PSALM 45:9

This is a Psalm of instruction on the subject of love.  It is the love between a Bridegroom and His Bride.  In verses 1-8 we have been looking at ‘The Royal Bridegroom Described’.  This week we look at verse 8, which says, “All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.”  I am calling this section ‘Thy Glorious Garments’.

            As we begin to unpack this verse that speaks of our husband-to-be, we see the mention of ‘The Anointed Garments’.  The smell of myrrh and aloe refer us back to the anointing oil of verse 7.  This mixture was mentioned of the High Priest in Exodus 30:25 which says, “And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.”  This oil was placed on the priest before he entered the Holy of Holies to offer the burnt offering.  These two principal spices make up the mixture.  The myrrh speaks of death.  It was the spice placed on the body in preparation of burial.  The priest, when this spice was applied, speaks of death to self and ‘not my will but thine be done’.  The spice of aloe speaks of healing which was a part of much of the apothecary and his medicine.  Our Bridegroom came with the goal of dying for His people, covering them with His blood, and healing them of their sin sick souls.  No wonder our husband said, ‘this was an oil of gladness’.

            We see also in verse 8 this is ‘The Awesome Garment’.  He came forth with these garments from ‘out of the ivory palaces’.  The ivory palaces of the Bible days were the homes of the very rich and elite.  The place from which our heavenly husband came, the regions of heaven above, are ivory palaces like none that has ever been known. 

            In verse 8 we find ‘The Actual Garments’.  These garments are so glorious.  We find there are five settings of our Lord’s wonderful wardrobe.  There were the swaddling clothes He wore at birth.  These were the ‘Garments Of Death’.  These garments were placed upon the body in preparation for burial.  He truly came to die and not to live.  There was the ‘Garments Of Demonstration’ seen at the transfiguration.  They looked like lightning where we see Him so clearly as the God-Man.  We see also the purple and white robes at the trial.  These were the ‘Garments Of Distinction’. He was seen in these garments as the King of the Jews and Gentiles.  We see the soldier roll the dice for His seamless robe at the Cross.  This was the ‘Garment Of Declaration’.  The one to whom the lot fell received the garment of righteousness which declared him holy.  At the grave He laid aside the grave clothes for the eternal garments of a King.  I see these as the ‘Garments Of Discard’.  These garments make me want to sing with the songwriter,

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