“A curious foreshadowing”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Psalm 45 Forward, p. 43) CEV p. 581
“Hey, what am I to make of this passage?’ That is my frequent refrain when addressing a passage anew. And certainly, it is most appropriate with this one, Psalm 45. My present translation entitles it, “For a Royal Wedding” and certainly that title applies. It is obviously meant for a specific occasion, but even so, it presents the picture of a king that is above and beyond what would be appropriate and fitting for any earthly monarch. Verses 3-5 speak of his military prowess and victories, which would be most appropriate for an oriental monarch of his time and place. But then, verse 6 says, “You are God, and you will rule forever as king. Your royal power brings about justice.” So, whoa, who is that describing? Interestingly, and certainly to the point, verse 7 makes an important differentiation when it says: ‘You love justice and hate evil. And so, your God choose you and made you happier than any of your friends.” There are two mentions of God here, and they are obviously not the same people or entities.
So, immediately I had to wonder what the ancient Hebrew people made of this. The Hebrew text is uncompromising in this rendering, and so too is the Greek of the Septuagint. Here then, the New Testament leads up in the correct direction, namely, to demand that had more than a merely human fulfillment. That is why the author of the Letter to the Hebrews sees it as obviously Messianic (see Hebrews 1:8f).
Taken that way, it immediately begins to set up some very real and pertinent connections for us today, for those who believe and trust in the Lord Jesus. Several times in the New Testament He is described as the bridegroom (Matthew 2:19; 9:15; John 3:29; and Revelation 19:7) and we as the bride (2 Corinthians 11:2; and Revelation 19:7; 21: 2,9; and 22:17). Indeed, the intimate connection is made all the more explicit in Ephesians 5:32, where the Church is now depicted as the bride and He as the bridegroom.
So, then, for us, who are thereby identified as ‘the bride of Christ’, there are some definite instructions or guidelines in this psalm:
-we are to forget our previous attachments and loyalties and place
attention and loyalties solely upon Christ, our bridegroom. These old
connections must never be allowed to compete with or interfere
with the new relationship we have with Jesus.
-we are to present ourselves pure, spotless and radiant, as a bride
adorned for her husband, as suggested by Revelation 21: 2 and 2
Corinthians 11:2.
And so, rather than a passage where I saw little or no connection with us as believers, I now see that it has a very important and significant message for each of us. Thanks be to God.
Forward notes: “I will make your name to be remembered from one generation to another” (verse 18a).
Commemoration: Alexander Crummell
“Today the church recognizes the life and work of Alexander Crummell, which the Union of Black Episcopalians recognizes each year with special services and liturgies.
“Born in 1819 in New York City, Crummell never knew what it was to be enslaved, even though emancipation wouldn’t come for nearly 50 years. His mother was a free woman and active in the abolitionist movement. Perhaps this is why Alexander Crummell was able to live and act with agency in a world tainted by the criminal injustice of race-based slavery.
“His academic studies led him to Queens College, Cambridge, where he was recorded as the first black graduate. Ordained an Episcopal priest at the age of 25, he influenced religious life and culture in Liberia and, in 1875, founded St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, the first independent black Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C.
“May his life inspire us all to be instruments of possibility in this world.”
Moving Forward: “Do some more research about the life of Alexander Crummell. What lessons can you learn from his ministry?”