10 Listen, O daughter, consider and give ear: Forget your people and your father's house. 11 The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord. 12 The Daughter of Tyre will come with a gift; men of wealth will seek your favor. 13 All glorious is the princess within [her chamber]; her gown is interwoven with gold. 14 In embroidered garments she is led to the king; her virgin companions follow her and are brought to you. 15 They are led in with joy and gladness; they enter the palace of the king.

Again, as we read this Psalm, we can’t help but wonder if this is written for the actual wedding of a king and his bride. The idea of Christ being the bridegroom and his church the bride is one that is found more than once in the New Testament. We are told that when he comes again, his bride will be called to meet him in all her radiance. What a beautiful picture we envision as we see the bride adorned in all her splendor, with the bride’s maids surrounding her and adding to the beauty of the procession. As the groom anxiously waits her arrival and then watches as she approaches, he sees only his bride, thinks only of her beauty and pictures himself being happy forever.

Paul, in writing to the Ephesians, uses this figure to teach some lessons on the relationship responsibilities of husbands and wives. He says that husbands should love their wives, even as Christ loves his church. He cherishes her and nurtures her. He even loves her so much that he gave himself to die for her. In return for this unselfish devotion of the husband, his wife is submissive to him and respects him as she encourages his leadership of the family. But then after this is all said, Paul says he is really talking about Christ and the church.

While we call ourselves “Christian” and we even name our churches with his name, do we really submit to him in all things? For too many (and too often) we want a liberation from submission to Christ. We want to run our own churches and our own lives without any regard for Christ and his leadership. We must never forget that it is Christ who died for us, yes; it is he who has risen from the dead. Praise God, He is our Lord!

O God, I thank you and praise you that Jesus is my savior. Help me to make him my Lord, my master in every way. Keep me from pride and the selfishness that would cause me to not listen to Jesus. I ask for wisdom to better understand your word and to apply it in my life. I ask a special prayer this morning for those who are sick and those who are hurting. Please give them your peace and your healing. I pray in the name of my Lord, Jesus.

May God bless each of us as we accept him alone as our Lord.