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“Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?”
Song of Solomon vii.5
The one here spoken of is evidently the Bride of the Lamb, the Church of Christ. She is described as “coming up from the wilderness”. This, then, is the proper description ofourselves, as believers. And what abundant cause for thankfulness there is in this one fact, that weare in the wilderness! For if it were not so, we should still belong to this present world, which is under condemnation. If we were notin the wilderness, we should know nothing of redemption -of the forgiveness of our sins -we should not be united to Christ -we should have no hope of seeing Him and being like Him and with Him for ever.
It is, then, a matter of exceeding thankfulness, and on it our hearts should continually dwell, -that, by God’s grace,wearebrought into the wilderness, -that we are no longer “dead in trespasses and sins”, no longerofthe world, but that we have been forgiven, and are united to the living Lord Jesus, the Head of the new creation!But this wilderness position, whileit brings with it such exceeding great blessings and privileges, has, also, itsdifficultiesandtrialsin connexion with this life.The fact of Israel being broughtinto the wildernessmarked them as those who had before them the hope of the land.
They had been delivered from Egypt and were looking forward to Canaan which God had given them for a possession; but, they were notyetin theland. They were stillinthe wilderness, and had to experience its difficulties and trials. So with us. Because we areinthewilderness, we have before us the bright, blessed, and glorious prospect of the Father’s House; the full enjoyment of all those blessings which are promised to His children, the certainty of being conformed to the likeness of God’s dear Son; of seeing Jesus and being like Him. And, after all,thisis thechiefblessedness, -notthat we shall wear acrown, andreignwith Jesus, blessed as that will be; but, above all blessingsthisis the greatest that we shall be perfectly free from sin, absolutely and perfectly conformed to the image of Jesus in purity and holiness.But this blessedness we have not yet inactual possession; byfaithit is ours, and we have now,by faith, toliveupon it; but the time is coming when all these things will beactually enjoyedby the very weakest, and feeblest, and least instructed of the children of God! It iscertain! No power of darkness will be able finally to hinder this.
As surely as we put our trust in the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins, soassuredly all these blessings will be ours!It is further said “Who is this thatcometh up fromthe wilderness”. Now, here isprogress. The Church is not represented asremainingin the wilderness, but as “coming up from it”. This implies, that, as the days and months pass on, we do not remainstationary. Theappearance, outwardly, indeed may be, that we are, on the 14th May 1871, just where we were on the 7th May 1871, -or even just where we were on the 14th May 1870, but itis notreallyso; -No! we are a week, or a year, as the case may be, nearer theend of the wilderness. How exceedingly precious it is to think, as the sun once more sets, or as the clock strikes one more hour, now I am a day, -an hour nearer my Heavenly home!
These are, indeed, simple truths, but it is the seeking to enter into these asrealitiesthat brings blessing to the soul! Verily I amnot remainingin the wilderness, (our souls should say) but I am now again one week nearer the Father’s House! Thus we should seek to stir up our own hearts, and thus we should seek to encourage the hearts of one another in God.
“Cometh up” -the progress is madestep by step, -and so you and I are so many steps nearer home than when last we met; and how soon, how very soon, we may take thelaststep, and find ourselves out of the wilderness, and in that blessedhome!.
But what in themeantime? The Church is here described as “leaning on her beloved”. She has aFriend! -a Friend who provide His love by laying down His life for her. None other this than the precious Lord Jesus; that blessed One who loved us from eternity; that blessed One through whosebloodwe have been made clean from our sins. The Friend “who loveth at all times”, and this Friend an almighty Friend, the Creator of the universe, and the One who wasbeforeall things!
We see, also, that she had not onlytakenHis arm, but sheleanedupon it. We all know that the first may be done without the second. Even awifemaytake the arm of her husband,nottoobtainsupport for herself, but ifheis in a weakly and feeble state, she may take his arm really to help and supporthim; buthereis an arm brought before us -always strong, powerful, almighty -an arm on which we mayalwayslean, without fear ofwearyingit. And not only has this arm almighty and enduring strength, but think of theheartwhich is connected with this arm -so loving, so tender, so faithful! Oh, what a Friend!
Now, beloved in Christ, do weleanupon this arm? When the difficulties and trials come, when the perplexities arise in our path, do weleanupon this strong and loving arm? This is just the point. It is just in the measure that we are enabled so to do that we shall be able to endure.
Let me affectionately ask, “Did we lean on this arm during the week that is past, and so lean as to obtain spiritual sustainment?” And let us, now, during the week on which we have entered, seek to aim after this. These words, that we have been considering, are not a merephrasewithout any particular meaning; but the Holy Ghost means to teach us, by this image, that, inthe midstof our trials and difficulties, we should, day by day,provethe strength of the arm of Jesus; and let us remember thatHeis the one to whom has “been given the tongue of the learned that He should know how to speak the word in season to him that is weary”. Let us seek to prove more His power and love, and we shall find that it is not in vain that lean uponthat Arm!
