D. Scott Meadows

“We will remember thy love more than wine” —Song of Solomon 1.4.

23 JANUARY PM, MORNING AND EVENING BY C. H. SPURGEON

Jesus will not let his people forget his love. If all the love they have enjoyed should be forgotten, he will visit them with fresh love. “Do you forget my cross?” says he, “I will cause you to remember it; for at my table I will manifest myself anew to you. Do you forget what I did for you in the council-chamber of eternity? I will remind you of it, for you shall need a counsellor, and shall find me ready at your call.”

Mothers do not let their children forget them. If the boy has gone to Australia, and does not write home, his mother writes—“Has John forgotten his mother?” Then there comes back a sweet epistle, which proves that the gentle reminder was not in vain.

So is it with Jesus, he says to us, “Remember me,” and our response is, “We will remember thy love.” We will remember thy love and its matchless history. It is ancient as the glory which thou hadst with the Father before the world was. We remember, O Jesus, thine eternal love when thou didst become our Surety, and espouse us as thy betrothed. We remember the love which suggested the sacrifice of thyself, the love which, until the fulness of time, mused over that sacrifice, and long for the hour whereof in the volume of the book it was written of thee, “Lo, I come.” We remember thy love, O Jesus as it was manifest to us in thy holy life, from the manger of Bethlehem to the garden of Gethsemane. We track thee from the cradle to the grave—for every word and deed of thine was love—and we rejoice in thy love, which death did not exhaust; thy love which shone resplendent in thy resurrection. We remember that burning fire of love which will never let thee hold thy peace until thy chosen ones be all safely housed, until Zion be glorified, and Jerusalem settled on her everlasting foundations of light and love in heaven.

On Song of Solomon 1.4

The Song of Solomon is an inspired love-poem between a man and a woman. It is almost frighteningly ardent. From the start, it explodes with a torrent of mighty passion for her Beloved from the woman destined to become the King’s wife. Her attendants share her joy in the object of her supreme desire.

For many centuries, especially since Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), the Song of Solomon has been interpreted as a deeply spiritual celebration of the love between Jesus Christ and His church, without completely dismissing its historical setting. Romantic love with marriage is indeed a prevalent metaphor and illustration in both the Old and New Testaments for the relationship of God with His people. This fact seems to justify a spiritual interpretation of the Song of Solomon, though some may have pressed this hermeneutical approach to an unwarranted extreme in the details. To limit the Song of Solomon to a manual for marriage and romance, as many do today, is most unfortunate.

Spurgeon handles the text according to this spiritual tradition, elaborating upon its theme using a broad swath of the biblical message and a sound theology of the gospel.

The structure of this devotional message

I. Jesus will not let His people forget His love
II. Mothers do not let their children forget them
III. We who are believers will remember Jesus’ love

A. An eternal love in divine decree
B. A covenantal love comparable to marriage
C. A sacrificial love seen upon the cross
D. A holy love exhibited in lifelong words and deeds
E. A life-giving love displayed in resurrection
F. An effectual love bringing all the elect to glory

Worthwhile observations

1. The poetic license of putting words in Jesus’ mouth. Spurgeon’s sermons as well often do this with great effect, but the reader must understand that these were never intended by the Reformed Mr. Spurgeon, a cessationist, to be taken for new revelations outside the Bible. Rather, he uses a rhetorical device to teach and to move us with the holy force of these truths. Beware of books today which purport to convey actual messages received directly from the Lord (e.g., Jesus Calling by Sarah Young).

2. The uniting of love with redemptive history and theology. Spurgeon clearly sees and praises Jesus’ love in the old gospel story with its profound interpretation throughout the Bible, especially the New Testament epistles. He avoids the pitfalls of a sentimental faith with emotionalism, as well as a cerebral faith with mere orthodoxy. The Lord Jesus Christ is the object of our faith, but we could not know Him or be ravished in His love apart from good theology.

Especially important truths

1. The love of the Lord Jesus Christ is the guarantee of His people’s full salvation. Spurgeon emphasizes this by saying Jesus will not let us forget His love and He will bring us to glory (cf. Rom 8.35–39).

2. Our remembering Christ’s love is vitally important for the Christian’s well-being and for our heartfelt worship of our Lord. Christ-centered preaching and the Lord’s Supper are given us for the express purpose; hence, we should frequently enjoy these means of remembrance. Every Christian who can should attend a church regularly which offers these opportunities of spiritual enrichment. Ω