Turn with me to Song of Solomon
4. Song of Solomon 4. Last time we looked in Song of
Solomon, we looked at verse 9. And I would like for us to look
this evening at verses 10 and 11. Our blessed Lord, as He speaks
concerning His bride, He speaks and says of her in that 9th verse
that we looked at, He said, You've ravished My heart. You've stolen my heart. You have behearted me with her
loveliness." He said, "...with one of thine eyes." That is,
with the eyes of her understanding being opened by the Spirit of
God. He beholds her. One chain of
her neck, the chain, we looked in Ezekiel, of the grace of God
that He had bestowed upon her. He said, You've ravished my heart. And He says in verse 10, How
fair is thy love. Now, there are about five things
that He says concerning her that just has stolen his heart. He said, first of all, he said,
you've ravished my heart with your love. Her love to him. Now, I know and you know that
our love to him is the direct result of His love to us. Lest He love us, we would never
love Him because we have no heart to love Him. The carnal mind
hates God. Hates Him. And the reason that
an unbeliever doesn't believe that is because they have nothing
to compare it to. Lord willing, I'm going to speak
on that Sunday morning on knowing how do we know that what God
says is so concerning the carnal mind being enmity against God. He said, you've ravished my heart
with your Love, how fair, how beautiful is your love. Why? Because of what it cost. Do you realize what it cost Him
that the bride might love Him? What did it cost the Lord Jesus
Christ that the bride might love Him? It cost Him His blood. He suffered. under the judgment
of Almighty God, bore her guilt, charged her with His righteousness,
gave her a heart to love Him. It cost Him. How fair is your
love! He works all things after the
counsel of His own will for His glory and for her good. He loves
her and she loves Him. He said, I put down nations for
you. Can you imagine that Almighty
God would move entire governments for her? Everything that goes
on in this world is for the good of the elect. For the glory of
God and the good of His sheep. Everything, everything, all things,
the Scripture says, work together, all things. Whatever is going
on right now in Iraq, whoever loses their life, nations are
up in arms, this, that, and the other. I'm telling you that every
act is accomplishing the perfect Will of Almighty God for the
good of His sheep. You say, how can that be? I don't
know. I don't know. But I can tell
you this, every person that drives by on this road right now, that
person just went by right there, somehow is accomplishing the
will of God for the good of His people. He said, you've ravished me with
your love. How much better is thy love than wine? Your love is beautiful. How much better is your love
to me than wine? Now, wine here speaks of that
which gives pleasure. I know there's a lot of Scriptures
that speaks of wine. Wine is a mocker. You know, don't
look on the wine when it's red. There's a lot of things. But
wine speaks of those things that makes the heart joyful, symbolic
of that which... Look, just turn back to the Song
of Solomon 1-2. Let him kiss me with the kisses
of his mouth, for thy love is better than wine. Wine speaks
of that which gives pleasure, rejoices the heart. Look at verse
4 of that first chapter. Draw me and we'll run after Thee.
The King has brought me into His chambers. We'll be glad and
rejoice in Thee. We will remember Thy love more
than wine. They upright love Thee. Look at chapter 7 and verse 9. The Scripture says, The roof
of Thy mouth, like the best wine, for My Beloved that goeth down
sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak."
He says concerning her, He says, How fair is thy love, My sister,
My spouse! How much better is thy love than
wine, whatever gives pleasure. That's what is insinuated concerning
wine. Whatever gives pleasure, your
love is better, the greatest. And the love that is of the one
who loves Him, the bride's love to Him, is that sweet enjoyment
of Him. It's the love toward Him that
is completely foreign to the natural man. The carnal mind
knows nothing of the love of God. The love of the redeemed
soul is the fruit of His obedience and sacrifice charged to her. Remember last Sunday, we looked
how the Lord Jesus Christ in His righteousness graces, adorns
that new heart that the Spirit of God inhabits. It is His righteousness. It is His love that He's put
there that she gives back to Him that He says, Your love is
better than wine. The work that the Father had
given Him to do was to save all that the Father had chose. Therefore,
He is ravished with the love that she has for Him. For her
love toward Him is divine love. Love that is obedient love. The result of His work for her
and in her. And then He says, After telling
her how fair is her love, how much better is thy love than
wine, he says, in the smell of thine ointments, than all spices."
Turn back a few pages to Ecclesiastes chapter 10 and verse 1. Now here
is an unusual sounding scripture. Ecclesiastes 10 what it says,
cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savor. So doth a little folly him that
is in reputation for wisdom and honor. Just a few dead flies. You know, there is nothing that
is more disgusting than to have a nice meal, sit down, I mean,
you know, just a nice bowl of soup or something A big old stinking
blowfly. I'm talking about a big one.
A big one. It is. It's gross. It's gross. I mean, just flying around in
your suit. You want that? That's gross. Dead flies, you know, in the
ointment. Just stinking flies. He says
that he is ravishing with the smell of her ointment. Anything that falls short of
the glorious scent of His righteousness stinks in the nostrils of God
Almighty. Man in his best state, even the
believer in himself, in his old nature, Man at his best state
is altogether vanity. Just a little like leaven. The
Scripture says leaven is the whole lump. The elect of God
know and see in themselves the frailty of their old sinful nature. And it is no excuse for sin. The fall of a David causes the
enemies of the Lord to blaspheme." That's what Nathan told David. He said, you cause the enemies
of God to blaspheme. But Christ here says He's ravished
with the smell of the ointments of His graces toward her. He says, I am ravished. My heart is stolen with the way
you smell. You smell. of my righteousness." These ointments
speak of that sanctifying grace of the saints of God, the setting
apart and the accomplishing of them unto holiness, like when
Aaron was anointed with the oil. Set apart is that high priest,
and we are sanctified by the Spirit of God and given the grace
of God's Holy Spirit. Nothing that we've done. Everything
we've done is like those stinking flies in the ointment. Pollute
everything we touch. He said, but of her, by His grace,
what He's done to make her what she is in Him, in His righteousness,
He said, You smell of my goodness, mercy, and grace. And he said,
it steals my heart. Scripture says in 2 Corinthians
1.21, He which established us with you in Christ and hath anointed
us is God. we smell of His goodness, grace. This anointing speaks of us being
sealed by the Holy Spirit and anointed with the oil of gladness. That's what Hebrews 1.9 says.
You and I have no idea what the imputed righteousness of Christ
smells of. He said, Your smell, the smell
of your ointments has ravished my heart. The smell poured upon
the bride by the Spirit of God has stolen the heart of the Lord
Jesus Christ. You know there are certain things
that just smells that just absolutely you just love to smell. And I
don't know what it is. I don't know what triggers a
certain smell to a certain person. Some people like different colognes. There was just certain smells
that I can remember as a boy growing up in South Louisiana. And I can remember this certain
smell. We'd go through. I'd be going
down to visit my grandmother. And there was a certain place
that I could remember passing through. And it was something
down in that area that they were either planting or whatever it
was, and I can remember that smell right now. And you say,
how do you remember a smell? It made that much impression
on me. And I just loved it. Just the smell. In Hosea, let
me just read this to you. It's right after the book of
Daniel if you'd like to look. It's Hosea 14, verse 4 to 7. I will heal, the Lord said, their
backsliding. I will love them freely, that
is, with no cause in them, without a cause in them. For mine anger
is turned away from him. I will be as the dew upon Israel. He shall grow as the lily and
cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread and
his beauty shall be as the olive tree and his smell as Lebanon. And they that dwell unto his
shadow shall return, they shall revive as the corn, and grow
as the vine, and the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon."
Whatever that smell was being described of, which I know, is
the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ to His people. It
smelled, it ravished the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, You smell
as Lebanon to me. And then verse 11, her lips or
her speech ravaged. She says, Thy lips, O my spouse,
drop as the honeycomb. He's ravished with what she has
to say. Psalm 94, Psalm 94, verse 3 and
4. Psalm 94, 3 and 4. Lord, how long shall the wicked
triumph? How long shall they utter and
speak hard things? And all the workers of iniquity
boast themselves." Is that not the speech of the unbeliever? Is that not the way they boast
of themselves? How long? But concerning her,
He said, Oh, my spouse, drop like honey, sweet. One whose lips have been touched
with the live coal from the altar." That's what Isaiah described.
Live coal touched the lips. Whose iniquity is taken away
and whose sin is purged. He speaks differently. Luke 21.15
says, the Lord speaking, I will give you a mouth and wisdom which
all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay or resist. I'll give you a heart to speak. Malachi 3, last book of the Old
Testament. Malachi chapter 3. This is what
the Lord says concerning His people. Malachi 3. Verse 16 and
17, it says, Then they that feared the Lord, that is, had respect,
had reverence, those that God had given a heart after Him,
they that feared the Lord, they spake often one to another. And
the Lord hearkened and heard it. And a book of remembrance
was written before Him for them that feared the Lord and that
thought upon His name. And they shall be mine, saith
the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels, and
I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him."
The Lord said concerning His bride, He said, Your speech ravishes
Me. Out of the abundance of the heart,
the mouth speaketh. Out of a good heart, out of an
evil heart. Whichever heart it is, out of
the abundance of that heart, the mouth speaketh. Psalm, let
me just read this to you, Psalm 145 in verse 11. Now let me ask
you this, you that believe. Listen to this verse and tell
me, is it not so? They shall speak of the glory
of thy kingdom and talk of thy power. Isn't that what a believer
has to say? What are you going to talk about?
Let's talk about His power. Let's talk about His glory. Let's
talk about His grace. Let's talk about His mercy. Someone
says, well, let's talk about my will. No, I don't want to
talk about my will. I know what my will is. Let's
talk about His power. Ephesians 5, 19, speaking to
yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
and making melody in your heart to the Lord. The lips of the
bride, in His words, in His estimation, in His deduction, this is what
He said concerning her, a drop like the sweet honey from the
honeycomb. Our estimation of our own speech
is not so. But His revelation of our speech
is viewed in Himself, who is our High Priest, whoever liveth
to intercede for us and to make our words to be sanctified by
His blood." Those things that we speak, and I realize we don't
say them as we ought. I don't know how to speak respectfully
as I should. But I'll tell you this, our High
Priest, as we speak concerning Him, though I know the presence
of God is there even in the presence of sin that's there. We speak,
and He says, your lips have ravished My heart. And then next, He's
ravished with our thoughts. He said, thy lips, O My spouse,
drop as the honeycomb. Honeycomb and milk are under
thy tongue. That is to say, that are never
expressed by our mouth. He said, your thoughts have ravished
me. What you think about me. Oh, by nature, the thoughts of
man are evil continually because they are thoughts born from a
carnal heart. But Matthew 7.17 states that
a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. In Matthew 9, verse
14, the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing their thoughts, said, Wherefore,
think ye evil in your heart. The omniscient God knows the
heart of all men. Nothing is closed to Him. Omniscient. He knows the thoughts. And He
said, Your thoughts ravish Me. And the bride says, But my thoughts
concerning you I see them to be so impure and so imperfect. But God Almighty beholds the
new man, the new mind, the thoughts of that new creation created
in Christ Jesus, and that's what He sees. That's what He beholds. By that imputed righteousness
of Christ, He said, your thoughts ravish me. Matthew 5.19, for
out of the heart. precede evil thoughts, murders,
adulteries, fornication, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things that defile
a man. But the believer rests all his
hope in the Lord's power, grace, and purpose to do him good, to
order his thoughts, to order his speech, knowing that out
of that new heart of God's planting, David said this. Now, I want
you to think and muse and ask God Almighty, as I do right now,
give me some understanding into this Scripture right here. David,
under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, in Psalm 139,
verses 23 and 24, said this, O God, and know my heart, try
me, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the
way everlasting." You say, that sounds like to me that that's
just a little bit too forward or too boasting. Oh no. Oh no. That is the heart and the expression
of a man that is confident in the grace of Almighty God. Listen again to the words of
David. Search me, O God, and know my
heart. Try me and know my thoughts and
see if there be any wicked way in me. Brother Scott just read
a passage just a moment ago concerning the Lord Jesus Christ who is
the way. He is the way. He said, I am
the way. And David said, Lord, search
me and see if there be any wicked way in me. Lord, am I trusting
in another way is what he is saying. See if there be any wicked
way in me. If Christ be the way, if Almighty
God has given His people a new heart, a heart of confidence
in Him alone, not in themselves. That new heart, that new mind,
that way of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you think David was boasting
in himself accomplishing that? Lord, search me and know my heart,
that new heart. If the Lord Jesus Christ be a
man's way, the believing saint welcomes the searching the presence
of Almighty God. He shall in death, when that
man takes his last breath, shall that man not at that moment say,
Lord, search me. Lord, try me and see if there
be any wicked trust that I have. If God's given him a heart to
rest upon Him, His soul is at peace with God. It's well with
my soul. Lord, You search me. You try
me. The thoughts of the righteous. Proverbs 12, verse 5 says, the
thoughts, the Scripture says that your thoughts ravish me.
I am ravished with the thoughts. Honey and milk are under your
tongue. Those things you don't even say,
but you think. Right now, there are thoughts
in the heart, in the mind of you that believe that cast yourself
upon the mercy of Almighty God. And He said, your thoughts ravish
Me. The thoughts of the righteous
are right. Proverbs 12, verse 5. It's not
that the believer boasts of having no presence of sins. but he welcomes
God Almighty to whom he has been reconciled by the blood of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Because he stands in Him alone
and in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ, he says, Lord,
search me. Let's see. As a man thinketh
in his heart, So is he. And the believer embraces the
great physician. He said, your thoughts ravish
me. The evil heart, carnality, flesh
produces evil thoughts. That's what the Lord said concerning
those in the book of Genesis. He saw that the thoughts of man
were evil continually, but the heart of God's planting prospers
in righteousness. The Lord Jesus Christ is ravished
with the thoughts of the bride's trust in Him. And then lastly,
He is ravished with the smell of her garments. That's what
it says. The smell of thy garments is
like the the smell of Lebanon. God Almighty, back in the book
of Genesis, I will just relate this story to you. The Lord had
purposed to bless Jacob. Scripture says concerning God's
Word, Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated. Jacob being
loved by God Almighty, and it was revealed that the Lord was
going to bless Jacob by his father, Isaac. And Jacob's mother, Rebekah,
prepared Jacob with Esau's coat, and she referred to it as being
goodly raiment. of Esau. Esau was the elder son. Isaac, as tradition was, was
going to bless Esau. That was Isaac's thoughts. Isaac
the dad was going to bless the eldest son, Esau. God said, Jacob
is going to be blessed. made some venison like Esau always
prepared for his dad. Dad loved that venison stew. But you see, Jacob was a smooth
man. Esau, the Scripture reveals,
was a robust, hairy man. And surely Isaac would know When
Jacob came in there to be blessed, he'd know that that wasn't Esau. That's Jacob because Jacob doesn't
look like Esau. He doesn't feel like Esau. He
doesn't smell like Esau. So Rebecca took Esau's coat and
she put it on Jacob. She took some skins of some animals
and covered his hands and his arms and his neck. Gave him that
venison, that pottage, that stew. She said, you bring this in to
your dad and he'll bless you. And so Jacob walked into the
presence of Isaac. Scripture says his eyes were
dim. He asked his son, he said, are
you Esau? Jacob said, I am. And he said,
you sound like Jacob. But he said, you feel like Esau. He felt that coat. He said, are
you sure that you're Esau? And he said, I am. He said, bring
me the venison that my soul may bless thee. And Jacob walked
up to his dad and the Scripture says, he came near and Isaac
smelled his raiment and blessed him. Jacob received the blessing. Isaac said, my son smells. of the smell of the field, that
is, the smell that He loves. When we stand in the presence
of God Almighty, robed in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus
Christ, we smell of Him. Almighty God looks upon us as
we are robed in Him, and we have the scent of His obedience. We have the scent of His holiness. In Him, God Almighty is pleased. And God Almighty smells Him,
smells Christ, our burnt offering. That is the satisfaction to the
Father of His death. God the Father was satisfied
when He smelled of Christ, our burnt offering, who in His death
put away our guilt. God smelled that and it was a
sweet savor to Him. Christ, our meat offering, as
the Father smelled the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ in His
life, the meat offering, it smelled a savory smell to the Father. And in Christ, considered in
Him by the imputation of His righteousness, 2 Corinthians
chapter 2 and verse 15 says, we are unto God a sweet savor
of Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ said of
His bride, ìHow fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse, how much
better is thy love than wine, and the smell of thy ointments
than all spices, thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb.
Honey and milk are under thy tongue, and the smell of thy
garments is like the smell of leaven."