For the leader; according to “Lilies,” A maskil of the Korahites. A love song.
I
My heart is stirred by a noble theme,
as I sing my ode to the king.
My tongue is the pen of a nimble scribe.
II
You are the most handsome of men;
fair speech has graced your lips,
for God has blessed you forever.
Gird your sword upon your hip, mighty warrior!
In splendor and majesty ride on triumphant!
In the cause of truth, meekness, and justice
may your right hand show your wondrous deeds.
Your arrows are sharp;
peoples will cower at your feet;
the kings’s enemies will lose heart.
Your throne, O God, stands forever;
your royal scepter is a scepter for justice.
You love justice and hate wrongdoing;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness above your fellow kings.
With myrrh, aloes, and cassia
your robes are fragrant.
From ivory-paneled palaces
stringed instruments bring you joy.
Daughters of kings are your lovely wives;
a princess arrayed in Ophir’s gold
comes to stand at your right hand.
III
Listen, my daughter, and understand;
pay me careful heed.
Forget your people and your father’s house,
that the king might desire your beauty.
He is your lord;
honor him, daughter of Tyre.
Then the richest of the people
will seek your favor with gifts.
All glorious is the king’s daughter as she enters,
her raiment threaded with gold;
In embroidered apparel she is led to the king.
The maids of her train are presented to the king.
They are led in with glad and joyous acclaim;
they enter the palace of the king.
IV
The throne of your fathers your sons will have;
you shall make them princes through all the land.
I will make your name renowned through all generations;
thus nations shall praise you forever.c
Psalms 45:1-18
This one throws me a little bit. It is actually “a song for the Davidic king’s marriage to a foreign princess from Tyre in Phoenicia. The court poet sings of God’s choice of the king, of his role in establishing divine rule, and of his splendor as he waits for his bride.” (from the footnotes of the USCCB website where I get Bible quotes, including the text of the psalms each day)
Of course, in those days, monarchy was seen as established by God. Also, according to the footnotes, this psalm was later used to refer to “the king who was to come, the messiah.” In fact, it is quoted in the New Testament book of Hebrews, “Of the angels he says: “He makes his angels winds and his ministers a fiery flame;” but of the Son: “Your throne, O God, stands forever and ever; and a righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. You loved justice and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions.” (Hebrews 1:7-9)
So I suppose this is a text originally written with one intention, but now easily applied in others. Then again, isn’t that true of the way we interact with most Bible verses? Theologians describe several ways that Scripture is understood at different times and in different situations. Certainly, if we consider Sacred Scripture to be the work of human authors who used their own human talents but were divinely inspired by God to portray God’s message to all generations, then we have to look for that message.
I like the part that was quoted in Hebrews. It is a nice way to live life, to love justice and hate wrongdoing. Of course, in this day and age, it is not always easy to discern what is actually just and what is actually wrong.
I suppose that is where prayer comes in handy. At times, when things become terribly complicated and we are struggling to even figure out what is our best path, we need to turn to God, the Holy Spirit, and ask for guidance.
That could be a good theme for Lent! And I hope you are having a prayerful start to this Lenten season. I am enjoying my Best Lent Ever videos in the morning and working on developing a prayerful spirit. I am going to the Greater Cincinnati Catholic Women’s Conference tomorrow, and we have an event or two that I’d like to attend at church. How about you? Are you finding any tools or events to help you on your Lenten journey?