A SONG OF THE BELOVED

Psalm 45 in its heading is said to be "A song of loves", or the Beloved. It is one of the most beautiful, poetic descriptions of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the Old Testament. It is the desire of the writer, that as we behold, "As in a glass", (or mirror), the glory of the Lord, we may come to love Him more, and be transformed into His image. (2Cor. 3;18).

The Psalmist begins by describing the inward joy and response that filled his heart, and found its expression in the beautiful composition that follows. It is possible that David was thinking of Solomon, his own son, and Jehovah’s beloved. However the Holy Spirit who inspired David to write these words, was thinking of the Greater than Solomon, great David’s greater Son.

How precious it would be, if our hearts like that of David were constantly inditing, welling forth, with good matter. The occupation of our thoughts and affections with the Person of Christ will produce such a state.

How true is this statement! There is a personal beauty that belongs to Jesus Christ that can be seen in no other. He is absolutely unique; there is not one man in the history of this world, who can compare with Him. Many have appeared on the stage of time, some with beautiful characteristics, but all pales into insignificance when compared with our blessed Lord Jesus.

This was true during the earthly life of our Lord Jesus; it is true of Him still. The very first time He preached in the synagogue at Nazareth, (where He was brought up), the eyes of all were fixed upon Him, and they marveled at the words of grace that were coming out of His mouth. Those lips still pour out words of grace to His beloved, but suffering and sometimes discouraged people.

He speaks to us through His word. He makes it to live to us; He applies it to our circumstances, whatever they may be. My dear suffering or discouraged brother or sister, listen to His sweet voice, as He draws near to you. He will pour the abundance of His grace into your troubled soul. Hear Him say to you now, "Lo I am with you", I will never leave you or forsake you"

The grace that poured from His lips, completely disarmed those sent to "take Him ", and they returned to those who sent them saying, "Never man spoke like this man!" (John. 7;46)

These are beautiful words, spoken of the Lord Jesus as man Much that He said during His life on this earth is recorded, but all that He said is treasured up in the heart of God. The Hebrew word used here, is very interesting, it is the word "Barak", which means ‘to kneel’. It is the command given to the camel, to make it kneel so that the rider can alight. It is very beautiful to think that though the words of grace that came from the lips of the Lord Jesus brought comfort and blessing to others, (and they still do), yet now He is rewarded and blessed for all that He did and said. He is blessed forever; that is eternal blessing is His. He is blessed by God the Father. The One whose name person and nature He declared revealed and glorified here on the earth.

Verses three to five bring before us another aspect of His glory, an aspect that we do not often consider. He is told to gird His sword upon His thigh. Prophetically this passage refers to the coming day of judgment, when He will come with a great host of His angels, what Jude describes as "His holy mirriads", (Darby translation). Then He will put down and destroy all evil, prior to His coming in glory to set up His kingdom.

But it has a present application, the sword that He uses today is the ‘sword of the Spirit’ It does not inflict physical pain or suffering, but it does trouble the heart and the conscience. (Heb. 4;12-13) That sword also heals, and gives comfort to the heart and conscience of the one who responds to it.

It is the characteristic of human conquerors that they conquer by cruelty, inflicting physical and emotional suffering, and death upon those conquered. But the Lord Jesus conquers by kindness. He pursues those upon whom He sets His love, until like Saul of Tarsus, they fall under His sharp arrows of conviction, and overcome by the glory of His majesty, and by the power of His wondrous grace they cry, "Lord what wilt thou have me to do?

Saul was warned by this Conqueror, "It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks". How Paul knew it! Those pricks had been troubling his guilty conscience ever since he had seen the face of Stephen glow with heavenly light. Ever since he had listened to Stephens faithful address, as he spoke with a wisdom and spirit that they could not resist, or deny. Ever since he had as official witness beheld the brutal suffering meted out to him. Ever since he had heard that wonderful prayer, "Lord lay not this sin to their charge". The ‘pricks’, continued to pierce his hardened heart. (The sharp arrows of conviction), every time he saw the suffering of those innocent believers who he caused to suffer. Hailing them to prison, compelling them to blaspheme. Until at the height of his mad career, he was struck down by that glorious light, outside the walls of Damascus city.

As he heard that voice that he was never to forget, calling into question what he was doing, asking for a reason. "Why dost thou persecute me?". There those sharp arrows really entered his heart. He was conquered. Thereafter he became the most loving and loyal servant of the King of Kings.

Still the mighty Conqueror rides prosperously. May His holy name be glorified!

A SONG OF THE

BELOVED. (No 2).

As we turn again to Psalm 45, in verse six we find a profound statement that emphasizes the Deity of Christ, His divine greatness. Satan has challenged this and those mislead by him, for centuries. However God has taken care to preserve and to guard this truth in both Old Testament and New. Not only is He God, but also into His hands has been placed the eternal sceptre. He sits on the eternal throne of God. He reigns in perfect righteousness. He is incorruptible; His sceptre is an upright sceptre. He has not; He will not deviate from what is upright and just.

The gods of men are not like this. If you read the holy books of the Hindus, you will read many stories of the intrigue, the deviation, the injustice, the moral uncleanness of those who are called gods.

I recall meeting a former Hindu in Bangalore, India. He told me that he had read the stories of the Hindu gods, and he came to the conclusion that those gods could never save him, and to use his own words he said, "they were worse than me. How could they save me?" However when he heard about a God of righteousness, a God who hated and must judge sin, then he knew that He must be the true God.

The personal greatness of the Lord Jesus is beyond our comprehension. He said of Himself, "No one knows the Son, but the Father", (Mat. 11;27). In His person He is inscrutable, and dwells in unapproachable light. In spite of the full and wonderful revelation of Himself in manhood, yet there ever remains that which could not ever be revealed, seen or known. (1Tim.6;16) To Him be honour and eternal might!

In this verse we are shown some of the moral glories of Christ. He did what was right, not out of any sense of obligation, or duty, but because He loved it. He hated wickedness. How different to many today, who try to clothe their vile and sinful practices with a garb of respectability. So that homosexuals are no longer considered to be Sodomites, but "Gays". Immoral illicit sexual behavior is regarded as normal, and prostitution, and gambling has now become an "industry".

His divine character, shone out in His sinless manhood, and has brought a suitable reward. He is anointed with the "oil of gladness", above His fellows, (companions). The Hebrew word used here (chaber), is really companions, associates.. The word "fellows", in the English language suggests an equal. But we could never be equal with the Lord Jesus. Though through wondrous grace we are made His companions, (Heb.3;14), AV Partakers, yet He must ever be supreme He is anointed with the oil of gladness above His companions. This refers to His present position, so that whereas when here He was in a sense alone, yet now in the Glory, He has companions, the fruit of the travail of His soul. We, who are called to be His companions, love to give to Him the honour and glory that belongs rightly to Him. We are gladly in accord with what the father has done, in highly exalting Him, and crowning Him with glory and honour.

He displayed His moral worth as man, amongst men, in a scene that was full of evil and wickedness. He receives this honour and glory now as man, and receives it from the hands of God, His heavenly Father. Soon all His companions, His redeemed ones, His saints will surround Him. What joy will then be His! This was the joy that lay before Him, for which He endured the cross, and despised the shame. Heb. 12;2.

Garments are that in which a person is seen, and in this verse represent the perfect, fragrant personal character of Christ. J.N.Darby reads, "myrrh, aloes, cassia, are all thy garments, as though His garments are interwoven fragrance.

This is the fragrant gum of a tree, and is produced by injuring the bark. It speaks in the scripture of suffering love. This shone out in the perfect life of Christ from birth to death. It was displayed in the way that He entered into the sorrows of others. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.

There are two kinds of this fragrance, one is the gum of the leaves of a tree, and is very bitter, (bitter aloes), the other is the inner bark of a tree. Aloes thus suggest the fragrance that the suffering of Christ produced. It brought out all that was in Him, all of which was absolutely fragrant and perfect.

Cassia:

Like aloes, was the crushed inner bark of a tree, very similar to cinnamon. This has both fragrance & taste. Thus the scripture says, "O taste and see that the Lord is good", Psalm 34;8.

All these fragrances were manifested in the perfect life of Christ, both for the pleasure and glory of God, and also to thrill the hearts of the lovers of Christ.

With ivory there is the suggestion of perfect purity, (because of its pure white colour), and the inference of extreme suffering. Ivory cannot be obtained without the death of the elephant. The dwelling place of the saints of God, is a place of perfect holiness, secured through the suffering and death of our blessed Savior. From within the palace comes the sweet music of praise. The symphony of adoration, as the believers are led and filled by the Holy Spirit of God. Eph. 5;18-20.

The psalmist now displays the character of those who are attracted to the King. Every child of God, is a person of royal birth. Rev. 1;5-6, and 5;10. All by virtue of their birth and character set forth the glory of the Beloved. The King of Kings

How marvelous is the grace of God that has secured all this, and exalted His holy Son forever!

A SONG OF THE

BELOVED. (No. 3).

While the honourable women, represent the saints of the Church individually, the Queen represents the Church viewed as an entity, as another has said, ‘a corporate person before God’

Though the Psalm is principally about the Beloved, the King of Kings, yet it clearly shows that He has a consort who is in every way suited to Him. "A helpmeet His like". The Queen is seen standing by the side of the King. This is the place that the Church will occupy when Christ the King, comes to reign.

Christ is said to be head over all things to the Church, which is Body, and that she is His fullness, He the One who fills all in all. Eph. 1;20-23. In the epistle to the Ephesians, Paul brings out in a unique way, the glory of Christ, and the Church. It is there that he reveals the mystery that had not previously been made known to the sons of men, but had been hidden throughout the ages in God. Though Christ must always be ever supreme, yet His Church, that He loved, and gave Himself for, is a suitable consort, and companion for Him, to rejoice His heart both through the Millennial reign, and in eternity!

She stands on His right hand, the place of prominence and power. She is clothed in ‘gold of Ophir’. Gold in scripture speaks of deity, or what is divine. The Hebrew word for Gold, comes from a root that means ‘that which shines, or shimmers’ as though there is a mystery about it, something that cannot be understood. The Queen is arrayed in the finest gold, the ‘gold of Ophir’. Though the Church never partakes of Deity, yet she is covered with that which speaks of the Glory of God. She is the "Fullness of Him who fills all in all".

Here we have a challenge to the individual believer. Each of us has had a past history. There are many things that clamor for our loyalty and affection. The challenge is "forget thine own people". There are national claims, for each of us are expected to have a certain love and loyalty for our nation, however the claims of our King, our Beloved, must supersede all such claims. It reminds us of Ruth, who said to Naomi, "Thy people shall be my people".

"And thy father’s house". This comes even closer, as the natural, the family tie; family love and loyalty are very strong. We are commanded to love father & mother, but our love for Christ must be much greater. Schofield makes the comment that our love for Christ must be such that our love for father & mother seems like hatred, by comparison. Our Beloved must come first, "in all things He must have the pre-eminence".

Such devotion brings a reward; it leads to a life of intimacy, of sweet close fellowship with our Beloved. Let us respond to this challenge, by putting the Lord Jesus first in our affections, in all things. It also draws admiration from others. The daughter of Tyre, is the commercial system of this world, It is an attempt to bribe, to corrupt the affections of the lover of Christ. How many an outstanding believer has been lured and tempted by what the world offers. Its riches, its fame have succeeded in drawing some of the most devoted away from Him. Let us beware!

Here is a final view of the Church as she is presented to Christ. It is the typical anticipation of what we read in Eph. 5;27. The Church, the Bride of Christ, finally presented to Himself, "without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing." Here the King’s Daughter, is said to be "All glorious within". This may mean that she is inwardly glorious, or it may mean ‘within the royal apartments’. For the Church the special apartment prepared by our Beloved is in the Father’s house. It is there that we will enjoy the very nearest place to Christ, "That where I am there you may be also". John 14;3. Her clothing is of wrought gold, this we have discussed earlier.

Here is the moment of presentation; it is also described in Revelation 19;6-8. There the Bride has made herself ready, and she comes to the marriage clothed in fine linen, clean and white, which we are told is the righteousness of the saints. The practical results of righteous lives, lived in a defiled and defiling world. There we are told of the blessedness of those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. These are the saints of preceding ages, and the ages that follow the Church’s translation. In this psalm they are described as virgins, and companions of the King’s daughter. This grand occasion is one of the greatest joy and gladness. John the Baptist spoke of himself as the ‘friend of the Bridegroom’. He rejoiced in anticipation of the Bridegroom receiving His Bride. His joy will be so much greater when an invited guest he is present at the marriage supper of the Lamb.

There have been some most outstanding people amongst the sons of God, who have lived and died for Christ in this world. Those who have suffered with Him, shall also reign with Him. As prices they shall rule in judgement, with the King who shall reign in righteousness. What a glorious day that will be!

What joy and pleasure the Lord Jesus has brought to His heavenly Father1 Such is His delight in His Son, whom He has crowned with glory and honour, that He has decreed that His precious name will never be forgotten. It will be remembered in every age and all those who love that name will never cease to praise and worship Him. This is our privilege now, right here in the scene where men said, "When shall He die, and His name perish". What a glorious privilege is ours, may we make use of it more and more!