Psalm 45:2 You are fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into your lips: therefore God has blessed you for ever. We can be at no loss to understand what King is here meant (Hebrews 1:8, 9). I. His PERSONAL EXCELLENCES. 1. They are of a moral and mental character. We must bear in mind that this whole psalm contemplates not only a king, but a Teacher-King, a Royal Prophet. He must, consequently, be, in His own person, the perfect exemplification of the Divine wisdom that He taught. Solomon, therefore, does not represent Christ by His outward splendour, of which our Lord had none, but by His spiritual perfections. 2. They are not derived; they are His own, native, meritorious perfections, for the sake of which He is worthy to reign. Now, this cannot be said of any man. If Christ had been any other than a sinless character, it must have been seen and noticed; for He passed His life in public, He was constantly surrounded by a crowd of vigilant and malicious witnesses. The same argument might be drawn from the absolute and unquestioned authority which lie always maintained over them, and which would have been weakened and destroyed if they had ever detected Him in a sin. Nor let it be imagined that all these things are said for the purpose of exhibiting our blessed Lord as a perfect model for admiration merely. The application of the doctrine lies here; that, if He had not been absolutely sinless, He could neither have been an acceptable sacrifice for sin, nor have been the great High Priest of our profession, II. HIS PECULIAR OFFICIAL QUALIFICATIONS. "Grace is poured into Thy lips." 1. Think of the manner in which this great Teacher-King communicated the knowledge of Himself, and His Father's will. It is not possible for human language to express the kindness, the clearness, the tenderness that accompanied every word which proceeded from His lips. 2. Note the plenitude told of — grace is poured, not sparingly but abundantly. Now, is Christ to us altogether lovely? Did you never feel that you could part with all the world for just one beam, one spark of His infinite love; for just one drop of that heavenly joy which is the foretaste of its full fruition? I tell you plainly, I do not believe in that man's religion at all who has strong affections for all other objects, and nothing but a cold assent, an icy, philosophic calmness to lay at the feet of Jesus. I do not believe in it, because it is not the religion of the psalmist. You have just so much religion as you have love to Christ, and not an atom more! III. THE BLESSING PRONOUNCED UPON HIM. "God hath blessed Thee for ever." This could not be said of Solomon but of Christ only. And this blessing — 1. Descends through Him upon all who are His. 2. It comprehends perpetual increase. True, the progress seems to us slow, but no important promises in the past have ever been fulfilled without similar delays. 3. Its chief fulfilment will be seen in the latter-day glory. Christ is King; submit to Him, so gracious and gentle in His rule. (D. Katterns.) Parallel Verses KJV: Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. |
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