Psalm 45 (Listen)

Your Throne, O God, Is Forever

To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Maskil¹ of the Sons of Korah; a love song.

45:1   My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;
    I address my verses to the king;
    my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2   You are the most handsome of the sons of men;
    grace is poured upon your lips;
    therefore God has blessed you forever.
3   Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
    in your splendor and majesty!
4   In your majesty ride out victoriously
    for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;
    let your right hand teach you awesome deeds!
5   Your arrows are sharp
    in the heart of the king’s enemies;
    the peoples fall under you.
6   Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
    The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;
7     you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
  Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
    with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
8     your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
  From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
9     daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;
    at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
10   Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear:
    forget your people and your father’s house,
11     and the king will desire your beauty.
  Since he is your lord, bow to him.
12     The people² of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts,
    the richest of the people.³
13   All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.
14     In many-colored robes she is led to the king,
    with her virgin companions following behind her.
15   With joy and gladness they are led along
    as they enter the palace of the king.
16   In place of your fathers shall be your sons;
    you will make them princes in all the earth.
17   I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;
    therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.

(ESV)

From the overflow of his heart the psalmist bursts with blessing upon the King: most handsome, majestic and mighty to save. With sword at His side and grace upon His lips, He defends truth, the meek and righteous. Such a description befits only one King: the Messiah, whose throne is forever!

Attention turns to His queen, instructed to “let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also.” Yet, “the richest of the people will seek her favor,” for she has lost nothing but gained everything in her union to her King. Her name is ever remembered, fastbound to her Bridegroom, led on in joy and gladness at her Maker and Master’s right hand, wherein are pleasures forever.

2 Thessalonians 2:1–12 (Listen)

The Man of Lawlessness

2:1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,¹ 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness² is revealed, the son of destruction,³ 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

(ESV)

Now to the 2nd matter of this 2nd letter: fear of having missed the 2nd coming. Paul assured them that first must come “the rebellion”, “the man of lawlessness”, the “activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders” which those who “refused to love the truth” took “pleasure in”. Such deception fed fleshly appetites for exaltation and unrighteousness. But for now, the “son of destruction” is held back until the predetermined time when God will use him to condemn those “who did not believe the truth”. Stop and consider: the activity of Satan has a role to play in God’s predetermined plan! The lawless man will rise to supeme earthly power, enthrone himself in the temple, only to be killed, brought to nothing by the mere breath of the King of kings who upholds the world by the word of His power! Indeed, to Him “every knee will bow”!