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CHURCH LETTER
` My heart is stirred by a noble theme '
With the conflicting and often distorted opinions of the great and the good of the United Kingdom assailing the minds of the British people concerning the recent Referendum, we thought it proper to turn with relief to Scripture.
We were prompted to consider Hezekiah, the godly king of Judah, who at the height of his reign faced great changes to his small, and in the eyes of the surrounding great powers, insignificant kingdom. 2 Kings 18 tells us that Hezekiah was the son of Ahaz King of Judah and whose mother was Abijah. At the age of twenty-five he came to power at a time of rising tension through the rising power of Assyria, and he soon faced the destruction of his kingdom from the army of Sennacherib king of Assyria who had alrady decimated the northern kingdom of Israel. Hezekiah was a godly king and was responsible for many great reforms in the nation's religious life, including pulling down the Asherah poles and rooting out the Canaanite fertility rites that had spread throughout the land.
As would be expected amongst religious people much controversy has arisen over whether or not Hezekiah was that `son' spoken of in Isaiah 7:14:
" The LORD Himself will give you (King Ahaz) a sign. A virgin will be
with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. "
The controversy centres on the word `virgin', which in Hebrew is `alman' and translated by the Greek scholars of the Septuagint as `parthenes'. Without wishing to enter too deeply into that controversy, the Hebrew word has a meaning of `a young woman who has reached the age for childbirth, and by inference was a virgin'. The Greek word had this meaning also and so the understanding of Isaiah's prophecy was that of a young virgin in the court of King Ahaz and therefore known intimately by the king, who when the conception was announced would dramatically recall Isaiah's prophecy. Was that young virgin Abijah the mother of Hezekiah? This is a question for the reader to answer. What we do know is that Hezekiah had inherited the same menace and deadly peril to his kingdom that his father King Ahaz had constantly faced. Hezekiah clearly understood that against such a powerful enemy survival for his kingdom depended on unity, and so in 2 Chronicles 30 we read of his effort to bring about that unity through reconcilliation of the northern kingdom of Israel to the southern kingdom of Judah - the united twelve tribes of the God-ordained Kingdom of Israel.
And so: (2 Chronicles 30:1-5 and 21-23)
" Hezekiah sent word to all Israel and Judah and also wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh, inviting them to come to the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel. The king and his officials and the whole assembly in Jerusalem decided to celebrate the Passover in the second month. They had not been able to celebrate it at the regular time because not enough priests had consecrated themselves and the people had not assembled in Jerusalem. The plan seemed right to the king and to the whole assembly. They decided to send a proclamation throughout Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, calling the people to come to Jerusalem and celebrate the Passover to the LORD, the God of Israel. It had not been celebrated in large numbers according to what was written."
King Hezekiah's thinking was the same as David's, for he attempted to unite the tribes of Israel under one head, centered on the city of Jerusalem and the Temple of the LORD. His intentions were godly and the restoration of the Kingdom of Israel seemed to be at hand:
" The Israelites who were present in Jerusalem celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with great rejoicing, while the Levites and priests sang to the LORD every day, accompanied by the LORD's instruments of praise. Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good understanding of the service of the LORD. For seven days they ate their portions and offered peace offerings and praised the LORD, the God of their fathers. The whole assembly then agreed to celebrate the Festival seven days more; so for another seven days they celebrated joyfully. "
The Feast they celebrated was the Feast of Passover, the Feast of Deliverance. It was at this time, we would suggest, that the wedding ceremony between King Hezekiah and his bride Hephzibah took place, which takes us to Psalm 45. The Psalm itself stands unique in its own right concerning its primary use, that is, a Wedding Song at the marriage of a king of Israel. But as it is placed in the Second Book of Psalms its secondary revelation concerns the redemption of the nation of Israel from slavery and bondage into the fulness of the Wife of Yahweh. The Psalm opens with titles, and as they are part of the Hebrew Scriptures they must be brought into our thinking. In the titles of this Wedding Song the King James Version says that it was `entrusted to the Sons of Korah'. This takes us back into Torah, into the Book of Numbers, where in chapter 16:31-38 we find the story of the rebellion of `Korah, son of Izhar, the son of Korath, son of Levi (and others)' against the authority of Moses and Aaron, who had been called to lead the Israelites on their journey of redemption. The story is familiar and we need not repeat it here. Suffice to say that it led to God confirming His appointment of Moses through the destruction of those rebellious people by a terrible earthquake which swallowed them up, thus removing them from the camp. However, God's Grace spared the House of Korah, for in Numbers 26:11 we find recorded: `The line of Korah, however, did not die out'. If we move swiftly to chapter 6 of the Book of Chronicles we find recorded the descendants of Kohath: `Amminadab his son, Korah his son . . .' as Levites who were listed amongst the Temple musicians: `that David put in charge of the music in the House of the LORD after the Ark came to rest there' (v31).
We are now ready to look at the full meaning of our Maskil, Psalm 45, composed and sung at the wedding ceremony of King Hezekiah and his bride Hephzibah. From this primary event the Psalmist, whose `heart is stirred by a noble theme', looks back to the glory of Israel who had been chosen, brought out of slavery from Egypt and set apart as the Wife of Yahweh upon entering into a Marriage Covenant - as recorded in the Book of Deuteronomy. Therefore we see in this Passover Psalm and the wedding celebrations that this was a time when Israel remembered the redemption of Israel from the yoke of slavery in Egypt - and here we see the reason for this Psalm being included in the Second Book of Psalms, for they were threatened by the growing power of Assyria, and so, fearing again the yoke of slavery, they looked to their king to deliver them from their enemies. The wording of the Psalm echoes the heart-cry of the nation of Judah at that time, who as a Bride . . as a Wife . . was looking for deliverance through the protection of her Husband, the God of Israel.
Within the setting of the Second Book of Psalms we are looking at a wedding ceremony of a king whose kingdom is in danger of being defeated and his subjects in danger of being taken into slavery. But we are also looking at a king who knows with absolute certainty that the God of Israel will protect HIS people and deliver them from the threat that confronts them. It is a Covenant relationship which reveals God as a Husband to the nation of Israel, One who will not only care for her but also deliver her from her enemies: (Psalm 45:3-5)
" Gird Your sword upon Your side, O Mighty One;
clothe Yourself with splendour and majesty.
In Your majesty ride forth victoriously on
behalf of truth, humility and righteousness.
Let Your right hand display awesome deeds;
let Your arrows pierce the hearts of the king's enemies;
let the nations fall beneath Your feet. "
The next verse takes us into a different dimension as the Psalmist `looks back' to the glory of an earlier wedding when Israel was under the kingship of Solomon and in a Covenant relationship with all the blessings as the Wife of Yahweh, the God of Israel. During the reign of King Solomon, seated upon the Throne of David, the nation of Israel rose to its full height of power and splendour. This drew the surrounding nations to send ambassadors to the court of King Solomon, who sat upon the Throne of David reflecting the majesty and splendour of the God of Israel. As we have mentioned in an earlier study, under King David, and later under his son King Solomon, the cult - and we use that word in the correct context - of the kings of Israel rose to its full height of power and influence. Ruling and reigning with justice and equity they sat upon a throne as the representatives of the God who came and manfested Himself and dwelt amongst His people in the Most Holy Place in the Temple in Jerusalem. The kings who sat upon the Chariot Throne above the outstretched wings of the cherubim were the image of the unapproachable God who was represented amongst His people in the kings of Israel. As the skilful Psalmist looks upon that splendour and majesty his heart is stirred: (verse 2)
" You are the most excellent of men
and your lips have been anointed with grace,
since God has blessed you for ever. "
As the Psalmist looks upon the splendour of the king and sings his praises, the Holy Spirit moves upon him and reveals the true King whose Glory is reflected in a human king in the Temple in Jerusalem, the City of the Great King. For a moment the two are joined as one as the Psalmist cries out: (verse 6)
" Your Throne, O God, will last for ever and ever!
A sceptre of justice will be the sceptre of Your Kingdom. "
Then as the spiritual awareness is dimmed the Psalmist's thoughts come back to the earthly king, and he continues his praise:
" You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has set you above your
companions by anointing you with the oil of joy. "
Once again we can see the spiritual dimension as we `see past' the king who is waiting for his bride to the King of kings, the Messiah Jesus, seated high above His companions by the will of His Father and waiting for His Bride. But we need to step back from that rich, heady pomp and ceremony and bring our Psalmist's eyes back to the king whose wedding is taking place before him. The nation of Israel is no longer in the situation it enjoyed under King Solomon because it is seen (because of its setting in the Second Book of Psalms) to be in need of deliverance from possible slavery. The Psalmist, therefore, is not describing the wedding ceremony of Solomon, for his enemies had been subdued under his feet. And so with this understanding firmly in mind the Psalmist points us to the king he is writing of - to Hezekiah, king of Judah.
We are not intending a full exposition of this Psalm in this short Letter, for with this brief background our readers can fill in the remainder of the Psalm with their own reading. It is sufficient for us to close with verses 13-15:
" All glorious is the princess within her chamber;
her gown is interwoven with gold.
In embroidered garments she is led to the king;
her virgin companions follow her and are brought to you.
They enter in with joy and gladness,
they enter the palace of the king. "
We note that the Psalm concludes with the reminder: `For the sons of Korah' who know the Grace of God, and the Psalm is entrusted to the Chief Musician of the Temple for other similar occasions `upon Alamoth', which means `maidens singing' (at a wedding). It is entrusted to the Chief Musician for there is yet to come a Wedding Ceremony such as the world has never seen. Israel will be redeemed and raised to her rightful place as the Wife of Yahweh and truly a `Song of Love' will be sung at that time!
Rather than be concerned with the worldly means of the change that is happening - whether or not it is from `the new armies of Sennacharib' who are appearing on the world stage at this time - the concern of the Church of the Redeemed should be the same as Hephzibah: (verses 10-11)
" Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear;
Forget your people and your father's house.
The King is enthralled by your beauty.
honour Him for He is your Lord. "
Selah
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