The King in His Glory (4)

Opening Prayer: Psalm 45.9
Kings’ daughters are among Your honorable women;
At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.

Sing Psalm 45.9
(Manoah: When All Your Mercies, O My God)
In gold the queen at Your right hand, with princesses around,
resplendent with You takes her stand while glories great abound.

Read Psalm 45.9-12

Preparation
1. What are the “qualifications” for being queen?

2. What promises are made to the queen?

Meditation
The greatness of the King is reflected in His choice of queens. She rules with Him at His right hand, adorned with gold and thus radiant as He (v. 9). She is completely and unqualifiedly committed to him, all other commitments taking a back seat in her life (v. 10). The King greatly desires her beauty because He sees His own beauty in her (v. 11). The King is not only her Husband but her Lord; thus, the queen worships Him as she should (v. 11). The “daughters of Tyre” represent the Gentile nations that brought their gifts to Solomon and his queen, just as the wealthy in the land looked to her for her blessing (v. 12).

All this was real in the sons of Korah’s day, but what it symbolizes is much more than a moment in the history of Israel. Verse 9 anticipates the words Jesus spoke concerning those who would follow Him and thus become His bride and family (Matt. 10.37; 12.50). The queen is seated with her Lord just as we who believe in Him have been seated with Christ in heavenly places (Eph. 2.6). The beauty Jesus sees in His Church is the garment of righteousness God provides for us in Him (cf. 2 Cor. 5.21), which is the Lord Jesus Himself (Rom. 13.14). The gifts of the Gentiles are the Gentiles themselves, who stream up to the Lord and His Church to learn of Him and become His disciples (Mic. 4.1-8; Matt. 28.18-20). And the “rich among the people” realize that the riches deposited in the Church (Eph. 1.1-14) are more to be desired than their material wealth, so they come freely to the Lord’s Bride to gain the favor that comes through her to the world.

All this is important for how we think about ourselves and our relationship with the Lord. The sons of Korah are encouraging us to love the Lord more and thus to worship Him more deeply, truly, and constantly. If we will take the time to contemplate the stanzas of this song, our love for Jesus will increase and we will worship Him as we should.

Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
The King’s queen is to forget her own people and her father’s house because He is her LORD. She is to put behind her all the things she knew and think only of Him. He is her future (Ps. 45.10).

The King’s queen loves her King.
The heart of the King safely trusts her.
She does Him good and not evil all the days of her life.
She willingly works in His Kingdom.
She receives strength through her love of Him.
She works hard to make sure that His Kingdom prospers.
She does good deeds for the other people in the Kingdom.
She cares for the poor and needy.
She is courageous and creative.
Strength and honor are her clothing.
She is wise and kind.
She fears and loves her King (Prov. 31.10-31).

The queen has put aside her old life. She is a new creation. Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Cor. 5.17).

She has eyes only for Him.
The King is her husband, the LORD of hosts is His name; He is the Holy One and her Redeemer.
He is called the God of the whole earth.
He has called her to be His (Is. 54.5, 6).

She has left her father and mother to belong only to Him (Gen. 2.24).

The queen will give unto the LORD the glory due to His name; and she will worship Him in the beauty of holiness (Ps. 29.2).

The King loves her and says to her:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
you are Mine.” (Is. 43.1)

We thank God that we are accepted by His grace in the Beloved (Eph. 1.6).

We are His queen.

Reflection
1. How should knowing that we are Christ’s queen affect our self-image and our calling?

2. As co-rulers with Christ, what is our role in seeking and advancing His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven?

3. What does it mean to know that we have been clothed with the righteousness of Jesus Christ?

You are the same even now, Lord, he is saying, ruling in similar fashion, overpowering in a similar fashion, exercising the same force, your nature undergoing no change. For you simply a word suffices for salvation: give the nod, and the people will enjoy it. Theodoret of Cyr (393-466), Commentary on the Psalms 44.3

Closing Prayer: Psalm 45.10-12
Pray for your church, for revival, renewal, and a fresh awakening to the great love Jesus has for us and the great and precious promises He holds out to us.

Sing Psalm 45.10-12
(Manoah: When All Your Mercies, O My God)
Let none keep us from hearing You; desire our beauty, Lord!
We bow, submitting humbly to Your ever-faithful Word.

T. M. and Susie Moore

You can listen to our summary of last week’s study by clicking here.

Praying the Psalms
In this series, we are examining twelve psalms, learning their content, drawing on their wisdom, and praying and singing them to the Lord. For a fuller explanation of how to pray the psalms, order a copy of our book, God’s Prayer Program. It’s free by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.