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The Beauty of the Bride

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The Beauty of the Bride

9 minuten leestijd Arcering uitzetten

“The King’s daughter is all glorious within; her clothing is of wrought gold” (Psalm 45:13).

Psalm 45 not only sings the praise of the King, but the bride is mentioned as well. Although the King and His glory are at the center, the poet also sings of.the queen’s beauty (verses 11-16). She is exhorted to forget her people and her father’s house. Did not a bride in the ancient East become part of her husband’s family? We are not used to that, but this custom is still practiced in various cultures. In Africa, for example, a bride has to leave her father and mother. She becomes a member of a different family. And the children she may bear will belong to her husband and his kin. For a bride in such a culture, the wedding day can hardly be called a joyful day, as you will understand. It rather is a dark and gloomy day.

The author of Psalm 45 seems to realize this. What does he say to the bride of Solomon? He calls her not to look back, but to give herself willingly and cheerfully to her husband. She has to disconnect herself from her parental home and from her own culture. “Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people and thy father’s house; so shall the King greatly desire thy beauty, for He is thy Lord; and worship thou Him” (verses 10-11). The poet says, as it were: the king longs for you; he has a right to your loyalty and obedience; therefore, let not your heart be divided!

Then the psalmist fixes his eyes upon the bride. He does not only speak to her, he also speaks about her. He sings of her beauty, her graceful clothing, and her glorious company. “The king’s daughter is all glorious within; her clothing is of wrought gold. She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework; the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee” (verses 13 and 14).

Does Psalm 45 speak only of an earthly bride? No, this “song of loves” points to the bride of King Jesus, the living church. That church is made up of Jews and Gentiles. They are the elect, gathered out of all nations. They are the people loved by God the Father in the stillness of eternity; bought with the blood of Christ on Calvary’s hill; but also drawn, sanctified, and sealed by the Holy Spirit.

This bride is a beautiful bride, although she has no beauty in herself. Her deep fall in Adam has plunged her into depths of misery. Sin has made her ugly and detestable. She looks poor and sickly, and her forefathers are of a doubtful reputation. When you ask why the King has set His heart on her, why He has paid such a costly price for her, why He takes so much trouble to court her, there is only one answer: it is His eternal good pleasure! It is His free and sovereign grace! It is His unchangeable love!

The bride of Christ owes everything to her Bridegroom. She is black, yet comely. Her beauty is a gift from Him. He drew her by His love; He washed her in His blood; He renews her by His Spirit; He leads her before the countenance of His Father; He presents her as a chaste virgin without spot or wrinkle.

This glorious King still rides among us in His majesty. “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd” (John 10:16). He comes to sinful and rebellious creatures and says, “Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear.” He comes with the proposal of His love, even when you are as cold and hard as a stone. Have you ever received such a proposal? Is it not a wonder that the Lord Jesus Christ is asking for such a damnable sinner? Should not our hearts break under such goodness?

“Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear.” The words are piled on one another, reinforcing the earnestness of His invitation. Ah, the Lord knows how unwilling, slothful, and unbelieving man is by nature. Therefore He adds, “Forget also thine own people, and thy father’s house.” Oh, leave the City of Destruction! Leave your evil habits, your worldly friends, your wicked ways! “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee” (Genesis 12:1). And what if you have to give up so much, perhaps even those who are very dear to you? The Lord Jesus says, “He that loveth father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37). That is what it means to come to the Lord. It means to count everything but dung in order to win Christ (Philippians 3:8).

The poet of Psalm 45 gives an urgent reason to leave everything behind. “For He is thy Lord; and worship thou Him.” The Lord is our Maker. He is the One who gave us a place under His Word and marked us with the sign of baptism. He has a right to our hearts and lives. He says, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30).

O wonder of grace when a sinner’s resistance is broken by the power of God’s Spirit! when the heart is won over by a drop of divine love! when the weapons of enmity are laid down at His feet! when God is justified and a child of Adam is abased! when a soul with all its guilt and distress may flee to this gracious King!

It is the drawing love of the Father that causes lost sinners to come with supplications and weeping. In themselves they have no liberty. They are so unclean, and the Lord is so holy. They are so loathsome, and the Bridegroom is so glorious. Will He ever want to receive them? “Hearken, O daughter, and consider.. .for He is thy Lord; and worship thou Him.” Ah, the Lord knows how fearful and vexed His poor and needy people are. But in due time He will remove all obstacles and grant freedom to come closer. “With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought; they shall enter into the King’s palace” (verse 15).

When a wedding is performed in the mission church of Nigeria, the bride and the groom are brought into the church from two different sides. The groom enters with his friends, while the bride approaches in the company of the bridesmaids. At a certain point they meet. The friends step back, and the groom steps forward to take away the veil. Then they are joined together in holy matrimony, in constant faithfulness and abiding love. A solemn event! But much greater is the moment when Jesus meets an undeserving sinner, when the heavenly Bridegroom joins Himself to His bride by His Spirit, and she may join herself to Him by a God-given faith! Then the friend of the Bridegroom rejoices greatly because of the voice of the Bridegroom and the whisperings of the bride (John 3:29).

The greatest wonder in this wedding song is that the Lord Himself is glad! He “greatly desires” the beauty of the bride (verse 11a). Though deeply unworthy, she is nevertheless precious in His sight. Her voice is sweet, and her countenance is lovely. The bride of Christ is beautiful precisely when she abhors herself, when she is adorned with humility, when she worships at His feet, when she sees no man save Jesus only. Oh, the Lord delights in her when she is devoted to Him, when she turns away from the world of sin, when she may cheerfully take up her cross and follow Him without the camp.

Dear friends, seek Him while He may yet be found. The Lord says, “Incline your ear, and come unto Me” (Isaiah 55:3a). Do not seek your joy outside of Him. Do not seek it in outward things, in makeup or excessive ornaments. That is not necessary at all. God has created you the way you are. There is no need to doll yourself up like a Jezebel. Of course, you may give a little attention to your outward appearance. But ask above all for that inner beauty of the bride. “The King’s daughter is all glorious within” (Psalm 45:13a). A child of God is marked by “the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price” (1 Peter 3:4). A happy person is beautiful at all times. Someone who radiates warmth and love is never repugnant. Indeed, the one who may know the glory of King Jesus will share forever in His beauty!

— Rev. C. Sonnevelt
(Lethbridge, AB)


New Hospitality Travel Directory

A new, updated edition of the Travel Directory is now available. It contains a listing of 186 families of the Netherlands Reformed Congregations from 50 different congregations in five countries. These families offer to welcome out-of-town guests in their homes for visits/meals and/or overnight stays (when convenient for them). There are also several advertisements for self-contained lodging. The directory can be purchased for $10 (Canadian funds) from Sue van de Lagemaat, 42222 Yale Road, Chilliwack, British Columbia V2R 4J4, phone (604) 823-6160, fax (604) 823-6190. Please send notice of additions, deletions, and changes to the directory so it can be kept current.

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Bekijk de hele uitgave van zaterdag 1 juli 2006

The Banner of Truth | 24 Pagina's

The Beauty of the Bride

Bekijk de hele uitgave van zaterdag 1 juli 2006

The Banner of Truth | 24 Pagina's