“Winter Is Past”

The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice. shewing...: Heb. flourishing My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes. - Song of Solomon 2:8-15

    “The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, showing himself through the lattice. My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.”

    Those things that are seen are types of the things that are not seen. The works of creation are pictures to the children of God that represent the secret mysteries of grace. God’s truths are apples of gold; and the visible creatures are baskets of silver. In the verses before us, we have a picture of revival. It is a time of joy, refreshing, and singing. It is like springtime after a long, dreary winter. Here we see the Lord Jesus Christ coming to his church. By his word, by the manifestation of his presence, by his power, and by his grace, he brings a time of refreshing to his own beloved people.

    I recognize that we are living in perilous times. We are living in the midst of the greatest religious apostasy ever known. It appears that the time has come when God has sent men a strong delusion that they should believe a lie, because they received not the love of the truth. Freewill, works religion is the greatest religious deception this world has ever known. This man centered, man exalting, man pleasing, God debasing, God hating religion seems to engulf the entire world and all religious sects. The world, by-in-large, has accepted the doctrines of antichrist. These are indeed perilous times (2 Thess. 2:7-12; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 4:3-4).

    Any religion that is man-centered, any religion that has for its foundation man’s will, man’s works, or man’s rights, any religion that promotes the honor, dignity, and pride of man, any religion that pampers and cultivates self-righteousness, self-esteem, and self-worth is antichrist.

    Yet, it seems to me that, while we see apostasy all around us, God’s church is also in the midst of great revival. I see more men preaching the true gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace than at any other time we know of in history. I am not talking about religious hirelings who discuss the doctrines of grace over coffee but dare not preach them in their pulpits. I am talking about men who boldly tell out God’s truth. In the midst of wrath, our God does yet remember mercy. He has not forgotten to be gracious.

    It appears to me that Christ is again working mightily in Zion. I hope that I am not deceived, but so far as the church of Christ, in its universal aspect, is concerned, I can almost hear the Savior’s voice crying, “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing birds is come, and the voice of the turtle dove is heard in our land.” I do not want to be presumptuous. Yet, I do not want to fail to recognize the hand of God’s providence and his grace upon us.

    In his wisdom and grace, the Lord sends upon his church some long, cold winters; but he also sends the springtime of revival to his beloved people. Anyone who reads the history of Christ’s church, with half an eye open, will recognize that she has her ebbs and flows, her winter times and her spring times. Often it seemed as if she would be frozen out of the earth. Ungodliness, heresy, and error have prevailed at times. At other times she has been fruitful, triumphant, and majestic under the reviving influences of God the Holy Spirit.

    Revival is not always a sudden burst of divine power upon the church. It is much more than a temporary emotional stirring. True revival is simply the communion and fellowship of Christ with his people. It often comes by degrees, by the gradual manifestation of Christ himself¹. Let’s look at these verses and see what steps our Lord takes in coming to his people. In these verses of Inspiration the Spirit of God shows us how it is that God brings revival to his church.

    Christ comes

    First, the Lord Jesus Christ comes to his people. “The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, showing himself through the lattice” (vv. 8-9).

    It is our responsibility to seek the Lord and call upon him; but revival comes when he comes to us. The fact is, we will never truly seek him and call upon him, until he first seeks us and calls us. If he turns us, we shall be turned. If he calls us, we will run after him. Here we see the Bride rejoicing in the approach of her Beloved. (Read Psalm 80.)

    She hears him speak. “It is the voice of my Beloved.” Christ calls to his church to tell us that he is coming. No one but Christ can speak to the heart; and no voice but his can make it burn. We are his sheep. We know his voice. He speaks to us through the preaching of the gospel. He speaks to us by his Spirit. He speaks to us personally. When he speaks, his Bride, who knows his voice, says. “It is the voice of my Beloved!”

    She sees him coming. “Behold, he cometh.” The eye of faith looks for Christ, anticipating him. This may very well be taken as a prophecy of our Lord’s first coming in the flesh. The incarnation of Christ to suffer and die as our Substitute was the hope and expectation of the Old Testament believers. Abraham rejoiced to see his day, and was glad. The nearer the time came, the more clearly they saw. Those who waited for the consolation of Israel with an eye of faith saw him coming and rejoiced in God’s salvation. They had heard him say, “Lo, I come.’ And faith responded, “Behold, he cometh!” (Psa. 40:7-8). Blessed be his name, the Lord Jesus came to redeem us!

    He came cheerfully and with great speed, leaping and skipping over the mountains like a deer, as one who was pleased with the work before him. He was not a forced, but a voluntary Surety. Our Lord’s heart was in the work of redemption (Isa. 50:5-7; Lk. 12:50).

    The Son of God came to remove the difficulties that stood in the way of our salvation and to triumph over our enemies. He came “leaping over the mountains.” The powers of darkness, our own sins, and the terrible curse of God’s law had to be overcome. But before the determination of his love, these mountains were brought low.

    He came suddenly and soon after the promise was given. God’s people thought that the time between the promise and the fulfillment of the promise was very long. But it was not. One day the promise was given, and four days later the time came. At the appointed time Christ came. The due time was the best time (Rom. 5:6; Gal. 4:4-5).

    This is true regarding our Lord’s gracious visitations with his people today. His time is the best time. He withdraws himself, but for a small moment. At the appointed time, he will return to us in everlasting lovingkindness (Isa. 54:7-10).

    This is also true regarding his glorious second advent. He says, “Behold, I come quickly.” Faith responds, “Behold, he cometh!” He has only been gone for two days! Soon, he shall appear in power and in great glory.

    When the Lord Jesus comes to revive and refresh his people, he graciously reveals himself to our hearts. “He standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, showing himself through the lattice.” This was the condition of the Church in the Old Testament. Christ was with them; but they did not clearly see him. He stood behind the wall of the law. He showed himself through the windows and lattices of their sacrifices and ceremonies. In a sense, this is the condition we are in as long as we are here upon the earth. Now we see him through a glass darkly. This body of flesh is a wall between him and us. But soon we shall see him face to face.

    Particularly, these words describe our condition as believers when we are under a cloud. Christ is always near; but sometimes he is out of sight; he does not reveal himself to our hearts. The wall between us is a wall we have erected. The wall separating us from Christ is always “our wall,” our sins (Isa. 59:1-2). Our dear Savior stands behind our wall as One who is waiting to be gracious, ready to be reconciled, willing to forgive (Rev. 3:20, See Hosea 14:1-4).

    He graciously looks in at the windows and shows himself through the lattices to comfort us, to break us, and to make us open to him. The windows and lattices by which he shows himself are the ordinances he has given us. As we read his Word and seek his face in prayer, the Lord Jesus gives us glimpses of his face. As we hear the gospel preached in the house of God, sing his praise, and remember him in the Supper, eating the bread and drinking the wine, he shows himself. Each time a new born child confesses him in believer’s baptism, symbolically buried in the watery grave and rising again in the newness of life, we see our Savior in the glory of his redemptive accomplishments.

    Christ calls

    Second, once Christ has come to us and revealed himself, causing our hearts to burn for him, he lovingly calls us to himself. “My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away” (vv. 10-13). Would to God we were all keenly sensitive to our Savior’s voice. Let us be like Abraham, Samuel, and Isaiah, ready to hear his voice, ready to obey him, ready to do his will.

    In all of our frames and circumstances, Christ’s love and attitude toward us is unchanged. His chastisements are the chastisements of a loving heart. He calls us his “love” and his “fair one.” Our Lord’s love for us is immutable (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8). It is in no way dependent upon us. “My soul through many changes goes; His love no variation knows.” In his eyes, we are always fair and lovely, because he has made us so.

    Christ calls for us to arise and come away with him (vv. 10, 13). “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Eph. 5:14). With tenderness and earnestness he urges us to come to him. Arise from your bed of slothful indifference. Come away from your carnal amusement and worldly care. Come to me! We have come to him. Let us ever be coming to our Beloved (1 Pet. 2:4) for mercy and grace we need. He bids us do so (Heb. 4:16)

    Then the Lord presses our hearts to come to him (vv. 11-13). He says, “The winter is past.” Our long, hard, bitter winters will not last forever. They will pass away. But spring would not be so pleasant if it did not follow winter. The winter is past for now; but it will come again. So we must make provision for it now. The time of fruitfulness and singing has come.

    When Christ comes and makes himself known, his people rejoice, and sing, and bring forth fruit. “The rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.” Someone said the serpents are driven away by the smell of grapevines. I do not know whether or not that is true. But I do know that the old serpent is driven away when our True Vine puts forth his tender grapes. This picture might easily be applicable to many things.

    •Our Lord’s First Advent, The Dawning Of The Gospel Age.

    •The Conversion Of Sinners.

    •The Revival Of Christ’s Church.

    •The Great Resurrection Day.

    Christ communes

    Christ first comes to us, then, he calls us to himself, and, thirdly, our all glorious Christ communes with his believing people. “O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely” (v. 14). In the most gentle and loving tones, Christ speaks to the hearts of his people. God always deals with his children graciously, in love and tenderness. Look at the loving description he gives of those who put their trust in him.

    The Church of God is compared to a dove. The dove is innocent, beautiful, humble, faithful, and peaceful. That is what God makes his people to be by his grace. The Lord Jesus has taken away our guilt by his blood atonement, putting our sins away. The Lord God has put upon every redeemed sinner the very beauty of Christ’s perfect righteousness. He conquers the heart in conversion, humbling his chosen vessels of mercy in repentance and faith. He has betrothed his Bride to him in faithfulness. And the Prince of Peace makes his people a peaceable people. Christ’s chosen Bride (the Church) is his dove. He owns her and delights in her. She can find no rest except in him. Sooner or later she must return to him, even as Noah’s dove returned to the Ark.

    The Church of God is a dove, hidden in the clefts of the rock, Christ Jesus. The believing soul may not always be sensible of Christ’s presence. But he is always sensible of his souls need; and he takes refuge in the wounds of that One who was smitten in our stead. “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee!”

    Sensing his own need for Christ, every believer finds a closet in the secret places of the stairs to seek the Lord. Our love for and communications of love to Christ are not things about which we make a public spectacle. Public passion is cheap, demeaning, and disgusting. Believers, those who love Christ, pour out their hearts’ passions to him in the secret places of the stairs.

    As his Church and Bride, we are the objects of Christ’s peculiar love and tender care. All that our Lord does for us, or to us, or allows to be done, he does because he loves us. In his eyes, we are lovely. He delights in us. He wants to see our faces turned toward him. He wants to hear our voices calling upon him. He wants to commune with us and us with him. Oh, great wonder of grace! The Son of God delights to have such worthless worms as we are! He truly loves us!

    Has Christ come to you? Have you heard his voice? Have you seen the Lord, showing himself through the windows and lattices of your own soul? Has he driven away your long winter and made your soul to sing, rejoicing in his love?

    Christ admonishes

    Fourth, our Lord Jesus Christ gives us a loving admonition. “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes” (v. 15). The admonition he gives us is to guard against and suppress those little foxes, which destroy the tender vines and would disturb the peace of his beloved dove. This is a charge to every believer to suppress his own sinful nature. Those evils of our nature, that may seem little in our own eyes (anger, wrath, gossip, slander, peevishness, evil speaking), must be avoided for the good of Christ’s kingdom. There are other “little foxes” that would destroy the peace of God’s Church. They, too, must be taken out of the way. All doctrinal error, all that is contrary to the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ, every little fox of freewill, works religion must be kept out of God’s vineyard. Every little fox of schism, strife, and division must also be put away, lest they spoil the vine. For the honor of our Beloved, for the good of our own souls, and for the good of our brethren, we must constantly guard against these little foxes of hell.