Song of Solomon 2:10

It is the Lord Himself, as Messiah the King, that the loving bride so longs after here... A little while ago she could only make out the sound of His voice, and catch a glimpse of His eye through the lattice-work. But now, happy bride, He is near enough for her to hear the words of His mouth. To faith, blessed be His name, He is always present.

The King would no longer be without his bride; he would call her away from the dark wintry plains to fairer, brighter scenes. His first word would rouse her from her circumstances: "Rise up." His next word declares how precious she is in his sight: "My love, my fair one." Last of all, she hears the clear, definite call: "Come away." It tells of the longing of his heart.

Not only does she say, "The voice of my beloved," but she gives His words. "My beloved spoke, and said to me, Rise up, my love" — for this is meant to fill her heart with confidence in His love — "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away."

He still calls His bride "My love, my fair one," despite all our coldness, our wanderings, and our breakdown. Should that not move our hearts to their very depths?

It all shows that this refers to the time when the remnant of Israel knows Him and is enjoying the blessings and glories promised to them. The winter is past, the time of death and coldness; the rain is over, springtime is at hand. The morning without clouds is breaking! Flowers appear; the birds begin their song... the fig tree puts out her green figs (the national fruit-bearing of the once cursed fig tree); the vines too begin to give the tender grapes. Who cannot see in the imagery of all these statements that millennial times are about to begin! Then there is His call to her, "Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away." Be wholly for Me!

The King not only calls the bride from her home in the plains. He also unfolds to her a new world of blessing, where neither storm nor winter's blast can ever come. There all is beautiful to the eye, sweet to the ear, and pleasant to the taste — the land of flowers and singing, the land of green figs and the new wine. The presence of the bride is all that is lacking to complete the blessedness of that scene.

And is it not in this way the Lord is speaking to His people today? Can we not hear His voice saying to us, "Rise up," as He seeks to rouse us from the spiritual sluggishness that overcomes us and holds us down to earth?... Moreover, do we not hear Him calling us away from this poor world, as He says, "You are not of this world, but I have chosen you out of the world"? And shall we not very soon hear His voice saying, "Come away," as He calls us to meet Him in the air?

His mind is set on winning her out of her place into His. He therefore rouses her with the repeated call, "Arise, My love, My fair one, and come away." But she is not ready for this. Her heart is more taken up with the blessings than with the Blesser, though the blessing is Himself... It is one thing to have the Saviour, and quite another to follow Him.