My wedding day was among the happiest of my life. I was finally united with my beautiful bride. All around me were dear family and friends. Psalm 45 is a glorious song celebrating the wedding of God's anointed king to his beautiful bride.

The climax of the Bible is a picture of the wedding feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6-9). From the outset we need to read this psalm of the wedding of God's king through the lens of its fulfilment in the Lord Jesus. He is the perfect king and the bride is His church, beautifully adorned for her husband (Ephesians 5:25-33; Revelation 21:2).

The king that Psalm 45 praises is quite possibly Solomon. The psalm begins by celebrating the grace and power of the king, who is clothed with splendour and majesty (v. 3). He is a champion of truth, humility, and justice (v. 4). His kingdom is ″for ever and ever″ (v. 6). These verses must point forward to another, different kind of king, because the rule of the house of David ended with Zedekiah and the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Hebrews 1:8-9 quotes Psalm 45:6-7 to demonstrate the superiority of Jesus over all created things. The writer of Hebrews understood that while the psalm, in its original context, was referring to the Lord's commitment to David and his descendants, it found its true fulfilment in Jesus the eternal king.

In Psalm 45:10 the focus shifts to the bride. She is told to ″forget your people″. She must now leave her past behind her and be totally devoted to her husband and king (vv. 10-11). This same call is given to all who follow Jesus. Jesus told His disciples to leave their nets and families, and to follow Him (Mark 1:16-20).

The psalm also rejoices in the beauty of the bride. She joyfully gives herself to the king, who is now her lord (Psalm 45:11). After they are married she will bear the king sons, and these sons ″will take the place of your fathers″ (v. 16), and so the rule of the king will be extended throughout the world.

The church is the bride of Christ. Like a young couple eagerly waiting for their wedding day, we look forward to the time when we will finally and eternally be with our King. Psalm 45 is a glorious celebration of that day.