SOS 2:8 The Approach of the Bridegroom

Preached by James R. Reynolds, Sr. on February 7, 1979.

Song of Solomon 2:8 — he voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.

Introduction:

The Bridegroom is coming to the bride again. He withdrew from her because she withdrew from him.

Why does He withdraw from us? He withdraws from us for two reasons: He wants us to grow up, and we do little things to grieve Him.

We have to watch our thoughts and our words. Our words not only grieve the people that hear them, but they also grieve God.

Proverbs 25:11

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

Revelation 2:4

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

If you do not have time for prayer, He will not have time for you.

It is just as disobedient to not listen when the Spirit talks to you as if you went out and sinned. The sins of commission are in the same category as the sins of omission. When you fear you are doubting and thus you are sinning.

Romans 14:23

And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

There was a wonderful relationship between them and now He's gone. Between verse 7 and verse 8 she has slacked and He has withdrawn.

1. The Bride's Response to His Approach

"The voice of my beloved! Behold he cometh…"

We delay the Lord coming to us personally by our guilt and shame.

1. She Hears His voice

Revelation 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Sometimes He is speaking and we do not hear Him, and other times we have to wait until He does speak. There are going to be some that hear His voice. We do not only need Him to speak, but we also need to get into a place where we can hear Him speaking.

When He begins to speak, it is just like music in her heart.

It is sad for folks not to hear Him at all, but it is even sadder for folks to once hear the voice of God and then cease to hear it.

I Samuel 28:15

And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.

2. She Knows His Voice

John 10:27

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Romans 8:14

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

You have to hear something in order to be lead by it.

II Corinthians 11:14

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

They may look like the real thing, and they might almost sound like the real thing, but if you listen carefully you will get the distinction of sound.

Revelation 2:29

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Ephesians 4:14

That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

3. She Rejoices at His Voice

"…Behold he cometh…"

She is so happy that he is returning. She does not keep Him waiting like she had at other times.

Song of Solomon 5:2-3

I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.

I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

Song of Solomon 5:6

I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spoke: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.

This time she opens the door and starts making some commitments to him. It is one thing to make a vow, and it is another thing to keep it. She wants him to totally have his way because she does not want him to leave again.

If you really had Him—His blessing and His presence—and then lost it, if you ever get it back, you do not want it to go again.

II. The manner of His Approach.

"…behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills."

1. It is Beautiful

His coming is always beautiful.

Isaiah 52:7

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

Malachi 4:2

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

Light is always stringer than darkness. When light comes the darkness has to go. When the joy of the Lord comes despair has to go.

2. It is Fulfillment

There are significant prophecies and promises throughout the Bible in relation to Christ. He wants to fulfill every promise, but He wants us to believe.

II Peter 1:4

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

3. It is Victorious

"…he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills."

The mountains speak of many different things, one being the mountains of sin and condemnation—those things that seem to be insurmountable.

If you see Him coming, He takes your 'little' problems and skips right over them. He is the victor and not a victim.

There are also mountains of fear and unbelief. We have such a hard time with fear and unbelief, but here He comes. Fear is nothing to Him. There is victory over every problem you have.

Nahum 1:5

The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.

Zechariah 14:4

And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.