Year 8, Day 191: Psalm 45

Theological Commentary: Click Here

My first reaction to Psalm 45 is always that of distrust.  I know that it is God’s Word and therefore it is good.  I know that on a generic grand scale for the whole of God’s Word.  My issue is with the specific structure of this psalm.  It begins by praising the king and talking about how righteous the king is.  I am highly skeptical of anything that talks about the righteousness of a human being – especially when those passages talk about people in high positions of power.  After all, as human beings we are called to exalt God, not other human beings.

That being said, this psalm is always a joyous surprise.  For me, this psalm is like eating spinach artichoke dip.  I don’t particularly care for cooked spinach – although I love raw spinach on salads and sandwiches.  But when I eat spinach artichoke dip, especially on bagel chips or tortilla chips, I really enjoy the experience.  My gut reaction to thinking about eating cooked spinach is negative, but I love the experience of spinach artichoke dip anyways.

Why do I love this psalm in the end when my initial reaction of one of skepticism?  The love comes from stepping back and looking at the structure of the psalm more than the words.  The structure of the psalm is three-fold.  In the beginning, we have praise for a king.  At the end, we have words of advice for the king’s bride.  In the middle, we have high praise for God.  Rather than being skeptical about the beginning and end, what we end up seeing is that this psalm is the perfect model for marriage.

The husband should be living a life in God, attractive to his bride.  The wife should also be living in God in such a way that she is attractive to her husband.  What is the key to a good marriage?  What is central to this psalm?  The key to a good marriage is the righteousness of God.

That’s what makes this psalm so beautiful in the end.  This psalm is a model for a godly marriage.  It isn’t about praising the man or praising the woman.  It is all about seeing what a good marriage can become.

<><