Song Song of Solomon Chapter
6. The title I've given our lesson this morning. Is then why am
I thus? Now we've seen the bride. She's
gone through a time of spiritual stupor. Bridegroom withdrew himself
from her for awhile. But now he's returned to her
in love and he has such words of love for he describes to her
how beautiful she is to him. And the question that she's gonna
ask, and the question I hope to see answered from God's word
this morning, is then why am I thus? If the Lord sees me the
way I really am, the way he's really made me, then why am I
the way I am? Why do I see myself as something
very different than what the bridegroom has described? So
we'll pick up in verse 11 here, Song of Solomon 6. I went down
into the garden of nuts, to see the fruits of the valley, and
to see whether the vine flourished and the pomegranates budded.
Now there are times we don't always see the Lord. He always
sees us, but there are times we don't always see Him. But
He always has an eye on His garden. He may have withdrawn Himself
from us for a time, but He always has an eye on His garden, and
He won't stay out of His garden for very long. Now Christ says
he's returned to his garden, and he's returned in love and
tenderness for his people. Even though she's been in a time
of spiritual stupor, he's returned to her in love and tenderness.
He comes to his garden to see how it's blooming and how it's
bringing forth fruit. And if there's gonna be an increase
in the garden, Christ is gonna have to come and give it, and
that's why he's come. And he calls his people, the
garden is his people, it's his church, he calls his people a
garden of nuts. Now the way nuts grow is a good
picture of believers. When you look at a nut as it's
growing, it doesn't look like much on the outside. It's got
that hard shell. It doesn't look very good, not
shaped very good. But I tell you inside, there's
something valuable. And it's something that tastes
good, something that's fruitful. Well, that's a believer. We don't
look like much on the outside, but the real fruit is what's
on the inside. It's the hidden man of the heart.
It does not yet appear what we shall be when you just look at
this outer shell of flesh. Already we're starting to get
a hint of why a believer feels so different than what the Lord
describes, because there's two natures. There's that hard outer
layer of flesh that's good for nothing. You just gotta crack
it and get rid of it and throw it away. And there's that new
man that's on the inside. Already we're starting to see,
get some hints here of why I see myself so differently than what
the Lord describes. But the covering of this nut,
it also is a picture of the righteousness of Christ. That shell protects
the fruit on the inside, doesn't it? Well, that's the covering
of Christ's righteousness. The nut does not just only protect
us on the outside, but it also is a covering on the inside.
And then nuts also, they often grow in clusters. And that's
the way you find believers. They're clustered together. There's
a cluster of nuts this morning. That might be what the world
sees, but our Lord also describes it saying, this is a cluster
of nuts. This is my garden of nuts. And he also says, I come
to see the fruits of the valley. Now, every one of us wants that
mountaintop experience, don't we? That's what we want. We'd
like to stay on what we call the mountaintop all the time. But I'm telling you, it won't
be. That is not the life of a believer. It wouldn't be good for any child
of God to stay on the mountaintop for an extended period of time. And it never will be that way.
In my experience, and I know every one of you agree, I find
myself in the valley. a whole lot more than I find
myself at the mountaintop. I find myself longing to leave
this world. I find myself longing to leave
this flesh behind. I just, I find myself that way. A whole lot more I do on the
mountaintop. And that's the life of a believer. Don't be deceived
into thinking, oh, you know, you come to believe Christ and
life's a bed of roses. Absolutely not. You know why
that is? God says he's got a fruitful
garden. Well, you go to the mountaintop, there's no fruitful gardens up
there. I mean, it's too cold up there. At the top of the mountain,
it's too cold to have a fruitful garden. There's no oxygen up
there. You got to bring your own oxygen.
There's no rain at the mountaintop. And you know, whatever rain does
fall just runs right off. And there's no good soil on the
mountaintop. There are only rocks up there.
Sheep might visit up there. Goats can live up there. But
sheep can't. There's no good soil, just rocks.
You know where the land is well watered? In the valley. You know where you find good
soil? In the valley. You don't find good bottom soil
on the mountaintop. You find it in the valley because
that's where the river is. The river's never on the mountaintop.
The river's always in the valley. The valley is where everything
grows lush and where there's good fruitful gardens. So the
Lord often brings his people into the valley so that we'll
be fruitful, so we'll be well watered, so we'll be planted
by the rivers of water. All that good stuff is found
in the valley. We're starting to get a hint
about why I'm this way because the Lord often brings me to the
valley. And when the Lord brings us to the valley, I tell you
the best way to flourish when we're in the valley, it's by
looking to the mountain. Now, you got to look to the right
mountain, but look to the mountain. Don't look to the mountaintop
experience. Don't look to Mount Sinai, the law. If you want to
prosper and you want to flourish wherever you're at, but particularly
in the valley, look to Mount Calvary. Look to the sacrifice
of Christ. The only mountain any of God's
people have ever truly flourished on is Mount Calvary, where the
sacrifice of Christ took place. Then the Lord says he's come
to see how his vine flourished. I don't know much about vines,
but this is what I do know. If a vine is going to flourish
and it's going to bring forth good grapes, you've got to prune
that thing way back. That's the way it is for a believer.
Another title for this garden is translated a garden of pruning. Christ comes to his garden to
prune the garden. He's gonna have a fruitful garden. Well, the only way a believer
can be fruitful in faith and in good works is to be pruned,
to have this flesh pruned way back. Well, we're starting to
get Even more clues about why am I this way? Why is it that
when I look at myself, I see just a little stub of a bush?
Because we've got to be pruned. We've got to be pruned back.
We've got to be whittled down to size. That's why. Then the
Lord says he's come to see how the pomegranates budded. That's
the graces that you find implanted in the souls of the believers.
And they're the result of Christ's sacrifice for us. I've told you
often in this study of Song of Solomon, pomegranates refer to
the sacrifice of Christ. These things, these graces are
in us because of the sacrifice of Christ. But you know, this
could also be new believers who are just beginning to bud and
the Lord comes to them, to tend to them, to see how they're flourishing,
how they're beginning to bud. But really, I think this speaks
to every believer. The most mature believer that
you'll ever find will tell you this, I feel like I'm only just
barely beginning to bud. I'm just barely beginning to
show some very small signs of life. We never feel like we're
in the full bloom of spiritual faith and life and we don't feel
that way. And if we ever do, we're probably
getting ready to be pruned way back. See, we're starting to
see some more, get some more clues. Why am I thus? And even
though I'm the way that I am, the nature that I am, I go through
these times of spiritual stupor, the Lord still came to his garden.
Not in wrath, not bringing a stick, not bringing a whip. He came
in love because these things in his people, they please him.
It gives the Lord pleasure to see his work in his people. And
that's why the Lord can't stay away for very long. He's drawn
to his people. Look at verse 12. He says, wherever
I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amenadib.
Now this is what our Lord's saying. He says, before I knew it, I
was drawn to you. I was drawn to you quickly, like
the chariots of Amenadib. Now the phrase, the chariots
of Amenadib was a phrase that they used to mean the fastest
chariots. I don't know why. That was their
phrase, but that was their phrase. It means the fastest of chariots.
And the word Amenadib actually means a willing people. God's
people are willing people. They're willing in the day of
his power. They've been given a new will. They've been given
a will of faith and a will of love and obedience. They've been
given the will of hope in Christ. So when the Lord has withdrawn
himself from his people, and he does that, he withdraws himself
for a time. What will bring him back? Well,
he says the chariots will bring him back. The chariot of faith. The chariot of believing Christ
and looking to Christ alone will draw him, draw his heart to his
people. The chariot of love. When the
Lord's withdrawn himself for a time, the chariot of love will
bring him back. A true heartfelt love for Christ
will draw his heart of love to his people. And then the chariot
of hope. Christ is our hope. Christ is
our only expectation. When we keep looking to Him and
longing for Him, that's like a chariot that draws the Lord's
heart to His people. Now when I say all that, don't
be mistaken. We can't earn Christ's presence.
We can't do something to make Him come to us. Christ will come
to His people. He's not going to leave them
alone. He's not going to abandon them. He'll withdraw Himself for a time.
He's not going to abandon His people. He's going to come. But
He's going to come in His time. He's gonna come by his grace
for the people that he loves. And he won't come back because
we're so faithful or we're so loving. He returns to his people
because he's faithful and he's loving. And since he's faithful
and loving, he'll always come to his people quickly. Before
we know it, he's returned. Now Christ has returned to his
bride. And look how sweetly he invites her. He said, I've returned
to you. Now you return to me, verse 13. He says, return, return,
O Shulamite, return, return, that we may look upon thee. Now
Christ says to his people, return. You've been in this time of spiritual
stupor, return, come to Christ. And to show us how urgent it
is that we come to Christ, he says it twice, return, return,
return, return. Now this is not an invitation
to all men. What this is is a commandment
to the people of God. But this commandment is phrased
in love. It is phrased a whole lot like
an invitation to his people. And the reason I know this is
a commandment specifically to the people of God is he calls
her by name. Shulamite here really should
be translated Solomon. the female version of the name
Solomon. That's what he's calling her.
I look over in Jeremiah chapter 23. This is Christ speaking to
his people, speaking to his bride and calling her not her name,
but his name. Jeremiah 23 verse six. This is a prophecy of the
Messiah. In his days, Judah shall be saved
and Israel shall dwell safely. And this is his name whereby
he should be called the Lord, our righteousness, Jehovah Sidkenu. That's his name. Now look over
in chapter 33 in verse 16. In those days, so Judah
be saved. and Jerusalem shall dwell safely,
and this is the name wherewith she shall be called the Lord
our righteousness, Jehovah Sidkenu. Union with Christ is so real
that we're called by his name. We're called what he is. A believer,
the body of Christ, we're put in him so that we're one with
him. So when the father sees him,
He sees us. When Father sees us, He sees
Christ. And He calls us, not by our name,
but by the name of His Son. We are made what Christ is because
we're the body of Christ. Everything the head is, the body
is. Everything the body is, the head is. It's one. So everything
Christ is, his people are, and that union is so real, we're
called by his name. That's why he calls the bride
here, Solomon. And that name means perfection.
A believer is perfect in Christ, both by imputation and by the
new birth. We're perfect in Christ. And
the name Shulamite or Solomon, it means peace. Believers have
perfect peace with God in Christ. Because everything he is, we
are. Now Christ tells his bride, I know you've been in this time
of spiritual stupor, but now it's time for you to return.
You return to me so I can look at you and I can enjoy the beauty
that I've put on you. Actually what he says here is
you return that we may look upon thee. Who's he talking about
there? We may look upon thee. He's talking
about the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, that we may
look on them, that we may look on you with pleasure, with joy,
because of what God's made you by His grace. The Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit, the whole Trinity, looks upon God's people in love
and forgiveness. The whole Trinity looks on God's
people with pity and with mercy and satisfaction. You come that
we may look at you with joy and satisfaction. Now the believer,
you've heard this teaching and the believer is going to say,
all right, I see that from God's word. I see this teaching. I
see this as the way that the Lord sees me. I understand that.
I understand. He sees me what he's actually
made me in Christ. I understand that. This is what
I don't understand. And why am I thus? Why am I this
way? Why don't I see myself the way
the Savior sees me? I don't see any of that in me
at all. Especially in times of spiritual stupor, I don't see
any of it. Our Savior sees us much differently than we see
ourselves, doesn't he? You remember this from last week's
lesson. He called her beautiful. beautiful to me. Don't look at
me with those eyes." He said, you ravish my heart. I don't
see myself as beautiful. He called her undefiled. I don't
see myself as undefiled. All I see about myself is defilement
and iniquity. The Lord says he came to see
how his garden bloomed and flourished, how it's growing spiritually.
I don't see much spiritual growth in me. Mostly what I see in me
is a dead plant. Dead-looking plant in the wintertime.
There may be some life in the root underground, but I don't
see it. All I see is a dead plant. I don't see myself as full of
faith and love, those cherries that bring Christ to his people.
All I see in me is a reason for him to stay away. I can understand
how he withdrew himself. I don't see anything in me making
him come back. I know I'm married to Christ. By his grace, I'm
joined to him. I've been given his name. I see
that, but while I tell you what I don't see, I don't see his
nature in me affecting me very much at all. Really. I don't
see much effect of it. Would somebody please tell me
why am I thus? Why am I this way? I know the
Lord sees me. We looked at this last week as
that one army with those banners. I know when he sees me, he sees
that new man born by his grace. But I tell you when I look at
me, what I see, I see two armies. See at the end of that verse
13, what will you see in the Shulamite? This is the bride
speaking. What will you see in the Shulamite? When you look
at me, what do you want to look at me for? As it were the company of two armies. I see in me two armies and they're
not just encamped on either side of the river. They're warring
with each other, the flesh and the spirit, the old man and the
new man. They are engaged in a hot battle. It's a, oh, it's a difficult
battle. I'm thus because I'm not only
that spiritual man that the Lord describes, I'm also a man of
sinful flesh and those two natures are warring against one another. When we're born again, the flesh
is not done away with. Being born again is not having
the flesh change, so you start acting better, and the flesh
knows some right doctrine, the flesh learns to look to Christ,
and the flesh gets some light. No, the flesh is not changed
at all. We're born again, the flesh is not weakened. The flesh
is as strong and sinful as ever, and he's got just as much a will
to fight as ever. And you look at the landscape
after a war has happened, It's an ugly, barren landscape. Everything, all the shrubs and
grass and trees, they're all killed. It's just dirt and rubble,
and it's an ugly, ugly landscape. It's death and destruction as
far as you can see. When I look at me, that's what
I see. Just barren landscape. And we say with the bride here,
Why do you want to look at me? You say return so we can look
at you. What do you want to look at me
for? There's nothing good in me to look at. There's nothing
pleasing in me to look at. There's nothing worth looking
at. I'm ashamed to show my face in your presence. I touched on
this Wednesday night and I can't tell you how many people commented
on it and got a blessing from this. The reason for that is
this is the life of a believer. Why are things of the flesh so
enjoyable? Why are things of the flesh something
that I can do all day long and never get tired? But the things
of the spirit are so difficult, so hard. I can go to the library
and get me a good book I can read from cover to cover, 300
pages in one day and just love it. But boy, I read a chapter
of God's Word, my mind starts drifting. The fastest way to
fall asleep is to start reading God's Word. Why am I thus? I can watch six hours of NCAA
basketball, and I'm telling you, never get tired of it for a moment.
Just being enthused at the sixth hour as much as I was the first
hour. But boy, 40 minutes of preaching makes me awful tired.
I just can't take no more. I want to pray. But how often
do I find myself really praying, really talking to my father?
I say my prayers, but how often am I really praying? Oh, I love
to worship. I look forward to the days ordained
where we are to meet together and worship the Lord. But how
often do I find myself really worshiping? I mean from the heart,
really worshiping. Like I should, like the Lord
deserves, like I want to. How many times do I come to service
and go through the motions and really not worship like I should?
Why am I thus? And that touches so many people
Wednesday night because that's the experience of everyone who's
born again. Every believer has two armies
warring in them at all times. Look over Romans chapter seven. Would it help you to know that
a giant in the faith, I mean somewhat as giant as the Apostle
Paul, felt the effects of this very same battle we struggle
with. In Romans 7 verse 14, for we know that the law is spiritual,
but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do, I allow
not. For what I would, that do I not.
But what I hate, that's what I do. If then I do that, which
I would not, I consent under the law that it's good. Now then,
it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I
know that in me, that is in my flesh, dwells no good thing.
For the will is present with me, but how to perform that which
is good, I find not. For the good that I would, I
do not. But the evil, which I would not,
that's what I do. Now if I do, that I would not.
It's no more I that do it, but sin that dwelt in me. I find
then a law, that when I would do good, evil is present with
me. That is a law just as sure as
a law of gravity. You hold something in your hand,
let it go, it's gonna drop. It's the law of gravity. This
is a law that's just as certain as that, that when I would do
good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God
after the inward man, after the new man. But I see another law
of my members, warring against the law of my mind, bringing
me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members.
Oh, wretched man that I am, who should deliver me from the body
of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ
our Lord. So then with the mind, I myself
serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin. The Apostle Paul felt this very
same struggle in countless many believers, felt it, written about
it very eloquently. John Newton experienced it, wrote
about it, this experience in his famous poem, "'Tis a point
I long to know. Newton says "'Tis a point I long
to know." Often gives me anxious thought. Do I love the Lord or
no? Am I his or am I not? If I love,
Why am I thus? That's the question we're asking.
Why am I thus? Why this dull and lifeless frame? Hardly sure can they be worse
who never heard his name. Could my heart so hard remain,
prayer a task and burden prove? Every trifle give me pain if
I knew a savior's love? When I turn my eyes within, all
is dark and vain and wild, filled with unbelief and sin. Can I even deem myself a child?
If I pray or hear or read, sin is mixed with all I do. You that
love the Lord indeed, tell me, is it thus with you? Could I
joyous saints to meet, choose the ways I once abhorred, find
at times the promise sweet, if I did not love the Lord? Lord,
decide the doubtful case. Thou who art thy people's son,
shine upon thy work of grace. If it be indeed begun, let me
love thee more and more. If I love at all, I pray. And
if I've not loved before, help me begin today. You mean Newton? John Newton? Had doubts? Do I love the Lord? No. Yeah,
I did. Because every child of God does. Because this warfare Now, is
that your experience? Does this warfare just drag you
down? Well, I tell you the reason we're
thus is the flesh is not destroyed and it's not changed when we're
born again. Matter of fact, after we're born again, it looks a
whole lot worse because now we've got eyes that see and understand
something of our own sin. We're thus because the flesh
is unchanged and it never will change. That flesh will never
get any better. Now before you go jump off a
bridge, let me give you some encouragement. It won't always
be this way. This warfare is difficult, it's
hard, it's a hot battle, but it won't last forever. The war
is gonna end, and you who believe are gonna emerge victorious.
You're gonna emerge more than conquerors in him that loved
us and gave himself for us. We will be more than conquerors
in Christ. When Christ died from the cross,
it is finished. Brethren, at that moment, the
victory was won. The war's over. Now, I know everyone hadn't surrendered
yet, but they will, because victory's already been won. Everybody hadn't
bowed the knee yet, but they will, because the victory's already
been won. Their sin's already been put
away. And one day, I know the war's over. The victory's won.
But I still got a personal war going on in here. One day, soon,
that personal war's going to be over. We're going to lay the
flesh down in the grave, and the war's over. One day, our
bridegroom is going to say, return. It's time to come home. You return. And then, then the war's going
to be over. And then we'll be what we would
be. Then we will be with our savior and our bridegroom forever.
And then we will be, body and soul, just exactly what he described. Then there'll be no more problem
with spiritual stupor. There'll be no more problem with
drowsiness. There'll be no more problem with lack of faith. Faith
will be done away with. We'll see him face to face. So
until then. Until then, let's keep our mind
and our heart stayed on Christ. All right, I hope the Lord will
bless that.