PSALM 45—A DEEPER ENJOYMENT OF CHRIST
We enjoy the house so much now and we are praising, but after this we enjoy something of Christ in a much deeper way. In Psalm 45, Christ, being known by the saints more deeply, becomes the saints’ sweeter experience in the local churches, and it is realized that His reign will be over all the earth through His believers, and He will be praised by all the peoples. None of those six Psalms of Christ—Psalms 2, 8, 16, 22, 23 and 24—can compare with Psalm 45. It is so deep, so high, so sweet, so intimate, so precious, and so tender. I do not have words to describe how good Psalm 45 is. Listen to the opening verse: “My heart is bubbling over with a good matter.” (See margin, King James Version.) The meaning of the original verse is that there is something boiling or bubbling up within me. There is something burning within me; I am set on fire with a good matter. What is this good matter? We could fill an entire book with the description of this good matter from this Psalm and yet not exhaust it.
The Psalmist says, “I speak what I have composed touching the king.” He did not say, “touching justification by faith,” or, “touching eternal security.” He said, “touching the king”—Christ. Christ as the King is the good matter worthy of praising. When we speak of the King, we naturally respond with a sense of reverence. There is reverence here in Psalm 45, but it is a reverence with a sweet and tender feeling, an inner feeling of preciousness. “I speak what I have composed touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” When I speak about the King, my tongue is better than any kind of pen; it is the living pen of a ready writer.
Then the Psalmist goes on to describe the King: “Thou art fairer than the children of men.” First he mentions the fairness of the Lord. He is a man, a fair man, the man who is fairer than all men. He did not say, “He is fairer,” but, “Thou art fairer.” This means that while he was speaking, he was in the sweet presence of the King. “Grace is poured upon thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.” Can you sense the tender and precious feeling? Do you share the feeling of the King being so dear and precious to you? He is fairer than all men, full of grace, blessed by God.
Then verse 3: “Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty.” To us He is fair, but to the enemy He is mighty, and most mighty with glory and majesty. To us He has grace upon His lips, but to the enemy He has a sword upon His thigh. “And in thy majesty ride triumphantly” (v. 4). This is the riding on of Christ. As the Victor, Christ, in His majesty, is riding on triumphantly. At the time He ascended into the heavens He began His ride, and He is still riding on. Regardless of what the situation is on this earth, regardless of what the nations are doing, Christ is riding on triumphantly, prosperously. He is riding triumphantly “because of reality.” Only He is the reality. All that this world and its rulers have is vanity and falsehood. I have read the biographies, histories, and stories of many people who have been a help to the great of this earth. Eventually they say that they have been cheated. Eventually they realize the vanity, the falsehood, of this world’s leaders. Not one of Christ’s followers, not one believer in Christ could ever say that he has been cheated by Christ. I have been following Him for more than forty-five years, and I am so happy, so very happy, because I have the truth, the reality, forever with me. Nothing in my experience is empty or vain. It is because of His reality that Christ is riding on triumphantly.
It is also “because of meekness” that Christ rides triumphantly. Meekness is reality without any pride. Christ is riding on in a meek way with reality. Consider today’s situation: how meek the Lord is! People scorn and blaspheme Him, and it seems that there is no Christ in this universe. He is so meek! He also rides on triumphantly “because of righteousness.” And His “right hand shall teach thee awe-inspiring things.” I do believe that these are the judgments of Christ. On one hand He is so meek, but on the other hand He is waging a war. Christ has done many awe-inspiring things, and He will do even more in the coming days. Read the book of Revelation! “Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies.” No doubt this is Christ fighting, and this is the victory in His fighting. “The people fall under thee.” That means that all the nations fall under Him. The book of Revelation records the fulfillment.
Verses 3, 4 and 5 mention His riding on and His fighting. This undoubtedly includes His coming back. He is riding and He will continue to ride until He comes back in victory. From the day He ascended to the heavens, He began to come back. Do you realize this? Never imagine that He has not yet begun to move. From the day of His ascension He began to ride on and ride back. He is riding back and fighting back in many ways, and one day He will be here—that will be the kingdom.
(Christ and the Church Revealed and Typified in the Psalms, Chapter 7, by Witness Lee)
