He has the Whole World in His Hands part 5

by John Lowe
(Woodruff, S.C.)

13 The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.

We can picture Satan drawing his war lords around him and pointing out to them the various ages of time. He explains his strategy for ruling the world and draws a circle around one of the ages. “There,” we can hear him say, “lies a sleeping giant. Let it sleep.” We can picture him circling the age of the Church.


“The King’s daughter,” i.e. the spouse; so called, either because she was the daughter of one King, and the wife of another; or because the spouse or wife is sometimes called the husband’s daughter; partly because she is supposed to be younger than he; and partly because of that respect and subjection which she owed to him, and that fatherly care and affection which he owed to her (2 Samuel 12:311; Jeremiah 3:4).

“The king's daughter is all glorious within” is probably to be understood as, “All glorious is the king’s daughter within” (the palace). There is also the idea that the reference is to the interior of the royal residence, and not the beauty of the “king’s daughter.” And it may also be an allusion to the hidden beauties of Christian character?

The RSV provides us with both the more likely and the more theologically correct reading of verse 13. It refers to the gold-woven wedding dress the princes is wearing, declaring that it will be a reflection of her real self, because she was, by God’s grace, “all glorious within.” Till this day a young bride is dressed in white as a symbol of her purity, that is to say, that she is a virgin being brought forward by her virgin companions (as here) into the presence (in church) of her husband to be. It is because she is a pure girl, then, that her ladies-in-waiting lead her in with joy and gladness. Throughout this psalm, the Church is represented by the bride,

“Her clothing” is made of wrought gold, and her inward perfections do not rest within her, but break forth into virtuous and honorable actions, with which she is adorned in the view of the world. This goes well with the style of the Holy Scriptures, where the saints are often said to be clothed with virtues and virtuous actions (Psalm 132:9; 1 Peter 5).

In the Bible, clothing is used symbolically to describe righteousness and character. This is especially true of linen. There is white linen, the righteousness of Christ, and white linen the righteousness of saints. There is the righteousness that is brought to us. When we come to Christ He arrays us in the wedding garment of salvation, takes away that ruin of rags we wore in our unconverted days, and makes us fit for the high halls of Heaven.

But there is more to it than that; there is the righteousness that is wrought in us. The Holy Spirit goes to work on us to make us like Jesus—that’s the raiment of needlework, the embroidery, so to speak, the beautification of our lives and characters by the working of the Spirit of God in us.

14 She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.

“She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework” alludes to the custom of conducting the bride to the bridegroom’s house. In ancient times, a Jewish bridegroom went to the bride’s house to claim her and then took her to his own home, and Jesus will do that when He returns to claim His church (1 Thessalonians 4:13-1812).

“In raiment of needlework” suggests that she is clothed in beautiful garments and accompanied by her bridesmaids (“her companions”), who cater to her every desire. In verse 9 they are called “honorable women,” and here they are called “virgins,” because of their spiritual purity and charity, (2 Corinthians 11:2).

The Holy Spirit wants us to get on with our “needlework.” He wants us to beautify our character. We have been provided with a spotless, seamless robe of righteousness. It is our privilege and responsibility to beautify it by growing in grace and by increasing in the knowledge of God “The king’s daughter is all glorious within; her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the king in a raiment of needlework.” How are we getting along with our needlework? How will we look on that great day when we shall be brought to the King before all the assembled host of heaven?

“The virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.” The bride is not the only one to be in the kingdom. There will be many others. The saints of all the ages will be there. Many shall come from the east and the west and shall set down in the kingdom with the patriarchs of Israel. The Old Testament saints will be there; the tribulation saints will be there; those born in the millennial age will be there. These are “the virgins her companions.” They will follow in her train.

15 With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king's palace.

“Gladness and rejoicing” mark the entrance of the wedding party “into the king’s palace,” which is typical of the joy of the “marriage of the Lamb”: “Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7, NIV).

16 Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.

The concluding verses picture the blessedness of the royal union. God the Father is speaking to Christ the King.

The future belongs to the “children” of the king and his bride. And therefore this verse and psalm cannot be assigned to Solomon, and his marriage with Pharaoh’s daughter, because he had no children by her, and only a very few by all his wives and concubines; and his children were so far from exceeding their parents in the size of their kingdoms, or being made “princes in all the earth,” as it says here. They enjoyed only a small part of their father’s kingdom, and those small parts came with many tribulations, and only for a short time. But this was truly and fully accomplished in Christ, who instead of His fathers of the Jewish nation, from whom He descended, and by whom he was forsaken and rejected, had a numerous posterity of Gentile Christians in all the nations of the earth, which here and in other places are called princes and kings, because of their great power with God and with men, because they brought a very great part of the world to faith in Christ.

“Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.” That, dear reader, is the great function of the bride. She is to bring many sons into glory. The Church has one distinguished career on earth—to be fruitful for Christ, to bring men and women to the Savior. This is the age for producing sons; the next age is the age for making them “princes in all the earth.” Her majesty’s career is to provide the king with those with whom He can share His kingdom, His throne, and His crown. What a magnificent career! “Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children.”

17 I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee for ever and ever.

“His name shall “be remembered in all generations” and be the object of “praise . . . for ever and ever—words which are most fitting when applied to King Messiah.

This verse speaks of the millennial kingdom. But the kingdom goes on into eternity after the Lord has made a few adjustments, which includes Satan being loosed for a time and then his being cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. This is a glorious psalm, and when it is put in proper perspective, it has great meaning for us today.

As he began the Psalm with the celebration of the King’s praises, so now he ends with the same, but he adds this one significant condition, that this wedding song should not only serve for the present celebration, as others of that kind do, but that it should be remembered and sung in all successive generations; which clearly shows that it was not composed for such a trivial and fleeting occasion as that of Salomon’s marriage with Pharaoh’s daughter, which was soon forgotten, and the Israelites had little cause to remember it with any satisfaction. But instead, it was composed for that great and glorious and everlasting marriage between Christ and his Church, of which this is most correctly substantiated.

“Forever and ever!” The ages will run their course, and behold, fresh from the hand of God there will spring a new Heaven and a new earth. Angels and archangels will be there, thrones and dominions will be there, cherubim and seraphim, and the four and 20 elders will be there. Saints from all the ages of time will be there. Prophets, priests, and kings will be there—all glorified, magnificent, and beautiful beyond words to describe.

But high and lifted up, set apart from all the orders and ranks of creation and redemption, will be the Church. She will be seated with Christ upon His throne. She will be admired, praised, and talked about throughout GOD’S vast new empires in space. The queen! In gold of Ophir! Her name will be remembered and praised throughout all generations, world without end “forever and ever.” The Church will be there! WE WILL BE THERE!