² You are the most excellent of men
    and your lips have been anointed with grace,
    since God has blessed you forever.

³ Gird your sword on your side, you mighty one;
    clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
⁴ In your majesty ride forth victoriously
    in the cause of truth, humility and justice;
    let your right hand achieve awesome deeds.
⁵ Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies;
    let the nations fall beneath your feet.
⁶ Your throne, O God,^[c] will last for ever and ever;
    a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. Psalm 45:1-6

What is excellence?

² You are the most excellent of men
    and your lips have been anointed with grace,
    since God has blessed you forever.

³ Gird your sword on your side, you mighty one;
    clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
⁴ In your majesty ride forth victoriously
    in the cause of truth, humility and justice;
    let your right hand achieve awesome deeds.
⁵ Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies;
    let the nations fall beneath your feet.
⁶ Your throne, O God,^[c] will last for ever and ever;
    a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. Psalm 45:1-6

What are the Messiah’s forever blessings from God?

² You are the most excellent of men
    and your lips have been anointed with grace,
    since God has blessed you forever.

³ Gird your sword on your side, you mighty one;
    clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
⁴ In your majesty ride forth victoriously
    in the cause of truth, humility and justice;
    let your right hand achieve awesome deeds.
⁵ Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies;
    let the nations fall beneath your feet.
⁶ Your throne, O God,^[c] will last for ever and ever;
    a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. Psalm 45:1-6

Who has God blessed forever?

² You are the most excellent of men
    and your lips have been anointed with grace,
    since God has blessed you forever.

³ Gird your sword on your side, you mighty one;
    clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
⁴ In your majesty ride forth victoriously
    in the cause of truth, humility and justice;
    let your right hand achieve awesome deeds.
⁵ Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies;
    let the nations fall beneath your feet.
⁶ Your throne, O God,^[c] will last for ever and ever;
    a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. Psalm 45:1-6

What king or kings is (are) the theme of this Psalm?

² You are the most excellent of men
    and your lips have been anointed with grace,
    since God has blessed you forever.

³ Gird your sword on your side, you mighty one;
    clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.
⁴ In your majesty ride forth victoriously
    in the cause of truth, humility and justice;
    let your right hand achieve awesome deeds.
⁵ Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king’s enemies;
    let the nations fall beneath your feet.
⁶ Your throne, O God,^[c] will last for ever and ever;
    a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. Psalm 45:1-6

What is the writer’s noble theme? Is it the same as yours?

You have made us a reproach to our neighbors,
    the scorn and derision of those around us.
¹⁴ You have made us a byword among the nations;
    the peoples shake their heads at us.
¹⁵ I live in disgrace all day long,
    and my face is covered with shame
¹⁶ at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me,
    because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.

¹⁷ All this came upon us,
    though we had not forgotten you;
    we had not been false to your covenant.
¹⁸ Our hearts had not turned back;
    our feet had not strayed from your path.
¹⁹ But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals;
    you covered us over with deep darkness.

²⁰ If we had forgotten the name of our God
    or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
²¹ would not God have discovered it,
    since he knows the secrets of the heart?
²² Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

²³ Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep?
    Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
²⁴ Why do you hide your face
    and forget our misery and oppression?

²⁵ We are brought down to the dust;
    our bodies cling to the ground.
²⁶ Rise up and help us;
    rescue us because of your unfailing love. Psalm 44:13-26

What kind of things might make us think God is asleep? How do we combat those feelings?

You have made us a reproach to our neighbors,
    the scorn and derision of those around us.
¹⁴ You have made us a byword among the nations;
    the peoples shake their heads at us.
¹⁵ I live in disgrace all day long,
    and my face is covered with shame
¹⁶ at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me,
    because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.

¹⁷ All this came upon us,
    though we had not forgotten you;
    we had not been false to your covenant.
¹⁸ Our hearts had not turned back;
    our feet had not strayed from your path.
¹⁹ But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals;
    you covered us over with deep darkness.

²⁰ If we had forgotten the name of our God
    or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
²¹ would not God have discovered it,
    since he knows the secrets of the heart?
²² Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

²³ Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep?
    Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
²⁴ Why do you hide your face
    and forget our misery and oppression?

²⁵ We are brought down to the dust;
    our bodies cling to the ground.
²⁶ Rise up and help us;
    rescue us because of your unfailing love. Psalm 44:13-26

What is persecution? What does it accomplish?

You have made us a reproach to our neighbors,
    the scorn and derision of those around us.
¹⁴ You have made us a byword among the nations;
    the peoples shake their heads at us.
¹⁵ I live in disgrace all day long,
    and my face is covered with shame
¹⁶ at the taunts of those who reproach and revile me,
    because of the enemy, who is bent on revenge.

¹⁷ All this came upon us,
    though we had not forgotten you;
    we had not been false to your covenant.
¹⁸ Our hearts had not turned back;
    our feet had not strayed from your path.
¹⁹ But you crushed us and made us a haunt for jackals;
    you covered us over with deep darkness.

²⁰ If we had forgotten the name of our God
    or spread out our hands to a foreign god,
²¹ would not God have discovered it,
    since he knows the secrets of the heart?
²² Yet for your sake we face death all day long;
    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.

²³ Awake, Lord! Why do you sleep?
    Rouse yourself! Do not reject us forever.
²⁴ Why do you hide your face
    and forget our misery and oppression?

²⁵ We are brought down to the dust;
    our bodies cling to the ground.
²⁶ Rise up and help us;
    rescue us because of your unfailing love. Psalm 44:13-26

What is judgment?

What is the reason for it?