Psalm Meditation 1321 ¶Proper 23 ¶September 12, 2025 ¶Psalm 45 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm45&version=NRSVUE ¶With the title ‘Ode for a Royal Wedding’ I have an image of a toast at a modern wedding reception. Not many people can say that a toast given to them was later put in the Scriptures of their faith. The psalmist praises the king and acknowledges some of the ways God has made David a great king, one that anyone would be happy to have as husband with all the great things that will come due to her new prestige as Queen along side David. The attitude may rankle modern temperaments while still being appropriate for the time. ¶The bride is instructed to forget about her father and her family so that she can pour all of her energy into making a family for the king and nation to take pride in. If she is properly subservient the king will be happy with her and she will get rich tribute from Tyre, one of the vassal states which serve David. Royal weddings were not about love, they were about alliances of power between nations. Love and affection were inconsequential. The important thing was consolidation of power and influence between nations. ¶I know that there continue to be marriages that are arranged for the benefit of someone other than the bride or groom. I prefer marriages that are base in love and care, one for the other. And, I believe that God encourages us to take advantage of the steadfast love offered to us in a variety of ways for the sake of a marriage. God also invites us to share that unconditional and steadfast love with all those around us. ¶September 6, 2025 ¶LCM lcmanifold@gmail.com http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/