Song of Solomon 6

Song of Solomon 6:1-3

Where is Christ to be found?Son 6:1-3“Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee. My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.) I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.” It is written, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” But before any sinner can or will call upon the name of the Lord in true faith and be saved at least three things must take place.

1. Before any man can or will trust Christ and be saved he must hear the gospel of the grace of God (Romans 10:14-17). It is not enough that he hear and understand the religious opinions of men. He must hear the gospel! Martin Luther was exactly right when he said this passage of Scripture presents us with four impossibilities: (1.) It is impossible for a man to call on Christ unless he believes on Christ. (2.) It is impossible for a man to believe on Christ unless he has heard of Christ, unless he has heard the gospel of Christ. (3.) It is impossible for a man to hear of Christ without a preacher. And (4.) it is impossible for a man to preach Christ, truly to preach Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, unless he is sent of God to do so. No one ever has been saved and no one ever will be saved apart from hearing the gospel of the grace of God in Christ preached by a man who is sent of God. But what is the gospel? It is the good news of effectual atonement and accomplished redemption in Christ. The only true gospel is that gospel which answers the question – “How can God be just and justify the ungodly?” There is but one gospel. And that gospel is the gospel of Christ’s substitutionary, effectual redemption. The only way God can be both just and the Justifier of the ungodly, “a just God and a Savior” (Isaiah 45:20), is by the substitutionary sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, that sacrifice by which the Son of God fully satisfied all the claims of divine justice in the room and stead of his people.
2. Before any person can or will believe on Christ and be saved he must be regenerated by the grace and power of God the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:1-9). Faith, like all other graces is the gift of God. Faith is not the cause, but the result of the new birth. While we recognize that no man in the Bible is to be looked upon as having eternal life until he has faith in Christ, we also recognize that before any sinner can or will have true faith he must be given life by the sovereign power of God the Holy Spirit. Regeneration is a resurrection from the dead. It is a new creation of life. The new birth is an implanting of a new heart and a new nature. It is not the work of man, but the work of God (John 1:12-13).
3. Before anyone can or will come to Christ, calling upon him in true faith, before any man can be saved the gospel of the grace and glory of God must be revealed in his heart (2 Corinthians 4:6; Matthew 16:17). The only way any person can ever know and understand the gospel is if God himself reveals the gospel (John 3:3; John 16:8-11). In the passage now before us, the daughters of Jerusalem had heard of Christ. Though he was revealed only under the types and shadows of the Old Testament, they had heard him well described by one who knew him and loved him. They heard of the excellency of his character. They heard of the efficacy of his work. They heard of the exceeding greatness of his love. They had heard of Christ; and that which they heard created in their hearts a desire to know Christ for themselves. So we see these daughters of Jerusalem asking where they might find the Lord. “Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? Whither is thy beloved turned aside? That we may seek him with thee.” Where is Christ to be found? That is the question I want to answer in this chapter. No question could be of greater importance to eternity bound sinners.

This I know—“The Lord is good to them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him (Lamentations 3:25). Are you seeking him? Those who seek the Lord feel their need of him. They seek him earnestly, with all their hearts. Those who truly seek the Lord shall find him (Jeremiah 29:13). And those who seek the Lord must seek him in the place where he is most likely to be found.

If we would know Christ and worship him, we must seek him; and it is wise to seek him in the place where he is likely to be found. A very earnest question Here is a very earnest question. – “Whither is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee” (Son 6:1). Here the daughters of Jerusalem, being anxious about their souls and anxious to know Christ, asked for help. They came to one who knew the Lord, and said, “Where can we find him?” They are like those Greeks who came to Philip, and said, “Sir, we would see Jesus.” Really, the question is this. —Where can we find that Beloved One in whom sinners are accepted, justified, and forgiven? Where can we find that One who is so great and yet so gracious? Where can we find this Friend of sinners? What inspired the daughters of Jerusalem to ask this question? They saw and recognized the blessedness of the Lord’s people. They call the church of God the “fairest among women.” They heard the faithful testimony of a believer about Christ. Though in this particular place, the Lord’s church was much to be blamed; (Her sin and neglect were great. Her heart was greatly troubled.), yet she had born loving and faithful witness to Christ. It is as though she had said, “Though I do not now enjoy his presence and a sense of communion with him, I can speak of him.

I can talk of my Beloved;” and she did. She plainly declared what she had seen and heard, tasted and experienced of the Savior’s love and grace (1 John 1:1-3).Truly, there is no better medicine for a despondent heart than to talk of Christ. There is no better cure for spiritually troubled believers than to talk of Christ. Believers may not always sense his presence, but we can always talk about him. And those who speak of him with love and faith will not be long kept from his fellowship. (See Son 6:4-9). Why did the daughters of Jerusalem ask this question? We are told plainly that they wanted Christ for themselves. —“That we may seek him with thee.” Theirs was not an idle curiosity about religion. They wanted Christ. They were determined to find him. It is as though they said, “If there is such a God and Savior as this, we cannot rest until we find him. We must have him. Without him, we will surely perish! We are resolved, we are determined to have Christ.

Wealth and honor we disdain, earthly comforts all are vain; These can never satisfy, give us Christ, or else we die!” A very confident answer In Son 6:2 the Lord’s redeemed gives a very confident answer to the daughters of Jerusalem. —“My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.” Here the spouse, the church, the child of God was given yet another opportunity to speak of her Beloved. While she was pointing the daughters of Jerusalem to Christ, she was also ministering to her own heart. Though she had, for the time being, lost the sense of his presence by her own slothfulness, she now speaks very confidently. She says, “I know where he is. I know where the Lord reveals himself. I know where he is to be found.” And then she shows them. —“My Beloved is gone down into his garden.” Though this text speaks of Christ coming down to his garden to visit his people with grace and mercy, he has now gone up to heaven, the garden of God, where he sits upon the throne of universal dominion (Hebrews 10:12). Do any ask, “Where is Christ to be found?” The Lord Jesus Christ is to be found in the midst of his church and people. He had said, “I am come into my garden” (Son 5:1). And now, the spouse seems to say, “How foolish I have been, fretting and worrying myself about where to find him, seeking him where he is not to be found. He told me where he is. He is in his garden!” His garden is the church considered as a whole. The beds of spices and the smaller gardens may refer to the many congregations of the Lord’s people. The spices and the lilies may be taken to refer to individual believers. The church is the Lord’s garden. He bought it with his blood. He encloses it with his providence. He plants it by his grace. He protects it by his power. And he dwells there. Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ dwells in the midst of his people. He is always with his beloved (Matthew 18:20; Matthew 28:20; Philippians 4:5). The Son of God still walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks (Revelation 1:9-20). If you are interested in your immortal soul, if you seek the Lord, you must not neglect the public assembly of his people to worship him and hear his Word. More often than not, when the Lord intends to save one of his sheep, he causes that sheep to gather with his people in the house of worship. What is the Lord doing in his garden? There, in the assembly of his saints, he feeds his flock by the ministry of the Word. He has chosen pastors according to his own heart, who feed his sheep with knowledge and understanding (Jeremiah 3:15; Acts 20:28; John 21:15-17; Ephesians 4:8-16). He also feeds himself in his garden. That is to say, he gathers the products of his own grace in his people and finds satisfaction and pleasure in the fruit of his own labor. “The Lord taketh pleasure in those that fear him.” Matthew Henry said, “He has many gardens, many particular churches of different sizes and shapes; but while they are his, he feeds in them all, manifests himself among them, and is well-pleased with them.” The Lord Jesus gathers lilies in his garden, lilies with which he is pleased to entertain and adorn himself. Of course, these lilies are his own people, the flowers of his grace and mercy. There was a great gathering of his lilies, his elect people, by his death upon the cross (Ephesians 2:4-6; John 11:51-52). Today, by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit, through the ministry of the gospel, Christ is still gathering his lilies. He gathers his lilies from his garden when he calls them up to glory. Soon he is coming to gather all of his lilies (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

One of the old writers said, “He picks the lilies one by one, and gathers them to himself. And there will be a general harvest of them in the great day, when he will send forth his angels, to gather all his lilies, that he may be forever glorified and admired in them.” A very comforting assurance In verse three, the church, the bride of Christ speaks a word of very comforting assurance to her own heart.—“I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.” Though the Lord has withdrawn from her the sense and manifestation of his presence, she was comforted by faith in his Word. She was assured of her relationship with him, because she knew it depended not upon her faithfulness but his faithfulness. She says, “I am my Beloved’s; and my Beloved is mine: He feedeth among the lilies.” In spite of her own sin, negligence, and unbelief, she expresses three things about which she was sure. From these she draws great comfort. First, she says, “I am my Beloved’s.” She had acted shamefully toward him. Therefore, in love he chastened her for a while. But she knew that her standing was not upon her works, but upon his works. Her acceptance was not by works, but by grace. Therefore, she takes a fresh hold upon that firm and everlasting covenant, which stands unbroken in spite of our many sins (Psalms 89:30-35). She says, “I am,” even now, “My Beloved’s.” Let every believer look upon Christ with such confident faith, knowing our own sin and corruption, and declare, “I am my Beloved’s by an eternal gift, by a loving election, by a special redemption, and by a distinguishing grace. Yes, I am his! Nothing that I have done or ever shall do can change that fact.” What comfort there is in such an assurance! Second, she declares, “my Beloved is mine!” This is even better. Since Christ is mine, I neither want nor need anything else. He is all I need. Here is the glory and beauty of faith. It believes Christ, even when he is not seen and his presence is not felt. Child of God, your salvation depends not upon feeling or experience, but upon Christ! He is yours, because the Father gave him to you. He is yours, because he swore that he would be. He said, “I will be for thee.” He is yours, because he revealed himself to you. He is yours, because you trust him, because he gives you faith to trust him. Third, she says, “He feedeth among the lilies.” She seems to be saying, “I know that Christ is mine and that I am his. And I know that he feeds among the lilies. He meets with his people in his garden, talks with them, and communes with them, and reveals himself to them. Therefore, I know if I am in his garden when he comes among his lilies, I will meet with him again.” Let us ever rest confidently upon our great Savior’s covenant faithfulness (2 Samuel 23:5). And let us ever cherish the privilege of gathering with his saints in his garden, where he still “feedeth among the lilies” (Hebrews 10:25).

Song of Solomon 6:4-10

Five pictures of the churchSon_6:4-10“Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners. Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead. Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.) As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks. There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number. My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her. Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?” In these verses our Lord Jesus describes his church as he sees it, and as it truly is. When I use this term, “the church,” I mean the people of God, not a physical building, not a religious denomination, not even a local assembly, but the whole company of God’s elect, in heaven and in earth, all who have been saved, are saved, and shall yet be saved by the grace of God. Using this term, “the church,” in this way, I am using it in the way Paul did when he said, “Christ loved the church and gave himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25). It is the church universal Paul speaks of when he says that Christ has been made “the Head over all things to the church” (Ephesians 1:22). This is “the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). It is the church universal our Lord Jesus Christ spoke of when he said, “Upon this Rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). I stress this because many fail to understand that God’s church is one, that the body and bride of Christ is one, and that our Lord’s one body and church is made up of all his elect. All of God’s true people, considered as one, make up the church, the universal body and bride of Christ. All of God’s elect, all true believers of every age and every place make up the church of Christ.

“Elect from every nation, Yet one o’er all the earth: Her charter of salvation, One Lord, one faith, one birth.”

The church did not begin with Paul, it did not begin with Peter, and it did not begin with John the Baptist. The church did not begin at Pentecost, or at Calvary. The church of our Lord Jesus Christ began with Adam. The earliest worshippers in the church of our Lord were Adam and Eve, and their Son, Abel. And the church of Christ will be complete when the last of God’s elect has been regenerated and united to Christ by faith. When the last sheep has been brought into the fold, the fold will be complete, and the Shepherd will be satisfied. See that you understand what I am saying. The church is the body and bride of Christ; and all who are in Christ are in the church. All who were chosen in Christ are in the church. All who were redeemed in Christ are in the church. All who were justified in Christ are in the church. All who are regenerated in Christ are in the church. All who are preserved in Christ are in the church. All who shall be raised with Christ are in the church. If you and I are in Christ we are in that church which is his body. If we are saved by the grace of God we are members of the Lord’s church; and we are members in good standing. Our heavenly Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ gives us five pictures of the church. He describes the church as he sees it. He tells us what his church truly is. And what our Lord here says of the church collectively is true of all believers individually. Because of her sinful neglect, the Lord had temporarily withdrawn from his church the sense of his manifest presence (Son 5:2-6). Though she did not have the comforting sense of his presence, she cherished him in her heart and held him by faith (Son 5:9 to Son 6:3). She was in great sorrow, because of the Lord’s absence. But she never ceased to love him. And she never ceased to believe him. She rested her soul upon Christ alone, not upon her own feelings and experiences (Son 6:3).

Being confident of his love, mercy, grace, and faithfulness, she sings, even in her low condition, “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies.” In this passage, our Lord graciously reveals himself again to his church to comfort and assure her again of his mercy, love, and grace. Here he graciously assures us of his love for us, and our acceptance with him by giving us five pictures of his church as he sees us. An army First, the church of Christ is an army in this world. —“Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners" (Son 6:4). “Tirzah” was a city in the tribe of Manasseh. It means “pleasant and acceptable.” “Jerusalem” is the city of God. It is symbolically a type of the church (Galatians 4:26; Hebrews 12:22). Believers in this world are soldiers enlisted in an army (Ephesians 6:10-20). We are soldiers in the territory of a hostile enemy. Our banner is the glorious gospel of Christ, Christ crucified, Christ himself (Isaiah 11:12). Christ, our Mighty Captain, has given us our marching orders (Matthew 28:18-20). It is our responsibility to march against the very gates of hell, conquering the world for our King by the gospel. It is our responsibility to stand firm in defense of the gospel. Our triumph and ultimate victory is sure (Matthew 16:18). Object of love Second, the church is the object of Christ’s love. —“Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead” (Son 6:5). Here our Lord assures his troubled and afflicted people that they are the objects of his love. His love toward us has not changed. Though he does, at times, withdraw from us his manifest presence, he never ceases to love us (Isaiah 54:7-10). The love of God for his people is without cause, without beginning, without change, and without end. “Every human tie may perish; Friend to friend unfaithful prove; Mothers cease their own to cherish; Heaven and earth at last remove; But no changes attend Jehovah’s love.

Zion’s Friend in nothing alters, Though all others may and do; His is love that never falters, Always to its object true. Happy Zion! Crowned with mercies ever new.”

Here is a strange expression of love—“Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me.” Our Savior uses the expressions of a passionate lover to express the tenderness of a compassionate Redeemer. With these words, our Savior seems to say, I cannot resist those eyes that look to me. I will forgive and forget all that is past. The Lord of Glory is overcome by his people when they look unto him! We look to him with sorrowful eyes in repentance. We look to him with hopeful eyes in faith. We look to him with sincere eyes in love. And he is overcome! He cannot resist the look of faith! Child of God, even when the Lord hides his face keep on looking to him. The eyes of repentance, love, and faith will soon prevail. He so loves us that he is willing to be overcome by us! Perfect Third, the church is perfect in the eyes of Christ. — “Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them. As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks” (Son 6:6-7). Here our Lord repeats almost word for word the description he had given of his bride’s beauty and perfection earlier (Son 4:1-3), before the sad decline described in chapter five. He is saying, “Nothing has changed between us.” What grace! We are accepted in the Beloved. Our shameful sin, ingratitude, coldness of heart, unfaithfulness, and unbelief will never cause us to be any the less accepted. All our beauty, all our perfection, all our holiness is in him. Nothing can change that. In Christ we are redeemed. In Christ we are righteous. In Christ we are accepted—always accepted—unconditionally accepted. In Christ we are forgiven. The forgiveness of sin in Christ is free, full, final, and forever! The Lord will never impute sin to his people (Psalms 32:1-2; Romans 4:8). We are forgiven! One body Fourth, the church is one body in Christ—“There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number. My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her” (Son 6:8-9) Other kings have queens, their wives and concubines, and mistresses, and virgins, and maidens. But Christ our King makes all of his people one. In the kingdom of grace there is no such thing as rank, and class, and position. The people of God are one (Colossians 3:11; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27). We all have the same Father. We all have the same Elder Brother. We all have the same indwelling Spirit. We all have the same eternal inheritance. Let us, therefore, live as one body in Christ (Ephesians 4:1-6). Let us strive together as one body to glorify the Lord our God. The light of the world Fifth, the church of Christ is the light of the world. —“Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?” (Son 6:10). The church of God shines as the light of the sun in this world, giving forth light to them that sit in darkness (Matthew 5:14). In its beginning the church was like the rising of the morning sun, the dawning of light. At its best in this world, the church is like the moon at night, reflecting the light of the Sun of Righteousness. When we are complete in the kingdom of glory, we shall shine forth as the sun (Matthew 13:43). In that day, we shall be clothed with the Sun, with Christ the Sun of Righteousness, and like him we shall display the eternal glory of God (Revelation 12:1; Isaiah 30:26). All of these pictures were given that we might rest in his love. Why shouldn’t we? He does. —“The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing” (Zephaniah 3:15-17).

Song of Solomon 6:11-13

Inward conflicts Son 6:11-13“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. Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib. Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.” In these verses our Lord speaks to his church, not in her time of doubt and despair while she was seeking him, but he speaks here to his church in her very best condition. She had just begun to again enjoy his blessed fellowship. Christ has now returned to his spouse. The breach she had made by her neglect, he had healed by his grace. There was now a sweet renewing of love and fellowship. Christ speaks In Son 6:11 our Lord speaks to his beloved church and says, “Though I had withdrawn myself from you and gave you no comfort for a while, even then I had my eye upon you, even then I was watching over my garden with tenderness, love, and care. Though you did not see me, I saw you. I will never forsake the apple of my eye or the work of my hands.” In Son 6:12 our Savior tells us how that he was overcome by our broken, aching hearts and how anxiously he returned to his people who cried after him. It is as though he said, “I could hide my face no longer. My love for you compelled me, with irresistible force, to return to you. Almost before I knew it, ‘my soul set me on the chariots of my willing people’” (Marginal translation). Joseph hid himself from his brethren, because of their evil actions, to chastise them. But he could no longer refrain himself. His loving heart broken, he burst into tears, and said, “I am Joseph” (Genesis 45:1; Genesis 45:3). So our Savior cannot and will not forever hide his face from the objects of his love (Isaiah 54:7-10). We ought to be a willing people, seeking Christ always in love, faith, and hope. These will be like chariots to bring him to us. If we continue seeking the Lord, he will return to us in due time. “No chariots sent for Christ shall return empty” (Matthew Henry). Our Lord will return to us, because of his own grace, love, mercy, and faithfulness. We can do nothing to win his favor. He is gracious, because he will be gracious. He loves us, because he will love us. He returns to us, because he will return to us. He is faithful! In Son 6:13, the Lord Jesus, having returned to his beloved church, courts her, wooing her heart, and invites her to return to him. “Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee.” Solomon chose his bride and espoused her to himself, giving her his name. “Shulamite” should be translated “Solyma”. The Hebrew word is the feminine of the name “Solomon.” The Lord Jesus Christ has made us so thoroughly one with himself that he has given us his name. He is our Solomon, and we are his Solyma. (Compare Jeremiah 23:6; Jeremiah 33:16). All that our Lord Jesus Christ is, he has made us to be by divine imputation. This name “Shulamite” or “Solyma” means “Perfection.” Believers are perfect in Christ. We are complete in him. Being washed in his blood, we are spotless. Being robed in his righteousness, we are glorious, holy, and pure. This name “Shulamite” or “Solyma” also means “Peace.” “Therefore, being justified, by faith we have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” We are no longer at enmity with God. Our consciences no longer accuse us. Peace has been made for us with God. The warfare is ended. God’s sword has been sheathed in our Savior’s heart. Justice no longer cries against us, but for us. Our Lord graciously calls for us to return unto him. Four times he says, “Return, return, O Solyma, return, return.” How willing our all-glorious Christ is to have us in his fellowship and communion! He says—Return to me. Return to your first simple faith. Return to your first tender love. Return to the place where we first met, the cross. Now catch the Master’s next loving words. Our Lord says to his beloved, he says to you and me, “Return, return, that we may look upon thee.” He seems to say, “You have not been with me much alone lately. You have neglected reading my Word and hearing it. I have seldom heard your voice, or seen your face. Return, return unto me, that we (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit) may look upon you. If you return, we will look upon you again. I will show you my face again. We will look upon you in love. We will look upon you in forgiveness. We will look upon you in kindness. We will look upon you in pleasantness and satisfaction.” The bride speaks But then, in the second part of Son 6:13, we hear the bride, the church, the people of God speaking. Being convinced of her own sin, being full of shame, she confesses her frustration with herself. She thinks that there is no beauty in her, nothing in her that he could want to see. “What will ye see in Solyma? As it were the company of two armies.” She is saying, “There is nothing in me but conflict and confusion. In my heart two armies are at war. If you look upon me, you will see a raging battle, good fighting evil, light contending with darkness. I am not worth looking upon. I am a house divided against itself.” This is a true and accurate description of the people of God. All of God’s elect experience constant warfare within, constant conflict between the flesh and the Spirit, so long as we live in this body of flesh. This conflict, this warfare causes us so much pain and trouble. A painful fact These inward conflicts are facts in every believer’s life. The believer’s life is not all sweets. It is not all joy and peace. Faith in Christ will bring some bitter conflicts, which will cause God’s child much pain, much toil, and many tears. The struggles between the flesh and the Spirit are evident enough to all who are born of God. To the unbelieving, unregenerate religionist, true Christians are confusing paradoxes. We are the happiest and the most mournful people in the world. We are the richest and the poorest people on earth. We are men and women who possess perfect peace, yet we are always at war. We have seen races of this conflict throughout the Song of Solomon (Son 1:5; Son 3:1; Son 5:2). We see these inward conflicts throughout the Psalms of David (Psalms 42; Psalms 43; Psalms 73). We see them dealt with and explained in the writings of the Apostle Paul (Romans 7:14-25; Galatians 5:16-18). And we see these terrible inward conflicts in our own daily experience of grace. The people of God throughout the centuries have had the same struggles that we now have. John Bunyan wrote a book about his conflicts of heart and soul, which he titled, “The Holy War.” Richard Sibbes wrote a similar book called, “The Soul’s Conflict.” Though we are born of God, God’s saints in this world have a corrupt nature within, which would drive us to sin. Yet, we have within us a righteous nature, which would draw us into perfect conformity and union with Christ. Between these two forces of good and evil there is no peace (1 John 3:7-9). Two natures This conflict is caused by and begins in regeneration. C. H. Spurgeon said, “The reigning power of sin falls dead the moment a man is converted, but the struggling power of sin does not die until the man dies.” A new nature has been planted within us; but the old nature is not eradicated. Do not think for a moment that the old nature dies in regeneration, or even that it gets better. Flesh is flesh, and will never be anything but flesh. Noah, Lot, Moses, David, and Peter, like all other believers, had to struggle with this fact. We need no proof of the fact that God’s people in this world have two warring natures within beyond an honest examination of our own hearts and lives. Our best thoughts are corrupted with sin. Our most fervent prayers are defiled by lusts of the flesh.

Our reading of Holy Scripture is corrupted by carnal passions. Our most spiritual worship is marred by the blackness within. Our most holy aspirations are vile. Our purest love for our Savior is so corrupted by our love of self and love for this world that we can hardly call our love for Christ love. From time to time we have all found by bitter experience the truthfulness of the hymn…

“Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it! Prone to leave the God I love: Here’s my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.

Without question, our heavenly Father could remove all this evil from us, but he chooses not to. Why? Good effect The fact is, these inward conflicts do have some good effect. Hard as they are to bear now, in heaven’s glory we will look back upon these days of great evil with gratitude, and see the wisdom and goodness of God in all of our struggles with sin. Our struggles with sin help humble us and curb our pride. Our struggles with sin force us to lean upon Christ alone for all our salvation (1 Corinthians 1:30), and confess with Jonah, “Salvation is of the Lord.” Struggling hard with sin, we find that “Christ is all” indeed. Our struggles with sin cause us to prize the faithfulness of our God (Lamentations 3:1-27). Our struggles with sin upon this earth will make the glorious victory of heaven sweeter. And our struggles with sin make us rejoice in the fact that “salvation is of the Lord.” I do not doubt that in eternity we will be made to see that God wisely and graciously allowed us to fall into one evil to keep us from a greater evil, or to make us more useful in his hands. Certainly, an honest acknowledgement of the sin that is in us, and of the fact that we are never without sin (1 John 1:8-10) ought to make us gracious, kind, forgiving, and patient with one another. Soon over Blessed be God, these inward conflicts will soon be over (Philippians 1:6; Jude 1:24-25). We shall soon drop this earthly tabernacle and shall be completely free from sin. We shall be perfect, personally perfect, at last. We shall be triumphant in the end. In that day when our God shall make all things new, the former things shall not only pass away, they shall be remembered no more! All the evil consequences of sin shall be forever removed. We shall be forever “faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.” Yet, so long as we live in this world we will be “as the company of two armies.” So I give you this word of admonition —“Keep thy heart with all diligence: for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Keep your heart tender. Keep your heart in the fellowship of Christ. Keep you heart full of the Word. Keep your heart in prayer. Keep your heart full of the cross. Keep your heart full of Christ and rest your soul upon Christ.