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SCRIPTURE REFERENCES FOR THIS SERMON:
Psalm 45:1-49:20
45:1 For the music director, according to the tune of “Lilies”; by the Korahites, a well-written poem, a love song.
My heart is stirred by a beautiful song.
I say, “I have composed this special song for the king;
my tongue is as skilled as the stylus of an experienced scribe.”
2 You are the most handsome of all men.
You speak in an impressive and fitting manner.
For this reason God grants you continual blessings.
3 Strap your sword to your thigh, O warrior.
Appear in your majestic splendor.
4 Appear in your majesty and be victorious.
Ride forth for the sake of what is right,
on behalf of justice.
Then your right hand will accomplish mighty acts.
5 Your arrows are sharp
and penetrate the hearts of the king’s enemies.
Nations fall at your feet.
6 Your throne, O God, is permanent.
The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.
7 You love justice and hate evil.
For this reason God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of joy, elevating you above your companions.
8 All your garments are perfumed with myrrh, aloes, and cassia.
From the luxurious palaces comes the music of stringed instruments that makes you happy.
9 Princesses are among your honored women.
Your bride stands at your right hand, wearing jewelry made with gold from Ophir.
10 Listen, O princess.
Observe and pay attention!
Forget your homeland and your family.
11 Then the king will be attracted by your beauty.
After all, he is your master. Submit to him.
12 Rich people from Tyre
will seek your favor by bringing a gift.
13 The princess looks absolutely magnificent,
decked out in pearls and clothed in a brocade trimmed with gold.
14 In embroidered robes she is escorted to the king.
Her attendants, the maidens of honor who follow her,
are led before you.
15 They are bubbling with joy as they walk in procession
and enter the royal palace.
16 Your sons will carry on the dynasty of your ancestors;
you will make them princes throughout the land.
17 I will proclaim your greatness through the coming years,
then the nations will praise you forever.
46:1 For the music director, by the Korahites; according to the alamoth style; a song.
God is our strong refuge;
he is truly our helper in times of trouble.
2 For this reason we do not fear when the earth shakes,
and the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea,
3 when its waves crash and foam,
and the mountains shake before the surging sea. (Selah)
4 The river’s channels bring joy to the city of God,
the special, holy dwelling place of the Most High.
5 God lives within it, it cannot be moved.
God rescues it at the break of dawn.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms are overthrown.
God gives a shout, the earth dissolves.
7 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is on our side.
The God of Jacob is our stronghold. (Selah)
8 Come, Witness the exploits of the Lord,
who brings devastation to the earth.
9 He brings an end to wars throughout the earth.
He shatters the bow and breaks the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, “Stop your striving and recognize that I am God.
I will be exalted over the nations! I will be exalted over the earth!”
11 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is on our side!
The God of Jacob is our stronghold! (Selah)
47:1 For the music director, by the Korahites; a psalm.
All you nations, clap your hands.
Shout out to God in celebration.
2 For the Lord Most High is awe-inspiring;
he is the great king who rules the whole earth!
3 He subdued nations beneath us
and countries under our feet.
4 He picked out for us a special land
to be a source of pride for Jacob, whom he loves. (Selah)
5 God has ascended his throne amid loud shouts;
the Lord has ascended amid the blaring of ram’s horns.
6 Sing to God! Sing!
Sing to our king! Sing!
7 For God is king of the whole earth.
Sing a well-written song.
8 God reigns over the nations.
God sits on his holy throne.
9 The nobles of the nations assemble,
along with the people of the God of Abraham,
for God has authority over the rulers of the earth.
He is highly exalted.
48:1 A song, a psalm by the Korahites.
The Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise
in the city of our God, his holy hill.
2 It is lofty and pleasing to look at,
a source of joy to the whole earth.
Mount Zion resembles the peaks of Zaphon;
it is the city of the great king.
3 God is in its fortresses;
he reveals himself as its defender.
4 For look, the kings assemble;
they advance together.
5 As soon as they see, they are shocked;
they are terrified, they quickly retreat.
6 Look at them shake uncontrollably,
like a woman writhing in childbirth.
7 With an east wind
you shatter the large ships.
8 We heard about God’s mighty deeds; now we have seen them,
in the city of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
in the city of our God.
God makes it permanently secure. (Selah)
9 Within your temple
we reflect on your loyal love, O God.
10 The praise you receive as far away as the ends of the earth
is worthy of your reputation, O God.
You execute justice.
11 Mount Zion rejoices;
the towns of Judah are happy,
because of your acts of judgment.
12 Walk around Zion. Encircle it.
Count its towers.
13 Consider its defenses.
Walk through its fortresses,
so you can tell the next generation about it.
14 For God, our God, is our defender forever.
He guides us.
49:1 For the music director, a psalm by the Korahites.
Listen to this, all you nations.
Pay attention, all you inhabitants of the world.
2 Pay attention, all you people,
both rich and poor.
3 I will declare a wise saying;
I will share my profound thoughts.
4 I will learn a song that imparts wisdom;
I will then sing my insightful song to the accompaniment of a harp.
5 Why should I be afraid in times of trouble,
when the sinful deeds of deceptive men threaten to overwhelm me?
6 They trust in their wealth
and boast in their great riches.
7 Certainly a man cannot rescue his brother;
he cannot pay God an adequate ransom price
8 (the ransom price for a human life is too high,
and people go to their final destiny),
9 so that he might continue to live forever
and not experience death.
10 Surely one sees that even wise people die;
fools and spiritually insensitive people all pass away
and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their grave becomes their permanent residence,
their eternal dwelling place.
They name their lands after themselves,
12 but, despite their wealth, people do not last.
They are like animals that perish.
13 This is the destiny of fools,
and of those who approve of their philosophy. (Selah)
14 They will travel to Sheol like sheep,
with death as their shepherd.
The godly will rule over them when the day of vindication dawns.
Sheol will consume their bodies, and they will no longer live in impressive houses.
15 But God will rescue my life from the power of Sheol;
certainly he will pull me to safety. (Selah)
16 Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich
and his wealth multiplies.
17 For he will take nothing with him when he dies;
his wealth will not follow him down into the grave.
18 He pronounces this blessing on himself while he is alive:
“May men praise you, for you have done well.”
19 But he will join his ancestors;
they will never again see the light of day.
20 Wealthy people do not understand;
they are like animals that perish.