lots of it under here. All right, you can open your
Bibles to the book of Song of Songs of Solomon. This will be
lesson four. I was telling Bonnie this morning
how much I'm enjoying the studies in this book. We tend to stay
away from it because of its rather plain descriptions of romantic
and sexual love. I say plain, it's all couched
in imagery, but it's hard to deny the things that are being
spoken of. And one of the things is the Jews,
and probably most ancient cultures, were not nearly as squeamish
talking about these things. And you find a lot of things
in the Old Testament that are referring to subjects we generally
don't speak of openly in our culture. And when the King James
translators translated, they did all they could to kind of
cover it up and soften up some of the things that were being
said. And the trouble is, is we miss
sometimes some of the harshness with which the Lord metaphorically
described the actions and character of rebels. But of course, in
this book, what we're seeing is beautiful things, good things,
ascribed to both Christ and to his people. And they're all couched
within this context of a loving, romantic relationship between
those. It's hard to determine at any
given moment when they're in a state of engagement or marriage. I don't know that it's important
to understand that, but It kind of goes back and forth. This
morning, we're going to look at verse three, but before we
do, let us seek God's blessing. Our heavenly father, there's
nothing that we want to do here today more than exalt the name
of your son, the Lord Jesus. It appears to us from your book
that that is your aim in this universe, that you created this
universe for him. and specifically as a stage upon
which to play out the glory of your only begotten son. So we
pray, Lord, that we would, being able to see that glory told to
us, to see it not only as it's described in scriptures, but
Lord, also testify to it in our hearts. and give us, as much
as can be done in our present state, give us a glimpse of that
glory. Lord Moses asked you, show me
your glory. And we know that your answer
to him was, no man can see my face and live. And we recognize,
Lord, that at this time we are not the sort of creatures that
could bear to look squarely into the face of God and live. But the Apostle Paul said that
we see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Reveal
that glory to us today, in Christ's name we pray, amen. All right,
last week we The subject was The Love of Christ Described
and Extolled. This morning the title is The
Name of Christ Extolled. Now the Shulamite is still speaking
in verse 3 and she is speaking to Solomon. Now remember when
we say speaking to Solomon, Solomon has placed himself as the lead
character that is the male lead, the woman is given the name Shulamite,
which is merely the feminine form of the name Solomon or Shalomon. Both of them mean peace. Now, while Solomon may have used
his own name in a feminine version of his name to describe the leading
lady, We do not necessarily know that he was referring to himself
literally, rather an idealized version of himself. And an idealized
version of, it may have, he may have been gaining inspiration
from one of his wives, I don't know. Maybe he was gaining inspiration,
you know, thinking of, and this man had 700 wives. It's quite
possible there were some of them he never even met. But I'm sure
he knew a good many of them and maybe he was taking characteristics
from all of them as inspiration. We don't know. But the important thing is what
their names mean and how they relate to the Lord Jesus Christ
and the church. And so she is speaking to him. Feminine Peace. Shulamite. That's what the name means. Peace. Feminine peace addresses masculine
peace. And she says, pleasing is the
fragrance of your perfumes. Your name is like perfume poured
out. Now the Shulamite expresses her
admiration for the one she loves and presses for the consummation
of their love. You find that down in verse four,
take me away with you, let us hurry, let the king bring me
into his chambers. But she begins all of this rather
passionate outburst of love toward him with what we just read. Now, smell is one of the more
powerful senses that we have. Scientists say it's one of the
most primitive senses. And even though we don't believe
in the evolutionary theory that calls any particular sense ancient. We do recognize if you go down
the evolutionary, you know, what they call the evolutionary scale,
one of the first senses to appear among animals is the sense of
smell. It's a very important sense and
it has great power with us. We can testify to the sense of
smell to evoke emotions in us, very powerful, good emotions
and bad emotions. Our senses have been given to
us to alert us to danger that we might avoid it or something
good that we might be attracted to it. Now, it's interesting
that when it comes to natural smells, not manufactured one,
but natural smells, Nearly everyone would have the same list of good
smells and bad smells. I have never heard someone come
for the first time to Iowa and go, oh, that's just wonderful. They go, what is that? There are things, it's almost
universal, to some, I mean to everyone, they either stink Or
they smell good. Now that's in natural things.
And remember at the time this was written, I mean, they did
have some manufactured smells, but it's not like they had chemical
plants near them and things like that. And the manufacturer smells
were generally speaking, very pleasing, but the natural ones,
the smell of flowers. the smell of blossoms, which
are tree flowers, in the spring. Isn't that wonderful? Unfortunately,
back in 2017, I pretty much lost my sense of smell. And one of
the things I miss is out there on our screen porch, we've got
a bunch of lilacs growing on one side. It's kind of a privacy
screen. And those blossoms would come
out, and a little breeze would blow, and that'd come across
there. And I mean, it'd just make your whole day good, or
at least you'd think it was going to be good. Wonderful smells. It's equally true, or it's true
that the things that we count unpleasant to smell are generally
bad for us. And the things that smell good
are good for us, or at least they testify of good things to
come, like apple blossoms and things like that. They're meant
to attract us. Now, I've told y'all before,
one thing I can't stand is a closed door. And when I first came to
Iowa, you know, I'm brand new to this area. I was raised in
West Virginia. I didn't know anything about agriculture as
it's practiced in this area. And I, you know, there used to
be a meat locker there on, what is that, 15th Street, I think
it is, just east of Stone Soup Cafe. And a rendering truck was
there. I didn't even know what a rendering
truck was. I just knew there it was by the
locker and it had two doors on the back of it that could be
opened up. I wonder what's in there. Well,
I found out. Couldn't shut that door fast
enough. One of the most powerful smells revolting to everyone,
smell of death. And why did God make it that
way for us? Well, that way we know, oh, this meat, don't eat
it. It's gone bad. It's rotten. And so other things
that smell good attract us and lift our spirits. Smell is one
of the strongest memory triggers. Have you ever walked into a place
And there's maybe a smell you haven't smelled in years. Maybe
it's a smell from your childhood. And the moment you smell it,
you don't just remember that smell, it takes you back to that
time. And that can be for good or bad.
There are people who have suffered trauma, which gets associated
with a smell. And when they smell that smell,
it takes them back. and they experience that trauma
in their minds again. But it's also good. When I was in Cedarville College, there was an occasion where my
car had broken down at the church where we were attending at that
time, and I eventually had to to walk back
to it. I could get a ride to the city
where it was, but then I had to walk maybe a mile. But I was
walking through a residential area. And I mean the most wonderful
smell. And I thought, what is that?
I've got to find out what that is. And I went around houses. Sometimes I don't respect boundaries
too well. Like I said, I don't like closed
doors. I don't like boundaries. I tried not to look like a big
snoop, but I would walk up driveways or in between houses. What I
eventually found out it was somebody put one of those dryer sheets
in a vent. And that's what I was smelling. That was kind of a
new thing in 1976 or whatever it was. It was beautiful. And if I were able to smell that
now, it would take me right back to that moment. And it lifted
my spirit. Smell is powerful. Homes have
a smell peculiar to the people who live in it. When I was about
seven years old, my father had just retired from the Navy. And
until we could move back to West Virginia, which was his home
and where he wanted to go back, he was doing some plumbing. And
the people that paid for the plumbing, this was contractor
work. People that paid for it, we'd go to their house. I guess
he went there to pick up a check or something, I don't know. But
I just remember we'd go and we'd visit some. Well, they were Jewish
people. And they were likely Jews that
had come over after World War II. So these were first-generation
Jewish immigrants. They had not been Americanized.
Their, whatever they, was the tradition of their background.
That's the kind of food they ate. It's the kind of spices
they used. Now, their house, I didn't care
for the smell of it. I don't know what it was, but
there was something. And believe it or not, it was in cookies
they made. And they gave me some of them. And I thought, I didn't
know there was such thing as a bad cookie. But that smell. I think that if I were to run
into it again, I'd instantly remember it. And there's another
smell from that time period, and I can't quite recall it.
I've never smelled it since we left that Washington, D.C. area
in 62. It was a cologne that men wore,
because a couple of three times, I think my father had it, and
another man that was staying at our house, you know, when
he'd be getting ready in the morning, I could smell it. And believe
it or not, the closest thing that I've ever been able to find
to that smell is you open up a can of green beans. Now, not
the canned ones, I mean the ones you get at the store. And you
smell that, and it's got a majority of that smell. I have no idea.
Maybe Mom was cooking green beans. It just happened as I happened
to walk by the bathroom where these men were getting gussied
up. I don't know. But these things,
they're memory triggers, they're emotion inducers. Smell is prominent
in the symbolism of Christ in the Old Testament. In ancient
times, tribes and families could identify one another by smell.
It's likely that their common diet, you know, whatever you
eat, it comes out of your pores. Now, we don't notice one another,
and that's for two reasons. We shower a whole lot more than
anybody did before the 20th century, you know. I mean, it's just our
concept of hygiene. People from 100 years ago think
we're absolutely nuts. But people didn't bathe that
often. And then local groups, families,
tribes, they had a common diet. And that diet would show up in
the pores of the skin. And it's interesting that one
anthropologist I was reading, he said, you know, you read in
the Bible, he fell upon his neck. you know, and kissed him or something
like that. And he said, now this just wasn't
a way to greet someone. He said they would take the opportunity
while they were on the neck, of course that means they're
right around the collar, and they'd breathe in. Now, when
we get to be in our 30s or 40s, and presbyopia starts to set
in, and we can't see like we used to, we go get these. And
we can still see one another with enough accuracy to identify
a face, but if I went like that, I might be able to figure out
who you are because there's not that many of us come here and
I, you know, I know who to expect. But if I'd never met you before,
I wouldn't know who you are. And I wouldn't be able to remember
your face because I can't get any detail. And so that's how
they would, is this someone from our tribe? Our tribe's got a
smell to it that I can recognize. Our family's got a smell to it,
I can recognize. We see this in the example of
Jacob and Esau. When Jacob was stealing the blessing
from Esau, he goes in there and he's put his mother, has actually
put a covering of hairy skin, because Esau was hairy and Jacob
was smooth. And then he also put Esau's clothes
on him, which would have Esau's smell on him. Now, both Jacob
and Esau would have the family smell, but the Bible says this,
that Esau was a man of the field. Jacob stayed in the tents with
the women. He was a mama's boy. And so,
when Jacob walks in and he says, and Jacob's eyes are very bad
at this point. He can't tell who's who. And
Jacob says, Father, I'm here. to receive the blessing. I'm
your son. He says, which son? Well, I'm Esau. He says, come
close. And he felt of Jacob's arm, and
he said, well, the voice is Jacob, but the feel is Esau. He says,
come here and kiss me. And so Jacob comes over, and
Esau buries his nose in the collar of Esau's coat that's on Jacob,
and he said, well, that's the smell of Esau, that's the smell
of the field. So smell was really important,
more important than we give it back then. So the Shulamite says, pleasing
is the fragrance of your perfumes. Your name is like perfume poured
out. This fragrance that she speaks
of is symbolic of the character or characteristics of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now, how do we know this? Well,
in that line where she says, your name is like perfume poured
out, she doesn't mean that saying Charlemagne or Solomon is like
perfume poured out. Back then when people said your
name, people were given names that described the kind of person
they were. Solomon had another name, but
he was called Solomon as king because he was a king who ruled
mostly in time. He brought peace and prosperity
to Israel. David was a warrior king. Solomon
ruled in a time of peace. You know the name Melchizedek.
There's a meaning to that name. The Melchi part means king. Tzedek means righteousness. He's king of righteousness or
the righteous king. He was also called king of Salem
or king of Shalom, king of peace. Jacob was given the name he was
given because it indicates a deceptive and cheating man. Esau was also
called Edom because Edom means red, and Jacob had lots of red
hair. So when it says your name is
like perfume poured out, what it means is your character, what
you are, is like perfume poured out. Pleasing is the fragrance of
perfumes. Our Lord does not have a single
smell or characteristic, but every characteristic, every attribute
of him is pleasing to the heart and mind of the believer. We
might say that the very same smells are odious to the unbeliever. But a believer can be identified
by this. There's nothing about our Lord
Jesus Christ that is repulsive to him or her. Is there anything
about the Lord Jesus Christ you don't like? I'm not saying, you know, is
there anything about the Lord Jesus Christ that doesn't make
you scratch your head sometimes? Why did he do things this way?
Why did he do things that way? But when it comes right down
to it, as much as you know him, as much as is revealed about
him in the scriptures, is there anything about him you don't
find pleasing? If there is, one of two things
is true. You're misunderstanding what's
being said about him, or you're not a believer. Paul said, if
any man does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, there is a curse
on him. Believers love the Lord Jesus,
and everything they learn about him in truth, they love about
him. All the fragrance, various fragrances
of the perfumes were pleasing to this woman. It didn't matter
what cologne Solomon was wearing on any given day, she liked it. We think of the multiple characteristics
of his Lord. For example, his love. Greater
love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his
friends. Never did any man lay down his
life for his friends like Christ did. We may risk our lives for
our friends, but very few of us actually lay it down. I mean,
you know, in such a way you know that there's no getting out of
it. But it's even more than this. Our Lord laid down his life for
his friends because That was the work he was sent to do. Our
military, and we give them great honor, and we should, because
they're willing to risk their lives. And those who lose their
lives in the process, we give them even greater honor. And
I think that's just fine. But you know something? Nobody
ever won or advanced the cause of our side by dying. Dying's
always an accident. of whatever work they were doing
trying to advance the cause. When it comes to the Lord Jesus
Christ, dying was the work he came to do. It couldn't be avoided
simply because that's what he came to do. What love? He has loved his people with
an everlasting love. If the fragrance of that characteristic
flows into your spiritual nostrils, all guilt, cares, and inward
strife cease. Jesus Christ loves me. There's the perfume of his righteousness.
Now the smell of the self-righteous man is to the believer like the
smell of death. It's nauseating and you don't
like being around it. Their righteousness is a condemning
righteousness. You ever been around those people
that are just so righteous? Being around them, you're really
uncomfortable. Most of the time they're doing that on purpose.
They like making people feel uncomfortable with their professions
and outward displays of righteousness. As it's described in Isaiah,
do not come near me, I'm holier than you. It is written of our Lord that
he was the friend of sinners. Here stood true righteousness
and sinners did not fear to approach him. You know who they feared
to approach? The Pharisees. They smelled the rotting carcass
of self-righteousness and wanted nothing to do with it. But the
righteousness of Christ is of an entirely different aroma,
for it's a justifying righteousness, not a condemning righteousness.
His righteousness is the real thing, a righteousness that pleased
God, a righteousness that God has already accepted. unlike
the righteousness of religious moralists, who is just a, which
is nothing more than a glorious looking veneer over rotting bones. That's what our Lord said to
the Pharisees. He said, you're like whited sepulchers. They used
to whitewash the stones where dead people were buried because
if you walked over a grave, you were unclean. So they wanted
all the graves marked well. And he said, you're just like
those whited sepulchers. He said, oh, it looks so pretty and pure
on the outside, but inside you're full of dead men's bones. And then his righteousness is
wonderful because it is a righteousness he does not hold to himself,
but one that emanates from himself to the benefit of those who smell
it. It's on him. It's from him, but
it goes out. Do you realize if you stand justified
before God today, it's not because of your righteousness because
you don't have any. It's because of his righteousness, which he
was pleased to wear in your presence. And it stuck to you so that when
you appear in the presence of God, he doesn't smell you. He
smells Christ. There's the perfume of His Lordship.
I wish I had more time to spend on this, but let me say this.
There can be nothing more delightful to the heart of a believer in
Christ than the knowledge that His Savior is Lord of all. We
don't make Jesus to be Lord. God beat us to that. I used to
be told as a kid, now you need, you've been saved, but now you
need to make Jesus Lord of your life. I'm sorry, God made Jesus
Lord of my life before I ever breathed any air. Peter's declaration
on the day of Pentecost was, let it be known to the house
of Israel that this Jesus, whom you crucified, God has made him
Lord in Christ. He did not invite them to make
Christ Lord. He said, he is Lord. And that
scared them to death. That was not a very pleasing
to smell to them at that point. until they heard the word of
grace and find out that this Lord is, He's Lord of all and
all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him, but He
is a gracious Lord beyond description. In the first century, the essential
confession of the early church was Jesus is Lord. They did not
go out preaching, God loves you. They didn't. They went out preaching,
Jesus is the Christ, Jesus is Lord. And particularly that Jesus
is Lord is what kept getting them in trouble. That's what
Rome would persecute them for because those Roman Caesars thought
so much of themselves, well, I'm Lord. They thought themselves
basically divine. And they said, I'm Lord, and
you must say Caesar is Lord. And they were required once a
year to go to the shrine of Caesar and show their loyalty to him by saying Caesar
is Lord. And believers wouldn't do it.
Now, they would have obeyed him as king. You know, they weren't lawbreakers,
they just wouldn't stroke his ego, because they had a Lord,
and His name's Jesus. That's why Paul said, if you
will confess with your mouth Jesus to be Lord. And he said that in the letter
he wrote to the church in Rome. He said, you're right there where
Caesar set up his throne and says, say that I am Lord. He said, here's where salvation
comes for you. You must openly say with your
mouth, Christ, Jesus is Lord. The most delightful prospect
that can be set before our eyes is to see our Lord openly vindicated
as Lord. Oh, wouldn't that be wonderful
if the heavens opened up today and our Lord returned and every
knee had to bow and every tongue. And I think, I just gotta admit,
I think in particular all those tongues wagging out of politicians'
mouths as they set themselves forward as big shots. I have no problem with the concept
of government. It's necessary among sinful men.
Trouble is, the only people we have to occupy the places of
government are sinful men. And I guess one reason God never
put me in a position of significant power would probably go to my
head. But I will love it whenever a self-aggrandizing, power-grabbing
politician has to bow and confess I wasn't Lord. He's always been
the Lord. Whether they like it or not,
they'll have to confess it. And won't it be wonderful to
join that choir in glory and sing with a beautiful voice instead
of the ones we've got? You are worthy. You're the Lord. Oh, nothing's better. Nothing's
better. And then she says, your name
is like ointment poured out or perfume poured out. Now she goes
to the singular, and that would be a reference to the name Solomon.
And as we pointed out, Solomon gathers together all good things. When a Jew would greet you with
the greeting, peace, he didn't just mean, I hope you don't get
in a fight with anybody today. It meant balance. It meant that everything in your
life was without turmoil and conflict and all of this. Well,
that's what salvation is. Salvation restores us to perfection. And then just one more quick
comment. Your name poured out. Two times in the New Testament
we hear of perfume being poured out. And that's when those two
women, each one poured out an alabaster box of perfumed ointment
on the feet of the Lord Jesus. And you know something? That
was done entirely for Him. That flowed out of their love
for Him. It was for his benefit alone,
but you know something? So beautiful was that ointment.
It filled the room, and everybody in there benefited from it. That's the thing about a perfume.
It fills whatever place it's in. And the Lord's name is beautiful
perfume. Now, some think it's obnoxious.
It's the savor of death unto death, says Paul. But to His people, the name of
our Solomon is Jesus, which means Jehovah is our salvation. Oh,
that's the sweetest name. Don't you know what it means?
How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer's ear. And it does. It calms fears. It says everything's
all right. You are at peace with God. God
is at peace with you. You have nothing to worry about. And living in a room full of
that fragrance is blessed indeed. All right, we'll pick up there
next week.