Song of Songs 3:3 - Darkness Came First

This is the Truth Network treasurers of the song of songs, which is chapter of the third verse of the third chapter in the song they start the week of fun celebrated in English. The watchman let go about the city, found me to whom I said, so I need him whom my soul loveth, and so they got about last time she had gone about the city, and I probably should've mentioned that you know she tried the Broadway which clearly many estimate try that way to find Jesus is not there and then she tried the regular streets as well, and she still didn't find him. And so now she is found, which is interesting to me just say I found watchman but the watchman found her as she was going about the city and again.

Then she asked him not unlike Marywood there at the tomb that morning, she found the two watchman or Angels right and she asked him you where is he and Dave, the mother taken away my beloved and I'm sure that there's been places like that in your life. And so, as I look at some really cool things. One of the cool things about this verse is what the Jews specifically Rashi teaches on this verse and you have to think through that they see this whole song of Solomon as an allegory of of the journey of Israel and their relationship with God and so they believe that this here these to the watchman that found the beloved in this particular case are, in fact, Moses and Aaron because they are there is Eddie there there there righteous ones that go about the city and they're the ones who in this case clearly were with that the people looking for God, but they they make reference to the 38 years after they didn't go with this prize you may have noted that the story of the Exodus. It goes on there is a lot of miracles a whole lot. I got involved as they you know escape from Egypt as they go and get the law on Mount Sinai. And then there's the whole golden calf incident and God shows up in there's rebellion all sorts of things happen once the spies come back and they choose not to go after that point for 38 years.

It's like the story just kinda stops and you don't hear much, especially you don't see the amount of God that the that that you see until near the end when again Moses and Aaron are dying okay and so what Rashi teaches about this verse is this this is Israel looking for God going to Moses and going to Erin looking for God during those 4838 years that they were wondering in the desert and I just think that's absolutely spectacular. And so there's a bit of Allegory may play out of course, you gotta think about what is this look like in our life's you know what is this look like in our relationship with God, and I think both Spurgeon and Bunyan have some stuff for us there that I would just love to share with.

I just love love love to think about this and and really about the first three verses all fit into this category that Spurgeon talks about that.

There was evening and then there was morning, and other it was dark before it was gone right and you know she started out in the night and here she's still going about in the dark, and certainly them. If you think about our own lives. You know they they start out in the dark, and I think it spectacular Genesis when you really look into those two words evening and morning there. There is much much much to learn, which probably should be a sermon, all, or at least a podcast all on it, so maybe I'll do that at some point in time, but the whole idea of there was evening. In other words, you got dark and you looking forward to the morning, and here's the situation we find our bride in this particular day, and then John Bunyan said something that the that actually Spurgeon love the quote and I love to quote it with the spectacular. I just came across it recently. It just got my soul.

You can't make it go away so I hope you love. This is much as I do, but John Bunyan said that which is last lasts every now and possibly that might right if Jesus you know we ended up at the right hand of God and that lasts and and and and as we obviously get to come to Christ. It's going to last. When we get to heaven and skill at which is last lasts and and clearly we don't want to be in that last place where were separated from God and so I hope is your listening to this, you have that relationship with Jesus and you just think about here she is. She's in the dark, and she's been found by these watchman and so watchman are people that are obviously protecting the city. Are there going about trying to make sure the people are well and healthy and all that stuff in the city. There also you know is we go through our lives and I bet you been found by watchman and so as I thought about this when I was in my early relationship with God. Right when it was still very much in the dark. Not that I'm in the light of you have come a little bit further in the chapters. I guess that been in the gimbal you know verse here because the watchman did find me when I first moved to Winston-Salem and I was I was a little bit confused because it really felt like I was making good way with God in the city of Raleigh and all the sudden I got fired and all the sudden out of nowhere because of somebody else's sin.

Essentially what happened was that I was the general manager of the most profitable store in all of the crown organization and in the hunt of almost 1 Chapel Hill and and unfortunately the owner of all of Pam's name is Rachel Reynolds. His son-in-law had an affair on his daughter and his son-in-law owned the Honda store there in Greensboro and Royce didn't couldn't stand having him around every day. All that close to him, he made him a deal and sold in the store that I was the general manager of but because it was so much equity in that store, long story, but the end end of the stories because of that son-in-law having the affair.

I lost my job, which put me in the very early point my fate like on God. What is this all about, and so I came to Winston-Salem and then the watchman found me okay I was in it.

Kinda dark place. I really was in so many different ways and so there was a man by the name of Jack Mary Mayberry who goes to Calvary. He did go to Calvary's best way but he was a very dear saint and for whatever reason he came to buy a car there when I was first Bob Gilchrist Chrysler Plymouth GD: he took a liking to me and he could see. I love the Lord and so he invited me to something called Christian business men's committee, which at that point in time sold Jack Maybury happen to be one of those watchman who found me when he took me to Christian businessmen committee. There was a man there by the name of Ted Burton and Ted Burton had not been in the Lord all that long himself about six years, but he became very quickly in his older age. He was an older man, just an unbelievable saying I was once in a meeting where there was probably about 300 guys between Greensboro and Winston-Salem in it and they said how many men in this room were were meant toward by Ted Burton in almost 3/4 of the room.

I'm talking about 175 and one Ted Burton meant toward you. It wasn't like in a big group. He took you one on one. Then he took you through a book that Christian business men's committee had called first steps and he walks you through how to be a disciple. Essentially, how to study the Bible how to memorize Scripture. He had memorized her and he would meet with me once a week ago at breakfast with Mary to have lunch and come over the dealership.

Whatever Ted did. He met with me and he taught me so much about being disciple he was. He was a watchman in the course you know I don't know what I look like in your life where a watchman found you okay it is what it says in your find that will be shortly after that she finds Jesus, but at this point in time. She still looking and she does mention it, but I'm wondering if there was somebody in your life that you dishonor knowledge and say man Jack Mayberry and Ted Burton. Wow, those were the watchman that found me when I first came to Winston-Salem and oh my goodness what a difference it made because it for those who know me well know that I work for truth broadcasting, which may not know is shortly thereafter, I met Stu Epperson and I invited him to Christian business men's committee. Of course he been well discipled and his family long before he met me, but he just blossomed. Encourage Christian business men's committee and when I moved to Marksville. We made stew. The president of of the Christian business men's committee here in Winston-Salem.

Of course that relationship that we had there would build the foundation of what later would become my broadcasting career clearly is a God used all those people all those men in my life in so many miraculous ways. When I think about when I came to Winston-Salem.

You know that was that. So I praise you think about wow it may be dark wherever you are right now but morning is coming right there was evening and then there was morning and what lacked what is last. Last, thank you so much for listening. I can't tell you what it means to me that you take this journey