WordLive - Year OneSample

Prepare: Have you been to a wedding recently? What made it special? Wedding song England’s Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy wrote a poem for Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding in 2011. This psalm is a similar kind of poem or wedding song. But this is no ordinary wedding song; this is a wedding song for a king (v 1). And this king is special. He is blessed by God and loves righteousness (vs 2,7). Like the Song of Songs, this psalm has often been seen as an allegory about Christ. Yet the plain meaning is about marriage. This wedding was spectacular (vs 8–15), but all weddings have that special dimension, celebrating the importance of the new marriage. Pointing to Christ Like all marriages this one had the potential to change the future (vs 16,17). And even royals have to leave their family in order to forge this new relationship (v 10; compare with Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:31)! Nevertheless this psalm also points to Christ. It’s as though in verse 6 the writer gets caught up with the idea that this king’s reign points to the reign of the King (repeated much later in Hebrews 1:8,9). Great though the rule of this king is, it is nothing like the reign of God’s Son. That really is something to look forward to! Respond: The New Testament pictures the church as the bride of Christ (eg 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:27; Revelation 19:7; 21:9). So there’s a sense in which this psalm is a picture of our relationship with Christ. Read it again and let your imagination run free as you rejoice in his love for us! http://www.wordlive.org/Session/Classic/2012-11-25