Open your Bibles, if you would,
to Song of Solomon, Chapter 2. Song of Solomon, Chapter 2. The
name of the message is Delighting in Christ. Song of Solomon, Chapter
2. Delighting in Christ. We'll read
verses 1 to 7. I am the rose of Sharon, and
the lily of the valleys. As the lily among thorns, so
is my love among the daughters. As the apple tree among the trees
of the woods, so is my beloved among the suns. I sat down under
his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my
taste. He brought me to the banqueting
house, and his banner over me was love. Stay with me, flagons,
comfort me with apples, for I am sick of love. His left hand is under my head,
and his right hand doth embrace me. I charge you, O daughters
of Jerusalem, by the rose and by the hinds of the field, that
ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he pleases." And last
week we looked at verses 1 and 2, where we saw the bridegroom,
who pictures the Lord Jesus Christ, proclaim that he was the rose
of Sharon and the lily among the valleys. And we consider
how the rose of Sharon was a beautiful rose and was known for its beauty
above other roses. We also consider that the rose
is called the queen of flowers. We also consider that Christ
is the lily among the valleys. Now note the singularity to the
lily spoken of in our text. Many valleys, but one lily. Many valleys, but one lily, I
am the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys. In all things, he has the preeminence,
beloved, and we saw that the lily in. In verse one is a white
lily pictured, which pictured the perfect spotless righteousness
of Christ, which the believer is clothed in. Then in verse
2, we saw the bridegroom call the bride the lily among thorns. And this pictured how we are
in the world and surrounded by thorns, which are wicked men
and wicked women, but a lily because we are, he calls us a
lily because we are clothed in his perfect righteousness, in
his perfect righteousness, his perfect spotless righteousness.
And we also consider that he calls his bride my love, my love. The ancient of days, now ponder
this. The ancient of days calls his
blood-bought bride, the elect of God, my love. May we never get over that. May
we never get over that. Wonders of wonders this is. My. So let's look at verse three.
of chapter 2 to start our study. As the apple tree among the trees
of the wood, so is my beloved among the suns. Now this is the
bride speaking of the bridegroom. I sat under his shadow with great
delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. Now these are the
words of the church, the words of the bride. And note how expressively,
how expressive they are as they proclaim the personal affection
that she has for him, the personal affection that she has for him. She is conscious, we know from
chapter one, of her not deserving to be called my love. Because
by birth and in her natural state, and we know we come into this
world dead in trespasses and sins, with no hope, absolutely
dead, no ability to come to Christ unless he makes us willing. Unless
he makes us willing. So she knows. She knows her natural
state. And she's conscious that all
her beauty comes from Christ. We saw that in chapter one. She's
conscious that all her beauty comes from Christ. He is the
sole cause of her loveliness. He is the sole cause of her loveliness. Hawker brings forth about the
apple tree mentioned here. The apple tree in those warm
countries was vastly superior to those in colder climates.
And this indeed, historians tell us, it was known for its loftiness
and for its fruitfulness and its beauty. The apple trees here
surpassed all others, surpassed all others. Now consider this,
beloved, how Christ is infinitely more superior than any other. especially to the bride. He's
infinitely more superior to any other. And Jesus, even in our
nature, God became a man, is far above angels and principalities
and powers. The Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man
mediator, is brought into this world under this exalted character
The first begotten, the God-man mediator. Turn, if you would,
to Hebrews chapter 1. Jehovah, God incarnate in the flesh. The perfect man. Look at what Hebrews chapter
1, verse 6 says. And again, when he bringeth in
the first begotten into the world, he said, and let all the angels
of God worship him. Worship Him. He's far superior. He's the God-man. The Lord Jesus
Christ. And in His human nature, He's
said to be made a little lower than the angels. Yet, in that
nature, united to the Godhead, He is crowned with glory and
splendor. Glory and splendor. Far superior
to anyone or anything. My! far superior above all angels,
above all principalities and powers. And when Jesus, as God-man mediator,
is brought into the world, God Himself says, let all the angels
of God worship Him. The highest of angels, in the
best of men, do not compare to Him. Do not even compare to Him. Think of this. Why? Because none of them could redeem
themselves and none of them could redeem anyone else. He is the
God-man mediator. God incarnate in the flesh come
to save his people from their sins. So let us consider the beauty
of an apple tree and the usefulness of it. and the fruitfulness of
the apple tree beyond all the trees of the wood in our text
is the apple tree among the trees of the wood. So is my beloved
among the sons. Let our eye again go to Christ
and see Jesus in his person and in his offices in the picture
of Christ becomes clear, doesn't it? It becomes clear. Christ
is the tree of life. He is the tree of life for his
people. And all blessings, temporal,
spiritual, and eternal, are in Him, are in Him. The world is
a barren tree to a soul. The world is a barren tree to
the soul. What shall profit a man if he
gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Barren tree, but
Christ is a fruitful one. He's a fruitful one. As the apple
tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the suns.
I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit
was sweet to my taste. Notice in the next portion of
this verse, we see that the bride delights in Christ, and she brings
forth a double delight that she finds in Him. A double delight
that she finds in Him. I sat down under his shadow with
great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. A double
delight that she finds, that the bride finds in Christ. Now
think of this. He is a refreshing shade for
the bride. A refreshing shade for the bride.
She's sheltered by him. She's sheltered by him. And remember,
remember where they lived in biblical times. in scorching
heat. So sitting under a tree and finding
shade was very important and very refreshing. And the bride takes rest under
his shadow. And what does it do? It fills
her with great delight. It fills her with great delight.
Isaiah 25.4 Scripture declares this, For thou hast been a strength
to the poor, a strength to the needy. Are you needy? Are you
needy? Are you heavy laden by sin? Oh,
we who are redeemed proclaim, we're needy. We're needy. I pray that if you're not needy,
that God would show you that you're needy. For thou hast been
a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress,
a refuge from the storm. Is Christ your refuge? For the
believer, he's our refuge from the storm, a shadow from the
heat, a shadow from the heat. When the blast of the terrible
ones is a storm against the wall. Now Christ is to believers is
the shadow of a great tree. It's a shadow of a great tree,
it's a shadow of a great rock in a weary land. And he is the
one and only hiding place for his people. The one and only
refuge from the storm of God's wrath and justice. And when the believer is fatigued
with the troubles of this world, and we get fatigued, don't we?
With the troubles of this world. We struggle and we get fatigued
with the troubles of this world. Christ alone is our resting place.
Christ alone is our resting place. Elijah found rest when he sat
down under a juniper tree. and the believer finds rest in
Christ, we find rest in His name, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, my Savior
and my Redeemer. We find rest in His grace and
in His mercy, which is given to us in Christ. We find rest
and comfort in Him who rules over all. We find rest in what
he's done for his people, those who are heavy laden by sin. Come
unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I'll give
you rest. Rest for our souls, beloved. Rest for our souls, and it's
only found in Christ and him alone. Matthew Henry comments
this. It's not enough to pass by this
shadow, but we must sit under it. We must sit under it. Here will I dwell, for I have
desired it. We're made willing, and we shall
find it not like Jonah's gourd that soon withered and left him
in heat, both inward and outward, but like the tree of life, the
leaves whereof were not only for shelter, but for the healing
of the nations." Oh, what a Savior. What a Redeemer is Christ Jesus
our Lord. And the bride says, my beloved,
I sat down under his shadow with great delight. Great delight. Beloved of God, let us sit under
his shadow. Let us sit under his shadow with
great delight. And may we eat of the fruit of
he who is the tree of life for us. We must sit down under the shadow
with great delight. We must put our entire confidence
in the protection this one tree provides, which is Christ. Which
is Christ. Only in Christ do we have satisfaction. Only in Christ are we protected
and only in him are our souls refreshed. Only in him I sat
down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweet
to my taste. Note also that our Lord is pleasing,
sweet, nourishing food for the believer. This tree, being Christ,
gives fruit to those who sit under its shadow. Turn, if you would, to 1 Peter,
chapter 2. Have we who are redeemed not
tasted that the Lord is good, that He's gracious to us? He
is, isn't He? All the time. Turn, if you would,
to 1 Peter, chapter 2. we've tasted, we who are redeemed,
that the Lord is gracious." 1 Peter 2, verses 1 to 5. Wherefore,
laying aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envies
and all evil speakings, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk
of the word, that she may grow thereby. If so be ye have tasted
that the Lord is gracious, to whom coming as unto a living
stone disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious.
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house in
holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
by Jesus Christ. But note verse three, if so be
ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Oh, he's so gracious,
isn't he? So gracious to us. So full of
mercy. so full of mercy. We who believe
don't get what we deserve. We've obtained mercy. Mercy. The bride says, I sat down. Under
his shadow, Christ's shadow with great delight in his fruit was
sweet to my taste. What a beautiful picture is bought
forth here under the influences of grace. The Lord Jesus Christ
is not only a refuge to protect, but he's also our sustenance
and our food. He's everything. He's everything. Like a rich,
luxuriant, and prolific tree, which gives not only shelter
to the traveler, and remember in those days, they would travel
by foot in the scorching heat. Oh, to see a tree in the distance.
Can it be a fruitful one? My, not only do they find shelter
under the tree, but they find fruit to eat. They find fruit
to eat. So keep that in mind, that during
those times they traveled by foot, and they would seek shelter
under a tree from the scorching heat. And think of this, we who
are traveling through this world, We who are strangers and pilgrims, where do we find shelter? In Christ alone. From the fire
of tribulation and trials that happen all around us and to us,
we find rest and repose in Christ alone. The only shelter for the traveler
from the heat and food to live. So Christ is made of God to His
people, both life and light, strength and supply, wisdom and
righteousness, and sanctification and redemption. Turn if you would
to Isaiah chapter 25. Isaiah chapter 25. Oh, what a
refuge. What a refuge is Christ. What a tree to sit under. Isaiah 25, verses 4 and 5. For thou hast been a strength
to the poor, a strength to the needy in his
distress, a refuge from the storm, Shadow
from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a
storm against the wall. Out shall bring down the noise
of strangers, as the heat in a dry place. Even the heat with
the shadow of a cloud, the breach of the terrible ones shall be
bought low. He's our refuge, beloved. He's
a shadow from the heat. Is He so for you? If He's not, I pray that God
would grant you faith to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. When the souls of His people
have Christ made known to them, when they see Christ in these
pictures, they proclaim that God is true and that they dwell
under His shadow and revive as the corn and grow as the vine."
Turn, if you would, to Hosea chapter 14. They dwell under His shadow and
revive as the corn and grow as the vine. Hosea chapter 14, verses
5 to 7. I will be as the dew unto Israel,
verse 5. He shall grow as the lily, and
cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and
his beauty shall be as an olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow
shall return. They shall revive as the corn,
and grow as the vine. The scent thereof shall be as
the wine of Lebanon." Oh, beloved. His fruits are all the precious
privileges of the New Covenant purchased by His blood. When Christ is revealed to the
sinner, to the bride in our text, they discover Him to be a full,
present, suitable and all-sufficient Savior. She, the believer, sits
down as one determined to rise up no more. to rest and repose
in Him. In Him who is her bridegroom.
In Him and under His shadow. And all the promises of God in
Christ are sweet fruit to the believer. Sweet fruit to the
believer. His Word is sweet fruit to the
believer. And we delight in His precepts.
We delight in the law of God after the inward man. We delight
in His holy scriptures. The pardoning grace of God in
Christ is sweet fruit for the believer. Sweet fruit for the
believer. Peace with God through the precious
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and peace of conscience which
is only found in Christ is sweet fruit for the believer. The assurances
of God's love in Christ to the believer, the joys of the Holy
Ghost, the hope of eternal life in Christ is sweet fruit to the
believer. And Christ is to the believer
sweeter than honey in the honeycomb to our soul. Turn, if you would, to Psalm
73. The redeemed soul delights in Christ. We delight in Christ. We fully trust in Him, and we
cry out with the psalmist, Whom have I in heaven but Thee? Whom have I in heaven but Thee?
Look at Psalm 73, and we're starting verse 23. Psalm 73, verse 23.
Nevertheless, I am continually with Thee. Thou hast holden me by my right
hand. Note, nevertheless I am continually
with Thee." What a union between the believer, the believer has
with Christ. It's an everlasting abiding union
with Him. And we are blessed in Him. And
what joy this gives my soul. And I know what joy it gives
we who are redeemed to know that we are united to Christ. That
He's the head and we're the body. And it says, I'm continually
with thee. He's continually with us, beloved. Well, the head exists,
the members must exist too. So what security the believer
has in Christ? What security we have in Him? Because I live, ye shall live
also, our great King says. Look at verse 24, Thou shalt
guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
Here we see the everlasting need of Christ to the church. We need
Him all the time. All the time. We need Him to
guide us while we're here on earth, and then what? He receives
us up to glory. My. He's ever with us, He's continually
with us, and He guides and directs us. And then look at verse 25. Whom
have I in heaven but Thee? And there is none upon earth
that I desire beside Thee. Whom have I in heaven but Thee?
This includes God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Spirit. God the Father is the psalmist's
only covenant God and Father. Christ is the psalmist's only
mediator. as the psalmist's only savior,
only redeemer, only head, only husband, only advocate, and only
intercessor. The spirit as his only sanctifier,
comforter, earnest and sealer. And this is expressed as of they
being the one and only Lord God, the three in one, the sole object
of the church's worship. The sole object of our trust
and our confidence. Our only helper. We have no helper
but Him. No helper but God. And the psalmist
desires nothing in comparison to God. Nothing. Whom have I
in heaven but Thee. That's the believer's cry, isn't
it? Where shall we go, Lord? Thou hast the words of eternal
life. There is nowhere else to go. Nowhere else to go. Look at verse 26. My flesh and my heart faileth,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. The Lord is his rock. The Lord
is His strength. The Lord is the one who sustains
Him. And He is His portion forever, both in life and at death, and
all through eternity. All through eternity. So for
the believer in Christ, nothing is to be compared to our God.
Nothing is to be compared with the love of God towards His people.
Nothing is to be compared to the grace found in Christ. and there to be loved and delighted
in by his people. Look at verses 27 and 28. For
lo, they that are far from thee shall perish. Thou hast destroyed
all them that go a-whoring from thee. But it is good for me to
draw near to God. I have put my trust in the Lord,
that I may declare all thy works. Verse 27, we see the end of the
wicked. They will perish in their sins. Those without Christ will perish
in their sins. But look at verse 28, but it
is good for me to draw near to God. I have put my trust in the
Lord God, that I may declare all thy works. The psalmist declares
that the Lord is the rock of his rock of his salvation, his
refuge. He alone is his portion and his
inheritance. And he will declare his mighty
works of providence, his mighty works of grace, by proclaiming
the wisdom, power and goodness and faithfulness of God in them.
We proclaim the wondrous works that God has done. So let's consider
verse 4 now over in Song of Solomon, chapter 2. Song of Solomon, chapter 2, verse
4. Look at this. He bought me to the banqueting
house, and his banner over me was love. The bride is speaking,
In Song of Solomon chapter 2 verse 4, again of the bridegroom, he
brought me to the banqueting house and his banner over me
was love. Here the bride lovingly remembers
and gratefully acknowledges that she has all the blessings
of the king's house only because of the king's grace towards her.
She remembers the first time when she came to know his love
Can you recall those first revelations of the Savior, of the Savior's
love to your heart? Can you recall when He bought
you into the banqueting house? Note it says in our text, He
bought me to the banqueting house. He bought me to the banqueting
house. The high people shall be made
willing in the day of his power. It's not by chance that you're
here tonight. It's by God's sovereign decree. Just as every Sunday and every
Wednesday, anyone who's here is by God's sovereign decree.
But it says here, the bride says, he bought me to the banqueting
house. And His banner over me was love. Keep in mind when it says He
bought me to the banqueting house, the words over in the New Testament. In marvel at the free and sovereign
grace of God in Christ. In the mercy which being shown
God's people. Now remember, He bought me to
the banqueting house. No man, says our Lord, no man
can come to me except my Father. which has sent me dry. He bought
me to the banqueting house. No man, says Jesus, cometh unto
the Father but by me. He bought me to the banqueting
house. It is the Spirit which quickeneth. The flesh profiteth
nothing. John chapter 6, verse 41, John
chapter 14, verse 6, and John chapter 6, verse 63. It's all
Him. Salvation is of the Lord. Of
the Lord. And what a blessing it is for
the believer to behold all the persons of the Godhead engaged
in one and the same act to bring souls unto Christ. God the Father
gave us to Christ in eternity. Christ came into this world to
redeem us by his own precious blood. And the Holy Spirit lovingly
draws us to Christ with cords of love. How delightful it is to the souls
of the faithful when the Holy Spirit by His power brings us
savingly to Christ. It gives us great delight when
the Savior is revealed to us and when we are shown our need.
And then we spend a lifetime, think of this beloved, each week
we come to the banqueting house. to hear about our wonderful Savior. We spend, after the Lord has
saved us, we spend a lifetime having this truth revealed each
time to us how we desperately need Christ. Every time we hear
the Gospel preached, we hear about our wonderful Savior and
we see our continuous need for Him. Gil brings forth that the banqueting
house means his house of wines or his place of feastings. Where
is Christ's banqueting house? Christ's banqueting house is
the church of the living God. Oh, what a table is spread in
the church of God. What a table is spread in the
church of God. It's spread with the truths of
the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace in Christ. Oh,
see the table. See the table filled. God's covenant
mercy. Unconditional election in Christ. Redemption through the blood
of the substitute, the Lord Jesus Christ. Righteousness through
Christ, imputed to His people. Justification before God. Irresistible
grace. In the final, perseverance in
everlasting glory with Christ in heaven. The church is a place
of rich banqueting. And when we feast, we feast upon
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the wine of the banqueting
house of Christ is the fellowship and communion the believer has
with Christ himself. Look again, it says, he brought
me to the banqueting house. And his banner over me was love.
Gil brings out that she was brought into the banqueting house in
a grand, stately, and majestic manner with flying colors. The motto on which it's inscribed
was love. And his banner over me was love.
The illusion, Gil goes on, may be to the names of generals being
inscribed on the banners of their armies. So Vespian's name was
inscribed on the banners throughout his armies. Oh, beloved, this
is a banner. And his banner over us is love.
What love this is. Ponder this love. Eternal love. Eternal love. Special love. Distinguishing love. Electing
love. Redeeming love. Preserving love. And irresistible love. And this is the banner by which
His Church is distinguished from all others in the world. By electing, redeeming, calling
love. What security and protection
the saints of God have in Christ under His banner. under His banner. They march under the banner of
love, and they are encompassed as a shield, protected by He
who is the everlasting God, by He who hath redeemed them with
His own precious blood when He died at Calvary's cross, bearing
the sin of His people. And the wrath of God fell upon
Him for their sins. Is there greater love than this?
No. None. No greater love. Greater love
hath no man than this, than a man lay down his life for his friends.
What a Savior! What a Redeemer is Christ! In
His banner over us is love. In this life of conflict and
spiritual warfare, we are led by our Captain Beloved. We are
led by the captain of our souls, the captain of our salvation,
the Lord Jesus Christ. And we march under His banner,
under His banner. And the banner of love is set
over the church in our Lord's banqueting house. And it sets
forth the victory that He has obtained, that He has obtained. over death, over hell, and over
the grave. So let us ask ourselves, has
Jesus indeed brought us into his banqueting house? Can we at this moment look up
and behold his banner over us? If not, I pray that God would
be pleased to grant you faith to believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ. And we who are redeemed look,
and we see his banner over us. It's love in letters of blood
on a pure white background. Love. Eternal love. Distinguishing love. What a savior. What a redeemer. He bought me to the banqueting
house. He made me women. And his banner over me was love. Gracious Heavenly Father, what
a picture we've seen tonight. Oh, Lord Jesus, you truly are
a refuge for all who trust in thee, a shadow cast by the great
tree which you are, the tree of life, for your people, and
we only find rest under thee and in thee. No rest anywhere
else but in you. We pray that you'd be glorified
and magnified and that you would use this message for your glory.
We love you and praise you in Jesus' name. Amen.