Psalm 45:1-17 My heart is gushing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.… The special matter of the psalm is, "A song of loves." This may be so called — 1. Because the psalm tells of the love of Christ to His Church, and of her love to Him. Or — 2. It may be put in the plural, as is frequent in Hebrew, by way of eminency; so that what is meant is that the love told of is most excellent and incomparable. 3. It may be so called because of the manifold fruits of that one love. But probably the second sense is the one intended here — the mystical spiritual love that is between Christ and the Church is the most excellent love. Therefore, note — I. THIS LOVE OF CHRIST AND THE CHURCH IN THEIR ESPOUSALS IS MATTER OF GREAT JOY AND REJOICING. 1. TO God Himself (Zephaniah 3:17). 2. To Jesus Christ (Song of Solomon 3:11). 3. To believers themselves (1 Peter 1:8). And the reason of all this joy is — (1) On the part of God, because He saw the design and purpose of His grace accomplished (Ephesians 1:6). (2) It is joy to Christ because He saw of the travail of His soul, and is satisfied. This is that He laboured for. As Rachel was to Jacob (Hosea 12:12). (3) And it is joy to all believers because it instates them in such new relations and conditions as they never could have looked for (Isaiah 54:5). Let us learn, then, God's infinite wisdom, condescension and goodness in disposing the way of saving poor sinners, so as that it shall be matter of joy and rejoicing to Him, to Jesus Christ and to believers themselves. We were poor, desolate, forlorn, lost creatures; and that God should bring us into a way of saving us, so as that the heart of God and Christ and our own hearts should rejoice in it; this calls for our admiration. Do we find this joy in our own hearts? Shall God rejoice, and Christ rejoice, and not we? II. THERE IS NO LOVE LIKE TO THE LOVE BETWEEN CHRIST AND BELIEVERS — no, not the flaming love in some to their hearts, and in others to the world that even devour them. But who can tell adequately of the love of Christ? Consider it — 1. In its condescension (Philippians 2:6-8). 2. In His suffering. 3. The care and tenderness which the Lord Jesus continues to manifest towards us now He is in heaven (Hebrews 5:2; Hebrews 4:15).Then, on the other side, I say the love of believers to Christ is beyond all other love whatsoever. 1. In a way of value (Matthew 13:45). They will part with all that they have to obtain Christ. They part with their sin, lust and corruption (Galatians 5:24). Now that love which will carry a man out to deny all ungodliness and to renounce all his own righteousness, to lose all he hath wrought in his own strength, to deny himself upon every instance wherein Christ requires him; this is a transcendent love, above all other love whatsoever. 2. The love of believers manifests itself also in suffering for Christ; and oh, who can tell what the martyrs endured from love to the Lord Jesus? So that this psalm which treats of the espousals of Christ and believers may well have this title, "A song of loves"; it being the most excellent love. Two things from hence are incumbent upon us. (1) To labour to get a sense of this love of Christ upon our hearts. (2) Let us examine ourselves whether we have this transcendent love to Jesus Christ in our hearts. If we have, it will continually keep us up to the mortification of all our sin; and it will make us continually ready for all the service and suffering Christ shall call us unto. ( J. Owen, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: {To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A Song of loves.} My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. |
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