The voice of my Beloved.
The voice of the Beloved
I. When Christ is away from the soul of the believer, he sits alone. Whatever he the mountains of Bether that have come between his soul and Christ--whether he hath been seduced into his old sins that “his iniquities have separated again between him and his God, and his sins have hid his face from Him, that He will not hear “for whether the Saviour hath withdrawn for a season the comfortable light of His presence for the mere trial of His servant’s faith, to see if, when he “walketh in darkness and hath no light, he will still trust in the name of the Lord, and stay himself upon his God”--whatever the mountains of separation be, it is the sure mark of the believer that he sits desolate and alone. He cannot laugh away his heavy care, as worldly men can do. He cannot drown it in the bowl of intemperance, as poor blinded men can do. Even the innocent intercourse of human friendship brings no balm to his wound--nay, even fellowship with the children of God is now distasteful to his soul.
II. Christ’s coming to the desolate believer is often sudden and wonderful. Some text of the Word, or some word from a Christian friend, or some part of a sermon, again reveals Jesus in all His fulness--the Saviour of sinners, even the chief. Or it may be that He makes Himself known to the disconsolate soul in the breaking of bread, and when He speaks the gentle words--“This is My body broken for you; this cup is the New Testament in My blood shed for the remission of the sins of many; drink ye all of it”--then he cannot but cry out, “The voice of my Beloved! behold, He cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.”
III. Christ’s coming changes all things to the believer, and His love is more tender than ever. The world of nature is all changed. Instead of the thorn comes up the fir tree, and instead of the brier comes up the myrtle tree. Every tree and field possesses a new beauty to the happy soul. The world of grace is all changed. The Bible was all dry and meaningless before; now, what a flood of light is poured over its pages! how full, how fresh, how rich in meaning, how its simplest phrases touch the heart! The house of prayer was all sad and dreary before--its services were dry and unsatisfactory; but now, when the believer sees the Saviour, as he hath seen Him heretofore within His holy place, his cry is,-”How amiable are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts, etc.” The garden of the Lord was all sad and cheerless before; now tenderness towards the unconverted springs up afresh, and love to the people of God burns in the bosom--then they that fear the Lord speak often one to another. The time of singing the praises of Jesus is come, and the turtle voice of love to Jesus is once more heard in the land; the Lord’s vine flourishes, and the pomegranate buds, and Christ’s voice to the soul is, “Arise, My love, My fair one, and come away.”
IV. Observe the threefold disposition of fear, love, and hope, which this visit of the Saviour stirs up in the believer’s bosom. These three form, as it were, a cord in the restored believer’s bosom, and a threefold cord is not easily broken. (R. M. McCheyne.)
Behold, He cometh, leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.
The mountains of Judah
One of the most striking features of this book of Solomon’s Song is that of liveliness. We find the Church here represented in the liveliness of her affections to Christ, to God; we here see the Saviour in the liveliness of His love, and of His activities towards the Church; and so He is represented as a roe, or as a young hart, expressive of freedom and activity.
I. The mountains, the hills of impediment which the saviour overcomes. I will here take the Saviour leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills, to denote with what triumph and with what certainty He enables all His people to overcome all their troubles.
II. Take the mountains and the hills to denote the eternal truths of the Gospel, as spoken of in this book,--the mountains of eternity. “The voice of my Beloved! behold, He cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills,” of division. There is God’s everlasting love to Jacob in contradistinction to Esau; God’s everlasting love to His own, in contradistinction to the others; and Christ glorified in that mountain of division. There is God’s eternal election, and Christ gloried in the same, and commands His disciples to rejoice that their names are written in heaven. There is His eternal achievement by which He hath redeemed His people, and distinguished them from all others by that eternal redemption, for none but the redeemed can learn that song that the redeemed sing. “The mountains of division.” Then comes regeneration; that brings His people up to Mount Zion--mountain of division. Then comes resurrection to life; then comes glorification. Here is a range of mountains ranging from eternity to eternity. (J. Wells.)
An absent Christ yet beloved
1. An absent Christ is yet a beloved Christ to His true Church, and to the truly believing soul.
2. The spouse of Christ will know her Beloved’s voice, though He hath a while been absent.
3. The spouse of Christ will greatly rejoice to hear her Beloved’s voice, especially after a time of absenting Himself.
4. Though Christ may withdraw, and absent Himself from His Church, and from the souls of His people, yet He will come.
5. When He comes, He will come skipping upon the mountains and leaping upon the hills, openly and hastily, and trampling all difficulties and impediments under His feet.
6. The Church, and the true members of it, will by the eye of faith discern Christ coming, skipping upon the mountains. (John Collinges, D. D.)
Christ’s coming to His spouse to be beheld
Believing souls in the time of His withdrawing from them may and ought to behold Him again returning to them.
I. Christ’s return to His spouse after an absence may be beheld by a believer.
(1) He came by His Incarnation.
(2) He cometh to His people in the influences of His grace, to comfort, quicken, strengthen them.
(3) He cometh in the influences of His providence, to protect, save, rescue and deliver His people.
(4) He cometh to judgment, and His reward is with Him to render to every one according to his work.
II. A believer may behold Christ’s coming, in many sure and faithful promises.
III. The believer sees Him coming in the sure words of prophecy.
IV. His coming may be beheld in the steps of His providence.
(1) To a particular soul in the influences of His grace.
(2) To the public assemblies of His people in the influences of His common providences.
(3) To the universal judgment. Signs of this are:--
(a) Plenty of seducers (Matthew 24:4).
(b) Great commotions in the world, and other judgments of God.
(c) Abounding of iniquity and decay of religion.
(d) Great security of sinners.
(e) Alterations in the course of nature. (John Collinges, D. D.)
Lessons of the Spring
Whatever these words may or may not mean in any deep, spiritual sense, they may at least be applied to the Spring-time and the Summer.
I. As we feel the influences of the growing spring, they suggest to us the idea of order. By the end of the Winter we are apt to feel as if we had the end of all inanimate nature. But the first buds of Spring bring to mind the order of nature more vividly than such frequent changes as the succession of day and night, which become so familiar that we fail to mark their lessons.
II. Spring impresses us with the manifestation of power. It returns with a great manifestation of force. Who can compute the aggregate weight now lifting in the vegetable creation all over this land, in ten thousand times ten thousand billions and billions of plants, from the tiny grass-blade to the giant oak? There is a moral aspect here also. The power which wields this force is on the side of righteousness. It is the same as that which rules the hearts of men, and makes their lives and actions to praise God, and bring about His will on earth.
III. The incoming spring delights us with its exhibition of progressiveness. I watch a tree opposite my dwelling with ever-increasing interest. This tree in Winter seemed dead, until as Spring approached a single bud peeped forth. After neglecting to look for a few days I was yesterday surprised to see it clothed in every branch with leaves. Ah, what progressiveness! The kingdom of Spring “cometh not by observation.” So with the “kingdom of God”--the kingdom of goodness in the earth. Has Christianity made no advance? Compare to-day with yesterday, and, as in a tree, we see but little change. But think of the treatment of the insane, or of prisoners, now, and even so lately as only fifty years ago! Is there no advance there? Compare the pictures drawn by writers of the former day with what we now take as a matter of course, and we seem to be living in almost a new world. The function of Christianity in the world is the bettering of men in physical, moral, and spiritual progress; and the work, though gradual, is sure. Therefore learn this lesson: Be patient! You cannot take the bellows of the sky and blow the heat of heaven into greater intensity, to hasten God’s work in nature or in grace. Be patient, as God is patient. His policy is broadly progressive. In means of Gospel privilege God’s kingdom grows as under glass; but in heathen lands the progress is more slow--yet none the less sure. God’s will shall triumph in the end. He can afford to wait, and we should follow His example.
IV. We learn from the spring the hope of recovery. The Springtime is a recovering. So with grace. Salvation is a recovering--not only a setting up of something new. There was once a golden age for the race, but we have descended to an iron age; nay, even to an age of clay, and broken, clay at that. But there is a good day coming, when the earth shall be filled with more than its original blessedness. This blessedness is through Christ, in whom alone trusting you may surely find eternal life. (L. D. Bevan, D. D.)