Song of Songs 2: 10-14; Revelation 3: 7-14

“THE VOICE OF THE TURTLE-DOVE"

M.P. The passage in the Song of Songs was referred to this morning and so I thought about this wonderful scene which we have here. It is a scene of highest blessing and joy, a scene of wonderful love. I think we find some rays, some beams, of this scene reflected in that wonderful letter of the Lord to the assembly in Philadelphia. The assembly in Philadelphia has the features of the assembly. Among those seven letters we find just two assemblies where the Lord finds no fault. They are Smyrna, as we know, and Philadelphia; and if the Lord says, Thou "hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name", He enumerates beautiful moral features of the saints in Philadelphia. It is like the saying of Solomon to the bride: "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away"; and then "My dove, in the clefts of the rock, In the covert of the precipice, Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely". Under this figure we can understand the Lord's appreciation of the moral beauty of the assembly which has been exhibited in the assembly in Philadelphia. Moreover, we have here the voice of the turtle-dove heard in our land, and that corresponds to the Spirit speaking to the assemblies. We have here the words of the bridegroom; in the letter to the assembly in Philadelphia we have the words of the Lord Jesus personally; but here it is a reference to the speaking of the Spirit - the voice of the turtle-dove. It does not say what the turtledove says, and in the same way, in the address to Philadelphia, the voice of the Spirit is referred to but it does not say what He says. It is for everyone to hear. The voice is heard in our land; it is to be heard at this time in the assembly for those who have an ear. In the beginning it is said that the assembly had ears (see Acts 11: 22), but in this time it is the overcomers who have the ears and they are able to hear what the Spirit says. It is not written down, it is for us to hear it. So I suggest, beloved brethren, that we be engaged in happy conversation about the privileges we have, to be the objects of the Lord's love and that we would desire to be among such in this last time, the time of decline and ruin, to whom all these wonderful privileges which we find in this passage in the Song of Songs would be accessible. They are accessible to the overcomers, they are accessible to those who keep His word and do not deny His name, those in whom all these wonderful features of moral beauty are found. Do the brethren think that would be right?

J.N.M. When the Lord Jesus speaks, He can speak of what is new. The Spirit speaks in relation to what Christ has said - "he shall not speak from himself" (John 16: 13) - but the Lord Jesus gives new light. We should be ready and realise the possibility that He would speak to us, not just what has been said before but something new.

M.P. Yes, and the Spirit brings it to our hearts, does He not? We now have all in the Spirit. That is a wonderful truth. The Spirit is personally here; the Lord Jesus is not, in the literal sense, He is now in the glory, but here is the area which we can call "our land". It is a wonderful area where the voice of the Spirit is heard and, of course, the Lord and the Spirit are of one mind, in the mind of Godhead. There is no contradiction of Their speaking and They are speaking in love.

D.R. Is the thought of the Lord speaking here linked with relationship?

M.P. Yes, it is a wonderful relationship, is it not?

D.R. "My beloved spake and said unto me". I wondered if the experience of union as enjoyed earlier today was a most important time.

M.P. And it is referred to in the letter to Philadelphia; "and shall know that I have loved thee". That is a wonderful feature. I do not think we find it in any of the other six letters. The overcomer has the features of the name of the city written on him; that means that the features of the assembly according to God's thoughts are found in him and that he is a subject of the deep love of the Lord Jesus, His pleasure, His joy.

J.S. So He is going to make others know that He has loved the assembly. He says, "I will cause them to know", but we should know it presently as of the assembly.

M.P. Yes, that is accessible to all who are faithful to Him, being found among those who have kept His word and not denied His name, who are content to have a little power but who love Him.

J.S. Is that what you speak of as the moral features of the assembly developed?

M.P. That is what I thought. The beauty of the bride described here corresponds with the moral beauty of the assembly which the Lord refers to in the Revelation. "I know thy works" - the whole behaviour, the whole style of life, our walk in truth, in simplicity, in faithfulness, and in committal to Him. That all corresponds with the moral beauty of the bride.

J.S. Do you think that "thou ... hast kept my word" would mean that His word is treasured in the hearts of persons because it is His word, and we are formed by it?

M.P. That is what my beloved spake: "My beloved spake and said unto me"; that is deeply ingrained in the heart of the bride. So the words of our Lord should be precious to us.

D.R. Does it involve quickening? The Psalmist says - which is the moral side - "quicken me according to thy word"-, Ps 119: 154. So it is an inward movement of affection that is caused by the voice of Christ and brings about some correspondence to Himself.

M.P. Yes. It is good to refer to Psalm 119 for there we have such a wonderful appreciation of the word of God. There are many expressions referring to it - thy law, thy statutes and a number of such expressions - but all this refers to the appreciation of the word of God which is deeply sunk into the heart and it is that precious moral feature that the Lord Jesus delights in. It is springtime in the morning meeting, is it not, when we approach the sphere of the Lord's blessing. We are coming into the time of the eternal spring, that sphere of eternal life. The winter is past, the rain is over, it is gone. We touch this wonderful sphere which has been referred to in our hymn (No.206): 'Where the saints in glory thronging, Where they feed on life's blest Tree' - the Tree of life. The overcomer in Ephesus has the promise: "I will give to him to eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of God", Rev 2: 7. That is our land. I love very much this expression "our land". Sometimes the respective countries we are living in are referred to as our land; we may use it for convenience but it is not the true thought. It is not our land but foreign lands for each one of us, but here is "our land" where the voice of turtle-dove is being heard and where our Beloved speaks.

J.S. So the apostle says "our commonwealth has its existence in the heavens", Phil 3: 20.

M.P. Our commonwealth, yes exactly, from which we expect the Lord, awaiting Him as Saviour. This is a wonderful outlook one often thinks of this as a consummation of what is going on now in us. We have now the moral transformation brought about by the Spirit but the final touch will bring about the transformation of what is outward - of our bodies. Our bodies are still subject to corruption and to all that is connected with the old creation, but then our bodies will be brought into harmony with what is going on in our spirits. The moral beauty of the bride will then be complete and perfect.

J.S. How is 'spring' to which you were referring brought about in us?

M.P. I think it is exclusively by the Spirit's power - being brought into the area of eternal spring. Spring is the most beautiful time in nature, is it not? All is being developed. Of course we are to tend to perfection, to an adult age, but that is not a contradiction; indeed often the half-open flowers in the temple are referred to, suggesting the freshness of youth that is to be found in our hearts, in reference to His love in relation to the affections He has, to which He seeks a response in our hearts. The eternal freshness of youth is so beautiful. I like to refer to the last verses of Psalm 92: "Those that are planted in the house of Jehovah shall flourish in the courts of our God: They are still vigorous in old age, they are full of sap and green". That is the spring, is it not?

J.S. So that is something in which the power of life is seen. It is what is living, it is not something that is just put on.

M.P. And we find it here: "the fig-tree melloweth her winter figs", "The flowers appear on the earth", and "the vines in bloom give forth their fragrance". What a lovely scene it is, all to be enjoyed in a spiritual sense in the Lord's nearness in the assembly!

J.M.M. The apostle speaks in Colossians about putting on the new man, where youth and freshness are emphasised (see chap 3: 10).

M.P. Yes; that is very good. There are two expressions for "new"; one means new of a new kind, of a new sort, but then "the new" is the newness of freshness of youth.

J.M.M. It is "according to the image of him that has created him". He speaks about removing all the distinctions that perhaps you referred to earlier when you spoke about different countries from which we come, and he goes on to say "where Christ is everything and in all".

M.P. Yes, that is exactly right and it is connected with the newness and youthfulness. It is ever renewing by the power of the Spirit. What a wonderful area it is! What I have specially in mind is that, in this time of ruin and decline, it is ever accessible as we find it in that letter to the assembly in Philadelphia.

J.N.M. The expression "her winter figs" would indicate that the ruin only adds to the sweetness of the response.

M.P. And it corresponds to what the Lord says as to His coming, that they should observe the fig tree, when its branch shall have become tender (see Matt 24: 32). The word 'tender' is interesting too, it refers to freshness and to sensitivity. I recently noticed the word of the prophetess to king Josiah; she said "Because thy heart was tender" (2 Chron 34: 27); that is, sensitive, sensitive to the working, to the influence of God, of His Spirit. Tenderness of heart is something which should characterise the saints of the assembly. That is responsiveness. It refers to the fleshy tables of the heart in 2 Corinthians 3 in contrast with the hardness of the stone tables. The fleshy tables of the heart are sensitive, are tender, accessible to the slightest touch of the Spirit.

J.N.M. Verse 8 begins "The voice of my beloved" without saying what he says. Does that show the tenderness of heart?

M.P. Yes, exactly so. Mr Coates says, we have five senses physically but would like the spiritual sense of smell so that we get the scent of His presence, and the sensitive ear to hear His voice. It is like the ear of the overcomer who is sensitive, tender, to catch the slightest sound of His voice.

J.N.M. In natural things it is interesting that the ear can separate perhaps the noise of an aeroplane above from the buzzing of a bee in a flower and yet hear them both. Is that not just a type of what the believer is spiritually? Above the clamour of the world he hears the voice of his Beloved.

M.P. That is very good. How many voices there are in the world - the jarring tones of what is abroad, enmity and hatred and discontent and all that through which our Lord has gone so fully; He has experienced all the contradictions of sinners and yet how His heart was ever wonderfully keeping in communion with the Father's will. That is the pattern for us. His path was untrodden before. He was the first to have gone this path of suffering and experience the difficulties of all that which characterises this world, all the temptations of this world (see Heb 4: 15). Our path is facilitated now because it has been trodden through by Him and we have His own help and the Spirit's help and His wonderful power. So it is a very great privilege to be found here in the same path of committal and obedience and to exhibit such wonderful moral features so precious to Him.

J.C.G. One of the responses is singing: "The time of singing is come" and it is linked with "the voice of the turtle-dove". Does the singing elevate us and bring in everyone, and help us in relation to the assembly idea, the bride?

M.P. Yes, and it is an expression of feeling, of the feeling of the heart. It is elevated as you say; it is a feeling response, stirred affections in the heart.

J.C.G. Do you think that the measure of our reality in singing helps the Spirit - 'the voice of the turtle-dove'?

M.P. It is that the heart is stirred. I am thinking about David coming with the ark; he was such an enthusiastic singer and he says of himself that he was pleasant in the Psalms of Israel (see 2 Sam 23: 1). The service of song is very important, of course, but it is so important too that it should be the song in the playing hearts; to refer to Colossians again: "singing with grace in your hearts to God", chap 3: 16. The literal musical instruments are not living, but the heart is living and there is the wonderful melody going up to the Lord's heart.

J.N.M. One of the Psalms (92) is headed "a Psalm, a Song, for the Sabbath day". There are songs in the night and songs in the wilderness; there are no songs in Babylon but there are special songs for the land , are there not?

M.P. And, to refer again to this Psalm, there is a distinction there in verse 2: "To declare thy loving-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness in the nights". The loving-kindness is what we enjoy in the morning, the positive impressions of His love to us. In the nights the Psalmist falls back on the faithfulness. That is more the matter of faith when all around is night, is darkness, but then His faithfulness is here, which shines, whereas in the morning it is the living impressions of His loving-kindness.

J.S. Referring to our hearts being in the singing, we have referred to Colossians, "singing with grace in your hearts to God"; in Ephesians it says " singing and chanting with your heart to the Lord", chap 5: 19. Does it show the great value of our affections being involved in it?

M.P. The affections are essential, not just the knowledge - which is important in its place - but it is important to be kept in the spirit of living affections, and the spirit of singing in the elevated sense of feeling the Lord's love.

J.S. I was thinking that some may be affected by fine music and that kind of thing, but the Lord is interested in our hearts being affected.

M.P. Of course there may be a danger in it when we are, as you say, affected by music in the literal sense which touches just the natural feelings, but the Spirit's power and the Spirit's sphere is somewhat different, it goes deeper and higher, not just what is for the natural ear and for the natural sense. It is the inward, hidden man of the heart which is so precious in God's sight.

W.B. So would you say that our real singing comes out of our experience with divine Persons? I was thinking of what the Psalmist said, that we cannot sing on the soil of Babylon: "How should we sing a song of Jehovah's upon a foreign soil?", Ps 137: 4. But they spoke there about their other experiences, and out of this the real singing comes about.

M.P. The real singing is in "our land", is it not? not in the land of the strangers. In a sense we are ever in our land, not just when we are together in the assembly. We belong to that land, and at any time we can be in, and we are in in that sense. Maybe we are not always conscious of it but we are still in that land.

G.B.G. In our spirits, do you mean?

M.P. In our spirits, yes, and as to reality before God. Perhaps our experience does not is linked with transport. The actual singing would help to carry us over from where we might be where we can be, would it not?

M.P. Exactly. 'My soul is all transported Whene'er I think of Thee!' (Hymn 51). That is what has been referred to as the elevated and stirred state of our heart, not just the cold spirit and indifferent spirit that might be present. We need the elevated spirit in singing, and being stirred by the wonderful triumph of God. Michal, David's wife, could not understand it (see 2 Sam 6: 16). It is what characterises her family, the family of Saul. It is said that in the days of Saul the ark of God was not sought for; there was indifference to it, a lack of interest, but happily this kind of man will not have continuation: Michal had no children. This new man will continue, but not the old man because he has been set aside, this man of indifference and of enmity which characterises Laodicea. There is the lukewarmness and the lack of interest and indifference to Him, but Philadelphia is marked by joyful and enthusiastic obedience, and faithfulness to the Lord's heart and that is infinitely pleasurable to always correspond to it, but still we are ever in it and we can ever revert to it, return to it in the consciousness of our minds.

G.B.G. That would keep the believer buoyant.

M.P. Buoyant, exactly so.

J.N.M. In Chronicles the thought of singing Him.

J.N.M. It is remarkable that Philadelphia and Laodicea are together at the same time, so that the overcomer has a great deal to overcome; and yet, as you say, the best assembly features come out when things are the worst.

M.P. Yes, it is a wonderful triumph of God's grace and mercy. It is like the life of the Lord Jesus here below; in the midst of dark ness and iniquity how wonderfully His unique and precious life shone here below. What a sight for the eye of God! And the same is with the overcomers here, in the midst of dark ness and indifference and lukewarmness there are such who shine. I love to think about how it says in Philippians, "harmless and simple, irreproachable children of God in the midst of a crooked and perverted generation; among whom ye appear as lights in the world", chap 2: 15. That reminds me of the lily among the thorns in the Song of Songs. In the midst of a crooked and perverted generation how pleasurable it is in the sight of God and for the eye of the Lord. That is "My dove, in the clefts of the rock, In the covert of the precipice" - hidden, protected and guarded in the midst of all these dangers.

J.S. What do you say about her voice? We have had the Lord's voice and the voice of the turtle-dove but now he says "Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; For sweet is thy voice".

M.P. The Lord loves responsive love, does he not? He loves to hear what the heart of His saints is saying to Him. It is, of course, stirred by the Spirit in the hearts - the love of God poured out into the hearts of the saints and the affectionate response of their hearts, thankful, appreciative, worshipful, and praising Him; what the Lord is for the heart finding expression in what we say to Him in our hearts and also in the assembly audibly. That is what He appreciates so much. Would you tell us something more.

J.S. We have the hidden man of the heart that is Christ in our hearts, but if He is in our hearts, the voice would bring it into expression in response.

M.P. The loving appreciation of His person. I often think of the contrast between this and what we have in the book of Exodus as to the wish of Moses to see the face of God. It was then impossible. But here it is the face of the assembly that the Lord is desirous to see. It cannot be expressed in words how wonderful it is that the assembly would be so precious and so lovable for His heart that He desires to see her face. And He will see it; as it was expressed in a hymn we sang this morning, the assembly will be His joy throughout eternity. He will eternally enjoy that face of the assembly and hearing her voice.

D.R. Do you think we need to treasure in our hearts something of the understanding of the Lord's valuation of the assembly? I was wondering if there were two sides to overcoming. We generally link overcoming with overcoming evil, but we need to learn how to overcome so that we are maintained in the positive joy of the truth and in the very precious understanding of the Lord's valuation of the assembly. That the enemy would snatch that away, especially today, but is there not something very precious in being in the company of persons, such as now, where there is an understanding of the Lord's valuation of the assembly. Is that overcoming, do you think?

M.P. Yes, the enemy is tending to bring us down to the level of Laodicea, is he not? That is the area of indifference and lukewarmness but, as you say, it is a wonderful feature to keep in the stirred affections of our hearts, thrilled affections finding ever fresh causes, fresh touches to admire the Lord and to find in the Lord that which binds our hearts to Him, which attracts our hearts to Him.

J.C.G. Do you think therefore that the overcomer at Philadelphia would have a real appreciation of the Holy, the True? "These things saith the Holy, the True". The overcomers in that assembly are really appreciative of the value of the Lord, and seek to be marked by those features.

M.P. In the midst of defilement and all that which is contrary to Him He is paramountly the Holy, the True. These features are being brought about by the Spirit in those who are His, and it is essentially this which He appreciates so much. In the Song of Songs it says first His sister and then His spouse. His sister, that is the moral affinity to what He is; His brethren in Matthew, Mark, and Luke are those who, like Him, hear the word of God and obey. These features of His own are exhibited in Him, they are morally His brethren.

J.C.G. That is what makes the assembly a lily in that sense.

M.P. Yes, the lily in the valleys, in the midst of thorns, in the midst of the crooked and perverted generation.

J.A.W. Is that the force of holding fast what thou hast, as the passage says: "hold fast what thou hast"? Is that maintaining something positive that He can come to?

M.P. Yes, in our hearts. That is wonderful; as has just been said, there is not only the negative side, to overcome what is evil, but to keep what is positive in the affections and the appreciation of Him.

D.R. Elijah was comforted, perhaps even rebuked, by the negative presentation. It says, I have seven thousand whose knees have not bowed to Baal (see 1 Kings 19: 18); that is the negative side. But do you think that the Spirit's service brings about correspondence to Christ? The assembly is formed by the Spirit as corresponding to Christ. Is that the triumph of the present moment?

M.P. Yes; it has been said that it is a poor thing when the saints are known by what they do not do, and not by what they do.

J.N.M. Our brother has referred to the scripture "hold fast what thou hast"; would that be the whole body of truth that has been revealed to us, not just certain parts of it?

M.P. Yes, all of it. It is important to keep aloof from evil and what is corruptive. It is quite in order that we are known by what we do not do, but that is not all, is it? We have to be kept in that positive sense of appreciation and affection for the Lord and the admiration of all that He is.

J.S. So that the Lord, in speaking to the overcomer in Philadelphia, touches on certain very precious features of the truth. Would that all be included in holding fast what thou hast?

M.P. Yes. Say more please.

J.S. I was thinking that the overcomer would value these things. The Lord values all these things, He speaks of them so personally as 'My' in certain instances.

M.P. "The name of my God, and the name of the city of my God ... and my new name".

J.S. The Lord obviously values these things and the overcomer would value these things and hold them fast.

M.P. Do you think that it is the aim of the Spirit to bring us into harmony with His own feelings? I increasingly find that is one of the highest privileges we are called to, to share the Lord's feelings, to share God's feelings, to have pleasure in what the Lord has pleasure to joy in what He joys in, to feel how He feels about things.

J.S. Quite so. So it would be just like a wife in relation to her husband; all his interests would be her interests.

M.P. Exactly, to be one with him. I think that is the highest level of what the Lord says, that where I am they also shall be, not only as to place but as to feelings, as to affections, as to the mind; where He is, there should be His saints, His assembly, one with Him. That is, I think, the highest point to which the love and the mercy of God desire to bring us - to harmony with Him in all things and to sharing His feelings of joy and pleasure and satisfaction. God finds His satisfaction in the Lord Jesus and so should we. The Lord Jesus finds His joy in the presence of the Father, and in His assembly, and so should we. It is infinitely precious to be brought into harmony with the feelings and affections of divine Persons.

 

DUNDEE

22 April 1990

 

Key to initials

(Dundee if not otherwise stated)

W.Becker, Endbach; G.B.Grant; J.C.Gray; J.M.Macfarlane; J.N.Mather; M.Pavlik, Dolny Kubin; D.Robertson, Cumnock; J.Strachan; J.A.Walker; M.G.Wood