Song of Solomon 3:1  By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
2  I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
3  The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?
4  It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.
5  I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.

Revelation 22:20  He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Acts 1:11  Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

In Acts 1:11, the apostles witnessed the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. They would not see Him again on earth. The apostle Paul, one born out of due time, would see Him briefly, but Jesus would no longer be physically present among them on this earth. He is and has always been the Head of the true local churches.
As we read in Revelation 22:20, true saints are looking for the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ. True saints understand this world is a temporary place for them. The world is seeking to build empires. Rich people want fancy houses. Mr. Trump is spending millions on building a ballroom onto the White House. Our country is spending millions redoing the Parliament buildings. Waste of taxpayer dollars is not an issue. It is interesting to observe contractors that work for the government. They pay taxes as well, but they think it is right to overcharge governments because they can get away with it. This of course will all be straightened out by the Lord one day.
In our text, the scene if of the bride in her bed waiting for her groom to come home. We are not told where he was, but he was away for some reason. She looked for him but did not find him. Of course communication methods were not what they are today. We can text and phone and send emails. There are probably other methods I am not aware of.
The bride knew her husband was gone, but she did not know when he would return.
As we noted in our opening verses, this is again a picture of true saints living in anticipation of the Lord’s soon return. We have things to do and sometimes we get so preoccupied that we push the Lord’s return to the back of our thinking. We might enjoy the children or the grandchildren or have some event planned, and we are not really thinking of the Lord’s return.
A daily diet of God’s Word will help true saints keep the Lord’s return more dear to their hearts.
In verse 2 she rises up and heads out into the streets, looking for her groom. Notice in verse 1 and here again in verse 2 as well as in verse 3 we are reminded of the deep love this bride has for her husband. This is no puppy love. This is no short term fling. This is a heart felt love that is genuine.
This bride is willing to leave the comforts of her bed and go out into the streets to look for her husband. It was worth it to her to seek for him. She did not find him but to her that was not wasted time.
Christians are not told to go up into a mountain to wait for the Lord’s return. We are not told to go travel to Israel in anticipation of His return. The fact is that when the Lord returns He will take His saints from all over the world, wherever they are. It is important for true saints to be careful not to get bogged down in the world’s system so that we are caught off guard by the Lord’s return.
In verse 3 we see that the watchmen found the bride wandering around the streets. They knew she was not lost and she was not looking for a fling. They knew she was out looking for her husband. She approached them and asked them if they had seen him. After all they were the watchmen. They should have seen anyone coming and going. That was their duty.
In verse 4 we read that not long after she spoke with the watchmen, she found her husband. She found him and she urged him to come home with her. She wanted to be with him. A godly wife knows she is not complete without her husband. If the husband dies first, he leaves a hole in their relationship. There is a sweetness in a true marriage that is real. It is a beautiful thing.
In verse 4 we read that when she found him she was not about to let him go. She brought him home to her mother’s house. She now had access to her mother’s bedroom. The very room where she, the bride had been conceived. There was some precious history to that room.
True saints can reflect back to the moment they were saved. They might not remember the exact place, but most likely they will. I remember I got saved sitting in my car on a cold December night. I had to run my engine occasionally to keep the car a little bit warm. I was young and did not want to spend the money for a motel room. I was sitting in the driveway of a relative, but did not want to wake them at that hour. While I was waiting for morning, the Lord had business to do with me. He had been working on me for some time already, but I was resisting. God does not give up. He keeps working unless a person gets angry and demands He leave them alone.
I did not do that and that night God broke my heart. I knew I was a lost sinner in need of a Saviour and I called upon the Lord to save me. He was gracious to me and saved me. My life was fundamentally changed that day and it has never been the same. That was a special night, but there have been other times of remembrance as well.
The true saint is not hanging on to the Lord, lest they lose Him. When we are saved, we are held in the Father’s hand. We are secure in Him. We are blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.
Back in our text, in verse 5 the bride again tells the daughters of Jerusalem not to disturb her beloved until he wakes up. He was tired and needed his rest. She knew that and she was going to protect his rest. It is important for a wife to have that respect for her husband.
I can remember as a boy having my mother remind us to be quiet around the house because Dad had worked all night and was now home resting, and she wanted him to be able to rest. As children we found it difficult to be quiet but we were reminded of the importance of letting Dad sleep. He was a hard worker and needed his rest. Mom understood that and she helped us to see that as well.
True saints do not need to worry about overburdening the Lord. He is God. However, we do not want to crowd Him with empty chatter. The Bible often speaks of praying according to the will of God.
All prayer needs to come to the Father in Jesus’ name. It needs to be acceptable to the Lord. We have a Bible, and we have true local churches that can teach us how to pray effectively.
Lost people make a lot of noise and they read some ‘prayers’ or they might even recite something, but their prayers are just noise, unless they are seeking God’s forgiveness and salvation. Saved people can also find their prayers hindered if they are not living right with their God and Saviour.
Husbands can find their prayers unanswered if they have a bad relationship with their wives.
We need to walk humbly with the Lord and appreciate His tender love and mercy for us if we are saved.
Pastor Bartel