10-11 Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear. Forget your people and your father's house, and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him. 12  The people of Tyre will seek your favour with gifts, the richest of the people.

13-15 All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold. In many-coloured robes she is led to the king, with her virgin companions following behind her. With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king. 16 In place of your fathers shall be your sons; you will make them princes in all the earth. 17 I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore nations will praise you for ever and ever. Psalm 45:10-17 (English Standard Version)

The first nine verses of this Psalm of a royal wedding focused on the King. The New Testament books of Hebrews and Revelation applied the things said of this King, to Jesus. Now vs 8-17 tell us about the King's bride. And although these verses aren't quoted in the New Testament, there are things said concerning the bride which could be said of the Church too. How would you describe the mood of vs 13-15?

I'd say there was great joy! The Book of Revelation pictures the climax of the Church's history as being like an exciting royal wedding. The writer says: “One of the angels said, 'Come with me - I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb!' He took me in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious stone.” (Revelation 21:9-11) In Chapter 19:7-8 he had told how he heard the joyful sound of a very large crowd in heaven saying: “The time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” The fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.” So the Church there is pictured as the bride of Christ. But the marriage in Psalm 45 also involved changed circumstances for the bride.

What where the changes that would take place in her life as described in vs 10-11?

That may sound harsh to readers in today’s Western world – but it was the custom of those days. Notice, though, that she was being urged to submit to the headship of someone who greatly loved her. This ought to be true of Christian marriages still. The apostle Paul wrote: “Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, for a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church, and, as the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.” (Ephesians 5:22-24) But Paul didn't stop there, he went on to say:

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies.” (Ephesians 5:22-27)

What does the Psalm writer say would be the pleasant result of her leaving her people to be joined in marriage to this loving King? (vs 16-17)

She would have children who would be Princes, and who would rule over many lands. And she would receive praise from those nations. In a similar way the Church has been a blessing to the nations of the world through the preaching of the gospel. The apostle Peter describes Christians as being “God’s very own possession, royal priests, and a holy nation”. And then he adds: “As a result, you can show others the goodness of God.” (1 Peter 2:9) The great beauty of the royal wedding of Christ and His bride (the Church) is that all are invited! Revelation 22:17 says: “The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' Let anyone who hears this say, 'Come.' Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.”