security comes from more that knowing that God is in control. It is also in the fact that the Lord is there in the city with them and where He is there is a continuous source of blessing flowing to them, a resource that makes the inhabitants of the city glad.

  Then comes a command: Be still! Why? Because then you will know He is the Lord. When we cease our strivings and come to a place of peace before Him, then we know He is the Lord, He is in control, He will provide. He is the Lord Almighty, our refuge, our fortress!

 

D. Application:

1. Rest in the knowledge of God's love for you.

2. He will protect you, He will provide for you. Be blessed!

 

 

Study No.22 : Psa 47 : God is King!

A. Find Out:    

1. What does the psalmist exhort us to do? v.1,6,7b

2. How is God described? v.2b,7a

3. What two things had He done for Israel ? v.3,4

4. How does the psalmist see the Lord? v.8

5. How are rulers seen? v.9

 

B. Think:

1. What reasons are given for describing God as king?

2. What response is expected of us?

3. How does this psalm change the usual perspective of the world?

C. Comment:

     This psalm reveals God as THE king. Rev 19:16 pictures Jesus coming as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Here God is shown as the supreme ruler. What is said that declares that?

    First there is the history of Israel . It was God who took Israel out of Egypt , subdued other nations before them and gave them an inheritance in the Promised Land. All of that was simply a miracle. The psalmist realised that Israel on their own could not have done this; that was the work of a sovereign God.

   Then there is a recognition of the greatness of God and the smallness of rulers. God had called Abraham forth, chosen to be the father of a special nation, and then God had looked after that family in such a way that kings had to humbly bow before Him. From Abram's earliest history the pharaoh of Egypt had to bow (Gen 12:17 -20), then warring kings were overcome (Gen 14:14 -16), and finally Abimelech had to bow (Gen 20:1-18). And so it went on, God showing Himself to be sovereign as he guarded this chosen people. No king, no ruler, can stand before God. The Creator of the world is sovereign Lord over them all. They are as little naughty children before Him.

   The result of all this? It should be praise and worship. He, the Lord, is worthy of our praise and adoration. May he receive it!

 

D. Application:

1. God IS sovereign, Lord of all the earth.

2. Only a fool fails to acknowledge Him.

 

   

Study No.23 : Psa 48 : Security in Jerusalem

A. Find Out:    

1. Where is God being praised? v.1,9

2. How is Jerusalem described? v.2

3. What effect does God's presence have there? v.3,8

4. What effect had it had on others? v.4-7

5. What had that resulted in? v.10.11

6. What did the psalmist counsel & what did it make him feel? v.14

 

B. Think:

1. What are we told about the description of Jerusalem in this psalm?

2. What impact had God's presence had?

3. What, therefore, is the overall message of this psalm?

C. Comment:

   The psalmist is aware of the wonderful presence of the Lord in Jerusalem . Mount Zion in Jerusalem was the place of Solomon's temple, and thus “ Zion ” became shorthand for “ Jerusalem , the place of God”. For the psalmist it is a place of beauty, a place of towers, ramparts and great walls. Within it was the temple, the visible dwelling place of God on earth.

   Because the Lord dwelt there it became a place of security. The psalmist described the Lord Himself as a fortress, a protection for them. Obviously armies had come against Jerusalem but had given up and fled. As a result the occupants had praised the Lord.

   As a general picture, we find God inhabiting the place of His people. Because He is there, invaders may come against His people but they will not prevail. There is an assumption here that the people are for God, because there were times when they took Him for granted and He eventually left them (see the major prophets). Yet when the relationship with the Lord is right, there is a sense of safety, of security, even in the face of enemy attack. When the Lord is honoured then He will protect and bless the place of His dwelling (see, for example, 1 Chron 13:14 ). We today are the place of His dwelling (1 Cor 6:19 )

 

D. Application:

1. Where the Lord is honoured, He will honour. (1 Sam 2:30)

2. Where the Lord dwells, there is security.

 

  

 Study No.24 : Psa 49 : Riches & Eternity

A. Find Out:  

1. What does the psalmist say he will do? v.1-4

2. What is the problem before him? v.5-9

3. So what does he declare? v.10-14

4. What mighty declaration does he make about himself? v.15

5. So what counsel does he give? v.16

6. For what reason? v.17-20

  

B. Think:

1. With whom does the psalmist have a problem?

2. How does he console himself about them?

3. What is his own assurance?

C. Comment:

   There are shades of the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes about this psalm! It's about the futility of riches without the knowledge of God. First of all the psalmist calls us to listen as he will expound wisdom. This is indeed a psalm of wisdom.

   The psalmist looks around him and sees that, while he is in difficult (possibly life threatening) straits, others around him have wealth and riches and seem to be unconcerned about life and about God. So he ponders on this situation.

   Why am I worrying, he seems to say to himself, we're really all the same; all of us whether rich or poor will die, and if one of us has a life threatening illness, say, no one else can pay out a ransom to save their life from death, and certainly can't pay out to affect their eternal destiny. No, the great and the glorious may seem to be well off and secure at the moment, but they can't stave off their moment of death, and when it comes they'll have to leave their homes and their riches to someone else. At that moment their wealth won't be able to help them, their destiny is just corruption in the grace. Then comes the mighty declaration - but God will redeem me for an eternal destiny to be with Him forever. What a testimony!

 

D. Application:

1. Trust in riches is deception. Trust is God is our only hope.

2. After death, what? For the Christian it is assured eternal life.

 

 

RECAP No.4  Psalms 45 - 49

    We continue, as previously to simply produce a table as a reminder of what we have recently been reading in the Summary, and then a similar table in the Lessons.

   

SUMMARY :

 

19	45:1-9	The Messiah, the Bridegroom
20	45:10-17	The church, the Bride
21	46	The city of God , our Refuge
22	47	God is the king, sovereign over all
23	48	Jerusalem , the dwelling place of God
24	49	Riches cannot guarantee an eternity with God

    

COMMENT :

 

   This group of psalms, as we overview them, we see extol the Lord in a variety of ways. He is seen as the Bridegroom who woos a wife – His church (Psa 45) the dweller of His city in heaven and on earth, living among His people (Psa 46 & 48), the one who is King over all. Seen like this, it makes riches and wealth seem of little importance (Psa 48) for they cannot guarantee our eternal destiny, only the Lord can.

   

LESSONS?

19	45:1-9	Jesus, the king, is also our bridegroom
20	45:10-17	Our loves, transformed by his love, draw others
21	46	With God there is security and blessing
22	47	His wonder should evoke praise & worship
23	48	His presence brings security in us
24	49	Trust in God, not in riches

 

PRAY :

     Lord, thank you so much that you dwell with us your people. You, who are the King of kings and Lord of lords, came down and dwelt among us and gave your life for us. Thank you so much for the wonder of that and the salvation you now give us, experiencing your presence.