1. Endowments of the king-groom (45:2)
name of the ancient patriarch, is often used to designate the nation of Israel, especially in poetry.
PSALMS—NOTE ON 44:5–8 Through you . . . For not in my bow do I trust . . . But you have saved us. The defeated king-general picks up the theology of v. 3 and adds his personal commitment to it.
PSALMS—NOTE ON 44:9 But you . . . not gone out with our armies. The Lord God is viewed here as having resigned his commission as the nation's Divine Warrior.
PSALMS—NOTE ON 44:11–16 You have made . . . You have sold. These are graphic descriptions of God superintending the defeat and utter humiliation of the nation.
PSALMS—NOTE ON 44:17–21 though we have not forgotten you . . . If we had forgotten the name of our God. The nation's recent defeat was painfully perplexing in view of their basic loyalty to God.
PSALMS—NOTE ON 44:22 Yet for your sake. They had no specific answers; only this inescapable conclusion that, by God's sovereign will, they were allowed to be destroyed by their enemies. Cf. Paul's quote of this verse in Rom. 8:36 and its general principle in Matt. 5:10–12; 1 Pet. 3:13–17; 4:12–16.
PSALMS—NOTE ON 44:23 Awake . . . Rouse yourself! Cf. 35:23. God does not actually sleep. This is only in appearance to man's perception.
PSALMS—NOTE ON 44:26 Rise up. Cf. Num. 10:35; Ps. 3:7; 7:6. Redeem us for . . . your steadfast love! The psalm therefore comes full circle from the history of God's gracious redemption (44:1–3) to the hope for the same in the near future (v. 26).
PSALMS—NOTE ON 45:1–17 Some portions of Ps. 45 convey a secular emphasis, while others suggest a sacred extension. Upon the occasion of a royal wedding, the psalmist offers a three-part song of celebration.
I. Poetic Preface (45:1) II. Song of Celebration (45:2–16)
A. The King-Groom (45:2–9)
1. Endowments of the king-groom (45:2)