Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Awake Not My Beloved (Song 3:1-5)


“I charge you, O you daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles, and by the deer of the field, that you stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please” (vs5).

Christ teaches us to maintain communion with Him by His absences and the difficulty in finding Him - “I sought him whom my soul loves: I sought him, but I found him not“ (vs1).

If we could command His presence and peace at our will, then we would not obey the Lord. We’d sin, and say, “Come back, Lord. I command you to give me peace”, and He would play the part of the genie, doing what He must, but not as Lord.

However, He HIDES Himself so that He is not only sought but also treasured after He is found - “It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loves: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother‘s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me“ (vs4).  It isn’t of my will to enjoy peace as I please, so I will seek Him whom I love… Him who is my peace… and when I have Him, rather than squandering fellowship, I’ll hold Him dear. I’ll believe and obey until He comes, and then I’ll believe and obey when He is here with me, so that He remains.

You and I love the Son of God supremely, so much that He is “whom my soul loves”, my Joy, my Peace, my Satisfaction, and Fulfillment. He is everything to believers, so we seek Him when He is gone, because without Him, life is miserable, but with Him, even the bitter is made sweet, we have peace, and we can do His will - “I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loves“ (vs2).  The presence of Christ is heaven on earth so desperately needed that we forsake everything else to have Him.  We come to Him by night, when others are asleep, because we need the Son’s favor - “By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loves“ (vs1). We come to Him though we don’t find Him, because He’s promised that we’d find Him, and we have nothing until we do - “I sought him, but I found him not… I sought him, but I found him not“ (vs1-2).

He hides Himself, but the watchmen, the preachers of Christ, find us, and shortly after leaving them, we find Him - “The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw you him whom my soul loves?  It was but a little that I passed FROM them, but I found him whom my soul loves” (vs3-4).

The watchmen are NOT the Christ, even though they help us see, being sent by God to show the way of salvation, which we as watchmen take first . We declare the whole counsel of God, and in doing such, show you and others where you have erred, so you may have Him again, “For I have not shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of God“ (Acts 20:27).  We show REPENTANCE and the forgiveness of sins, the whole counsel of GRACE unto good works, and we meet every sinner’s and saint’s need right here (Luke 24:47).  You and I need GRACE, and we need faith in grace to do God’s will, to love, as He gave us commandment, submitting to His way of life, so that we may have peace - “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls“ (Matt 11:29).

The Lord comes to us after we leave the preachers because He won’t have us trusting in the men who preach - “It was but a little that I passed FROM them, but I found him whom my soul loves”(vs4). They are helpers and oracles of God, but it is GOD Himself that we deal with in Christ.  And, having Him near… finding Him and treasuring His presence… we’re resolved to bring Him to God’s house, the church of God, to the chamber where we were conceived - “I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother‘s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me“ (vs4).   The individual saint finds Christ, so that we can share Him to others, and He comes for this reason, not merely to make us happy and yet still mean, but to make us holy and happy, desiring that others see the Beloved.

Lastly, the daughters of Jerusalem, those who are in the Lamb’s book of life, are told exactly what we’ve learned - “I charge you, O you daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and by the deer of the field, that you stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please“ (vs5). The watchmen tells what he’s heard, and the believer experiences it. Then, the believer tells what she knows, so that God’s elect who’re yet unsaved can hear it too.

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