Gird thy sword upon [thy] thigh, O mighty one, [in] thy majesty and thy splendour;
The psalm has just praised a King whose lips overflow with grace, and now it asks Him to strap on a weapon. Why does a King like that need a sword, and why is He told to wear glory and majesty into battle?
The King's own excellence is what sets men against Him.
However excellent the King — indeed, because of His moral perfection — men have opposed Him in their hostility. They will not submit to His claims as King. His throne, therefore, can only be reached through the judgment of His enemies. So the godly man appeals to the King to gird on His sword for the day of battle. Not only is the King morally perfect, He is all powerful — a "mighty One."
So why does grace give way to a sword?
This King is glorious, and God owns Him. Even so, the world does not welcome Him in peace to His throne with its homage. No: He has to conquer His kingdom, as David had to. So the next three verses speak of the putting down of His enemies. Truth, and the cause of meek (or suffering) righteousness, demand the judgment He comes to execute. He has shown grace and men have rejected it: only judgment remains… So the "grace poured into His lips" gives way to a sword.
The psalm before this one is the prayer of a suffering people begging their King to act.
The theme of Psalm 45 is the King. He is not viewed here as in Psalm 21, where He has experienced a great salvation. He is shown coming out with His sword girded on His thigh to establish His kingdom. This psalm is the divine answer to the cry of the distressed remnant in the psalm before it: they own Him as "King" and beg Him to arise and "ordain salvation for Jacob" (Ps. 44:4).
The sword and the splendour belong together. The girding marks a change of era.
With the girding on of the sword, the day of His humiliation is past; the time to put on His glory and majesty has come. He comes out in His majesty, as the One mighty in battle. He will ride out victoriously, because He fights the forces of evil for the cause of "truth and meekness and righteousness." He will maintain the truth, avenge the oppressed, and establish righteousness. In this world's wars, earthly kings pay little attention to truth; the meek are crushed, and too often might prevails over right. Here, however, is One who wars not simply to gain land or fame, but to establish what is right and to bless the meek of the earth.
Some expect His kingdom to arrive quietly, as the gospel spreads.
It is a question here of the Kingdom and of putting down foes, and that is done by power and by judgment. So He appears, as in Revelation 19, as the girded One. He does not wear the towel, as He does now to serve His saints. He wears His sword on His thigh, so that His right hand may teach Him awesome deeds. It is strange that anyone should suppose His kingdom will come in by the quiet means of His gospel.
One prophet shows this King coming to Zion in humility. Commentators hold both pictures together.
Like David, He is "a man of war." It is true that He will come to Zion, lowly as in former days, riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey (Zech. 9:9). It is just as true that He will gird His sword on His thigh, a valiant Man, in His majesty and splendour, and that His right hand will teach Him awesome deeds (Ps. 45:3-4). He will sit as Overcomer on a white horse, followed by the armies of heaven.
What about the time in between?
Very soon, the Lord Jesus as the true David, the warrior King, will appear to bring all His foes into submission. He is seated now at God's right hand until His foes are made the footstool of His feet. With this in view comes the divine call… Men have had centuries in which to repent of what they did to Jesus. All who have repented and turned to God have received forgiveness and the richest of heavenly blessings in Christ. But God will shortly bring judgment on the world that so dishonoured His Son, and His King will be the instrument of that judgment.
- Grace first. The verse before shows a King whose lips pour out grace. Verse 3 follows because men refused it.
- Grace exchanged. What was in His lips is now on His thigh — the same King, the same perfection, a different instrument.
- Towel, then sword. Today He is girded with the towel of service. Then He will wear the sword, and His humiliation will be over.
- Glory worn into battle. He puts on majesty like armour and fights, not for land or fame, but to establish what is right and bless the meek.
- A throne through judgment. His kingdom does not arrive by slow persuasion. He conquers it as David did, and then He reigns.
And [in] thy splendour ride prosperously, because of truth and meekness [and] righteousness and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.
Psalm 45 is a wedding song about a King. Here the song turns to battle, and the King rides out armed. Why does a King praised for His beauty need a sword — and what has that to do with truth, meekness and righteousness?
The sword comes on first. One writer reads that as the end of Christ's lowly days, and weighs this King's aims against those of ordinary conquerors.
With the girding on of the sword, the day of His humiliation is passed; the time to put on His glory and majesty has come. He comes forth in His majesty, as the One mighty in battle. He will ride out victoriously. He will fight the forces of evil on behalf of "truth and meekness and righteousness." He will maintain the truth, avenge the oppressed, and establish righteousness. In this world's wars, earthly kings care little for truth. They crush the meek, and might often beats right. Such means never win a prosperous kingdom or a lasting throne. But here is One who wars, not to gain land or fame, but to establish the right and bless the meek of the earth.
The ride is "for the cause of" these three things. Each answers something already loose in the world.
He rides out victoriously, "for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness." That is, He rides in order to establish truth, meekness and righteousness in the earth. Truth stands against what is false and unreal — against the devil's lie. Meekness stands against pride and self-sufficiency. Righteousness stands against all that is lawless, and out of right relations with God. Once truth is shown, man must take his true place in meekness before God, and so God's rights are fully established. He who rides forth in majesty to bring these things to pass is Himself the Righteous One. He is the Truth. He is meek and lowly in heart.
The verse ends with the King's right hand teaching Him. One writer reads "awesome" as the effect on those who watch, and pairs it with the next verse.
When God must pour out judgment on a rebellious world, the right hand of the Lord Jesus will teach Him awesome things. For people will watch His great conquests with awe and wonder. Revelation speaks of the sword of His mouth, but Psalm 45:5 adds to this the sharp arrows by which the people fall under Him. So when the Lord rises to judge His enemies, there will be both short range and long range warfare.
So the kingdom does not come by slow persuasion. One writer says so plainly, and adds a pattern from Israel's history.
The kingdom of Christ will be brought in by power and judgement. It is useless to hold on to the idea that the Gospel will bring the whole world under Christ peacefully… This is not Gospel progress, but unsparing judgement of enemies. David and Solomon together are a picture of Christ in His reign. The first was a man of war. He was always shedding the blood of his enemies. As a result his son came to a peaceful throne, and could reign in rest and glory. So it will be in the day to come… Then peace will follow on a righteous ground.
These three qualities are not new to Him. They marked years when nothing about His life looked victorious.
Truth, meekness and righteousness were all seen in their perfection in Jesus… Men took advantage of His meekness. They insulted, rejected and abused Him, and mocked Him when they had nailed Him on a criminal's cross… His walk on earth did not appear to prosper. He was cut off and had nothing. But He will ride out victoriously when He comes forth out of heaven to put down all evil and bring in God's blessings on earth.
One writer applies the verse to how those who carry God's word should handle it.
The oil makes the nail drive without splitting the board. The word never enters the heart more kindly than when it falls most gently: "ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness." Be as rough with your people's sins as you can — only be gentle with their souls. Do you take the rod of reproof into your hand? Let them see that love, not wrath, gives the blow.
- Cause. The ride has a purpose. Truth against the lie, meekness against pride, righteousness against lawlessness — He comes to set them up, not just defend them.
- Character. The One riding already is what He rides for; He is the Truth, the Righteous One, meek and lowly in heart.
- Cost. These three come by judgment, not by slow persuasion. Power comes first, as with David; then peace, as with Solomon.
- Contrast. Earthly kings crush the meek and let might beat right. This King fights to bless the meek and to win a throne that lasts.
- Copy. Those who carry His word copy the same mix: hard on sin, gentle with souls, so love gives the blow.