PRAYER PRACTICE
SPOKEN PRAYER: Out loud, pray for God to speak to you through your reading. Praise God for giving us His word. Ask the Spirit to help you read with faith, and to live out what you hear from God through the passage.
DAILY READING
REFLECTION
Jesus Brings Fuller Meaning
by Pr. Dave Mann
Psalm 45 can be a curious (even confusing) psalm. It appears from the heading that this is a psalm composed in celebration of the king’s wedding. It may well have been for King David. And so, we start by assuming that the writer, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is praising a human king. In verse 2 we read that he is the most excellent of men, his lips have been anointed with grace, and that God has blessed him forever. Then in the following verses (3-5), we read of the military exploits that the king can expect to experience in the future. This sounds like a grand celebration with all the king’s generals, priests, and subjects arrayed in fine garments for the splendid occasion.
However, verse 6 gets a little tricky. Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever. How can a human king be addressed as “God”? Isn’t that blasphemy? Is there no distinction between the honor we convey upon a human king and that of God himself, even if the king is chosen by God? And will the throne of King David indeed last forever? Will he not at some point in the future pass away like all other humans? Is this about David or another?
Hebrews 1:8-9 helps us gain a fuller understanding of this passage. The writer of Hebrews is making the distinction between the Son (Jesus) and the heavenly beings (angels). He quotes Psalm 45:6-7 to show how Jesus is superior to angels. Allowing Scripture to interpret Scripture, we understand then that the author of Psalm 45 was foreshadowing the coming of the true Son of David, whose throne would certainly last forever, and that the ultimate king of Israel would be fully God and fully human.
It is no wonder that the ancient Israelites, as they sang the psalms, came to the point where they looked forward to the coming of the “Son of David,” the Messiah. Because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we now read the Old Testament through the lens of the life of Jesus. Jesus the Messiah brings clearer understanding of the Old Testament.
Thank you, Jesus, for bringing clarity to the Old Testament and to my life. Keep coming, Lord Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords. Amen.
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