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Scripture Reading: Psa. 45:9-17
Psalm 45 can be considered the sixth station in the unveiling of Christ in the Psalms. The first station is Psalm 2; the second is Psalm 8; the third is Psalm 16; the fourth is Psalms 22—24; and the fifth is Psalm 40. In this message on Psalm 45 we will consider verses 9 through 17. Before we come to these verses, however, I would like to say a word concerning the Bible and the way to understand it.
The Bible is a very particular, special, strange, and wonderful book. Because the Bible is such a book, it cannot be understood by the natural human mind. If we try to understand the Bible according to our natural mind, we will not have the proper understanding. Of course, in order to understand the Bible, we must exercise our mind. However, we should exercise not the natural mind but the renewed, enlightened mind. If we would understand the Bible, we must have a mind that is renewed and enlightened, that is, a mind whose understanding is under the divine light. Therefore, when we study the Bible, we should pray that the Lord will renew our mind and enlighten it.
If we do not have a renewed and enlightened mind, we will have trouble when studying Psalm 45, especially verses 9 through 15, which are about praising the king in the praising of the queen with the daughters of kings and with the virgins. We may be bothered by the fact that this king has so many women with him. The Bible teaches us that a man should have only one wife, and in the New Testament Paul tells us that an elder should be "the husband of one wife" (1 Tim. 3:2). But the king in Psalm 45 seems to be like a heathen king who has a great many wives and concubines. As we will see, what we have in this psalm is a matter not of ethics but of typology, and to understand this type we need a renewed, enlightened mind.
Regarding the interpretation of the Bible, especially the book of Revelation, there are two schools. According to the first school, the book of Revelation should be understood literally. Those who follow this school say the New Jerusalem is a physical city. According to the second school, Revelation should be understood symbolically, since some items of its content are revealed by "signs" (1:1b). Those who follow this school say that as the golden lampstands are symbols of the churches, so the New Jerusalem is also a symbol, a sign.
The Bible contains many symbols and types. We may regard these symbols and types as pictures or "photographs." The reason for the photographs in the Bible is that the Bible unveils many heavenly, spiritual things, and these things are invisible and mysterious. The photographs in the Bible help us to understand such things.
An example of a biblical symbol or photograph is the tree of life in Genesis 2 and 3. What is the tree of life? In the Bible the tree of life is not actually a literal tree. Rather, the tree of life is a symbol of God as the source and reality of life. This means that the tree of life is a symbol of God as life.
Other symbols in the Old Testament are types of the church. The first of these types is Eve, the wife of Adam (Gen. 2:18-23). From Ephesians 5 we know that the relationship between husband and wife portrays the great mystery — Christ and the church. Without the picture of Eve as the counterpart, increase, and enlargement of Adam, we would not realize that the church is the counterpart, increase, and enlargement of Christ. Thus, we need the type of Eve to symbolize what the church is to Christ.
The Old Testament also uses the tabernacle and the temple as symbols to unveil another aspect of the church. Eve, the tabernacle, and the temple are all photographs of the church. The church is not only Christ's counterpart, symbolized by Eve, but also God's house, God's dwelling place, symbolized first by the tabernacle and then by the temple. If we did not have these two symbols, we would not understand many of the details concerning the church being God's dwelling place. From this we see that the biblical way is to use symbols to portray spiritual things, and we need to keep this in mind as we come to Psalm 45.
Psalm 45 was written in praise of King Solomon, who was a symbol, a type, of Christ with a wife composed of many "daughters," of many believers. If God had no need of a king to symbolize Christ in this way, Solomon would not have been created. The Bible clearly reveals that God's intention is that a man have only one wife, yet Solomon had hundreds of wives (1 Kings 11:1, 3). As far as Psalm 45 is concerned, we should understand this not ethically but typically. Ethically, Solomon should not have had many wives. Typically speaking, however, there was the need for a man with hundreds of wives so that God would have a particular type of the church composed of many believers from many nations. Solomon with his wives is a type of Christ with His corporate wife, a wife composed of believers from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation (Rev. 5:9).
Solomon did not follow God's regulation about having only one wife, and many readers of the Bible would condemn him for this. Nevertheless, in Psalm 45, written in praise of Solomon, Solomon is a type of Christ as the One with a corporate wife. If we would understand this, we need a mind that is renewed and enlightened with spiritual understanding. This is the reason I have pointed out that we should not come to this psalm with our natural mind. The natural mind is of no avail in understanding Psalm 45.
If we are enlightened and renewed, we will realize that Psalm 45 is lovable. First, in verses 2 through 7, this psalm praises the king, Solomon, in his fairness, in his victory, in his kingdom, and in the sweetness of his virtues. After this, the psalmist continues by praising the king in the praising of his queen. The queen is not alone but is accompanied by the daughters of kings (v. 9) and by the virgins, her friends (v. 14). If we view this as a type, we will see that the king typifies Christ, that the queen typifies the church, and that those around the queen typify the believers. In type, this queen is not a single, individual person — she is corporate. The believers are the constituents, the components, of this corporate queen. Actually, the believers are both the constituents of the queen and the honorable and beautiful women.
The situation is the same in Revelation 19:7 and 9a. Verse 7 says, "Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready." This verse speaks of the wife of the Lamb. However, verse 9a says, "Blessed are they who are called to the marriage dinner of the Lamb." This verse speaks of those who are invited to the Lamb's marriage dinner. When I was young I was troubled by this, believing that the wife is the church but not understanding much about the overcomers. Actually, the wife, the bride of Christ, here is not the church but the overcomers. Then who are the invited ones, the guests? The guests also are the overcomers. This means that, on the one hand, the overcomers are the bride and that, on the other hand, they are the guests. We may say that the bride is composed of the guests. First the overcomers are the corporate bride, and then they are also the guests. In Psalm 45 the bride of Christ is typified by the queen, and His overcoming guests are typified by the honorable women around the queen. The bride of Christ, therefore, is actually the group of overcomers. We need to have this understanding as we study Psalm 45.
In this psalm we see the praise to Solomon as a type of Christ, the King appointed by God to rule over His people and over the entire universe. The praise here is marvelous. It praises Christ not only concerning the things that are of Him directly — His fairness, victory, majesty, kingdom, and sweetness — but also concerning the things that are of Him indirectly through His church and His overcomers. Since the overcomers are Christ's members, whatever is of them directly is of Him indirectly and is His glory. Thus, the fairness of Christ in this psalm is of two layers: the first layer, the layer that is of Himself directly, and the second layer, the layer that is of His Body, His members, directly and of Him indirectly.
With such an understanding as a foundation, we come now to verses 9 through 17 of Psalm 45.
In verses 9 through 15 we have the praising of the king in the praising of the queen with the daughters of kings among the king's most honorable women and the virgins, the queen's companions.
Verse 9a says, "The daughters of kings are among your most prized [honorable]." The daughters of the kings signify the believers of Christ in their royalty, and the king's most honorable (or, glorious) women signify the believers of Christ in their honor and majesty. Not only does the king have honor and majesty, but the queen and the women around her also have honor and majesty. This is a type, a picture, of the church with the believers.
In the New Testament we have a clear word concerning the church and the believers. Paul exhorted us to behave in a way that matches our status. For instance, in Ephesians 4:1 he beseeches us to walk worthily of the calling with which we were called. However, Paul's word of exhortation cannot compare with the revelation regarding our status as believers given in the type in Psalm 45. Do you realize that, as a believer, you are one of "the daughters of kings"? We all, males and females, are daughters of kings because we have been born of the King and thus are of the royal family. We need to realize that Psalm 45 speaks about us. If we have this realization, we will say, "Lord, I am one of the daughters of the King, one of the honorable women. I have royalty, honor, and majesty. I am not an ordinary person." This is our status as believers.
If we are conscious of our royal status, our behavior will be changed and our character will be uplifted. We will not sell ourselves cheaply and we will not fight or quarrel with others, but will behave ourselves more honorably. Then, as a husband and wife, will we argue, behaving like "scorpions"? If we realize that we are royal people, our behavior will surely be affected by our understanding of the mysterious, spiritual, and heavenly things, the things which are related to the invisible scene in the universe.
In Psalm 45 we have some features of the spiritual scene that are not found in the New Testament. This is why we need the types, the symbols. I wish to emphasize the fact that in this psalm we have a strange and wonderful type of Christ — the type of a man with hundreds of wives. Remember, this symbol is a matter not of ethics but of typology. With respect to typology, there was the need for Solomon and his many wives. For this reason, God created Solomon and appointed him to be the king above all the kings. God even created the princesses who were to come from Egypt and other nations to be Solomon's wives. God did all this so that in the Bible there would be this particular type of the church composed of the believers to be the corporate wife of Christ.
From this Old Testament type we see that the believers are Christ's counterpart. In one sense, He is the King and we are the queen, His wife. In another sense, we are the components of the queen. These components are signified by the many virgins, the queen's companions. Since in verse 14 the words "virgins" and "friends" are in apposition, they refer to the same persons. According to the type, this signifies that the queen here is not an individual; rather, she is corporate, and all her companions are her components, with whom she is constituted and composed to be the wife of Christ the King.
The proper way to understand Psalm 45 is to understand it according to typology. If we understand the type, we have the key to understanding the entire psalm. However, apart from understanding the type, we have no way to understand this psalm, and the more we read it, the more we will be led into a "forest."
Understanding Psalm 45 according to typology, we see that the King is Christ. Christ has only one queen, a corporate queen composed of the overcomers. The components of this queen are believers, but these believers are not the defeated ones. If they were defeated ones and not overcoming ones, they would not be honorable or majestic. I hope that we all will be among the overcomers and thus be components of the bride of Christ.
Verse 9b says, "The queen stands at your right hand in the gold of Ophir." The queen signifies the church, and her being covered with gold signifies the church's appearing in the divine nature. This gold that covers her is Christ. In 1 Corinthians 1:30 we are told that God has made Christ to be righteousness to us for our justification, for us to be justified by God. As our righteousness, Christ is our covering. This covering is altogether divine. Christ is pure gold, "the gold of Ophir." This is the first layer of our covering.
Verse 10 goes on to say, "Hear, O daughter, and see; and incline your ear;/And forget your people and your father's house." The daughter is the queen, who signifies the church, and her father's house signifies the natural relationships of the church. This word about the daughter's forgetting her people and her father's house corresponds to the Lord's word about denying the natural relationships (Matt. 10:37; Luke 14:26) and caring for the church. Throughout the centuries, many believers have been persecuted by their family.
Psalm 45:11a continues, "Thus the king will desire your beauty." The queen's beauty here signifies the virtues of Christ expressed through the church. The beauty of the church, her beauty in the presence of Christ, is Christ's virtues lived out of us.
"Because he is your lord,/Worship him" (v. 11b). This signifies that as the Lord of the church Christ is worthy not only of her love but also of her worship.
"The daughter of Tyre will come with a gift;/The rich among the people will entreat your favor" (v. 12). Tyre, a seaport, was a flourishing, commercial center known for its riches. Here the daughter of Tyre signifies the people of the flourishing world. The rich among the people signify the high class. The rich have great wealth, but they do not have what this verse calls "favor." The favor they entreat of the queen signifies the grace of God enjoyed by the church. The grace of God which we have in the church is the real favor. As indicated by this verse, the rich will come to the church to obtain the grace of God.
Verse 13a says, "The king's daughter is all glorious within the royal abode." The king's daughter is the queen signifying the church, and her being all glorious within the royal abode signifies the glorious church taking Christ as her royal abode.
The word "abode" here refers to the church's taking Christ as her abode. First we, the believers of Christ, take Christ as our abode, and then we become His abode. This means that the abode becomes the abode. Christ becomes an abode when we take Him as our abode, abiding in Him, and thus become His abode in Him. Concerning this, the Lord Jesus said, "Abide in Me and I in you" (John 15:4a). This indicates that if we take Him as our abode, we become His abode. In this way the abode becomes the abode.
This abode is a matter of experiencing Christ through the church. Christ, as the Son, is an abode to the Father and the Spirit, and His being such an abode involves the coinherence among the three of the Divine Trinity — the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. But when we believe in Christ, we enter into Him and take Him as our abode. Then, being in Him as our abode, we, the church, become His abode.
"Her garment is a woven work inwrought with gold" (Psa. 45:13b). This signifies that the Christ who has been dealt with through death and resurrection is the righteousness of the church to meet the righteous requirement of God for her to be justified before God. Thus "woven work inwrought with gold" again refers to the first layer of her covering — Christ as our righteousness through whom we are justified — signified by the gold of Ophir.
"She will be led to the king in embroidered clothing" (v. 14a). This embroidered clothing, another garment, the second layer of her covering, signifies that the church will be led to Christ at their marriage clothed with the righteousnesses of the saints to meet the requirement of Christ for their marriage.
Regarding this, Revelation 19:8 says, "It was given to her [the overcomers as the Lamb's wife] that she should be clothed in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of the saints." The word "righteousnesses" refers to Christ as our subjective righteousness, Christ lived out of us. The righteousness (Christ) that we received for our salvation (1 Cor. 1:30) is objective and enables us to meet the requirement of the righteous God, whereas the righteousnesses of the overcoming believers are subjective (Phil. 3:9) and enable them to meet the requirement of the overcoming Christ. If we would have these righteousnesses, we must have Christ Himself lived out of us to be our subjective righteousnesses. Thus, the queen in Psalm 45 has two garments. The first garment, the gold of Ophir, the woven work inwrought with gold, corresponds to Christ as our objective righteousness, which is for our salvation. The second garment, the embroidered clothing, corresponds to Christ as our subjective righteousnesses, which are for our victory.
Psalm 45:14b says, "The virgins behind her, her friends,/Will be led to you." This signifies that the overcoming saints will be invited to the marriage dinner of Christ (Rev. 19:9).
"They will be led with rejoicing and exultation;/They will enter the king's palace" (Psa. 45:15). This signifies that the overcoming saints will enter, with rejoicing and exultation, the New Jerusalem as Christ's palace (Rev. 3:12).
As we read this psalm, we need to pay attention to the crucial points concerning Christ and the church. One crucial point is the matter of the abode and the palace. First we have the abode and then the palace. When Christ becomes our abode, we become His abode — a mutual abode. Because Christ is the King and we are the queen, eventually this mutual abode becomes the palace, which signifies the New Jerusalem.
What is the New Jerusalem? In brief, the New Jerusalem is the redeeming God wrought into the believers and mingled with them to be one entity. The church today is such an entity, for, like the New Jerusalem, the church is actually the redeeming God wrought into the believers and mingled with them to be a single entity. Today the church is a miniature of the coming New Jerusalem. In eternity in the new heaven and new earth, the New Jerusalem will be the consummation of the church. Therefore, both the church and the New Jerusalem are the Triune God Himself wrought into us and mingled with us to be one entity. This entity is a mutual abode; it is both our dwelling place and God's dwelling place. In the New Jerusalem, a mutual abode, God will dwell with His redeemed people for eternity.
Thus far in Psalm 45 we have seen the praising of Christ in Himself and the praising of Christ in the praising of His church, of His redeemed. Now, in verses 16 and 17, we have the praising of the king in the praising of his sons, his descendants. Here, the sons of the king signify the members of Christ. On the one hand, as believers, we are the members of Christ; on the other hand, we are the sons, the descendants, of Christ.
"In the place of your fathers will be your sons;/You will make them princes in all the earth" (v. 16). Here "fathers" signifies Christ's forefathers in the flesh, and "sons" signifies the overcomers of Christ. The word "princes" signifies the overcomers of Christ reigning with Christ over the nations.
No one can solve the problems of today's world. Only Christ the King can solve these problems. When Christ reigns on earth, the overcomers will be His helpers in the kingship, His co-kings. The sons of Christ, the overcomers, will be the princes reigning with Christ over the nations.
We need to see not only the beauty of Christ that is in Christ Himself and the beauty of Christ that is in the church but also the beauty of Christ that is in all His descendants, all His members, as the princes. If we see Christ's beauty in these three ways, we will have a complete view, the full picture, of His beauty.
Finally, in verse 17 the psalmist says, "I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;/Therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever." This reveals that Christ's name will be remembered in all generations through the overcoming saints and that Christ will be praised by the nations through His overcoming and co-reigning saints.
