A royal wedding

Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9

Context
This psalm is written for a royal wedding, and so makes a fit response to the reading from the Song of Songs. The lectionary chooses a limited selection of verses that (slightly) fit our current idea of a properly romantic royal wedding.

Listening to the writer
List the characteristics of a good king given in the psalm. Do you think these reflect the opinions of the writer - or what the writer thinks the king wants to hear? (From reading this psalm, are we intended to learn what makes a good king, or to learn how to flatter?)
In verse 6, does God suddenly become the audience, or is the psalm still addressed to the king? Sudden changes of addressee do occur in psalms (presumably music, a different singer, etc. made the meaning clear in the original). But it was also common in the ancient Near East to address the king as "god", and Israel had its fair share of idolatry. Remember that the Psalms do not always speak for God; they represent how real humans speak to God.
At verse 10 the addressee explicitly changes to the bride. Consider the advice she receives.

Listening to God
There are multiple ways to listen to God in the psalms. For psalms addressed to God, the simplest and often best is to pray them. But this won't work in this case. Instead, try one of the following:
Consider attitudes about marriage. How do the attitudes in this psalm reflect or contradict your views of what makes a good marriage? Throughout history, the vast majority of marriages have been arranged for reasons other than "being in love," and there is never any indication in Scripture that God finds this to be a problem. Ask God - what makes for a good marriage?
Or, read the psalm in the context of the marriage between Christ and Church. Listen to verses 10-17 as addressed to you. Does any of the advice provide insights into your relationship with God and others?

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