The Pulpit Commentary — Song of Songs — Section 93

lime dangerous from bands of brigands. The king had cared for the safety of the bride ; the escort was not given her merely for honour. So now the Lord giveth his angel8 charge over his people to keep (to guard) them in all their ways; so now "the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them" (Ps. xci. 11 ; xxxiv. 7). They" shall not be afraid for the terror by night" (Ps. xci. 5), for "they that be with us are more than they" that be agai11st us (2 Kin<>"s vi. 16). 'l'he ~ascription of the armed guard re~inds us that we too have to fight the good fight of faith, that we have to wrestle "agarnst the world-rulers of this darkness, ao-ainst the spiritual hosts of wicke?ness "_(Eph. vi. _12). We have to take to ourselves th~ panoply of God, the armour of hght; hke the mighty men of Israel who guarded the bride, wa must take" the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God." 'l'hat sword will save us from the" fear of the night," because it is "through patience and comfort of the Scriptures" that we have hope (Rom. xv. 4). Thus the Holy Scriptures are not only the sword of the Spirit; they furnish us also with hope, the hope of salvation, which is the helmet of the Christian warrior. To gain that sword and that helmet we must study the Word of God in faith; that living faith which (tit. Paul tells us) is the shield whereby we may "quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." If we do our part, quitting ourselves like men, fighting manfully under the banner of the cross, we need fear no evil. Our angel-guard, sent forth because of them that shall be heirs of salvation, called in Holy Scripture "their angels," because they have charge over them, as well as God's angels, because he is their God and King, will ever encamp around us and keep us till we appear before God in Zion. II. THE KING GOES FOBTH TO MEET THE BRIDE. I. The chariot of the king. The bride approaches in a litter sent for her by the king. Solomon himself goes forth to receive her in his car of state. He had had it made according to his own plans, with that artistic skill and magnificence which were characteristic of him. l t was made of the fragrant and imperishable cedar-wood brought from Lebanon, the country of the bride. Its decorations were of the richest-gold and silver, and the costly Tyrian purple; in the midst was a tesselated pavement, a gift of love from the daughters of Jerusalem. The bride, the Lamb's wife, shall have the glory of God (Rev. xxi. 9, 11). When she is" prepared as a bride adorned for her husband," then, we are told, "the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God" (Rev. xxi. 3). When Christ, the true Solomon, the Prince of Peace, shall bring his bride, the Church, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the foundation of peace, he will manifest himself to her in his glory. Now he is interceding for us, that then we may be with him where he is, that we may behold his glory. Then, if we a.re his indeed, we shall see him as he is, and shall be made like unto him (1 John iii. 2). It was a great thing for the poor bride from the Lebanon to be brought into the court of the king whose magnificence filled the Qneen of Sheba with wonder and delight. But "eye bath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God bath prepared for them that love him" (1 Cor. iL 9). None can tell the blessedness of those happy souls who, having washed their robes and ma.de them white in the blood of the Lamb, " shall see the King in his beauty" (Isa. xxxiii. 17); shall sit with him in his throne amid the glories of the golden city; shall see his face, and his Name shall be in their foreheads. Heart of man cannot conceive the exceeding great joy of that moment of most entrancing bliss, wheu the heavenly Bridegroom shall bring home the Church, his bride. King Solomon issued out of Jerusalem in royal pomp to meet his betrothed. When the ma.1Tiage of the Lamb is come, "the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which a.re a.live and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thess. iv. 16, 17). 2. ThB glory ana great joy of the king. The chorus calls upon the daughters of Zion to go forth and see the splendour of the royal espousals. King Solomon has brought home his bride ; his heart is glad ; his mother has crowned him with the royal diadem; he is happy in the lovo of his bride. The Prophet Isaiah comforts Zion with the blessed promises that "as the bride- groom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee." "Thou shalt no longer be termed Forsaken ; neither sh11ll thy land any more be termed Desolate: but. BONG OF SOLOMON, U  82 THE SONG 01<' SOLOMON. [cu. m. l•-11. ----- ------------------------------ ihou sbalt bc~al_led Hephzi-bah ['my delight is in her'], and thy land Beulah[' married 'J: for ibe Lord dch,z;htelh in thee, and thy land shall be married" (Isn. !xii. 4, 5). So the Lord "Christ loved the Church, and gave himself for her; that he mighL sanctify a:nd cle11nse her with the washing of water by the Word,' that he might present her to hirn~elf a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrink\e,'or any such thing; but that she ~hould be holy and without blemish" (Eph. v. 25-27). It was for the joy set before him that Christ endured the cross (Heb. xii. 2). 'l'he Lord bringeth home the lost sheep rejoicing. He sailh, "Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep tho.t was lost." "Rejoice with me!" And they do rejoice, the Saviour of the world and the holy.angels round his throne. The Lord's exceeding great love for our poor dying souls makes the salvation of those souls very precious in his sight. Nothing can show the depth and tenderness of the blessed love with which he yearned for our salvation except the great agouy of Gethsemane, the awful anguish of the cross. Therefore the day. of the resurrection of the blessed will be a day of joy in heaven. "Let us be glad, and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife bath made herself ready " (Rev. xix. 7). He is King of kings, and Lord of lords ; on his head are lllany crowns (Ilev. xix. 12, 16). His virgin-mother saw him once wearing the crown of thorns; now be wears the crown of boundless sovereignty. He had come down from heaven to seek his bride; now she is with him in his glory. '' He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied" (Isa. !iii. 11).