Song of Solomon 2

CHAPTER 2

Song of Solomon 2:1

THE ROSE OF SHARONIn my printed notes on this verse I have said that here the bride speaks of herself, that she is not boasting, but comparing herself to the lowly and humble flowers of that land. Some of the newer translations indicate that she is the one who is speaking here. Well, I want to say that I no longer believe that this is her voice, but that it is the voice of the bridegroom. If she is the one who is speaking, this is actually a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ and His reflected beauty. “I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys” is a statement that none of the sons of men could be making. I believe these are the words of the Lord Jesus, not the words of the bride. Many of the older translators have tried to make it clear that it is the king speaking.

In the old English Bibles this is said to be the voice of Christ, the bridegroom. In the French and Italian and Portuguese Bibles this is designated as the voice of Christ. Many of the church fathers applied these words to the Lord Jesus. These words describe the Lord Jesus. He says, “…for I am meek and lowly in heart” (Mat_11:29). If you put a statement like that on my lips, or your lips, or the lips of the angel Gabriel, it wouldn’t be humility at all; it would actually be pride. It is true humility from the lips of the Lord Jesus because He stooped in order that He might become meek and lowly. He came down from heaven’s glory, and anything beneath heaven is humility on His part. So here He says, “I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.” These are two very interesting flowers. I suppose that among all the flowers the rose has always beenespecially in the Eastthe one that tops the list. And the rose of Sharon is an unusually beautiful flower. The valley of Sharon is that coast valley that goes all the way from Joppa up to Haifa. I have traveled the length and breadth of it several times. It is beautiful at any season of the year.

It is a valley where you can see a great many flowers. I took pictures of them, especially the poppy fields. You have probably heard that the finest citrus fruit in the world is grown in Israel. Sharon is the valley where most of it is grown. The rose grows in profusion in that valley. It is the very beautiful flower that speaks of Him. I do not think roses originally had thorns. I don’t think they were intended to be thorny. But as we know them today, they still have thorns. Even the very beautiful rose reminds us that the earth is under a curse and brings forth thorns and thistles (see Gen_3:18). An ancient author wrote: “If the king were set over flowers, it would be the rose that should reign over them, being the ornament of the earth, the splendor of plants, the eye of flowers, the beauty of the field.” Now here is something quite interesting. When Jesus said, “…I am the bread of life …” (Joh_6:35), He was saying that He is something that is necessary. Bread is the staff of life. We need it to keep us going. It is a necessity of life. He is that food to the perishing sinner.

Thousands have reached up a dying hand, a feeble hand, in faith, and have taken the bread. And they have eaten, and they have lived. Jesus also said, “I am the true vine …” (Joh_15:1). As the true vine, He gives the glorious, wonderful joy of the Lord. The Scripture says, “Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts” (Pro_31:6). Christ gives joynot the alcoholic beverage, but the real joy of the Lord.

However, when He says that He is “the rose of Sharon,” He is presenting Himself not as a necessity but as an object of pure admiration and delight to the children of men. What a wonderful human being He was! We need to behold Him and let Him occupy our thoughts. He is the One of truth and honesty and purity and beauty upon whom we are to think. As He walked along with His disciples through the fields, He said, “…Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin” (Mat_6:28). I think He would say to you and me today, “Consider the Rose of Sharon!” In other words, consider Him. We find this same invitation in Hebrews: “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus” (Heb_3:1). Consider Jesus Christ.

Song of Solomon 2:2

THE LILY OF THE VALLEYS"I am …the lily of the valleys." This may be a reference to the valley of Esdraelon. This valley has beautiful flowers in it too. Actually, there is a profusion of flowers in all the valleysalong the coast south of Joppa, in the Jordan valley, around the Sea of Galilee. What is the lily of the valleys? There have been questions as to which flower is meant. Apparently it was the iris. The iris grows wild over there, and one can still see a great many of them. I am of the opinion that it does refer to that humble plant, the iris. He is the beautiful, stately rose and the humble iris. “I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.” Bonar expressed it in this way: “Close by these lilies there grew several of the thorny shrubs of the desert; but above them rose the lily, spreading out its fresh green leaf as a contrast to the dingy verdure of these prickly shrubs’like the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.’” In other words, among “daughters” (meaning here, the daughters of Jerusalem) the bride stands out as a lily among thorns. Christ is the lily of the valleysHe is pure, He is lovely, He is beautiful, therefore His bride is a lily also, because she bears the image of His loveliness and reflects it to men. This is what the church is to do today. We are to reveal to a world that is filled with thorns, briars, and thistles, the beauty of Christ.

Song of Solomon 2:3

THE APPLE TREE IN THE WOODNow the bride speaks of her beloved using the “trees of the wood” in her comparison “The apple tree among the trees of the wood” is a picture of Christ. Now you may wonder what kind of tree she is talking about. Actually, apples are not grown in that land. I suppose they could be grown, but they would not be very good. The climate is much as it is here in Southern California. We can grow apples, but they are not very good apples because apples require a colder climate. The “apple” referred to here is actually a citron fruit, probably an orange tree. I have three orange trees in my yard here in Pasadena, and they make very good shade trees. They are a tree of beauty, and when they blossom, I sit on my patio and enjoy the fragrance of the orange blossoms in spring. No wonder they are used for weddings! And the luscious fruit which the tree bears is both beautiful and healthful. There are citrus groves in the valley of Sharon, which are said to produce the finest citrus fruit in the world. It has always grown there. The citrus was transplanted to California years ago; it didn’t grow here naturally. But it is native to Palestine. There the green of the citrus groves is beautiful to see. Notice that she says, “I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.” The orange tree affords thick shade like the “…shadow of a great rock in a weary land” (Isa_32:2) and refreshing fruit. Christ is like this wonderful fruit tree in contrast to the fruitless trees of the woods.

Song of Solomon 2:4

THE BANQUETING HOUSEIn this is the story of the Shulamite girl whose heart was won by a shepherd who later came as King Solomon to claim her and who took her back to the palace in Jerusalem. Now he takes her to the banqueting house. In this there is a beautiful picture of the church which will be the bride of Christ. It also reveals the personal relationship which is possible between the Lord Jesus Christ and each individual believer. “He brought me to the banqueting house.” This probably looks forward to that day of the final banquet which is called the “marriage supper of the Lamb.” You and I as believers will be there by the grace of God. That is when full satisfaction will be made. But already He has brought me to the table of salvation, and He has brought me to the table of fellowship with Him. He prepares the table before me, the table of the Word of God, and He tells me to eat and be full. He brings me to a table of good things. How good and gracious He is! We can go back to the birth of the Lord Jesus and see that already He has brought joy unspeakable to a group of people. There were old Simeon and Anna back in the temple who were waiting for Him. They had great hope that He would come during their lifetime. One day Joseph and Mary brought the little boy Jesus into the temple. My, that day the temple became a banqueting house for those two old people who had looked for the salvation of the Lord. Even before that, God had brought Joseph and Mary to the banqueting house. When the angel announced to Mary that she should be the mother of the Savior, she realized that she who was in the line of David would be the one who would bear this child. Notice what she says in her Magnificat: “He hath filled the hungry with good things …” (Luk_1:53), using exactly the same picture as we have in the Song of Solomon: “He brought me to the banqueting house.” What a picture we have here! You recall in chapter 1, verse Son_1:4, the girl’s prayer was, “Draw me, we will run after thee.” We cannot know the ecstasy of this experience unless the Spirit of God gives us discernment and opens our eyes to behold Christ in His beauty and glory. Oh, my friend, let’s not be satisfied with eating scraps or, like the prodigal son, getting down to eat with the pigs when God has prepared such a banquet for us! THE BANNER OF LOVE"He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love." That banner is still floating over us today. The banner in that day had many meanings. Armies would carry banners with them when they went to war. I think all the various meanings of banners are included when she says, “His banner over me was love.” The banner of an army, as, for example, the banners of the Roman legions, was an emblem of conquest. The Son of God still goes forth to war. There is a battle today for the souls of men. I remember how I resisted Him. I shall never forget the excuses I made for not going to a young people’s conference. I thought they were a bunch of sissies who were going there, and I didn’t want to go with that crowd. I wasn’t interested. But, you know, He opened up the way, and the first thing I knew I was there. Before I knew it, I had made a decision in my heart for Him. His banner over me was a banner of conquest. The banner is also an emblem of protection. When the Lord Jesus came into this world, the Father testified, “…This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mat_3:17), and the enemies of Jesus could not touch Him until His hour had come. He was protected. When the time had come, they took Him and crucified Him. We will never understand how terrible that was. He cried out in that hour, “…My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mat_27:46).

His enemies thought that since God had forsaken Him they could do as they pleased with Him. They mocked Him, saying, “He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God” (Mat_27:43). But God was still pleased with His Son; He delighted in Him, and He raised Him from the dead. He delivered Him from death. And now that banner of salvation and protection is over all those who are His. “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep [that is, be on guard duty over] your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Php_4:7). He will protect you. The banner is also an emblem of enlistment. You can enlist as a soldier. By the way, His army is entirely a volunteer army. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom_12:1). “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (Joh_14:15). What if you don’t love Him? Then forget it! This is a banner for enlistment on a voluntary basis. “His banner over me was love.”

Song of Solomon 2:5

LOVESICKThe Holy Spirit of God has brought the saved soul into a personal relationship with Christ that is satisfying. I repeat: God is satisfied with Jesus and what He did for you. Are you satisfied? Do you find joy and satisfaction and delight in the person of Christ? Spend time in this Song of Solomon. Great men of God down through the ages have spent time in this book, men like Moody and McCheyne. Personally, I have spent too little time in this book, but it has become very meaningful to me. When I went to Nashville, Tennessee, to pastor a church, I succeeded a great man of God. I always loved to go out to visit him. I never talked to that man without learning something new from the Word of God. One day he told me, “Vernon, the other night I was lying in bed, and I thought how wonderful Christ is. It just seemed to me that there was glory all around my bed. Don’t misunderstandI was not seeing things.

It was just so wonderful to contemplate the person of Christ. Finally my body was so worked up that I couldn’t go to sleep, and I had to cry out to God, ‘Oh Lord, turn off the glory. This old body of mine can’t stand any more of it. ‘” Imagine the experience of Paul when he was caught up to the third heaven! You see, most of us haven’t even gotten our foot in the door yet. We know so little about what it is to have this kind of fellowship with Him. Of course it will have its final fulfillment when we come to “the marriage supper of the Lamb.” Erskine, who has written many wonderful things, expressed it like this: The love, the love that I bespeak, Works wonders in the soul; For when I’m whole it makes me sick, When sick, it makes me whole. I’m overcome, I faint, I fail, Till love shall love relieve; More love divine the wound can heal, Which love divine did give. More of the joy that makes me faint, Would give me present ease; If more should kill me, I’m content To die of that disease. This wonderful love of God is a paradox. We long for it, and yet the glory of it all is more than we can bear.

Song of Solomon 2:6

“His left hand is under my head"He is able to save us to the uttermost. “His right hand doth embrace me"He is able to keep us from temptation and protect you and me down here.

Song of Solomon 2:7

What is it that will wake Him up? What is it that would disturb Him in His fellowship with you? It is the sin and waywardness in your life. Not only are we to be satisfied with Him, but, oh, that He might be satisfied with us! We have come now to the second song. Apparently, Solomon has been away on a trip. The bride has been looking forward in great anticipation to his coming home. What a wonderful thing it is to see the excitement of the bride as she looks forward to the coming of the bridegroom. We will find its final fulfillment, I believe, in the anticipation of the church for the return of Christ to take the church out of the world.

Song of Solomon 2:8

THE VOICE OF THE BELOVED"The voice of my beloved!” The Lord Jesus had this to say concerning His voice: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (Joh_10:27-28). “The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh….” Have you ever considered that at the Rapture of the church it is the voice of the Son of God that is to be heard? The church is made up of those people who have heard about Him. We have heard of His death and burial and resurrection. We have trusted Him. We listen to Him today, so when He comes we are going to know His voice. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice.” The sheep know who He is. When the Lord Jesus comes to take His church out of this world, “…the Lord himself [He will come personally] shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God …” (1Th_4:16). The “shout,” the “voice,” and the “trump” are all His voice. “The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh.” What a picture of the Rapture! Contrast this to the coming of the Lord Jesus to rule and to reign on this earth. Then it will not be the sound of a voice but a tremendous sight of glory. The appeal is not to the ear as it is in the Rapture; the appeal is to the eye when He comes to the earth. “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Mat_24:30). But at the Rapture it will be the “voice of my beloved!” “Behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.” This is poetic language, of course. This is a song, and God is trying to speak to us through it. There is a great deal said about the feet of Jesus. In fact, I developed a series of messages several years ago about the members of the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. I spoke of the eyes of Jesus that were stained with tears. I spoke of the lips of Jesus, and I spoke of His hands. I spoke of the feet of Jesus. “He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places” (Psa_18:33). Aijeleth Shahar, which means the “hind of the morning,” is the title to Psalms 22. It reveals the Lord Jesus Christ in the day of His sorrow, in His suffering and death upon the cross. It is a picture of the hind of the morning. All night long the dogs had been following the hind. They had torn at his flesh.

They had attempted to destroy him. “For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet” (Psa_22:16). But when the sun comes up, what do we find? He is the hind of the morning, standing on the mountain peak. He has been delivered out of death. He is coming back, my friend. He is skipping upon the hills; He is leaping upon the mountains.

I can’t think of a more wonderful, more poetic picture of the Lord Jesus Christ in His return to earth. I like the way Erskine expresses it: When manifold obstructions met, My willing Saviour made A stepping-stone of every let, That in his way was laid. He took stumbling blocks and made them into stepping stones. He made a way for us, and He is the way for us. We have the picture of Him coming again, this One who is the hind, or the roe, or the young hart who is leaping upon the mountains and skipping upon the hills. Now He is drawing closer The voice of my Beloved sounds, Over the rocks and rising grounds; O’er hills of guilt, and seas of grief, He leaps, he flies to my relief.

Song of Solomon 2:9

BEHIND OUR WALLToday He stands behind the wall. He has gone to be at God’s right hand, and we are way down here. It is like the time He went to the mountain to pray after He had fed the five thousand, and His disciples were down on the Sea of Galilee in a storm. That is the way it is today. I am down here in a storm; He is up yonder at God’s right hand. He is on the other side of the wall, and everything under the sun is trying to keep us from Him: the world, the flesh, and the devil. But He still says to us the same thing that He said to Zacchaeus: “…Make haste, and come down; for to-day I must abide at thy house” (Luk_19:5). He still tells us that he wants to come in and sup with us, as He went into the home of that old publican and had fellowship with him. He will come to you if you will invite Him in. This is the One of whom John the Baptist said, “…there standeth one among you, whom ye know not” (Joh_1:26). And today the world does not know Him. He is behind a walla wall of indifference, a wall of rebellion against God, a wall of sin. What a picture!

Song of Solomon 2:10

THE SONG OF HIS RETURN"Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.” Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. He did it because He is going to come to take the church out of this world. He is going to present it to Himself as a church that is purifiedall of us believers need that purifying. He sanctifies and cleanses us with the washing of water by the Word. That is the reason we have Bible study. He wants to present to Himself a glorious church, without a spot or wrinkle. He wants it to be holy and without blemish. That is why He calls, “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.” “For, lo, the winter is past"it is cold down here in this world. “The rain is over and gone"the storms of life will then have abated. Are you having a hard time today, Christian friend? Christ said you would: “…In the world ye shall have tribulation …” (Joh_16:33). Don’t be upset if you are having trouble. It is one of the marks that you belong to Him, that you are a child of God. But when He comes, all the trouble will be over. He will wipe away all tears from your eyes. Every broken heart will be healed. Every sorrow will have vanished away when we are in His presence. “The winter is past, the rain is over and gone.” “The flowers appear on the earth.” When the Lord Jesus comes for His own and takes them out of this world to the beautiful home which He has prepared, I believe it will be to a beautiful garden of flowers. I like to think that in the New Jerusalem there will be a profusion of flowers. “The time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle [turtledove] is heard in our land.” “The time of the singing of birds” is another very lovely expression. There is going to be a great deal of singing when we come into His presence. Have you ever noticed that there is a great deal of singing that opens the story of the Gospels? Dr. Luke is the writer who starts farther back in the account of the birth of Christ than any of the other gospel writers, and he recorded the songs. There is the song of Zacharias, the song of Elisabeth, the song of Mary, the song of Anna, and the song of Simeon. There were a lot of songs connected with His birth. The church began singing, and the joy of these people is what called attention to them in the Roman world.

Some day when we come into His presence we will sing a new song to the Lord, for He has done wondrous things! I can’t sing it now because God didn’t create me with a voice that could sing, but when I have a new body, I’m going to sing that new song. Until then I can lift my heart in the praise that is due Him. The very singing of the birds of the air and the bursting buds of the flowers of the earth should remind us of the debt of joyful gratitude we owe for His great salvation. Kingwellmersh expressed it poetically: O sing unto this glittering glorious king, O praise his name let every living thing; Let heart and voice, like belles of silver, ring The comfort that this day did bring. It is interesting to note that in our older Bibles “the time of singing” is rendered “the time of pruning.” The season of the singing of birds is also the season of the pruning of the vines. The branch that is pruned for fruit and the song that is pruned for beauty are expressed in the same way by the Hebrew writers, which makes it difficult to determine whether “singing” or “pruning” is intended. Pruning the vines is exactly what the Lord Jesus said He was going to do. He said, “I am the true [genuine] vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth [or prunes] it, that it may bring forth more fruit” (Joh_15:1-2). My friend, you and I are living in the time of pruning, but the time of singing is ahead of us. What a picture this is! “The voice of the turtle [turtledove] is heard in our land.” The turtledove is the wild dove which is common today. I saw them in Israel. They looked very similar to the doves in California, only I think they were somewhat smaller. The dove has always been the emblem of peace. The reason for that is that the dove went out and brought back an olive leaf to Noah after the waters of the Flood had receded. That spoke of peace, because the judgment was over. Also the turtledove speaks to us of our salvation which is complete because the judgment is past. It is past because Christ bore the judgment for us. He has endured it in our behalf. I am saved, not because of who I am, but because of what Christ did. My friend, your sins are either on you or they are on Christ. If your sins are on you, you are yet to come up for judgment. If you have trusted Christ, your sins are on Him. He bore them for you, and the judgment is past. By faith you appropriate the salvation. The turtledove speaks of the peace that He has made for us. This is the reason that not just a few of the saints will go to meet Christ at the Rapture. There are some folk who believe that only the super-duper saints will go. However, the hope of every believer is to be taken with Christ when He comes for His church. We will go to be with Him, not because we have been super-duper saints, but because He has made peace by the blood of His cross. The turtledove is symbolic of this. The “turtle” is the turtledove of the morning. Where I live, the turtledove is the first bird to get up in the morning. It heralds a new day that is coming. I love the way Isaac Watts has expressed itevidently he spent a great deal of time studying the Song of Solomon: The legal wintery state is gone, The mists are fled, the spring comes on; The sacred turtle-dove we hear Proclaim the new, the joyful year. And when we hear Christ Jesus say, Rise up my Love, and come away, Our hearts would fain outfly the wind, And leave all earthly joys behind. “The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell"these are signs of springtime. “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.” 1Th_4:16 tells us that “…the dead in Christ shall rise first.” The Lord Jesus said, “…I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (Joh_14:2-3). “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.”

Song of Solomon 2:14

THE DOVE IN THE CLEFTS OF THE ROCKThe psalmist made this plea: “O deliver not the soul of thy turtledove unto the multitude of the wicked …” (Psa_74:19). Will the Lord deliver us? We are told He will hide us in the clefts of the rock, and that Rock symbolizes Christ. He is the Rock upon whom the church is built. He bore our judgment, and we can rest in Him. That should bring us not only satisfaction but also security. If you are on the Rock today, you are safe. Even if you do not recognize the assurance of this, you are still safe. A little Scottish lady was speaking with great assurance about her salvation. Someone said, “You act as if you were safe and secure on the Rock.” She answered, “I am. Sometimes I do tremble on the Rock, but the Rock never trembles under me.” The dove is also an emblem for the Holy Spirit. He descended like a dove on the Lord Jesus. And everyone who is in Christ has that dove-like Spirit dwelling in him. “…if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Rom_8:9). And true believers are like doves in their simplicity and their gentleness. Our Lord admonished us to be “…wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Mat_10:16). Now, I suspect that a dove is a rather stupid bird.

The other day as I was driving along, I accidentally hit a dove. The crazy dove stood there on the highway without making a move until the car was about to hit him. I regretted doing that, but I said, “You stupid little bird for staying there like you did!” You see, you and I need not only to be as harmless as doves, but we had better be as wise as serpents in our world todayor we’ll get run over also. The dove is a timid bird. The Lord says, “They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria: and I will place them in their houses, saith the LORD” (Hos_11:11). The dove needs a hiding place in the clefts of the rock. Christ is a beautiful picture of the Rock who was wounded for us. As someone has said, “I got into the heart of Christ through a spear wound.” Augustus M. Toplady’s wonderful hymn is based on this thought. Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee; Let the water and the blood, From Thy wounded side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure, Cleanse me from its guilt and power…. Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for dress, Helpless, look to Thee for grace; Foul, I to the fountain fly; Wash me, Saviour, or I die. While I draw this fleeting breath, When my eyelids close in death, When I soar to worlds unknown, See Thee on Thy judgment throne, Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.

Song of Solomon 2:15

THE LITTLE FOXESThey could put up a fence or a wall that would keep out the big foxes, but they had trouble with the little foxes. Those little fellows could sneak through. They were the ones that would sneak in and destroy the grapes and tear up the young vines. This has a message for us. “Foxes” are both subtle sins and fox-like men who corrupt others. Both were resolutely dragged into the light of day by John the Baptist. Regarding the subtle sins, he said, “…He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise….Exact no more than that which is appointed you….

Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages” (Luk_3:11, Luk_3:13-14). Then John the Baptist pointed his finger at Herod whom our Lord called “that old fox” (see Luk_13:32) and told him that he had no right to be married to another man’s wife. I tell you, a preacher doesn’t make himself popular when he says that kind of thing! Old Herod had John the Baptist killed by chopping off his head. However, it is the young foxes that get into the contemporary church and cause trouble. The little sins spoil the fellowship among believers and spoil a Christian’s life. For example there are the little sins of omission. “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (Jas_4:17). Here is one of those little foxes. This is the sin of omission. How often do we see something that we should do for God, but we didn’t do it? How often have we sinned in this way? We are told that the Lord Jesus went about doing good. I read In a book Where a man called Christ Went about doing good. It is very disconcerting To me That I am so easily Satisfied With just Going about. Author unknown How often we have intended to write a letter, but we didn’t write it. How often we have intended to do something for missions, but we neglected to do it. How many times we should have been praying for someone, but we neglected to pray. We think of the words of the prophet Samuel: “…God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you …” (1Sa_12:23). These are little sins of omission. They are the little foxes that spoil the vineyard. Here is another of those little foxes: “…whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Rom_14:23). How often do we take a step on our own, but we try to call it a step of faith. We know it is not really faith; we know we just want to have our way. That is a sin. It is a little fox. It gets in and spoils the work of God. We have a tendency to lean on that very lame and broken reed and try to hold ourselves up with it and maintain a pious attitude. We say, “I am doing this because God is leading me,” when we know it is not true. We say it so lightly. Romans tells us that whatever we do that is not of faith is sin. Showing partiality is another little fox that is seen among God’s people. James lowers the boom on that: “But if ye have respect [show partiality] to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors” (Jas_2:9). I have had this happen to me just as James described it. I went to a certain church just to visit, not wanting to be recognized. I wanted to hear the preacher. When I went in, the usher was absolutely insulting to me.

He said, “You wait right here.” Then he came back and said, “Well, I don’t have a seat for you. You’ll have to stand here in the back.” He looked at me for a moment, then said, “Oh, you’re Dr. McGee! I’ll get a chair and let you sit right here!” How tragic it is to see in some churches a well-known or a wealthy man acknowledged in the service and some poor man, who probably is more godly, absolutely ignored. That is a little fox that really wrecks God’s work in our day. Then there is the little fox of not giving freely to God. It is not the amount of the giving that is the only thing that is wrong about it. It is the attitude of giving, the hypocrisy of it all. We sing songs such as, “Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small"then we put a quarter into the collection plate! We actually sing lies. We pretend we have given ourselves and all that we have to the Lord. Oh, my friend, it is the little foxes that are destroying a lot of the grapes today.

Song of Solomon 2:16

THE NIGHT BEFORE DAYBREAKThe next wonderful statement follows closely after the song of the bridegroom’s return, which is symbolic of the Rapture, that is, Christ’s coming again for the church. This Song of Solomon expresses the highest spiritual state of the relationship between the Lord Jesus Christ and the believer. There is no other book of the Bible which portrays this relationship any better than this little book, and there is no higher plane than this right here: “My beloved is mine, and I am his.” This is one of the deepest, most profound of all theological truths which our Lord Jesus put into seven simple words: “…ye in me, and I in you” (Joh_14:20). The bride says, “My beloved is mine, and I am his.” The Lord Jesus said in effect, “Down here I took your place when I died on the cross. I am in you. Now you are to show forth My life down here in this world.” (Of course we can only do that in the power of the Holy Spirit.) But we are in Him up thereseated in the heavenly places, accepted in the Beloved, joined to Him, risen with Christ. “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God” (Col_3:1). How wonderful! Oh, my friend, if you are a child of God, why don’t you tell Him that you love Him? You and I live in a day when we may not have very much of this world’s goods; yet we are rich. We don’t glory men; we glory in Christ. “Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s” (1Co_3:21-23). We belong to Christ. He is ours. He belongs to us. He is our Savior. He is our Shepherd. We ought to draw very close to Him and appropriate these wonderful spiritual blessings that are ours. It is a high level of spiritual life when you and I can say, “My beloved is mine, and I am his.” “He feedeth among the lilies.” This again refers to the flower-strewn couch upon which He reclines at the banqueting table. It speaks of satisfaction, of fellowship, of joy, of everything that is wonderful. This world is seeking these things. This world is looking for a good time. This world wants to “live it up.” Well, let’s have a good time and live it up by sitting at Christ’s table and rejoicing in Him. This is a high spiritual level. I’m afraid that many of us do not “…attain unto it” (Psa_139:6). Therefore we have to cry out as the bride did, “Draw me, we will run after thee.” We can’t run, we cannot run the race that is set before us until we not only see Jesus but appropriate His power in our lives. “My beloved is mine, and I am his.”

Song of Solomon 2:17

We come back to that picture of Christ as the hind of the morning. Remember that we saw Him on that bright morning (v. Son_2:8) standing on the mountain peak in triumph. All during the night the hunters had been after His life, and the fierce dogs had been leaping at Him. How terrible it was! He went down through the doorway of death, but He came up through the doorway of resurrection. Now, in light of that, although you and I are presently living in a dark world, we can look forward to the daybreak. My friend, let the redemption that you have in Christ and all that He has done for you be meaningful to you. Rest upon that. Let that be your comfort; let that be the pillow for your head during the dark hours of this life"until the day break, and the shadows flee away.”