This is the second in a series of Christ-centered devotional meditations on Psalm 45. For the first, click here.

Psalm 45 is a love song between Christ’s Bride, the Church; and her Bridegroom, Christ. After singing of her devotion to Him, and praising His beauty and grace, the Church’s love song to Christ—her Redeemer, her King, her Bridegroom—turns to His power and might as a warrior.

At the end of v2, the Church sings of Christ: God has blessed you forever. This blessing is spelled out in Romans 1:3-4, which tells us of Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead (NKJV‬‬).

As the Eternal Son, the Second Person of the Godhead, He was already worthy of all blessing. But having joined perfectly the divine and human natures in Himself, in His Incarnation—For all the fullness of God’s being dwells bodily in Christ (Colossians 2:9 EHV)—Christ came and did battle with Satan, conquering sin and death on our behalf. He was handed over to death because of our trespasses and was raised to life because of our justification (Romans 4:25 EHV). That is, as our kinsman redeemer, He paid our debt and dowry in full to make us His Bride. The Father raised Him from the dead, proving that He had accepted His payment in full for our redemption. This is the blessing about which we sing when we sing: Therefore, God has blessed you forever.

This is the song of every voice in heaven and on earth: Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing (Revelation 5:12 EHV, emphasis added). Christ is blessed by His Father, by His Bride, and by all the innumerable hosts of heaven.

Let us join in this love song for Christ, who is God over all, eternally blessed (Romans 9:5 EHV).

Note: My reflections on this Psalm, unless otherwise indicated, will be from the Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV), simply because that’s what I have in front of me currently.

The Church cheers her champion in battle (vv3-5)

Having poured out her praise for the beauty and grace of Christ, her Redeemer and Bridegroom; and having acknowledged that He is God over all, eternally blessed (Romans 9:5), because He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18); the Bride of Christ now sings of her trust in Him as He rides out to do battle against His enemies and hers.

She sings: Strap your sword on your thigh, you mighty warrior, in your splendor and your majesty. The Church does not timidly ask her Lord to hold back from striking down Satan and his brood of vipers, and tearing down their demonic strongholds. No! But as Moses told Israel when they went to enact the Lord’s judgment on the wicked Canaanites: you are to devote them to destruction. Do not make a treaty with them, and do not show mercy to them … Break down their altars. Smash their sacred memorial stones. Cut down their Asherah poles. Burn their idols with fire (Deuteronomy 7:2). This was a foreshadowing of judgment to come. The Israelites were never quite able, because of their sinful lack of faith, and because of the Lord’s mysterious providence, to rid the land of the Canaanites. And because of that, the idols and other detestable practices proved to be a snare to them, for they had allowed Satan a stronghold in the land. But Christ will not be satisfied until the ancient enemy is utterly conquered—and with him, Death—and all of his strongholds have been destroyed.

From the very beginning, after our first parents Adam and Eve were led astray by the great dragon … the ancient serpent, the one called the Devil and Satan (Revelation 12:9), to join him in his rebellion against God, so that they unwittingly made a covenant with death, an agreement with the grave (Isaiah 28:15); the Lord came and spoke a curse on our ancient enemy, while tempering His judgment on Adam and his children with mercy. For He told the old Serpent, Satan: I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will crush his heel (Genesis 3:15). And so the Lord promised that the covenant with Death, to which Adam had consigned all of his children, would be superseded by a covenant of grace, because a Warrior would come who would crush the old serpent, and then he, along with Death and the Grave, would be cast into the Lake of Fire forever (Revelation 20:10, 14).

So from the very first time that Christ was promised, the One who would save his people from their sins, and who would be called Immanuel, which means, “God with us” (Matthew 1:21, 23); He was promised as a warrior who would crush the Devil, undoing all the wickedness he had unleashed, by redeeming people from their sins, and finally erasing Death itself.

But notice that it says He will save His people from their sins. Not all people. He saves His Church, His Bride, chosen by the Father in Christ before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy and blameless in his sight (Ephesians 1:4). This is the wondrous and terrible mystery of election. We are not invited to pry into it, anymore than Israelites were permitted to touch the Ark of the Covenant: The hidden things belong to the Lord our God (Deuteronomy 29:29). It is not for our speculation, but for the comfort of the saints in our distress. As St. Paul says to us elsewhere: We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose, because those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called. Those he called, he also justified. And those he justified, he also glorified (Romans 8:28-30). And likewise, St. Peter agrees; we have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient and to be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:3). The doctrine of divine election simply means this: That God foreknew and loved His Church before the creation of all worlds. And not as a faceless mass of humanity simply called “the Church”; for that would give no comfort to anyone. No, but Christ says that a good shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out; and then He adds: I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me (John 10:3, 14, emphasis added). Christ knew His Bride from eternity—O Christian, He knows the names of those for whom He died!

And again, this doctrine is meant to comfort the saints, not to make us worry that we are not among those whom God foreknew. You can know with assurance, because your Bridegroom, the Good Shepherd of your soul, who calls you by name, says: My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me (John 10:27). Do you trust Christ alone for your salvation, forsaking all others, repenting even of your best deeds, and wholly receiving from and resting upon Him for your righteousness, holiness, and wisdom—for your full redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30)? If you do, you are His. For He says: My sheep hear my voice … and they follow me. If you have put your faith in Him, it’s because you have heard His voice. And again, beloved, He tells us elsewhere: Do not be afraid, because I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are mine … you are precious and honored in my eyes, and I myself love you (Isaiah 43:1, 4).

Now, Christ has a people. He has had a Church from the beginning. In Genesis 3:15, the first time the Gospel is proclaimed in the ears of fallen sinners, it is spoken as judgement on the serpent, Satan; but a promise of a future with hope to sinners to whom God is pleased to show mercy. It applies to Christ and His Bride, the Church: I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. The seed of the woman, in this instance, can be understood as the Church and her covenant children: This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her (Psalm 87:5). There is hostility between Christ’s Church; and the serpent, who wants to devour it (Revelation 12).

But notice that the serpent also has a “seed.” This includes the evil angels and demons who have sided with Satan; but also wicked and reprobate humans, especially those who oppose and persecute the Church. For example, both John the Baptist and Christ called the corrupt religious leaders of their day the offspring of vipers (Matthew 3:7; 12:34; Luke 3:7). Likewise, in John 8:44, our Lord said to some of the Jews: You belong to your father, the Devil, and you want to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and did not remain standing in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks from what is his, because he is a liar and the father of lying.

But Christ is the seed of the woman—in this case, referring to His being born of a virgin—whom God has sent to crush the head of the serpent, Satan. The Father sent Him into the world to defeat the old Dragon, and thus redeem His Bride—His Church.

And this He did, in His cross and resurrection. For by His cross, God erased the record of our debt brought against us by his legal demands. This record stood against us, but he took it away by nailing it to the cross (Colossians 2:14). And by His resurrection, He secured the resurrection of His Bride, the church, that she might live eternally with Him, and dine with Him at the great wedding feast. There, our victorious Bridegroom will satisfy us with a banquet of rich food, a banquet of aged wines, with the best cuts of meat, and with the finest wines (Isaiah 25:6). And behold!, as we feast, we shall see that He has swallowed up death forever! (Isaiah 25:8).

By His death and resurrection, our Bridegroom waged war on Satan, and was victorious. He crushed the head of the serpent. And through His victory, He has redeemed His Church forever.

But just like a serpent with a head wound, the old Dragon still thrashes about. And so Christ still fights against His enemies and ours.

And so we sing on: In your majesty advance successfully. Ride forward in the cause of truth, humility, and righteousness.

Christ rides into battle, and He must fight against Satan, but also Satan’s wicked brood. This is the vivid description given in St. John’s Apocalypse:

I saw heaven standing open, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True, and he judges and makes war in righteousness. His eyes are like blazing flames, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him, which no one knows except he himself. He is also clothed in a garment that had been dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies in heaven, which were clothed with white, clean, fine linen, were following him on white horses. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will shepherd them with an iron staff. He himself is going to trample the winepress of the fierce anger of the Almighty God. On his garment and on his thigh this name is written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords …Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army.

Revelation 19:11-16, 19

Christ is the mighty warrior on the white horse, going out to do battle with the serpent and his brood. Faithful and True to His Church, He must wage war against His enemies and ours until he has put all his enemies under his feet; and all things have been subjected to him (1 Corinthians 15:25, 28). He rides forward in the cause of truth, humility, and righteousness, so that He can make a home with His Bride in a new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells, which He has promised to us (2 Peter 3:13; cf. Matthew 5:5; Psalm 37:9-11).

And as He rides out to continue His war the serpent and his brood, we must not be squeamish about urging Him on to victory, for that would be ungrateful. No, as His faithful Bride, the Church continues to sing out to Him: Rise up, O Lord! Save me, my God! Yes, you will strike all my enemies on the jaw. The teeth of the wicked you will break (Psalm 3:7). And: Break the arm of the wicked. You pursue the wickedness of the evil man until you find no more (Psalm 10:15). O Church, why do we not pray this way? Why are these petitions not a part of our song? For these are not petty and spiteful fantasies of a vindictive heart. No! When we pray like this, we are delivering the wicked over to God for judgment. Not avenging ourselves, but surrendering our enemies to our Lord’s perfect justice. Who knows but that some of them He may yet convert, as He did Saul on the way to Damascus. For it could also be that He will pursue some evil man’s wickedness by turning him from it.

We would see our King’s enemies enemies conquered, because they are also our enemies, and He is fighting for us. Now, God may grant them repentance, leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the Devil’s trap, after they were captured by him to do his will (2 Timothy 2:25-26). That is one way our enemies may be conquered. It may also be that He traps the wise in their schemes, and the plans of the devious come to a swift end (Job 5:13). Or it may be that we will have to endure them until they come to the white throne of final judgment, when God will bring everything that is done into judgment, including everything that is hidden, whether good or evil (Ecclesiastes 12:14). But we must remember our Lord’s warning to the wicked, and comfort to His Church: To me belongs vengeance and repayment. It will come at the time when their foot slips. Indeed, the day of their disaster is near, and their impending doom is coming quickly (Deuteronomy 32:35). Whether they are conquered by Christ turning them to Himself; or caught unawares and perish in the midst of their wickedness; or, because it has been decreed in God’s eternal wisdom that He will allow them to live a long time carrying out evil deeds, and then be held fully accountable at the Last Day; no matter: at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:10-11). Even Satan will bend the knee to our Bridegroom.

And so the Psalmist here teaches us also to sing: Let your right hand teach you awesome deeds. Your arrows are sharpened. Let peoples fall beneath you. Your arrows are in the heart of the king’s enemies.

When we sing: Let your right hand teach you awesome deeds, we don’t mean that Christ must actually learn anything. But that as His infinite power—for that is what His right hand signifies—is unleashed to deliver His Church, He sees His eternal purpose being fulfilled, and He is satisfied. He unleashes plagues against the enemies of His Bride, and crushes them under the Red Sea and drowns them. So that we sing—like the Israelites when the Lord delivered them from the Pharaoh and his army: The Lord is a warrior. The Lord is his name … Lord, your right hand is glorious in power. Lord, your right hand has shattered the enemy … You stretched out your right hand, and the earth swallowed them. In your mercy you will lead the people that you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy pastureland (Exodus 15:3, 6, 12-13). We pray for our Bridegroom to display His mighty works of judgment and redemption for our sake.

And when the Church sings: Your arrows are sharpened. Let peoples fall beneath you. Your arrows are in the heart of the king’s enemies; we sing our faith that our Lord’s weapons are effective at subduing every enemy. His arrows will either pierce their hearts so that they repent, and fall at His feet, praying His mercy and submitting to Him in faith; or His arrows will strike them in judgment, and they will fall beneath Him into their share in the lake burning with fire and sulfur, which is the second death (Revelation 21:8).

When we sing this portion of Psalm 45—the Church’s love song to Christ, her glorious Bridegroom, the Warrior King who has redeemed us from our enemies Satan, sin, and Death; along with the rebellious angels and wicked people who have joined in their cause—we are giving voice to our confidence that truly all things work together for the good of those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). And that means all things. Even when the wicked have surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city (Revelation 20:9); this is when our King’s mighty arm will work salvation. He will clothe Himself with righteousness like armor, with the helmet of salvation on His head, dressed in garments of vengeance, with His zeal for His Bride wrapped around Him like a cloak. And He will repay in full what they have earned, namely, wrath to his foes and full payment to his enemies. He will repay even the distant coastlands (Isaiah 59:16-18). And then, having made a footstool of His enemies, and purged the earth of wickedness until He finds no more; He will make an eternal home with His Bride in a new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13).