A sermon given at a special celebration service for the 90th birthday of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II
One of my favourite moments is standing at the church door just before a wedding begins. Waiting for the bride. And then she comes. What a privilege to share that moment! Such emotion. Deep excitement. Thrill. The joy of seeing all her friends waiting. But also nerves. The day is finally here. It’s a big step. Tears. Smiles. Wanting to get on with it. Feeling flustered. All at once.
But spare a thought for someone about to marry into the Royal Family. Prince Philip did not have to arrive at the door of Westminster Abbey on 20th November 1947. He was the one waiting at the front. But he must have been nervous. Or the one we can all remember was Kate Middleton, 29th April 2011. What was going through her mind as she prepared to walk down the aisle? I suspect we’ll never know.
A Psalm for a Royal Wedding
Royal Wedding nerves are nothing new. They’re the occasion for the Psalm we all read together, Psalm 45. It’s on pages 3 and 4 of the service booklet.
The Psalm was probably written for the wedding of King Solomon. Solomon was king over Israel from about 980 to 940 BC. He was famous for being a wise ruler. People came from all over the known world to encounter his famous wisdom, and the great riches this had brought on his people. We heard an example of that in our reading from the Old Testament, the arrival of the Queen of Sheba.
Solomon was getting married. And it seems his bride was getting nervous.
And so this Psalm, a poem, was written. It comes in two parts.
In Praise of King Solomon
The first 9 verses sings the praises of King Solomon. He’s known for his fine speech. That’s verse 2: “You are the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace.”
He’s known for his military victory. He’s the champion, the hero. Verse 3: “Gird your sword on your side, you mighty one; clothe yourself with splendour and majesty. In your majesty ride forth victoriously.” This was a culture where the king did not send the army. He led the army. In that kind of world, you want a king who is a good warrior. Not one who will be a push-over, easy pickings for some neighbouring super-power.
But his conquest was for a higher cause. Verse 4: “In your majesty ride forth victoriously in the cause of truth, humility and justice.” What a beautiful triplet. Truth. Humility. Justice. He cares for what’s right. Truth. He’s not full of himself. Humility. Put those together: His concern for what’s right is not just about what’s right for him. He wants what’s right for others. Justice. If only we had more leaders who were marked by all 3. Truth. Humility .Justice.
In fact, he’s such a perfect ruler, you could almost say he’s divine. Verse 6: “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever.” He’s the perfect ruler. The perfect king.
And the rest of that first half continues on the same theme. “You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
That’s the first half of the Psalm. It’s addressed to the king, King Solomon. And it praises his character, his leadership, his excellence. He’s the perfect king.
In Counsel to his Bride
The second half of the Psalm changes audience. It’s addressed to Solomon’s bride. And it offers her: counsel. Verses 10-17: Counsel to his bride.
Actually, the whole Psalm was probably written for the bride to be. The first half was written as a poem addressed to Solomon. But it was written to be read to his bride. She was to hear this poem of praise before her wedding day, to fill her with joy at the king she’s about to marry.
And the second half of the Psalm continues to encourage her. She is counselled to go ahead with the wedding. To forget any second thoughts.
In particular, she mustn’t think about what she leaves behind. “Don’t look back!” Verse 10: “Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention: Forget your people and father’s house.”
She’s going to be married to the king that everyone wants to know. That means she’ll be at the centre of the universe as well. Verse 12: “The city of Tyre will come with a gift, people of wealth will seek your favour.”
By being married to this king, you’ll be so blessed you’ll never look back. You’ll have a future. Your children will be royalty. You’ll live forever. The last two verses, 16 and 17: “Your sons will take the place of your fathers; you will make them princes throughout the land. I will perpetuate your memory through all generations; therefore the nations will praise you for ever and ever.”
“Don’t look back, daughter. Look forwards. There’s no greater privilege than to be married to this king. How blessed you’ll be. And what a future you’ll have. A royal family of your own.”
Bridge Section
It’s a beautiful piece of poetry to look at on a weekend like this. The privilege that it is to be queen. The privilege that it is to marry the king. The privilege that it is to marry this king.
But there is more to this poem than that. It is more than just a piece of ancient history, captured in lovely poetry, that resonates on a day like today.
I take it nobody here was invited to William and Catherine’s wedding in 2011? Or the Queen’s wedding in 1947? I take it nobody here was at the Patron’s Lunch in The Mall earlier on today? Well, here’s a royal wedding to which we are all invited.
The New Testament half of our Bibles sees this Psalm as being about more than just King Solomon. The letter of Hebrews quotes verses from this Psalm, and just assumes it’s talking about Jesus.
The question is where they get this from? Is the New Testament making it up that this is really about Jesus?
No, it isn’t.
Solomon’s father was the greatest king Israel ever had, King David.
God had promised David that his son would rule on his throne. His son’s kingdom would stretch to the ends of the world. He would rule forever. He would even be God’s own son.
That was why everyone was so excited when Solomon came to the throne. Such amazing things had been prophesied about David’s son.
Solomon was a great king. A wise king. A wealthy king. A powerful king. But his feet were not big enough to fill the shoes of those great promises. The people would have to wait. God kept on making more promises: Another king would come, descended from David, the one they were all waiting for. The Messiah.
Then Jesus arrived. His family tree was carefully recorded – you can trace him right back to King David. He was the Messiah that everyone was waiting for.
Which means that a Psalm like this is never just about Solomon. It’s a poem that speaks of the greater Solomon, the one who would come. It’s a poem that speaks of Jesus.
So let’s take a second look. Because this time Jesus is in the frame. And, as we’ll see, so are we.
In Praise of King Jesus
It means the first half of the Psalm is not just in praise of King Solomon. It’s in praise of King Jesus.
The one whose words wowed the crowds. Who said the wisest things said by any man at any point in history.
The one who is not a pushover, easy prey for the nearest superpower. But the one who was victorious. He took on the greatest enemy of all. He took on death itself, and came out victorious, bursting from his own tomb. And one day he will be victorious over every person who does not wish him to be king.
And yet this king uses his might for a greater cause. The only ruler who has ever truly stood for truth, humility and justice. For all 3. He cares deeply about truth and what is right. Humble. Serving others. Giving up his own life to save and rescue us. Concerned for justice. What is right for other people.
Truly, the perfect king. There’s never been one like him before or since. You could not wish for a better king. The first half of Psalm 45, a beautiful and poetic hymn of praise to King Jesus.
In Counsel to his Church
But then what of the second half of the Psalm? Jesus never married? In what way could we speak of Jesus having a bride?
The rest of the Bible gives us the answer. Jesus’ bride is his people, his church.
Let me explain. The rest of the Bible looks at the relationship Jesus has with the people who love and follow him. It says that relationship is like the relationship between a husband and wife. Jesus is like the husband. The church is his bride.
In fact, it’s even bigger than that. It’s the other way around. The real marriage is the one in heaven. The real marriage is the relationship between Jesus and his people. Our relationships, that we call marriages, are real enough, but they’re scale models of the real thing. God has given us the wonderful institution of marriage, husband and wife, to teach us about the love that Jesus and his church have for one another.
Let me illustrate. What do you make of touch rugby? Is it really rugby or not? The answer is yes and no. Increasingly, children are playing touch rugby to a much older age. It’s safer than the contact version. It’s a good way to get to love the game. But it’s not the real thing. It’s a small-scale version of rugby union. Which does not do down touch rugby. It would not be a good scale model if it wasn’t played with passion and enthusiasm. It’s meant to generate an appetite for the full game. If anything, this makes touch rugby all the more valuable as a sport.
Marriage is wonderful. And it can be wonderful in practice as well, although it isn’t always. But it’s a scaled down model of the marriage between Jesus and his people. Which is not to do down marriage between a husband and wife. On the contrary, it shows just how valuable it is.
So the first half of this Psalm is not only a poem in praise of King Solomon. It’s a poem in praise of King Jesus. The second half is not only offering counsel to the bride of King Solomon. It’s also offering counsel to the bride of King Jesus. It’s offering counsel to the Christian church. It’s offering counsel to men, women and children the world over.
“Don’t look back. Don’t have second thoughts. Look forwards. Look to the privilege.”
Jesus is the wonderful king that this Psalm portrays. That means there is no higher privilege than being his bride. It doesn’t get better than being one of the people that he loves dearly, that he counts as his own. Anything you might lose. Anything it might cost you – to be one of his dearly loved people, to be his bride – is nothing in comparison. Look to the future. You get something so wonderful it goes on forever. You get to live forever.
Conclusion
There she is, standing at the church door. What a day this is going to be! What a life this is going to be! Is she having second thoughts? We hope not.
How much more would no-one in their right mind have second thoughts about marrying a king like Solomon. A chance to become royalty, to gain beyond your wildest dreams.
And how much more would no-one in their right mind have second thoughts about following Jesus, the King of Kings. A chance to become royalty, to gain beyond your wildest dreams. A chance to be loved by this king.