No Spot In You (Song 4:1-7)

“You are all fair, my love; there is no spot in you” (vs7).

The Lord Jesus commends us, calling us beautiful inwardly by the Spirit in the new nature, because He wants us for Himself.  It is like a husband talking to his wife in loving adoration, so that she draws near, so they can fellowship in love.

The Son “sweet talks” us, not because He is wrong and cannot see our sin, but because sin is punished, and we have new natures that love, serve, and honor God.  And, it is by His cleansing love, love that made us pure within, that we draw near to Him, being constrained by His great love to serve Him, laying down our lives in grateful submission (Eph 1:4; 2 Cor 5:14).

The love of Christ produces holiness in those that believe.  As He commends us, we lean on Him increasingly and seek His face in this world.  Rather than allowing our minds and bodies to serve another beloved, we think on Him, setting our minds on things above (Col 3:2).

Many fear that love revealed is unbecoming, that Christ cannot speak of us this way, but don’t ever let your blackness keep you from believing that you are pure (Song 1:5).  If you believe God, though you’re as vile as possible in the flesh, it is the new man that He commends, loving us WHILE we were yet sinners and in spite of our vileness, and loving us as obedient children, whom He has made so by His blood, promise, and Spirit.  Hear the Son speak well of you:

• Your hair is as a flock of goats; it is long and shows your submission, that you subject yourself to Christ, willingly, taking His yoke upon you and learning of Him (Song 4:1; 1 Cor 11:15).
•  Your teeth are not the ravenous teeth of wolves and lions that lash out at the Savior, but you have the submissive teeth of sheep, hear His voice, and you follow Him (vs2).

• Your lips and mouth speak the gospel of God’s grace in knowledge of His love for you.  You are not merely saying nice stuff about Christ, but you believe that He loves you, so you speak of His glory sincerely (vs3).

• Your neck is strong and has overcome the enemy.  You have yielded yourself to Christ, and thereby, you conquer sin, resisting Satan, and he flees from you (vs4).

• Your breasts are nourishing to Christ, satisfying to Him, and a place for Him to rest His head, knowing that He’s made you able to care for the church, to love as He gave commandment.

And, He says this to draw us to Himself. He tells us where He will be, “Until the day break and the shadows flee away”, until we’re in heaven with face to face communion, “I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense” (vs6). He is where He is blessed and praised, and He is where He is depended upon in prayer: He will meet us there.

Make Amends and Restore It (Lev 5, 6)

“Make Amends” (Lev 5:14-16)

“And he shall make amends for the harm that he has done in the holy thing, and shall add the fifth part thereto, and give it unto the priest: and the priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering, and it shall be forgiven him” (vs15-16).

Forgiveness is by restitution; we must RESTORE what we took away, not to earn pardon by our works, but by BELIEF in the atoning work of Christ, that ALL that I owe my fellow man, and ALL that I owe God have been paid, and I don’t need to pay anything else. I don’t have to APOLOGIZE to be forgiven, but I have to believe that Jesus paid enough to do what an apology could never do (Luke 19:7-9). I may say “sorry” because I’m saved and do good to one that I’ve harmed, but I do it in full justification, and not in order to clear my mind; I do it BELIEVING the blood has wiped the slate clean, and therefore, it is a good work by the Spirit who works by LIBERTY only.

Do not be ashamed of Christ because of your sin, and don’t get misled into believing that it isn’t pardoned because you’re a small believer, big sinner, and you’ve hurt and hurt and hurt. The woman with the issue of blood defiled ALL she touched for 12 long years, but she was immediately healed, with small faith, and BEFORE she helped anyone else against whom she’d sinned. This evil woman was MERCIFULLY saved, and mercy is for poor, weak, and DEFILED man-hating sinners.  Believe it.

"Restore It” (Lev 6:1-7)

“Then it shall be, because he has sinned, and is guilty, that he shall restore that which he took violently away, or the thing which he has deceitfully gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or the lost thing which he found, or all that about which he has sworn falsely; he shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto, and give it unto him to whom it appertains, in the day of his trespass offering” (vs4-5).

Believe Christ not only paid for what you haven’t done, but BELIEVE He earned what you and I shall do by the Spirit.  I don’t ask you to do something; I command, in the name of the Lord, that you BELIEVE unto the salvation of your soul the WHOLE gospel of grace, that He CHOSE and elected you, redeemed you by blood, made up with man and God for you, and He’s GIVEN you the Holy Spirit and a new nature to SERVE God, doing good, instead of evil… that the God I’ve offended and the neighbor that I’ve defrauded have been restored their loss by Jesus Christ through the salvation that sanctifies the children to obey God, rather than men (Acts 5:29).  Don’t believe a false salvation that leaves you indifferent to men; believe the Christ whose gospel makes you love.