Let's turn in Song of Solomon,
chapter 3. I would like to pick up where I left off last
week, Song of Solomon, chapter 3, verse 9. The Scripture says, made himself a chariot of the
wood of Lebanon. He made the pillars thereof of
silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple,
the midst thereof being paved with love for the daughters of
Jerusalem. Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion,
And behold, King Solomon with the crown, wherewith his mother
crowned him in the day of his espousals, in the day of the
gladness of his heart." Now this evening I would like for us to
look at this passage, realizing that there are depths of Scripture
that is set forth that I will be the first to admit. I probably,
and neither will you, ever completely see the fullness of that which
is being set forth. But there are some things that
we do know. There are some things that are
set forth. And we'll pray that the Lord
would give us some understanding into this beautiful passage of
Scripture that deals with the relationship of the bride and
the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, last time, we began this
section which was dealing with the wedding procession of Solomon
and Shulamite, the Lord Jesus Christ and His Bride, as she's
being brought through the wilderness of this life. She was described
in verse 6 as that one that cometh out of the wilderness, drawn
out, chosen out, affection set upon. She was like pillars of
smoke. That is, frailty in this life,
smoke but a vapor. But she is perfumed with myrrh
and frankincense and all the powders of the merchant. That is, she has the scent of
the Lord Jesus Christ and His righteousness that is charged
to her. Verse 7 said, Behold his bed. And I want to deal with that
just a little bit longer tonight. But this bed, or this chariot,
or this wedding coach in which she is being brought, the Scripture
says it is Solomon's. Salvation is of the Lord. She
is being delivered through this world. But it is the Lord Jesus
Christ that is delivering her. Three score valiant men are about
it, of the valiant of Israel. And we set forth the sufficiency
of God's grace in hedging about and keeping His bride as she's
being brought through, guarded, protected on all sides. Verse
8 says, they all hold swords. The Word of God. being expert
in war. They're not a novice. They're
taught by Almighty God. Every man hath his sword upon
his thigh because of fear in the night. We wrestle not with
flesh and blood, but with principalities and power and spiritual wickedness,
the Scripture says, in high places. Now that's where she's at. She's
being brought through this wilderness. So let's just look at Verse 9,
King Solomon, the Scripture says, made himself a chariot or a bed
or a coach of the wood of Lebanon. Now, whatever is being described
here in its entirety, I know that as far as the bride's carriage,
and we're being brought All believers were being born along. Whatever
this bed is right here, this chariot of the wood of Lebanon,
this nuptial bed, believer, it is yours also. However, this
bride is being born, this is your chariot. This is the chariot
that the bride is being born from where she was, that is,
being born in Adam, in her father Adam's house. We are all born
in Adam. There is none that doeth good
from the crown of our head to the sole of our foot. We are
all putrefying souls. But we are being born from Adam,
found in him, called by the Lord's grace to her husband's eternal
rest and peace were being borne along. Now this chariot, this
bed, is a bed of safety, it's a bed of peace, it's a bed of
comfort, and it's not left to the ability of the bride. The
Scripture says that King Solomon made himself a chariot of the
wood of Lebanon. Now this chariot is Christ Himself. We are found in Him, as Brother
Scott just said, accepted in the Beloved. So as we are being
born along this chariot, Christ Himself accomplished it. Here we behold, and I thought
on this passage of Scripture last Sunday when I was dealing
with this everlasting covenant. that covenant by the Father,
by the Son, and by the Spirit everlasting. This chariot right
here, the Lord Himself, King Solomon, made Himself a chariot
of the wood of Lebanon. He took the responsibility of
all the elect to live for them, thereby earning that righteousness
charged and imputed to them. He died for them, took their
guilt, put away. He finished the work that the
Father gave Him to do concerning their salvation. He is their
surety. He is their propitiation, their
satisfaction. Christ Himself. Now, this chariot
that she's being born in, There are some things that are set
forth concerning this chariot that are sure. That's the thing
that we must understand. We're not being borne along haphazardly. This thing is a sure thing. As
to the bride's safety, we must consider her safety to be based
upon that which is absolutely sure. Turn with me to Romans
chapter 4 verse 16. Romans 4.16. She's being borne along. It's
not by chance, it's not by hope, or I hope that we're going to
make it. This thing is sure. Romans 4.16. Therefore, it is
of faith that it might be by grace to the end the promise
might be sure to all to see. Not to that only which is of
the law, but to that also which is of faith of Abraham, who is
the father of us all." This is a sure foundation, sure rest,
peace. The Lord Himself made, accomplished
this chariot. There are some things that we
know are sure, for sure, because the bride couldn't bring herself
the Lord Himself, King Solomon, is going to bring her. You can
rest assured that the sheep shall hear the voice of the Savior. You can rest assured that the
Spirit of God will blow upon her and reveal the Lord Jesus
Christ to her. By nature, she's blind. By nature,
she's deaf. By nature, she's lame. But God
Almighty purposed before the foundation of the world, He will
bring her. I will write my law on her heart. She will know me as her God. I will bring her to myself. And surely those that the Spirit
of God calls, surely the Lord Jesus Christ died for them. Those
that He died for, surely the Father chose in Christ before
the foundation of the world. And I'll tell you another thing
that's sure. She's being borne along in this chariot right here. But you can rest assured, those
that the Lord loves, He's going to teach and chase them. We dealt with that a few weeks
ago. Whom the Lord loveth, He chasteth. He teaches her. Surely
He does this. They will be lovingly taught. And those that see themselves
as having found in the Lord Jesus Christ all of their hope, surely
they are going to realize that they have been lost before. Now the reason I say that is
because man by nature does not see himself as being lost. She is being born in this chariot. For her to be born in this chariot,
she realizes something. I can't bring myself. I need
Him. King Solomon made himself a chariot. He made her bed. He made it. The plan, the purpose, and the
accomplishment was of Almighty God's devising. This chariot,
as I said a moment ago, is that everlasting covenant in which
the bride is born through this world and set forth, this covenant
is, in the glorious gospel. It is ordered and sure in all
things. Isaiah 55 verse 3 says, Incline your ear and come unto
me, here and your soul shall live. And I will make an everlasting
covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. this chariot
was made of the wood of Lebanon. Now I looked up that wood of
Lebanon, more than likely it was cedar. It could have been
cedar, it could have been fir, it could have been cypress, but
what it spoke of in those woods was durability, beauty, lastingness,
but the word that is most fitting to the wood of Lebanon there
is cedar because of the aroma. Now I don't know about you, but
I can tell you this, these little souvenirs that are made out of
cedar, now I don't know how cedar smells to you, but I'm going
to tell you, cedar to me is one of the most wonderful smelling
woods. I just love to take the top off
of a souvenir and smell it. It just has a freshness that
I just absolutely love, and probably this word right here, the wood
of Lebanon, is the word cedar. We behold the savor of the Lord
Jesus Christ, the durability of Christ Himself. 1 Peter 1,
3, and 4 says, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten
us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead to an inheritance." Now listen to this and smell
this spiritually. Get a whiff of this. He hath begotten us again to
a lively, a living, a sure hope. by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead. Now listen, when He came out
of that grave, Almighty God justified Him. Know what that means? Remember
the word justified? What does that mean? Declares. That's what that word means,
declares. Set forth. That's My Son in whom
I'm well pleased. He was declared. Justified. Coming out of that ground, God
Almighty accepted what He did. And when He came out, we came
out with Him. Justified us. He was raised for
our justification. Now, I don't know how that smells
to you, but that has a savor of life to me. And even now,
I pray, Lord, teach me that. Teach me what that says. He has
begotten us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead to an inheritance. I'm an heir. If I know Him, believe
Him, trust Him, if He's called me by His grace, chosen me from
the foundation of the world, if the Lord Jesus Christ has
paid my debt and put away my guilt, I have an inheritance. An adoption. And this adoption,
this inheritance is incorruptible. It's undefiled and fadeth not
away. Reserved in heaven for you. That
has a savor of life. That smells of Him. Lord, teach
me that. Oh, the savor of this chariot
made of the wood of Lebanon. It was that sweet smell of the
Lord Jesus concerning His worth, concerning His glory, concerning
His grace. But listen, that savor of Christ
charged or imputed to His people is theirs also. For we, 2 Corinthians
2.14, are unto God a sweet saver of Christ. I read that. The Spirit of God, by His grace,
if He's taught me that, I can enter into that. But still, I
hear that and read that Scripture right there, and I believe it,
Carl, but I think, oh, but for God's grace. That's got to be
so. the grace of Almighty God. He
hath made us, Ephesians 1, 6, accepted in the Beloved. Oh, this was a costly chariot,
the wood of Lebanon, costly. He made, the Scripture says in
that next verse, the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom
thereof of gold, the covering of it purple. the midst thereof
being paged with love for the daughters of Jerusalem." Or that
last phrase is, by the daughters of Jerusalem. He made the pillars
of it. Turn with me to Psalm 75. He made the pillars of this thing,
of this coach, of this chariot, of this nuptial bed. Psalm 75.3 says, and all the inhabitants thereof
are dissolved, I bear up the pillars of it." Selah. Turn with me to 1 Samuel 2.8.
The Lord said, I bear the pillars of it. 1 Samuel 2.8. He raiseth up the poor out of
the dust, lifted up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them
among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory for
the pillars of the earth of the Lord's, and He hath set the world
upon them." My question to you is this, who is running this
place? Who is running this earth? I
know what men say. I know how men boast, at least
in their heart. But let me ask you this. Who
is in control? He set the pillars on this earth. All things, the Scripture says,
were made by Him and for Him. And without Him was nothing made. That was made. Turn to Hebrews
1-3. Hebrews 1-3. He said, I set the
pillars of this cherry. We're being born alone, kept
by the power of Almighty God, by His purpose, by His everlasting
covenant, His promise, His Word. Hebrews 1-3, who being concerning
the Lord Jesus Christ. the brightness of His glory and
the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the
word of His power when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat
down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." The Scripture
says that He made the pillars of this. This is a sure salvation. Almighty God is in control. He made the pillars thereof of
silver, and the bottom thereof of gold. King Solomon, not only the Scripture
reveals him to be the wisest man of his time, but also the
wealthiest. You know that Solomon here is
a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. Wealthy, powerful, God Almighty. He said that the pillars of this
chariot of silver, the bottom of it was gold. It speaks of the worth of this
chariot. The worth of that which was bringing
her along. My question is this, concerning
this chariot, the pillars of silver bottom of it of gold. What's this thing worth? What
did it cost? 1 Peter 1.18 says, You were not
redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your
vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers,
but with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ as of a
lamb without blemish and without spot. What is this chariot? What's the cost of this charity? What did it cost to bring this
bride out of the wilderness? What did it cost? I'll tell you
what it cost. It cost the precious blood of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, again, I admit, as I was
reading this passage of Scripture, I thought to myself, I can see
some things that are so, but how little I perceive. I see through a glass darkly,
but I know this, this is an expensive chariot. This is an expensive
coach. What is it costing? This truth
that is set forth in this passage is declared in the gospel of
God's grace, the pillars of it. Oh, they speak of the strength
and the surety of His salvation. Psalm 11.3 says, If the foundations
be destroyed, what can the righteous do? This chariot is sure. Grounded. Psalm 75.3, that's what we just
read. The Lord said, I bear it up. I keep it. I maintain it. And
the bottom of it was gold. The seat of it is gold. A picture of Christ Himself.
The sum and substance of the Gospel. Of God's grace. He is set forth as our sure foundation. The Scripture says in Revelation,
the gold, buy of me gold, tried in the fire, bought without money,
without price, Christ Himself. And the covering of it, the Scripture
says, the canopy that which overshadowed it was purple. It speaks of the
royalty. of this chariot. Purple is the
color of kings. It speaks of the bride's inheritance
in Christ. She is a joint heir with Him. He's the heir of God. Joint heir
with Him. All that's His is hers. All that He is is hers. He's loved her. gave Himself. Whenever you husbands, me, Scott,
you men, all you men, whenever you promised, gave yourself in
marriage to your husband, everything that's mine belongs to her. Everything I've got, however
little it might be, is hers. All that's His. Indescribable. God Almighty. He said, I've loved
her everlastingly. She's mine. What does she cost? I'll pay. What does she owe? I'll pay. What's it going to
take? I'll give her. This chariot. King Solomon, he made it. He
accomplished it. Secured it. He made the pillars
thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, and covered
it with purple, the mist thereof paved with love. All that is
set forth concerning the bride's chariot, here is where she finds
the source of all of her comfort and her joy. and her peace and
her security. Here's the bottom line. Here's
her security right here. He loves me. He loves me. He shall surely
do me good. He's loved me with an everlasting
love. He's promised me. His word shall
not fail. He has done that which is right
and good. He loves me. Loves me. For this reason, her husband
came into this world to redeem her. To buy her. Buy her back. Because
of his love for the bride, the Lord Jesus Christ. took her guilt,
made it His very own, and suffered the wrath of God in her place. This chariot, the Scripture says,
is paved or embroidered with love. Bright stones is what that
word love there means. The thought of the stones that
were on the ephod were going through garments of the priest. We've not gotten to this portion
yet, but that priest had an ephod. It was an open kind of like a
pocket. It was an embroidered plate made
out of fine linen and gold. And it could open up. There was
a urim and a thummim. We'll deal with that later. But
on the outside there were stones, twelve stones, and on those stones
were written the names of each of the tribes of Israel. Twelve stones on His heart, a
picture of the love that the Lord Jesus Christ has for His
bride. He said, "...midst thereof, paved
with love." And then that last portion, "...for the daughters
of Jerusalem, It means by the daughters of Jerusalem. Everything
that I have found concerning the daughters of Jerusalem, I've
said this before and I'll bring it out and then I'll look at
that last verse in closing. Everything that I've found concerning
the daughters of Jerusalem, and I've read different portions,
it appears as though that the daughters of Jerusalem probably,
And I say that because I cannot say this with surety, but I tell
you what I think it is. Each time you find in this book
right here, The Daughters of Jerusalem, it is speaking of
those who are professors of religion, but more than likely, not possessors
of it. That passage of Scripture right
there says that He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom
thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the mitts thereof
being paved with love for or by the daughters of Jerusalem. I understand that there are tears
within the body. The Lord said that He planted
wheat and that someone came They planted in the parable. They
planted some tares. The next day or the next few
days, the tares began to come up. And his workers of the good
man said, do you want us to go in there and tare them out? He
said, no, just leave them alone. Just let them grow. He said,
in the day of harvest, I'll separate the tares of the wheat. But you
go back and look. Any time that you find the daughters
of Jerusalem, normally it's the bride speaking to the daughters
of Jerusalem. as if there's two groups there.
I heard Brother Don Fortner say one time, and I brought this
out before, he said, the Lord uses a lot of scaffolding in
the building, in the perfecting of His church. But in that day,
the Lord will separate it. So that's my thinking on the
daughters of Jerusalem. I've tried hard to try to get
as close as I could to the interpretation of that Scripture right there.
But in the next verse, There's another group that's spoken of,
and this is just also kind of a confirmation between the daughters
of Jerusalem. Then in verse 11, it says, Go
forth, O ye daughters of Zion. Now you know that Zion is the
name of scriptural, true Jerusalem, the church of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion,
and behold King Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother
crowned him in the day of his espousals, in the day of the
gladness of his heart." Now here is the cry that is heard that
we considered a few weeks ago in Matthew 25 between the wise
virgins and the foolish virgins. Remember, the Scripture says
to the wise virgins, Behold, the bridegroom cometh. Go ye
out to meet him. Here the Lord Jesus Christ is
set forth as the King. Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion. Behold, King Solomon with the
crown." Now, he is to be crowned. The Scripture says, "...with
the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his
espousals." He is the King of kings. You know that. He is the
King of peace for His people. He made peace for us by His blood. And here, He is beheld wearing,
the Scripture says, the crown wherewith His mother crowned
Him in the day of His espousals, in the day of the gladness of
His heart. Now, there was a day in which
the Lord Jesus Christ was crowned with a crown of thorns in the
presence of His earthly mother, Mary herself, crowned with thorns
in the day of His humiliation, in the day of His suffering,
in the day of His crucifixion. She being, I understand, His
earthly mother. He was born of a virgin. But here, the Scripture says,
this is a crown placed upon Him by His mother that crowned Him. His spiritual mother. Now who can that be? Turn with
me to Matthew 12. The Lord Himself explained exactly
who His Mother is. Matthew 12, verse 46. While He yet talked to the people,
behold, His Mother and His brethren stood without desiring to speak
with Him. Then one of Then one said unto
him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without desiring
to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto
him that told him, Who is my mother and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand
toward his disciples and said, Behold, my mother and my brethren,
for whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven,
the same is my brother, my sister, my mother." So the mother of
the Lord Jesus Christ back in Solomon, Song of Solomon, Go
forth, O ye daughters of Zion, the bride, the church, the elect. Behold King Solomon with the
crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of His espouses,
His mother, His spiritual mother. Based on the word of the Lord
Jesus Christ is the chosen, the elect, the bride, the redeemed,
the called, the kept, the sheep. They are a crown unto Him and
therefore said to crown Him. It's not that they themselves
were worthy to place the crown upon Him. The Scripture says
they crowned Him being the crown. Let me show you that last verse
of Scripture. Isaiah 62. Isaiah 62. 2. Behold, the Scripture says, you're
king. King Solomon. Oh, there he is. with the crown wherewith his
mother crowned him in the day of his espousal, in the day of
the gladness of his heart." Isaiah 62, 2. And the Gentiles shall see thy
righteousness, and all kings thy glory. And thou shalt be
called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.
Here he's speaking now. of His bride, of His people,
of the elect. Thou shalt be a crown of glory
in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of
thy God. Thou shalt no more be termed
forsaken, neither shalt thy land any more be termed desolate,
but thou shalt be called Hephzibah in thy land Beulah, for the Lord
delighteth in thee. and thy land shall be married. For as a young man marrieth a
virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee. And as the bridegroom rejoiceth
over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee." Behold,
O daughters of Zion, your King, crowned with the crown of His
mother, she is Jules. called by His grace, redeemed
by His blood, washed white," that's their robes, "...washed
white in His righteousness." Oh, they are set forth as being
gems bought, paid for by the Lord Jesus Christ. Okay, Gary,
you come with us.