Discovering Christ in All the Scriptures
Don Fortner, 1950-2020
Psalms through Song of Solomon
PSALMSGod's Book of Praise
The Book of Psalms is the largest Book in the Word of God. It is a Book about the worship of God. The word "psalms" means "praises." The Book of Psalms is "the Book of Praises." It is God's Book of Praise. That which is essential in the praise of God is dominate in these 150 psalms—Worship." "Worship" means "prostration." To worship and praise the Lord our God is to prostrate ourselves before him, taking our place in the dust before him as we acknowledge and adore his supremacy, perfection, and work.This is where we must begin. After describing Christ as the perfect man in Psalm 1 and declaring him to be the exalted King in Psalm 2, we are called to worship him in Psalm 2:11–12. "Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him."
Worship
The Book of Psalms teaches us to worship our God, to be ever occupied with him. Just in proportion as our hearts and minds are occupied with Christ, we worship him (Colossians 3:1–3). Here we are taught to treasure his Word, delight in his providence, remember his works, speak of his greatness, trust his care, glory in his gospel, and celebrate his praise continually. We are here taught to find strength for life's labors, comfort for life's troubles, and solace in life's sorrows by continually prostrating ourselves before the throne of grace, seeking mercy and grace from our great God in time of need.
In this Book we have 150 psalms, or songs of praise to our great God. As we read these psalms, our hearts often echo the words we are reading, because that which we read here expresses our own feelings, emotions, and experiences as God's people in this world. These inspired psalms express our own doubts and fears, joys and sorrows, sufferings and aspirations, burdens and blessings, as we attempt to worship and serve our God.
Yet, this is a Book of praise to our God. If you read the psalms carefully, you cannot avoid noticing the fact that each of the psalms that begin with an expression of sorrow or despondency end with praise to God for his goodness. That is because our sorrows, like our joys, are designed by our God to show us his goodness and bring his goodness to us.
There is one exception. Psalm 88, perhaps the oldest of the psalms, is all sorrow. That psalm reveals the inmost sorrow of our Savior as he suffered the wrath of God for us. When he was made to be sin, when he was made to be the object of God's unmitigated wrath as our Substitute, he found nothing to comfort him. Though he looked for comforters, there were none.
John Gill wrote, "The subject matter of this book is exceeding great and excellent; many of the psalms respect the person, offices, and grace of Christ; his sufferings and death, resurrection, ascension, and session at the right hand of God; and so are exceeding suitable to the Gospel dispensation. The whole book is a rich mine of grace and evangelical truths, and a large fund of spiritual experience; and is abundantly suited to every case, state, and condition, that the church of Christ, or particular believers, are in at any time."
Authorship
The New Testament contains two hundred and forty-three quotations from the Old and one hundred and sixteen of these are from the Book of Psalms. These 150 psalms were written over a period spanning 900 years. Most of them were written by David, "the sweet singer of Israel." One was written by Moses (Psalm 90). One was written by Heman (Psalm 88). One was written by Ethan (Psalm 89). Two were written by Solomon (Psalms 72 and 157). The descendants of Korah wrote ten. And Asaph, the chief musician in David's choir, wrote twelve. There are fifty of the psalms to which no author's name is attached. But it is certain that David wrote some of these (Compare Psalm 2:1 and Acts 4:25).
Divisions
The psalms have been divided into four categories Each section ends with "amen" or "hallelujah."
• Psalms 1–41: Davidic Psalms
• Psalms 42–72: Levitical Psalms
• Psalms 73–89: Psalms of the Time of Hezekiah
• Psalms 90–106: Psalms Before the Captivity
• Psalms 107–150: Psalms After the Captivity
Personal Experience
Be sure you understand this:—Though, as I will show you, the psalms speak of Christ, they also are true expressions of the personal emotions, feelings, and experiences of those who wrote them. When David wrote, "My God, my God, Why have you forsaken me?", He was, without question, speaking prophetically of Christ. But he was also expressing his own soul's lamentation before God. Because the psalms are honest expressions of believing hearts in all the varied experiences of life in this world, they speak the universal language of our souls. Whatever our state and condition may be spiritually, we will find it put into words in the Psalms.
Christ
Yet, it is a mistake to interpret the psalms only in a historic way, applying the words of the psalms only to mere men. The One of whom the psalms speak is the Lord Jesus Christ himself, our great God and Savior (Luke 24:25–27, 44–47).
As "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Revelation 19:10), the testimony of Christ is the spirit of the psalms. The Psalms speak of the incarnation of Christ, the deity of Christ, the eternal Sonship of Christ, the offices of Christ as Prophet, Priest and King, the betrayal of Christ, the agony of Christ, the trial of Christ, the rejection of Christ, the crucifixion of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, the ascension and exaltation of Christ, and the second coming of Christ to judge the world.
They tell us of holiness of heart and life, and of Christ, the one perfectly holy man in the history of the world. The Psalms tell us much of the blessedness of righteousness, and of Christ, the only righteous man who ever lived. The Psalms tell us often of the enemies of the righteous, and of Christ who was ever encompassed with enemies who hated him without a cause. The Psalms tell us of the punishment of the wicked, and of Christ the Judge of all. The Lord Jesus Christ is set forth in the Psalms as the Covenant God of his true Israel.
The Gospels tell us about the kingdom of God. The Psalms tell us about Christ the King. God the Father appointed his Son to be King in Zion; and he shall rule the nations with a rod of iron. David, with his throne in Zion, was typical of Christ who rules from Heaven as David ruled on earth. "For the kingdom is the Lord's; and he is the Governor among the nations." "Yes, all kings shall fall down before him; all nations shall serve him. For he shall deliver the needy when he cries, the poor also; and him that has no helper."
The Gospels are a record of the history of our Lord's outer life in this world, his incarnation, his family, his works, his doctrine, his death, his resurrection, his ascension, and his exaltation. The Psalms are a record of our Savior's inmost Being, the feelings, passions, and experiences of his very heart and soul, the feelings, passions, and experiences of the heart and soul of him who was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin, that he might be our merciful and faithful High Priest, interceding as One who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities.
Messianic Psalms
Commonly, specific psalms are referred to as "messianic psalms." But that is a mistake, because it implies that some of the psalms are not messianic, that some of them do not speak specifically of our Savior ("In the Psalms concerning me." Luke 24). In these blessed, inspired songs of praise to our all-glorious Christ, we see him in all his offices, in all his works, and in all his accomplishments as Savior and Lord. He is the Redeemer, the Rock, the Refuge, the Shepherd, the Shield, the Fortress, the High Tower of his people. Christ is the Sun of Righteousness around which the whole Book of Psalms revolves. Behold, here is Christ!—Our Good Shepherd (Psalm 23; 77:20; 78:70–72; 80:1; 95:7; 100:3; 119:176)—The Rock of our Salvation (Psalm 27:5; 28:1; 31:2–3; 40:2; 61:2–3; 62:2–9; 71:3; 78:20; 89:26; 94:22; 115:1)—The Light of the World (Psalm 27:1; 43:3; 118:27)—Our Great Redeemer (Psalm 19:14; 69:18; 72:14; 77:15; 78:35; 103:4; 106:10; 107:2; 119:154)—The One in Whom and by Whom we have forgiveness (Psalm 32; 51; 130).
Penitential Psalms
There is not, in my opinion, a single psalm in this Book that can be applied only to the man who wrote it in the fullest extent of its meaning. Even those psalms referred to as "Penitential Psalms" are best understood, and most properly understood, when we read them as the words of our great Substitute and Sin-Bearer, the Lord Jesus Christ, when he was made to be sin for us. As Ezra, Daniel, and Nehemiah confessed the sins of Israel as their own sins, though they were not personally guilty of the crimes they confessed, our great Sin-Bearer took our sins to be his own and confessed them as such. He who bore our sins in his own body on the tree is alone the sacrifice God accepts, finds pleasure in, and upon which he builds his church and blesses his people (Psalm 51:17–19).
Psalm 1—Christ is set before us as the perfect, holy, blessed man, who delights always in God and his will, who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly. He alone is that Man of whom it can be said, absolutely, "whatever he does shall prosper." The pleasure of the Lord prospers in his hand (Isaiah 53:12).
Psalm 2—Christ, the Son of God, is depicted as the appointed Ruler, the King of kings. "I will declare the decree: The Lord has said unto Me, You are My Son; this day have I begotten You" (verse 7).
Psalm 8—Here we see the Son of God becoming the Son of man in order that we might be made the sons of God. "What is man, that you are mindful of him? and the son of man, that you visit him? For you have made him a little lower than the angels, and have crowned him with glory and honor" (verses 4–5). The Holy Spirit tells us plainly that these words refer to the incarnation of Christ, his coming into the world to redeem and save his people (Heb 2:6–18).
Psalm 16—Christ's deliverance from death is prophesied here. Verses 10 and 11 find their fulfillment in the death and resurrection of our Lord. Peter quoted these words on the day of Pentecost, showing that David was a prophet and that the One of whom he spoke is Christ (Acts 2:25–28).
Psalms 22–24—These songs are examples of divine inspiration in the arrangement of the Psalms. They are filled with Messianic teaching about the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus. I will return to these Psalms shortly.
Psalm 45—Christ is the King who is fairer than the children of men, into whose lips grace has been poured, whom God has blessed forever, the most mighty One who has girded on his sword, riding with glory and majesty, prospering because of his truth, meekness and righteousness. It is of him alone that we sing …
"Your throne, O God, is forever and ever: the scepter of your kingdom is a right scepter. You love righteousness, and hate wickedness: therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows. All your garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made you glad. Kings' daughters were among your honorable women: upon your right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir. Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear; forget also your own people, and your father's house; So shall the king greatly desire your beauty: for he is your Lord; and worship you him. And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall entreat your favor. The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the king in clothing of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto you. With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king's palace" (verses 6–15).
Psalm 68—Christ is the Lord God our Savior who has risen to scatter his enemies (verses 1, 17–20; Ephesians 4:8–11).
Psalm 40—Hebrews 10 tells us that this psalm speaks of Christ's coming to redeem and save his people.
Psalm 69—The humiliation of Christ is shown in verses 4, 8, 9, 12, and 21. The words used here find their fulfillment only in our Redeemer.—(verse 4) "They that hate me without a cause (John 15:25) are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away."—(verse 5) O God, you know my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from you" (2 Corinthians 5:21).—(verse 8) "I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children" (Matthew 13:55–56).—(verse 9) "For the zeal of your house has eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached you are fallen upon me" (John 2:17; Romans 15:3).—(verse 21) "They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink" (Matthew 27:33–34).
Psalm 110—Christ is our omnipotent Savior King and everlasting Priest, who makes his people wiling in the day of his power (verses 1–4).
Psalm 118—This psalm is part of the special passage that was used as a prayer on Passover night. It more than likely was sung by the Lord and His disciples at the Lord's Supper, as recorded in (Matthew 26:30). Behold Christ is here! "The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner" (verse 22; Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17).
The Shepherd Psalms
Psalms 22–24 speak specifically of the Lord Jesus Christ as our Shepherd. Psalm 22 brings us to "the place called Calvary." In its light we stand at the foot of the cross. Here and in Isaiah 53 the crucifixion is portrayed more clearly than in any other part of the Old Testament. Isaiah 53 speaks primarily of the sin-atoning aspect of Christ's death. Psalm 22 speaks of his sufferings. It begins with the cry uttered by our Lord in the hour of darkness, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" It closes with the words "He has done it," or "It is finished," as it stands in the original Hebrew, identical with almost the last cry of our Savior. It is a Psalm of shame, sorrow, and sighing. In the original language there is not a single completed sentence in the opening verses, but a series of short ejaculations, like the gasps of a dying man whose breath and strength are failing, and who can only utter a word or two at a time.
Read Psalms 22 and 69 together, and you will see a tremendous, instructive, prophetic picture of our Redeemer's sufferings. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John specially and repeatedly call our attention to it. "I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people." "All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip" (22:6, 7). "The rulers derided Him." "The soldiers also mocked Him" (Luke 23:35, 36). "They shake the head, saying, He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him" (verse 8). "They that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said … He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him" (Matthew 27:39, 41, 43). "Strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths" (verses 12, 13). "Sitting down, they watched him there. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth" (Matthew 27:36, 44).
"They pierced my hands and my feet." "All my bones are out of joint" (verses 16 and 14). The Roman method of death by crucifixion, unknown to Jewish law, is prophesied here. The very action of the soldiers is given in the words, "They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture" (verse 18). "My tongue cleaves to my jaws" (verse 15). "In my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink" (Psalm 69:21). "Jesus … that the Scripture might be fulfilled, says, I thirst. And they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth" (John 19:28, 29).
A Broken Heart
"I am poured out like water: My heart is like wax; it is melted" (22:14). "Reproach has broken my heart" (Psalm 69:20). Here we are told the immediate cause of our Savior's death. He died of a broken heart. Six times in Psalm 69 the word "reproach" appears—reproach and shame and dishonor borne for others. The bearing of our sins, the hiding of his Father's face on account of it, was what broke his heart.
"Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the Spirit. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent" (Matthew 27:50, 51). When the soldiers came to break the legs of those that hung upon the cross, they found that the Lord Jesus was dead already, and broke not his legs. "But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he who saw it bare record, and his record is true; and he knows that he says true, that you might believe."
"Therefore does my Father love me, because I lay down my life that I might take it again. No man takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself." By the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God he was delivered to death. By wicked hands he was crucified and slain. By his own will he laid down his life.
Surely, as I mentioned before, we have in Psalm 51 not merely the cry of the penitent sinner, but a prophecy of Christ, the Sacrifice of God. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise" (51:17). The great sacrifice of God is a broken heart. This was the sacrifice our Savior offered for us. He clothed himself in a human body that he might have it to offer (Hebrews 10:5, 9, 10). He became possessed of a human heart that it might be broken. The way into the holiest is opened up for us through the broken heart of God's own darling Son, our all-glorious Savior. This is the sinner's Savior, the sinner's hope, the sinner's gospel.
The New Testament refers to the work of the Lord Jesus Christ as that of a shepherd in three distinct ways. They correspond to Psalms 22, 23, and 24, which present three aspects of our Lord's ministry on earth.
The Good Shepherd
In Psalm 22 we see our Savior as the good Shepherd, who gave his life for his sheep. He said, "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd gives His life for the sheep" (John 10:11). In the Gospels we read of what he said and did, and what was done to him; in Psalm 22 we are allowed to discover, as well as sinful creatures can discover, what he felt.
The latter part of the psalm (verses 22–31) is marked by a jubilance that portrays the glory of the salvation obtained by the efficacious merit of his blood. Though the resurrection is not specifically mentioned, we see Christ delivered and his people delivered as well. "A seed shall serve him; it shall be counted to the LORD for a generation. They shall come and declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he has done this" (verses 30–31). Psalm 22 is the crucifixion psalm. The Good Shepherd has given His life for the sheep.
The Great Shepherd
What tender emotions and thoughts of praise fill our hearts as we read Psalm 23! This is not a song about a dying or a dead shepherd, but of a risen, living, reigning Shepherd. It is in the present tense; it speaks of today. Christ arose from the dead to be our Great Shepherd. "Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant" (Hebrews 13:20). Because my good Shepherd laid down his life for me, I shall never die. Because Christ my great Shepherd sits upon the throne of the universe, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever!"
The Chief Shepherd
Psalm 24 speaks of Christ as the chief Shepherd, who shall bring us with him into his glory, the glory he earned and purchased as our Substitute, the glory he gave us (John 17:5, 22), the glory he holds for us as our Forerunner in Heaven (Hebrews 6:20). The apostle Peter wrote, "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory that fades not away" (1 Peter 5:4).
Listen! Someone is coming! Who is it? Christ, the King of Glory! He is coming to bring his chosen, ransomed people into his kingdom and glory. "Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands, and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation" (verses 3–5). That is Christ. But these words do not speak of Christ alone. He did not enter and does not stand in the holy place by himself. He entered in for us. He stands there with us. And we shall stand there with him in all the perfection of his glory as our Mediator and Substitute. Verse 6 tells us plainly that these words refer just as fully to us, the people he came here to save, as they do to him. "This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek your face, O Jacob. Selah." Pause a while and think about that!
PROVERBS
Christ the Wisdom of God
The Poetic Books set before us essential and blessed aspects of life in Christ as it is experienced by God's saints in this world. Job displays the necessity of self-denial, of dying to self that we may live unto God. The Psalms set before us the blessedness of worshiping our God in resurrection life. Ecclesiastes displays the utter vanity of all earthly things, the complete inability of finding satisfaction for our souls in this perishing world of woe. The Song of Solomon displays Christ as that One in whom alone our souls find satisfaction. Lamentations teaches us to set our hearts upon our God and Savior, finding contentment and satisfaction in him.Proverbs shows us the blessed wisdom of faith in Christ, wisdom with which to live for God's glory in this present evil world. The first nine chapters of this Book are instructions by Solomon to his son, a series of parental admonitions to his son to seek wisdom and shun folly; but there is more here than Solomon's instructions to his son. In this Book, we have before us God's instructions to his sons and daughters, teaching us to seek wisdom and shun folly. In the remaining chapters (10–31), we are given 374 proverbs that touch every phase of life in this world.
Purpose
The purpose of this Book is set before us in the opening verses of chapter one. "The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel; To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; To give subtlety to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings" (1:1–6).
Wisdom
The Key to the Book is found in verse seven. Here we are told plainly what wisdom is.—"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." There are many books written by men to teach wisdom. The thing that sets this Book apart from all others is that it does not teach us about wisdom. It teaches us wisdom. It teaches and reveals Christ who is Wisdom. That distinguishes this book from all of the wisdom literature of the world. There is no wisdom without truth; and there can be no discovery of truth apart from revelation, the revelation of Christ who is the Truth and the Wisdom of God. All the philosophical wisdom of the world (all of it) is utter foolishness, because "there is no fear of God before their eyes" (Romans 3:18; 1 Corinthians 1:17–25).
Christ is Wisdom. He alone is Wisdom. He alone can make us wise. That is the message of this inspired Book of Wisdom. In chapter eight, wisdom is personified. It is obvious that the personification of wisdom spoken of in that chapter is Christ.
"I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions … Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength. By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth. I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. Riches and honor are with me; yes, durable riches and righteousness … For whoever finds me finds life, and shall obtain favor of the LORD" (verses 12, 14–18, 35).
Christ is the Wisdom spoken of and speaking throughout these thirty-one chapters. This is not a book about moral philosophy. The Book of Proverbs is a Book about Christ the Wisdom of God and the Truth of God. James said, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men liberally, and upbraids not, and it shall be given him" (James. 1:5). The apostle Paul tells us, "But unto them who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ (is) the power of God, and the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:24). In 1 Corinthians 1:30 we read, "But of Him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom."
This Book teaches us that the Lord Jesus Christ, our incarnate God, our crucified Substitute, our risen and exalted Lord, our omnipotent Savior is the very wisdom of God. "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:6).
A Comparison
Compare what is written in the Book of Proverbs about wisdom and what is written elsewhere in the Book of God about Christ, and you will see clearly that the Wisdom spoken of here is a person, not an attribute, and that that person is our Lord Jesus Christ.
• "Wisdom cries without; she utters her voice in the streets … Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you" (1:20, 23).—"And said, Truly I say unto you, Except you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 18:3)
• "But whoever hearkens unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil" (1:33).—"Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28)
• "If you Seek her as silver, and search for her as for hid treasures" (2:4)—"In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3).
• "Does not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice?… Unto you, O men, I call; and my voice is to the sons of man" (8:1, 4).—"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink" (John 7:37).
• "O you simple, understand wisdom: and, you fools, be you of an understanding heart" (8:5).—"In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank you, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that you have hid these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in your sight" (Luke 10:21).
• "Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things" (8:6).—"And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?" (Luke 4:22).
• "Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength" (8:14).—"But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption" (1 Corinthians 1:30).
• "I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me" (8:17).—"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7).
• "I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment" (8:20).—"He restores my soul: he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake" (Psalm 23:3).
• "The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old" (8:22).—"And he is before all things, and by him all things consist" (Colossians 1:17).
• "I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was" (8:23).—"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1).
• "When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth" (8:27).—"All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made" (John 1:3).
• "Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him" (8:30).—"Has in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds" (Hebrews 1:2). "And the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from Heaven, which said, You are my beloved Son; in you I am well pleased" (Luke 3:22). "Father, I will that they also, whom you have given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which you have given me: for you loved me before the foundation of the world" (John 17:24).
• "Now therefore hearken unto me, O you children: for blessed are they that keep my ways" (8:32).—"If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love" (John 15:10).
• "For whoever finds me finds life, and shall obtain favor of the LORD" (8:35).—"Truly, truly, I say unto you, He who believes on me has everlasting life" (John 6:47).
• "Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled" (9:5).—"And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he who comes to me shall never hunger; and he who believes on me shall never thirst" (John 6:35).
Faith in Christ
If you would be wise read Proverbs 30 and learn wisdom. The only true wisdom man has is the wisdom of faith, faith in Christ. The man speaking here is Agur, the son of Jakeh. He tells us in verse one that what he is declaring is prophetic. Specifically, it is prophetic of Christ and faith in him.
Wisdom begins with (faith begins with) a confession of our utter helplessness, unworthiness, and ignorance as fallen, sinful creatures before God.—"Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man" (30:2).
This is the cry of repentance and faith, "God be merciful to me a sinner." If we are to walk in the path of wisdom, we must acknowledge our own guilt and weakness. Agur goes on to declare, in verse 3, that he has no knowledge of God, no wisdom, no understanding of God.—"I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy." The fact is, we will never know God, we will never know Christ, until we are convinced that we don't.
This wisdom, the knowledge of God, which is eternal life (John 17:3), comes by divine revelation. "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He takes the wise in their own craftiness" (1 Corinthians 3:19). Even the Greek philosophers could not answer man's quest for the true meaning of life. The best the philosophers on Mars Hill could do was to erect an altar to "the unknown God" (Acts 17:23). We cannot by searching find out God. We will come to know him only when he reveals his Son in us, as he did with Saul of Tarsus (Galatians 1:15).
Faith sees, acknowledges, confesses, trusts, and worships the risen, exalted Christ (30:4). Overwhelmed by the thought of God's greatness and power revealed in Christ (the crucified, risen Savior), and by the infinite distance separating man and God, Agur asked a series of penetrating questions.—"Who has ascended up into Heaven, or descended? who has gathered the wind in his fists? who has bound the waters in a garment? who has established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if you can tell?"
God graciously forced Job to face and deal with these same questions, laying him in the dust before him.—"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if you have understanding. Who has laid the measures thereof, if you know? or who has stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:4–7).
Agur is talking about Christ, the Son of God. Verse 4 ends with a tremendous question: "What is His name, and what is His Son's name, if you can tell?" God has a Son! "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). Isaiah would prophesy, "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).
The Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son, that One in whom alone the triune God is revealed (John 1:18) is the One of whom the passage is speaking. Christ descended from Heaven to save his people from their sins. This same Christ is God the Creator and Ruler of all things, who upholds all things by the Word of his power. He bound the wind in his fists and holds the waters as in a garment. It is he who established the ends of the earth. I did not draw this interpretation of Agur's words out of my hat. This is precisely what Paul tells us as he sets before us the essence of saving faith (Romans 10:6–13).
Blessed is that person whom the Lord God graciously humbles before him as he did Job, Agur, and Saul of Tarsus. Such humiliation comes only when Christ is revealed, when he is made to see the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ.
That faith that God gives to and works in the hearts of men comes from and rests entirely upon the pure Word of God. Taking Christ, as he is revealed in Holy Scripture, as our Shield and Refuge, we have peace with God.—"Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him" (30:5). "Your word is true from the beginning: and every one of your righteous judgments endures forever" (Psalm 119:160). "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you: because he trusts in you" (Isaiah 26:3).
True wisdom, this wisdom that comes from Christ who is the Wisdom of God, bows to the revelation and authority of Holy Scripture, the Word of God.—"Add you not unto his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar" (30:6). "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Timothy 3:16–17).
Christ In Proverbs
The Book of Proverbs, the Book of Wisdom, is all about Christ. He is to be seen everywhere in the Book. It is Christ who calls sinners to repentance, promising grace to all who come to him and warning rebels of the destruction they bring upon themselves by their rebellion and unbelief (1:20–33; 29:1). When Christ enters our hearts, the knowledge he gives is pleasant to our souls. He gives us understanding and protection from all evil (2:10–17). Christ is our Surety who snared himself with the words of his mouth (6:1–2).
Christ who is our Wisdom warns us to avoid "the strange woman" (ch. 7). The harlot here spoken of is not merely the common prostitute. This harlot allures her victims upon the basis of her religious devotion (verses 14–15). She has, by her much fair speech and flattering words, enticed many and cast many strong men into Hell. "Her house is the way to Hell" (verse 27). This harlot is the same old whore described in Revelation 17 and 18. She represents all false religion, all freewill, works religion.
Christ is that One called "Wisdom" (ch. 8) by whom kings reign and princes decree justice, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, who leads in the way of righteousness, who causes us to inherit the treasures of boundless grace, who, being set up from everlasting, stood and spoke as our Wisdom in covenant grace before the world began. Christ is that One called "Wisdom" who has built his house from hewn stones upon seven pillars of grace with the sacrifices of God (ch. 9). Christ is that One called "Wisdom" who teaches his people how to live in this world for the glory of God in every relationship and experience (chaps. 10–29). The fear of God (faith in Christ) is the source and beginning of all true wisdom and knowledge in every relationship and walk of life.
Christ is that One called "Wisdom" who teaches us and convinces us of divine truth, for he is the Truth. He shows us that our God is the absolute sovereign of the universe. He who made all things for himself rules all things, including the hearts, tongues, and ways of all men, for his own glory! (6:1–4). Even the king's heart is in his hand, absolutely controlled by him (21:1). It is only in and by Christ that we are made to see how God can be both "a just God and a Savior" (Isaiah 45:20), purging iniquity "by mercy and truth" (Proverbs 16:6). There is no other way whereby the holy, just, and true God can forgive sin, except by the sacrifice of his darling Son, making him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (Proverbs 17:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
In chapter 31, king Lemuel gives us a prophecy taught to him by his mother. This king Lemuel, whose name means "to God," is commonly thought to be Solomon, and that Lemuel was a name by which his mother, Bathsheba, called him. The prophecy is given to attract our hearts to and teach us to a singular virtuous woman, "for her price is above rubies" (verse 10), whose "husband is known in the gates" (verse 23). But the description of this virtuous woman "is drawn up to such a pitch, and wrote in such strong lines, as cannot agree with any of the daughters of fallen Adam, literally understood" (John Gill). This virtuous woman is the church of God. Her husband is Christ himself. She is set before us in direct contrast to the harlot of Babylon described in chapter 7.
Christ, who is Wisdom, calls for us to trust our God in all things, giving him our hearts. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5–6). "My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways" (23:26). "Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life" (4:23).
Let us be wise, like the coney, and take refuge in Christ, the Rock of Salvation.—"The comes are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks" (30:26). The comes are "an emblem of the people of God, who are a weak and feeble people, unable of themselves to perform spiritual duties, to exercise grace, to withstand the corruptions of their nature, resist the temptations of Satan, bear up under afflictive providences, and grapple with spiritual enemies, or defend themselves from them: but such heavenly wisdom is given them, as to betake themselves for refuge and shelter to Christ, the Rock of Israel; the Rock of salvation, the Rock that is higher than they; a strong one, on which the church is built, and against which the gates of Hell cannot prevail: and here they are safe from the storms of divine wrath, and the avenging justice of God; from the rage and fury of men, and the fiery darts of Satan; here they dwell safely and delightfully, and have all manner of provision at hand for them; they are the inhabitants of that Rock, who have reason to sing indeed!" (John Gill)
It is written, with regard to all who trust Christ, all who take refuge in the Rock of Israel, "He shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure" (Isaiah 33:16). "Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that Kedar does inhabit: let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains" (Isaiah 42:11).
Do no play the part of the hypocritical spider.—"The spider takes hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces" (30:28). Gill suggests that the spider here represents hypocrites, "whose hope and trust are as the spider's web, built upon their own righteousness, spun out of their own hearts; a fine, thin, slender thread, which cannot bear one stroke of the broom (broom) of divine justice. Such as these are in the palaces of Christ the King, in his churches, hypocrites in Zion." "So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish: Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web" (Job 8:13–14).
ECCLESIASTES
All Emptiness Under the Sun—All Fullness In The Son
It comes as a great surprise to many that the Word of God was deliberately written in such a way as to confuse unbelieving people. To the believer, to the sinner who has been born of God and granted eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to believe, it is a Book unsealed, open, and clear. To the unbeliever, it is a book of confusion.This fact is nowhere more obviously demonstrated than in the comments generally given about the Book of Ecclesiastes. The vast majority of that which I have seen written about and heard spoken about this Book describes it as a book of pessimism. Most tell us that this Book of Solomon's wisdom is little more than the rantings of a disappointed man, frustrated with life. Nothing could be further from the truth.
One thing that makes this Book so confusing to many is that it is a Book full of errors. It is divinely inspired; but it is full of errors. Let me show you. In chapter 3 Solomon tells us that there is no difference between men and beasts, and that man dies like a dog and returns to dust (verses 19–20). In verse 22 he tells us that the best thing a man can do is to rejoice in the works of his own hands. In chapter four he tells us that the dead are better off than the living and that non-existence is better than both (verses 2–3).
Two Points of View
The reason many have difficulty understanding this Book is that they fail to see that Solomon is here giving us the meaning of life from two points of view.
First, he shows us how the man without Christ sees things. What sad words those are—"without Christ!" Those who are without Christ are without God and without hope. The natural, unregenerate man lives in constant frustration. He is constantly looking for something to give him satisfaction because there is no meaning to his life. Nothing under the sun can satisfy his immortal soul. When eternity bound creatures have earth bound hearts, they live in constant frustration and misery. Such poor souls constantly feel what Solomon declares from their point of view—"Vanity of vanities, all is vanity!" When the natural man looks over his life, he is forced to conclude, though he tries with all his might to deny it, "all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun," (2:11). That is how the Book begins.—"The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity" (1:1–2).
The wisdom God gave Solomon taught him to never look for satisfaction under the sun, but to look for and find satisfaction in Christ, the Son. The person who is born of God, the person who trusts Christ, the person who is taught of the Spirit, finds meaning to his whole life and to all that is involved in life. His life has meaning because he lives in Christ and Christ lives in him. That's how the Book ends.—"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" (12:13–14). This is the whole duty of man: (1.) "Fear God"—Worship God, (2.) "Keep his commandments"—Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 3:23), and (3.) Live for eternity—"For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil"
Everything between shows us the emptiness of life without Christ and the vanity of seeking satisfaction in this world. This book is given as a beacon, that we may be spared the bitterness of learning the vanity of the things of earth by finding their waters to fail; that we may seek Christ and find all in him. Throughout these twelve chapters Solomon alternates between these two points of view, showing us the futility of seeking satisfaction in the things of time and sense, and teaching us to look to Christ, finding all fullness in him.
The Natural Man's View
The natural man, the unregenerate man, has a wrong view of everything. He has a wrong view of everything spiritual; but he also has a wrong view of everything in this world. This is what Solomon shows us in Ecclesiastes. In this Book God chose, by divine inspiration, to preserve in his Word the carnal reasoning of the natural man "under the sun." Let's evaluate this man's thinking in the light of God's Word.
He has a perverted view of the universe (1:4–7; 2:24). He sees the universe as a great piece of machinery, without meaning, just existence. When he looks at himself, he sees another machine and reasons, "I'm just like the wind and rain; just a drop in the cycles that are ever moving."
This perverted view of the universe gives him a perverted view of God (3:1–9, 18–22). Man has a God consciousness, from which he can never escape. But his thoughts of God are perverted. He sees God only as an impersonal force to be reckoned with, not as an almighty, gracious Redeemer to worship, trust, and love. There is a reason why reprobate men look upon God in this way. God has blinded the heart of the natural man in judgment.—"He has set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God makes from the beginning to the end" (3:11).
The natural man has a perverse attitude toward righteousness and wickedness. He does not understand that he is wicked; and he does not understand that righteousness is found only in Christ (Romans 10:1–4), that righteousness is the gift of God and the work of God. So he presumes that he is to balance the scales of justice by his deeds.—"In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also has set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him. All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongs his life in his wickedness. Be not righteous over much; neither make yourself over wise: why should you destroy yourself? Be not over much wicked, neither be you foolish: why should you die before your time?" (7:14–17).
He reasons, "If the far-away God balances things, why shouldn't I do the same?" Therefore, he adopts this attitude, "Don't be too righteous and don't be too wicked." The religious middle-of-the-road philosophy of our day says, "Do the best you can under the circumstances, and God will accept you." This is the thinking of the natural man. "No one is perfect. We just have to do the best we can" (7:20).
The natural man has a terribly perverted view of life and death. "For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knows either love or hatred by all that is before them. All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrifices, and to him that sacrifices not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he who swears, as he who fears an oath. This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yes, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead. For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun. Go your way, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God now accepts your works." (9:1–7).
The man "under the sun" thinks that everyone will ultimately share a common fate. He reasons that one final end is in store for all, the righteous and the wicked, the good and the evil, the clean and the unclean, the one who sacrifices and the one who does not. His view of life is that the grave ends all. Many false religions of our day are quick to quote verse 5. But it must be understood that this statement is not divine revelation. It is merely a record given in the Book of God of what men think, of the reasoning of natural men "under the sun."
The natural man's perverted view of things makes him a slave of the worst kind, a slave to the present, a slave to the world, a slave to his own lusts. (9:7–10).
The man "under the sun" reasons that he must make the best of every day by eating well, enjoying life, and making his heart merry. What a picture of the present age! Wear the finest threads, dress immaculately, use the most expensive perfumes, live it up! Why? Because a common fate awaits us all. But even in the midst of profane hilarity, the natural man is horribly sad, frustrated, and miserable.—"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all. For man also knows not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them" (9:11–12) There is no song to brighten his life. No praise is heard from his lips. Just vanity! But there is another view of things!
Christ's Glory
Against this dark, dark background, Solomon sets forth the glory of our great God and Savior. It is interspersed throughout these chapters. It is Christ alone who gives purpose and meaning to life. And we find that purpose and meaning only as we find him. This Book is one long exposition of our Savior's words to the Samaritan woman, "Whoever drinks of this water shall thirst again." The book presents the world in its best aspect, yet says emphatically, "Satisfaction is not here."
In chapter 2 we have a striking parallel to Romans 7. Both chapters are full of the personal pronoun "I", and the result in both is failure and misery. In Ecclesiastes 2 Solomon says, "I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove you with mirth … I said … I sought … I made … I built … I planted … I got … I gathered … so I was great … Then I looked, and behold all was vanity and vexation of spirit."
The pronoun "I" appears thirty-six times in this chapter, and over thirty times in Romans 7. Romans 7 is the expression of what we are in and of ourselves. In us and with us all is vanity and vexation of spirit. But in Romans 8 we look out of ourselves to Christ. Losing sight of self, we are consumed with Christ and life in him. The result is "No condemnation … more than conquerors … no separation!"
A. M. Hodgkin wrote, "When self is the center of our life, and everything is looked at from that standpoint, all is failure. When we find in Christ a new center and everything revolves round him, then all falls into its right place, and we find rest and satisfaction to our souls. We begin then to ask about everything—not "How will this affect me?" but "How will this affect my Lord and Master?" Does it touch his honor? Does it bring glory to him?"
White Robes
As I indicated before, there are dispersed through these twelve chapters many words of spiritual instruction and instructive pictures of gospel truth. "Let your garments be always white; and let your head lack no ointment" (9:8). Obviously, these words, when considered from a believer's perspective, do not refer to outward, carnal things, but to inward, spiritual things.
How can we keep ourselves unspotted in such an evil world? How can we be continually "unto God a sweet savor of Christ"? "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin." If we walk in the light as he is in the light, trusting Christ alone as "the Lord our Righteousness," constantly acknowledging and confessing that we are, in and of ourselves, nothing but sin, the blood of Christ constantly cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:6–2:2). We are kept clean before God by the merit, power, and efficacy of his sin-atoning sacrifice. Redeemed sinners, once they are born of God, "have an unction from the Holy One … and the anointing which you have received of him abides in you" (1 John 2:20, 27). This anointing is the Holy Spirit himself who seals us in grace and seals to us all the blessings of the covenant of grace (Ephesians 1:3–14).
The Little City
There is a short parable in chapter 9 (verses 14–15) with a delightful message. "There was a little city, and few men in it."—This is a picture of the earth which the Lord God has given to the children of men; a speck in his great universe, yet he is mindful of man and visited him (Psalm 8:4–6; Hebrews 2:6–10).
"And there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it."—Our Savior said, "The prince of this world comes." Paul tells us that the God of this world has blinded the minds of those who believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel should shine unto them. Thus Satan has laid siege to the city of Mansoul.
"Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city."—We know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, though he was rich, for our sakes became poor, and was found in fashion as a man, and, humbling himself, became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. He is that wise Man who, by his Wisdom, delivers the city. The preaching of that cross is unto them that perish foolishness, but unto us who are saved it is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
"Yet no man remembered that same poor man."—It is written, "My people have forgotten me days without number … forgotten that they were purged from their old sins." Again, we read in the Book of God, "Of the ten cleansed there were not found that returned to give glory to God save this stranger." Oh, redeemed children of men, "forget not all his benefits!"
Seed Sown
Chapter 11 contains words of encouragement as we seek to serve the interests of our God in this world by the gospel. "Cast your bread (seed-corn) upon the waters: for you shall find it after many days." When the Nile River overflows its banks in Egypt, the rice grain is literally cast upon the fields while they are under water to spring up in due season.
In the parable of the sower, our Lord tells us plainly that, "the seed is the word." The ground, upon which the seed is sown, be it shallow, or trodden down, or preoccupied, or good—that is, soft and empty, and receptive—is the human heart. It contains nothing good of itself.
By the preaching of the gospel, the gospel seed is sown randomly. We cannot tell what sort of ground it will fall upon, but in this passage in Ecclesiastes God gives the faithful sower the promise of success. "You know not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good;" but prosper it shall (Isaiah 55:11). Therefore, we are to be diligent in sowing, whether it be morning or evening, and whichever way the wind blows (11:6, 4). "Preach the Word," Paul says to Timothy; "be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and doctrine." "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be you steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Remember Now
Let all who hear or read the words of wisdom given in this Book heed its doctrine. Trust Christ, worship and serve him in the days of your youth, before your life of vanity utterly hardens your heart. Seek him while he may be found, in the days of your youth, because the old seldom seek him.
"Rejoice, O young man, in your youth; and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth, and walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes: but know you, that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity. Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw near, when you shall say, I have no pleasure in them; While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low; Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goes to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it" (11:9–12:7).
Our Shepherd
In chapter 12 (verse 11) we see that our only source of wisdom, grace, salvation, fullness and security is in one Shepherd.—"The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd." That Shepherd is our Lord Jesus Christ. He says of himself, "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knows me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd … 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" (John 10:14–16, 27–28).
Conclusion
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter." Here is the preacher's conclusion: "Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" (12:13–14). This is the whole duty of man: (1.) "Fear God"—Worship God, (2.) "Keep his commandments"—Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (1 John 3:23), and (3.) Live for eternity—"For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" (2 Corinthians 4:17–5:11).
THE SONG OF SOLOMON
I Am His and He is Mine
In many respects, this is the most precious and most refreshing of the Books of Inspiration. This is altogether a book about fellowship and communion with Christ. It is not in any sense to be interpreted literally. It is an allegory, a spiritual dialogue between Christ, our heavenly Bridegroom, and the church, his Bride.John Gill wrote, "The whole Song is figurative and allegorical; expressing, in a variety of lively metaphors, the love, union, and communion between Christ and his church; setting forth the several different frames, cases, and circumstances of believers in this life. There is no case, no circumstance, no spiritual condition which we may be in, regarding our relationship to Christ, which is not expressed in this sacred Song of Love"
C. H. Spurgeon said, "This Book stands like the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and no man shall ever be able to pluck its fruit, and eat thereof, until first he has been brought by Christ past the sword of the cherubim, and led to rejoice in the love which has delivered him from death. The Song of Solomon is only to be comprehended by men whose standing is within the veil. The outer court worshipers, and even those who only enter the court of the priests, think the Book a very strange one; but they who come very near Christ can often see in this Song of Solomon the only expression which their love to their Lord desires."
The Song of Solomon is set in the Scriptures in direct contrast to Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes shows us the emptiness of life without Christ. The Song of Solomon shows us the fullness of life in Christ. Ecclesiastes expounds the first part of our Lord's statement to the Samaritan woman—"Whoever drinks of this water shall thirst again." The Song of Solomon expounds the second part of his statement to her—"Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst."
This is a Book full of Christ. Here he is presented not only as our God, our Redeemer, our Savior, and our King, but in the most intimate character and personal relationship imaginable—our Bridegroom, our Beloved! Here we see the Son of God in marriage union with his elect.
This sweet, precious, intimate song of love begins with the church, Christ's chosen, beloved bride speaking to him, expressing her desire for intimacy with him (1:2–4, 7).
"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for your love is better than wine. Because of the savor of your good ointments your name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love you. Draw me, we will run after you: the king has brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in you, we will remember your love more than wine: the upright love you … "Tell me, O you whom my soul loves, where you feed, where you make your flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turns aside by the flocks of your companions?"
Husband and Wife
The highest, strongest affection known to humanity is the love of a husband and wife. Our Savior spoke of this devotion when he said, "For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they two shall be one flesh" (Matthew 19:5). When we understand the teaching of the Holy Spirit in Ephesians 5:22–32—that the union of a husband and wife is an earthly illustration of the heavenly relationship between Christ and his church—the Song of Solomon takes on a new meaning. We see that the love of Christ for his church and the church for him is portrayed through the love of a man for his wife and of the wife for her husband. The Song of Solomon is intimate, even passionate, because it is all about the love life of Christ and his church for each other.
The love of a man for his wife is set before us throughout the Scriptures as a type and picture of Christ's love for his church (Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and Rachel, Boaz and Ruth, Hosea and Gomer). Paul said to the Corinthian saints, "I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as chaste virgin to Christ."
The Lord Jesus Christ loves his people, everlastingly, immutably, and unconditionally. And all who are born of God, all who know his Son, love him. To know him is to love him. We do not love him like we should. We do not love him as we would. And we do not love him as we shall. But we do love him (1 Corinthians 16:22; 1 John 4:19).
Christ loves us perfectly; and we want to love him perfectly. His love for us is without variation; but our love for him is not. Our love for him (Let us blush with shame to acknowledge it; but acknowledge it we must.) varies greatly. We have been forgiven much and we love much; but our love is sometimes (Must honesty force us to say, "often"?) grows cold. The Song of Solomon shows us in pictures, with which every believer becomes familiar by personal experience, of how our Beloved keeps us in his love.
Redemption
The Song of Solomon does not mention the word redemption or portray it in any way. Yet, redemption is clearly at the very heart of the relationship portrayed in this love song. In the fifth verse of the first chapter, the bride confesses both what she is by nature and what she is in Christ.—"I am black, but lovely, O you daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon."
She says, "I am as black as the goat hair tents of Kedar." Blackness within and blackness without, in heart and in deed, is our nature. But in Christ every believer is as lovely (as beautiful and magnificent) as the curtains of Solomon's temple. This beauty is not natural to us and was not in any way achieved by us. It is the beauty of redemption and grace. Our righteousnesses are but filthy rags; but Christ has clothed us with the robe of his righteousness (Ezekiel 16:6–14).
"O my dove, you are in the clefts of the rock" (2:14), the Beloved says to his bride. Hidden in the cleft Rock of Ages, "crucified with Christ." Being crucified with Christ, we are dead to the law that would condemn us, and the world that would allure us away from him.
"Behold, you are fair, my love. Behold, you are fair" (4:1) is our Savior's constantly reiterated assurance to us. He tells us again and again, "You are all fair, my love; there is no spot in you" (4:7). He does not simply say, "Soon you shall be fair and one day there shall be no spot in you." He says, "You are all fair, my love; there is no spot in you." "For Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word; that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy, and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:25, 27).
"And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now has he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamably and unreproveable in his sight" (Colossians 1:21–22). This is talking about what Christ has done. It refers to the present state of God's saints in this world. In Christ we are both justified and sanctified, clothed with his spotless righteousness, in which we are perfectly lovely, all fair, and without spot.
"My Beloved"
Throughout this song, Christ is spoken of as "my Beloved." His majesty, beauty, excellence, and supremacy are described in a variety of ways. "He is the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valleys" (2:1–2). The Rose of Sharon is a beautiful, fragrant, white rose. The Lily of the Valleys is a wild flower of the buttercup family, with showy flowers of brightest crimson color. The white rose of Sharon suggests our Lord's spotless, sinless character. The crimson lily of the valleys suggests his blood shed for us.
"As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my Beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste" (2:3). The apple tree, as it is set before us in Scripture, seems to be an emblem of Christ, the Tree of Life. It (He) provides us with shade from the heat of the sun (2:3), sweet fruit (2:3), and delightful fragrance (7:8). In response to the question, "What is your beloved more than another beloved?" the bride answers …
"My beloved is white and ruddy, the chief among ten thousand. His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven. His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set. His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh. His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires. His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. His mouth is most sweet: yes, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem" (5:9–16).
Compare this with John's vision of Christ in Revelation 1:9–18.
Deepening Love
As we read the Song of Solomon, though there are acknowledged struggles, we see the bride's love deepening with experience. So it is with us. Through our experience of grace, as we grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, our love for him deepens. The more we enjoy sweet communion with Christ, the more we grow in love and devotion to him.
Twice in these chapters, that communion is interrupted for a season. But the interruptions only make us know our need of him more fully, and graciously compel us to seek him ardently. These seasons when our Savior hides his face are either the result of our own declensions or times of trial, by which our Beloved wisely and graciously makes himself the more precious to us.
What we want is for Christ himself to embrace us and make his love for us known to us (1:2–3). We are fully aware that we will never seek him, except he draws us. We will never embrace him, except he embraces us (1:4). That is how it was in our first experience of grace, when the Son of God first wed our hearts to him; and that is the way it is now. Everything depends upon him (2:4–6).
The place where communion is found is in the assembly of his saints, that place where our Savior feeds his flocks, and causes them to rest (1:7). As we seek him, in his house, by the guidance of his watchmen (faithful gospel preachers), we find him, find him for ourselves and bring him into our mother's house (the assembly of the saints) with us (3:1–4).
Chapter 5 (verses 1–8) describes a scene all to familiar. The lessons of that chapter are too important to merely mention. Pause briefly to consider them. The Lord Jesus speaks in verse 1.—"I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yes, drink abundantly, O beloved." Then the Bride responds …
"I sleep, but my heart wakes: it is the voice of my beloved that knocks, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my affections were moved for him. I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock. I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spoke: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him, that I am sick of love."
There is within each of us a terrible tendency to become neglectful, indifferent, and lukewarm towards the Lord Jesus Christ. This common, sinful tendency of our nature must be marked, acknowledged, and avoided.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love:
Here's my heart, Oh, take and seal it,
Seal it for Your courts above.
Here is a very common sin.—"I sleep." The wise virgins often sleep with the foolish. Far too often this is the bad effect great privileges have upon our sinful hearts. When we indulge ourselves in carnal ease and security, our hearts become cold, neglectful, drowsy, and indifferent. Prayer becomes a burden. Devotion languishes. Worship sinks to nothing more than bodily exercise. Zeal dies.
Here is a hopeful sign.—"But my heart wakes." It is a hopeful sign that there is grace in the heart when the heart struggles against that horrid, sinful sluggishness to which we are so prone. Ours is not the sleep of death. There is life within, struggling, struggling hard against sin (Romans 7:14–22).
Here is a very loving and tender call.—"It is the voice of my Beloved." All is not gone. Though my heart sleeps so foolishly, yet Christ is my Beloved. Though my love is so fickle, so shameful, and so unworthy of him, I do love him. And what is more, I still hear his voice and know his voice.
The Lord Jesus Christ tenderly knocks to awaken us to come and open to Him (Revelation 3:20). By his Word, by his providence, and by his Spirit, the Son of God knocks at the heart's door of his beloved, because he will not be spurned by the object of his love. He will not leave his own; neither will he let his own leave him. He has betrothed us unto himself forever (Hosea 2:19).
He not only knocks for entrance. Our beloved Redeemer graciously calls us, wooing us to himself by his grace. Whose voice is it? "It is the voice of my Beloved that knocks." Who is he calling? "My Sister!" "My Love!" My Dove! "My Undefiled!" What does he call for? "Open to me." Why is he calling? "My head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night", the night of his agony in Gethsemane, in the judgment hall, when he was crowned with thorns, piercing his brow.
Here is a most ungrateful excuse.—"I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?" (verse 3). Because of her carnal ease, she refused the Lord's gracious invitation to communion. She did not want to trouble herself, and she did not want to be troubled, not even by him! Her heart was so cold that she preferred her ease to the fellowship of Christ. Let us be honest. We are often so wrapped up in worldly care and carnal ease that we become almost, if not altogether, indifferent to our Lord Jesus Christ!
But our Lord is gracious still. Our Redeemer's love cannot be quenched. He is longsuffering, patient, and gracious to his people, even in our most sinful rejection and denial of him. Here is a picture of our Savior's persevering, effectual grace.—"My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my affections were moved for him" (verse 4). It is written, "Your people shall be willing in the day of your power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: you have the dew of your youth" (Psalm 110:3). How our hearts rejoice to know that Christ will not leave his people to themselves. As the hymn writer put it, "He will never, never leave us, nor will let us quite leave Him!" His grace is effectual. His grace is persevering. His grace is irresistible. His grace is preserving. Yes, his grace is indestructible! He knocks; but we are so cold, so indifferent, so hard that we would never open to Him.
Here is a sad picture of the loving chastisement our neglect and indifference brings upon us.—"I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock. I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spoke: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer. The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me" (verses 5–7; Isaiah 54:9–10). Thank God for faithful watchmen who will not allow us to hide behind any veil, excusing our indifference and sin, but faithfully expose us to ourselves and point us to Christ for mercy and grace!
Here is one last hope.—"I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him, that I am sick of love" (verse 8). She could not find Christ for herself, so she employed the help and assistance of the Lord's people. Cherish the precious fellowship of Christ. Let nothing rob you of your rich privilege. Do nothing to drive him away (Ephesians 4:30). But when you have grieved the Spirit of God, when the Lord Jesus hides his face from you, do not despair. It is not because he has ceased to cherish you (1 John 2:1–2), but because he cherishes you so much that he is determined to make you pine for him. Are you sick of love? Does your soul long for fresh tokens of Christ's love to you? When your soul languishes, child of God, when sin robs you of Christ's manifest presence and sweet communion, as soon as he calls, open to him. "Today, if you will hear his voice harden not your heart." Go back to the cross. Confess your sinful negligence. Go on seeking him. Trust Him still (2 Samuel 23:5; Lamentations 3:18–33). We will find our Beloved right where we left him, in his garden (his church, gathering his lilies) (6:2).
Return, O Son of God return!
Come knock again upon my door.
Dear Savior, my Beloved, return.
Possess me and depart no more!
Assurance
Though we are fickle, weak and wavering, our marriage to Christ is firm. "He hates putting away." Our communion is sometimes broken; but our union is indestructible. Why? The union is all his doing, not ours. It depends altogether upon him, not at all upon us. We can, therefore, say with confidence, "I am his and he is mine."
"My Beloved is mine, and I am his" (2:16). Here the Bride speaks of her possession in Christ and his possession of her. He is mine because he has given himself for me and to me. I am his because I have been bought with his blood and called by his grace, and because I have given myself to him. "I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine" (6:3). Here the thought of his ownership of her seems to hold the chief place. "You are not your own. You are bought with a price." "I am my Beloved, and his desire is toward me" (7:10). Here his ownership of and devotion to her swallows up every other thought. I am his, but more—"His desire is toward me!"
The apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 1 that Christ is the inheritance of his church; and we are the inheritance of Christ. "In (Christ) we have obtained an inheritance" (verse 11); and we are "the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints" (verse 18).
His Garden
"A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a well shut up, a fountain sealed" (4:12). Here our Lord gives us an idea of his inheritance in the saints. It is a quiet spot where he delights to dwell, enclosed for his use, full of all manner of precious fruits and flowers.
Our prayer must ever be that God the Holy Spirit, the Wind of Heaven, will blow upon his garden and that the Lord Jesus will come into his garden, as we gather to worship him.—"Awake, O north wind; and come, you south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits" (4:16).—"I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yes, drink abundantly, O beloved" (5:1).
The church is his garden, but he shares the fruits of his garden with his chosen friends. "Eat, O friends; drink, yes, drink abundantly, O beloved." Christ promised both to bless Abraham's seed and to make his seed a blessing.
The sealed fountain in the midst of the garden is first for the Master's use, for he says, "Give me to drink;" but it flows out to others. "A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon" (4:15).—"Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst." The soul's thirst quenched at the Fountain.—"The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up unto everlasting life." Here is an unfailing supply in the soul of every believer.—But there is more. "He that believes on me, out of him shall flow rivers of living water," "streams from Lebanon," flowing through the believer to thirsty souls.
Chapter 8
As the Song of Songs, this blessed song of love, closes we have several instructive words. Here is a picture of the believer's life of faith in this world—"Who is this that comes up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I raised you up under the apple tree: there your mother brought you forth: there she brought you forth that bare you" (verse 5). Here is a description of Christ's love for us.—"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which has a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned" (verses 6–7). Here is our Savior calling for us to constantly call upon him—"You that dwell in the gardens, the companions hearken to your voice: cause me to hear it" (verse 13; Hebrews 4:16). Here is the longing of our souls.—"Make haste, my beloved, and be you like to a roe or to a young deer upon the mountains of spices" (verse 14; Revelation 22:20).