Preached on Sabbath, 23rd October, 1966, at a communion in Auckland, New Zealand.
Continued from page 40 of the last issue.
Text: Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon. He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem. Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart, (Song of Solomon 3:9-11).
In the previous part of the sermon the preacher said: “It is clear that in the Song of Solomon a greater than Solomon is brought before us: even the New Testament Solomon, the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom King Solomon was a type… We believe that the chariot in our text may be described as the chariot of salvation which Christ prepared for lost sinners. No other chariot can bring us safely to Immanuel’s land but the chariot of His preparing.
“First, we may consider the need for preparing such a chariot; secondly, what is said about the making of the chariot; and thirdly, the invitation that is given…”
Editor
Thirdly, we shall notice the invitation that is given in connection with this chariot.
Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold King Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.” Now it is evident that it is Christ’s church, His spouse, His people, who are in the chariot and are giving this invitation to the daughters of Zion to go forth, and behold Christ when He is passing by in the chariot of the everlasting gospel.
In connection with those in the chariot, we may notice what is written about Noah and the ark. The ark is another type of Christ and the salvation that is to be found in Him. As there was no safety for Noah but in the ark of God’s providing so there is no safety for us, nor hope of making heaven of it, but to be found in the chariot of salvation. We read that the Lord closed Noah into the ark.
First, Noah was closed in to the warning that God gave him of the judgement that He was to bring upon that generation for their sins. So it is true that those in the chariot have by the teaching of God the Holy Spirit, been first closed in to the conviction that their sins deserve eternal death, and that in themselves they are hell-deserving sinners. Their confession is, (and David was in the chariot of salvation when he made the same confession), “If thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?” They confess, “O Lord, although my iniquity would not break out into actual sin, thou lookest upon the heart and knowest the abominations that are there.” With the Psalmist they must say,
“Thy servant also bring thou not,
in judgement to be try’d:
Because no living man can be,
in thy sight justify’d.”
But they also acknowledge that just as Noah was closed into the ark, so they were closed in to Christ, and closed in to the salvation that is in Him, as their only hope for time and eternity. Like another they must say,
“I’m a poor sinner and nothing at all,
but Jesus Christ is my all and in all.”
They are poor sinners in themselves but are closed in with their understandings, their consciences and their wills to God’s way of salvation by Christ. They desire no other way of salvation, but are willing to be saved in the way that He has set forth in His truth so that He would have the glory. Their confession is, “Shame and confusion of face belongeth unto us, but glory belongeth unto thee.”
“Not unto us, Lord, not to us,
but do thou the glory take.”
They are closed in to Christ as their only hope because “there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” The language of their souls is, “To whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.”
Now, this is the fruit of grace and of regeneration in the soul. Some may be able to tell when they were closed in to condemnation: that was made clear to them, as in the case of the Philippian jailor. But those in the chariot were closed in to the Saviour also. However secret the work may be, this is the two-fold evidence of persons being in the chariot and under the shelter of the blood. On the one hand they believe what the Lord declares, “O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself,” and like the publican they take the blame and the guilt to themselves. On the other hand they are closed in to the One who says, “In me is thine help.”
“Our sure and all-sufficient help
is in JEHOVAH’s name;
His name who did the heav’n create,
and who the earth did frame.”
They are closed into Christ, and do not seek to cover themselves with the fig leaves of their own works of righteousness. They believe that nothing else can cover them, but that they be found in Christ, in the chariot, and under the shelter of His atoning blood. They are closed into Him as their only hope.
Furthermore, they are betrothed to Him. They prove that they are betrothed to Him by their seeking to be obedient to Him. As the wife is to be obedient to her husband and as the church is obedient to Christ, so they seek to show obedience to Him. It is their desire to walk in obedience to His revealed will. “If ye love me,” Christ says, “keep my commandments,” and it is their desire that they will be found running in the way of His commandments.
By being obedient to His rule they put the crown on His head. The invitation is, “Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him.” The word “mother” is just another name for His people. Christ says, “Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” And this is the will of God: that we should believe in the name of His Son whom He has sent.
It is also the desire of those in the chariot to put the crown of their salvation upon Christ’s head. They do indeed put the crown of their salvation upon His head. They are not putting the crown of their salvation on their own heads, but are taking a low place at His footstool, confessing, “Shame and confusion of face belongeth unto us, but glory belongs to thee.” The church (spoken of in the text as Christ’s “mother”, “sister” and “spouse” in order to show how great is the love between Christ and her) shall be putting the crown of her salvation upon Him through endless ages. Her song shall be, “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”
They crown Him in His offices as prophet, priest and king. They crown Him as the Prophet by accepting what He has revealed in the Scriptures, and submit to that revelation. They do not sit in judgement upon the word of God, but seek that the word would judge them. They put the crown upon Christ’s head in acknowledging that He is “the faithful and true witness” and that His word is truth. They put the crown on His head as their Priest; the One who offered the necessary sacrifice for their sins when He offered Himself without spot unto God; the only one who can cleanse them from their sins. Also, they put the crown upon Him as their King; the One who subdues their enemies; the One who reigns in them and over them, and makes them loyal and faithful subjects to Himself in their day and generation.
Now, the desire of those in the chariot with regard to others outwith the chariot is that they would be saved. “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.” Their desire is that others would go forth to “behold king Solomon.” In giving this invitation, “Go forth,” the church is bringing before the daughters of Zion, that is, before sinners in the visible church, that this is the day of Christ’s espousals, the day in which He is betrothing sinners to Himself. Now is the day of salvation! Now is the accepted time! This is the day in which Christ is making an offer of marriage to your own soul. Should you be the blackest sinner out of hell, you are among the sinners in the visible church to whom the gospel comes. This is the day in which He is betrothing sinners to Himself, and is saying to you, “And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgement, and in loving kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness; and thou shalt know the Lord.” This is part of the gospel that His church proclaims: “This is the day of Christ’s espousals,” and, “This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them.”
May you, sinner, be found this day giving a bill of divorcement to every other lover that will bring your soul to hell. May you be receiving Christ in the offer of the everlasting gospel, when He is offering to betroth you to Himself. If you reject that offer you shall have an eternity of weeping and wailing in hell, to bewail the sin of rejecting the Christ of God in the free offer of the everlasting gospel. The Lord will hold you responsible for your rejection of Christ. Your rejection of Him is your sin and guilt, and Christ Himself says that for that rejection you shall be damned. Heed the church giving the invitation to sinners and saying, “This is the day of his espousals; the day in which He is receiving and betrothing sinners to Himself.”
In giving the invitation she also says that it is “the day of the gladness of his heart.” This is what His heart is set on and what He says upon His oath, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” It is the day of the gladness of His heart, the day of salvation. The church is making known not only Christ’s power to save, but also His willingness to save. She says, “Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him,” that is, wherewith she herself, the church, crowned Him. In putting the crown of her salvation upon His head she is saying in effect, “Ah, when Christ saves such a sinner as I am, there is hope for any sinner. You go forth! Go forth from the ways of sin. Go forth from the ways of the world. I was enabled by grace to put the crown of salvation upon His head. When He has saved me, He shows that there is hope for every other sinner.” On His head there are many crowns; multitudes of sinners in every age and generation have put the crown of their salvation upon Christ’s head. Therefore go forth, O ye daughters of Zion. Go forth! The way is open! This is the day of Christ’s espousals, the day of the gladness of His heart. The church is testifying to what the Lord did for herself, just as the woman of Samaria did when she crowned Him. She put the crown of salvation upon His head, and gave Him all the glory, saying, “Come see a man that told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?”
Would not this communion Sabbath day, in which Christ’s death is to be commemorated, be a day to be remembered if your own soul was betrothed to Christ? Instead of being lead and deluded by Satan and allured to everlasting destruction by the things of this world, may you hear the glad tiding of salvation and the joyful sound of the everlasting gospel. May you comply with the invitation of the church in the text: “Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.” The Spirit and the bride are saying to you, “Come!” “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
This question was put to others: “How long halt ye between two opinions?” How long do you, sinner, hesitate between two opinions? When God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost, and the church that He hath purchased by His blood, are appealing to you to go forth from the ways of sin and the world, and to behold king Solomon, may you go to Him as the leper of old did, crying, “Lord if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.” The leper believed in His power, but Christ made known to him His willingness also, for He said, “I will; be thou clean.” This is the day, says the church, of His espousals, and the day of the gladness of His heart. She mentions both His power and His willingness. “Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.” Today, after so long a time of rejecting Christ in the gospel, today if ye will hear his voice, then harden not your hearts, but give ear to what God the Lord doth speak:
“O daughter, hearken and regard,
and do thine ear incline;
Likewise forget thy father’s house,
and people that are thine.
Then of the king desired shall be
thy beauty veh’mently:
Because he is thy Lord, do thou
him worship rev’rently.”
How can you, sinner, leave this solemn service rejecting the Christ of God. What guilt! what fearful guilt you are bringing upon yourself by rejecting Him. You are still in the room of mercy, while millions of others are now in hell. Archibald Cook, a godly minister in Scotland, said, “There are millions in hell who would give all that they ever saw, for one other offer of Christ.” But there are no other offers of Christ or of salvation in a lost eternity.
It is in virtue of this chariot of salvation that He made, that he is able to save to the uttermost, and that such an offer and invitation is extended in the everlasting gospel to us as sinners today. “Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.”
May He bless His truth.