FEELINGS AND AFFECTIONS
[p. 427] FEELINGS AND AFFECTIONS
Song of Songs 1:1 - 11; Song of Songs 2:1 - 7
It is on my heart to call attention to the fact that what marks David’s and Solomon’s writings is the bringing into expression of deep feelings and affections. They directly set forth, so to speak, the heart of the Old Testament, or better still, the heart and soul of the Old Testament. They remind us that God wishes His people in their walk to bring into expression the feelings and affections produced by Himself.
Among other things may be remarked that these feelings and affections proceed from two kings, that is, from men who have an immense circle of influence. We might have thought that poetry and authorship were to be left to others, that men like David and Solomon would have had so much to do with military and state affairs, that you could hardly expect them to devote their time to such employment. In this service, however, they reflect what God and Christ are. To make it clear, I would refer to the fact that when God, in the company of two others, came to Abraham, He could wait until Abraham had prepared a meal, and also that our Lord Jesus Christ could devote so much time to going after two dissatisfied disciples on the way to Emmaus. It further moves us to see that the Father and the Son could so stoop, devoting themselves even to an individual who loves the Lord and keeps His word, for the Father and the Son would come and make Their abode with him (John 14:23). If we take all this into consideration we can understand how David could find time to write psalms and Solomon three thousand proverbs and a thousand and five songs (1 Kings 4:32). Just think of it, that the great ruler of that day was able to devote himself to such a service!
Now this song is the song of all these songs. It is called in verse 1, “The song of songs, which is Solomon’s”. It is a poem by one who is a type of Christ, in which he celebrates the triumph of the love of Christ to a special person. In it the Lord wishes to remind every one of us of His triumph in securing us, in order that we, recognising His love, may love Him. To heaven it is something wonderful that there are in this world those who love Christ. He treasures every one of those who love Him; and every one of them says, He “has loved me and given himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). The apostle Paul, who probably loved Christ the most, shows in another place that the thought of not loving Christ is entirely abhorrent, for he says, “If any one love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha” (1 Corinthians 16:22). If any one does not love our Lord Jesus Christ he is incapable of loving.
Now this song shows how this love is brought about, and from the verses read in chapter 1 we see how the lover of Christ comes to ask Him where He feeds His flock and makes it to rest at noon. Whoever loves Christ wishes also to see how He serves the whole of His flock.
That leads us to the service of the Lord to the saints of the assembly; there we see His best service. That is set forth in type in Jacob — how quickly he rolled the stone from the mouth of the well when he saw Rachel (Genesis 29:10) — and so Christ also devotes the best service to the saints who compose the assembly. We can therefore understand the desire of this lover of Christ to see Him serving thus, and on this account the bride says here, “Why should I be as one veiled beside the flocks of thy companions?” One veiled refers to someone whose love is questionable or at any rate is divided. “Why should I be as one veiled beside the flocks of thy companions?” Why should our love to Christ be questioned? If anyone has not come forward and committed himself to the fellowship of the people of [p. 429] God, one can doubt his love. Whatever you may say of your love, we cannot be sure of it, for love must reveal itself; it is not shown by mere talk. That comes before us in Ruth (chapter 1:16), where it says, “And Ruth said, Do not intreat me to leave thee”. There you see Ruth wanted to be a companion of Naomi; Naomi’s people were to be her people and Naomi’s God her God; where she died, Ruth wanted also to die and she wanted to be buried there — that is a full committal. If therefore we do not openly identify ourselves with Christ, who has been cast out of this world, our love can well be called in question. We see that the bride did not want that, for she says, “Why should I be as one veiled?” But her love was genuine, for verse 8 says, “If thou know not, thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock”, there you will find the Lord. Pay heed to the footsteps of the flock. Where do they go, where do they lead? You will find the footsteps of the flock lead to where Christ is.
The two already referred to today, who were on their way to Emmaus, were not displaying therein the marks of the flock of Christ. Their love could be called in question, but the Lord, who knew all things, knew that they loved Him. As, however, they had turned their backs on the main object of the love of Christ on earth, who else could have known it? According to Mark they were going into the country, although the Lord had told His disciples to remain in the city. As far as others could judge, they did not therefore love Christ uprightly. Everyone who has Christ’s commandments and does not keep them, does not love Him; their footsteps therefore could not serve as guidance. But as soon as the Lord had revealed Himself to them, they rose up and returned to Jerusalem. Where did their footsteps lead now? They found the eleven and those that were gathered [p. 430] with them. That is the history of every one of us who is truly gathered.
In verse 9 then it says, “I compare thee, my love, to a steed in Pharaoh’s chariots”. It is as if the Lord would thus encourage one who has returned to the path of faith, and then He says, “Thy cheeks are comely with bead-rows, thy neck with ornamental chains”. Then we have the plural “we”, for here, as we may say, the saints also come into the matter, “We will make thee bead-rows of gold with studs of silver”. That means, you will be suitably adorned for the new circle, for love in the saints answers to the love of Christ. If He wishes to see you adorned, the saints do also. We have no pleasure in you in your own natural nakedness and unsightliness.
Having said all that about chapter 1, I should like to add something about chapter 2. There we see that the believer, set forth in a woman, regards himself as a narcissus of Sharon — a wonderful product. The believer comes here to such intimacy with the Lord and His people that he is conscious of what he is in the Lord’s eyes — “a lily of the valleys”, and then the Bridegroom says, “As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters”. There we have what one is who loves Christ and that in a scene of contrariety, and now that He has made the start, she also says, in a figurative way, what she thinks of Him, and in that way there comes into expression the progress which the believer makes, “As the apple-tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons”. He is not among thorns but among sons. There we wish to see Him; there, among sons, He will be loved eternally, but He will be anointed above them. It is therefore good to have this comparison before us, for in truth we shall know the Lord Jesus in this way in heaven; there He will be known among the sons and among His brethren. The one who loves Him will, however, soon discover [p. 431] Him among His brethren. Nothing marks the bride here more than her ability to recognise Christ, to call special attention before others to His infinite excellencies. In this way the Spirit of God here in this world uses one who leaned on the breast of Jesus to set Him forth, to make Him known to us as God. He is a divine Person, but a perfect Servant down here. Love follows His footsteps and sees Him at the end as the ascending One. He says, “I ascend to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God” (John 20:17).
Now we see in what way she can speak of the service of the Lord. She had come to it to know Him in such wise that she can sit down with rapture in His shadow. “In his shadow have I rapture and sit down”. In the presence of such an One she is not excited or restless. When He-came amongst His own in Luke 24, they were confounded; they did not yet know Him in the way He is set forth here. John leaves that out of his account of that occasion, for, ever true to himself, he sets forth the work of God and regards the believer as such, that is, apart from all that he is by nature. He is raptured in the presence of Christ and sits down in His shadow; there is rest and the palate is free to enjoy His fruit, so that he can say, “He hath brought me to the house of wine, and his banner over me is love”. So it is with the believer apart from everything else; but it is not long before we find ourselves down here still in our conditions of flesh and blood, so that the consciousness of weakness very soon comes in. The bride says, “Sustain ye me with raisin-cakes, refresh me with apples”. She thus has a need of being sustained and suggests raisin-cakes as a means to it and apples for her refreshing, these fruits bringing Christ into prominence, “for” she says, “I am sick of love”. That can only connect with the mixed conditions in which we still are found. In heaven [p. 432] there will be no such weakness; there will be no sickness there, not even of love. And then she says further, “His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me”. There we have the support of Christ which our intelligence requires, for how quickly we become conscious, even when participating in spiritual things, of how very much we require support. His left hand under the head sustains the intelligence and the right hand embracing holds the affections, so that the believer through the gracious service of Christ is maintained in His presence in intelligence and love.
As a result of that we see now that the bride charges the daughters of Jerusalem by the gazelles or by the hinds of the field, and in that she is thinking of what she has just experienced of Christ, of His readiness to hasten to us in the hour of our need. You do not then wish to frighten Him away, you leave yourself to Him and wish that love may not be disturbed or wakened up “till he please”. Love will do its very best for us, and so we learn from experience that it is best to leave everything to the Lord. Love makes no mistake and thus we can trust the love of Christ. Let it do what it pleases. There is nothing more important than that, beloved brethren. Love in Christ will do its very best for us; whatever our circumstances may be, let love do what it will.
Now I fear I have overstepped the patience of my brethren, but I wished the service of David and Solomon to come before us, helping us to a true impression of feelings and affections, and these proceed from a personal knowledge of Christ and a personal link, personal relations with Him.