“Thou art beautiful, Ο my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners” What a greeting this is! Consider it well, Ο my soul. Wouldst thou know the heart of Jesus? Wouldst thou know His patient love — His unwearied kindness — His inexhaustible goodness? Meditate on this scene. Tarry here a little.
It may be interesting to ascertain the meaning of the reference to Tirzah, Jerusalem, and an army with banners displayed. But, oh! suffer not for a moment any of these things to divert thy thoughts from the Person of the Lord Jesus. True, I admit, these comparisons may be the immediate expression of His love. Then, if so, let them be to thee as streams by which thou mayest surely reach the fountain; but tarry not too long by the stream, the spring is better. The happy effect of the true ministry of the word is to bring the soul into direct contact with the Person of Christ. The aim of the enemy, and the effect of false teaching, is to bring in something between the soul and Christ. Tirzah is no more, Jerusalem is trodden down and Judah’s banner has long been furled; but the heart that found relief in the use of these significant emblems is unchangeably the same. Seek, above all things in the universe, to know the heart of Jesus. “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:33And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. (John 17:3).) To know God’s love in Christ to me a sinner is the best thing I can ever know, for then I know the source—the native fountain of every blessing. How often may Christ Himself be missed, even when the soul is delighting in truth. Watch thou, my soul, and pray unceasingly against this.
Now look once more at this unexampled greeting, “Thou art beautiful, Ο my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible (or dazzling) as an army with banners.” These words, mark, are the first He addresses to His Bride after her sad failure. His lips are opened to the restored backslider by, “Thou art beautiful, Ο my love.” This is Jesus Himself! Who can speak of His love! Art thou at home, my soul, in this atmosphere? Art thou not riveted to the spot and lost in admiring wonder? Gaze, Ο gaze, on the Person who thus speaks, and see before His delighted heart a wanderer returned. Let nothing distract thy meditations — seek to profit by it, especially by understanding better the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It may be helpful to connect with the present scene His last words to her when they last parted. “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.” Nothing could be more tender or affectionate than this touching appeal, yet it was then all but entirely unheeded by her. Consequently, she fell for a time sadly away. But now we find her fully and happily restored to her Lord. She has perfect confidence in His love. “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine,” is the joyous expression of her soul. But will He say nothing to her for having wandered and behaved foolishly? Will He not be at least distant in His manner at first, that she may be ashamed before Him? Certainly not, seeing she has truly repented of what she has done. The Lord not only forgives but forgets all past offenses when we are penitent. He meets every penitent soul with the fullest expression of His grace. The moment the soul is before Him in its true place, He is unreserved, and throws open the rich treasury of His love. Witness, for example, the Syrophenician woman. (Matt, 15.) No sooner had she taken the Gentile’s place than the full blessing of His heart flows out to her. He even commends her faith in the strongest terms. “Ο woman, great is thy faith; be it unto thee even as thou wilt.” He keeps nothing back. She is blessed even to her heart’s content. Witness also the poor fallen one at His feet in the house of Simon, and the prodigal in the arms of the Father.
Such is grace — the grace of God in Christ to sinners. The first thing, observe, that the Bridegroom mentions to His Bride, is her faultless beauty in His sight. “Thou art beautiful, Ο my love.” Not one word of complaint falls from His lips. He makes no allusion to where she had been, or to what she had done. His love is perfect, and His grace is like the indulgence of His love. He will be gracious according to the love of His own heart. He says she is beautiful as “Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem.” Tirzah signifies pleasantness. It was the royal residence of the kings of Israel before Samaria was built, as Jerusalem was of the kings of Judah. Jerusalem, we know, is famous in Scripture for its many glories. It is spoken of as “Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, the city of the great king. God is known in her palaces as a refuge.” Tirzah was the capital of the revolted tribes. But the two kingdoms, Israel and Judah, shall be united under one Head in the coming day of glory, to be separated no more forever. What we have here presented in allegory, is taught in plainest terms in the prophets. “ Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land. And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.” Eze. 37:21, 2221And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: 22And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: (Ezekiel 37:21‑22).
When the twelve tribes are restored and Messiah their king, the glory of the nation shall then be great. “One king shall be king το them all.” Then it will be “terrible as an army with banners.” This figure conveys the idea, not of that which is awful, but of that which is dazzling, brilliant, glorious — like the imposing effect of an army with banners displayed. The king acknowledges that the effect of the glory of His beloved people thus united in one, overwhelms Him. “Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me.” This is wonderful who can understand it? To understand it in measure we must know Jesus Himself. No heart enters into the blessing and joy of others like His. It relieves His heart to bless the needy. We find Him traveling far in the days of His flesh to meet and bless a fallen daughter of Samaria, or a poor Gentile from the coasts of Tire and Sidon. It is His joy, and the joy of all heaven, when even one sinner repents and turns to His fullness. But, oh! what will be His joy, when the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem turn to Him with mourning and with weeping — when the long-lost tribes shall appear on the scene, and own Him as their true Messiah — when every eye of every tribe shall be fixed on Him — when every heart shall overflow with His praise — and when, from Jerusalem as a center, blessing shall flow forth to all nations of the earth.
Then the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, will be the material of Israel’s morning song, and the expression of their weeping joy. “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him. the iniquity of us all.” Their beloved Jerusalem shall then become the Jerusalem of God’s counsels, and not of man’s pride and oppression. Surrounded with mountains, encompassed with walls, bulwarks, and towers, it will be the glory of all lands. “The name of the city from that day shall be Jehovah-Shammah — “The Lord is there.” (Ezek. 48:3535It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there. (Ezekiel 48:35); Psalm 48.) The Messiah will then have things all His own way. Satan shall then be shut up in the bottomless pit, the curse removed from the earth, the power of evil put down, and the true Solomon shall reign as King over all. The effect, all over the realm of nature, of the absence of Satan, and the presence of Christ, in power and great glory, is inconceivable.
“Ο what a bright and blessed world
This groaning earth of ours shall be,
When from its throne the tempter hurled,
Shall leave it all, Ο Lord, to thee.
But brighter far that world above,
Where we, as we are known shall know;
And in the sweet embrace of love,
Reign o’er this ransomed earth below.”
“Thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Mount Gilead. Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one heareth twins, and there is not one barren among them. As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks” These same expressions occur in chapter 4, and yet, we know, the Holy Spirit uses no vain repetitions. Then why is this? Since they were used by the Bridegroom in addressing His Bride, in the fourth chapter, she has wandered and returned. By repeating to her what He before said, He assures her heart that her beauty in His sight is unimpaired. Although He says nothing about her having been away from Him, these expressions of His unchanged admiration of her, will now take a deeper hold on her heart than before. Their value is increased sevenfold on account of the circumstances in which they are again repeated. The Holy Ghost can use the same expressions, when it is for the glory of Christ and the blessing of our souls. In the present instance, no words could have re-assured her heart like these.
“There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.” This verse, we doubt not, refers to a millennial scene. It follows the union of the two nations. The cities of Judah and the nations of the earth fill up the scene of glory. Jerusalem has the first place. This truth, so manifest all through Scripture, is most fully expressed, and in the most touching manner, in the next verse.
“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.” What a place she has in His heart! She is pre-eminent in His sight. None can be compared with her. There are many others, but His affection can see none but herself. “My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother.” In former scenes He speaks of her qualities, and describes her personal beauty; but now, He speaks of herself, and what she is to Him. “The choice one of her that bare her.” The nation is here viewed in a maternal character, and the tribe of Judah in a bridal. Such, Ο my soul, is the Bridegroom-love of Jesus! Thus will it be with the godly remnant of Judah in the latter day — thus it is now, even now, with us in spirit. Drink, Ο drink deeply, of the Bridegroom—love of thy Lord. The fountain is deep, it is inexhaustible, it is free, it is open to faith until the nuptial day.
The time was when the daughter of Zion, in the pride and naughtiness of her heart, refused His love. Still, it remained the same, hut then, it was shown in the tears which He shed over her blindness. Being left by Him, she fell a prey to her cruel enemies, who sorely persecuted her. Still, His eye of love followed her in all her wanderings. Nothing could change His heart. In due time He visited her in her low estate. He found her in the condition of a poor, outcast, sun burnt slave — a keeper of the vineyards of others. His heart was kindled towards her. In His love and pity He felt as if she had “received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” And now, “her warfare is accomplished, her iniquity is pardoned,” and she is comforted in her gracious and forgiving Lord. But His love rests not, blessed truth, until He has accomplished all the desires of His heart towards her. And now, mark, my soul, what is she? Where is she? the fair and beautiful spouse of the true King Solomon — the partner of His royal throne in Zion. And not only, observe once more, is she the object of the King’s supreme delight, but she is the object of universal admiration. “The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.” “And the daughter of Tire (type of the Gentiles) shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall entreat thy favor.” (Psalm 45) She reflects the glory and beauty of the King, and all nations admire His comeliness in her. “ And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty; for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I put upon thee, saith the Lord God.” Eze. 16:1414And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God. (Ezekiel 16:14).
“Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners!” This verse appears to be the language of the Bride’s admirers, and comes in like a chorus to the song. All are vocal in her praise. The dreary night is past; the morning breaks. “Who is she that looketh forth as the morning?” She is just, as it were, emerging from the darkness of the long, long night, through which she has passed. But now she leaves it all behind, and comes forth in the freshness, beauty, and hope of the morning. She will soon appear in noonday splendor, clothed in the beams of “the Sun of righteousness.”
Hast thou observed, my soul, in thy meditations, that the future light, glory, and dignity of Israel, are frequently represented by the heavenly bodies — the sun, moon, and stars? We see this shadowed forth in Joseph’s dreams. In the family of Jacob the whole nation is represented, and is prefigured by the sun, moon, and stars. (Gen. 37) In Rev. 12, the tribe of Judah, from which our Lord sprang, is seen invested with the same light and glory. The simile is “a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.” The glory of the twelve seems concentrated in, and represented by, the royal tribe. There is also the idea of stability conveyed by these heavenly luminaries. “Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established forever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven.” Psalm 89:35-3735Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. 36His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. 37It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah. (Psalm 89:35‑37).
Here, pause, for a moment, Ο my soul, and meditate on the sure word of prophecy, as to Israel’s future glory. Ο what a change for the long-despised, down-trodden Jew! The admiring daughters, queens, and concubines behold the royal tribe—Bridal Judah, “looking forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners.” Invested with light, glory, and dignity, as the fair spouse of David’s royal Son, she becomes the great attraction of earth, and the object of universal admiration. Hail, happy morn! the darkness is past, “the Sun of righteousness arises with healing in his wings.” Already His beams gild the dark mountains of the holy land, and cheer its valleys. All hearts rejoice. Hosanna to the Son of David! the promise is fulfilled. “Arise, shine: for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.......And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” Isa. 60:1, 31Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. (Isaiah 60:1)
3And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. (Isaiah 60:3).
“Take boughs of goodly trees, the joyous palm,
The willows of the brook, and keep the feast;
The mourners wounds are healed with oil and balm,
The captive’s tears are dried, her sorrows cease;
Rejoice with praise; let harp and cymbal tell
‘How goodly are thy tents, Ο Israel.’
As willows spring beside the winding stream,
So shall thy children’s offspring flourish now;
Thy long captivity becomes a dream—
A sweet memorial is that willow bough
Of all thy sorrows, of that tear-steeped bread,
On which, by Chebar’s stream, thy soul was fed.
Planted in Canaan’s fruitful ground,
Her streams shall nourish thy wide-spreading root;
On thee no yellow leaf shall e’er be found,
For Hermon’s dew shall feed each verdant shoot.
‘What hath Jehovah wrought?’ the nations cry;
‘Great things for us!’ the ransomed tribes reply.”