CAUSE ME TO HEAR IT
Song 8:13 ¶ Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it.
This is the voice of Solomon speaking directly to his Shulamite bride. These words represent Christ speaking to the true church of born again believers. He first identifies her in a commendation as one that dwells in the gardens. It is listed as plural for the true bride of Christ has dwelt within many churches down through the ages, as she has been birthed into the organism of the spiritual church. Song 4:12 A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. 1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Then he speaks of her benefit to her fellow believers from her much appreciated personal testimonies and singings. And lastly – we must take off our shoes and bow unworthy heads in order to hear the last phrase of his communion – for Solomon, representing the Lord God beseeches his Bride, the church, not to forget to cause him to hear her voice as well. For as he is the only source of the song within her heart and soul, surely he should not be left out from the pleasures of the sound her voice.
Psalm 100:1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. 2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
And even if he has to put crosses of affliction into the lives of the churches in order to hear her working out her salvation with fear and trembling, he will not hesitate to do so. Song 2:14 O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. For as the little dove is nesting in the rocky cliffs, trembling with their strong down drafts of wind, making her cooing sounds, so the true church sings her songs in the night. Psalm 77:6 I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search.
And it is with these wounded souls, enduring their mortification, that the Lord closely attends. Isaiah 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
The Book we have been studying is called The SONG of Solomon. And our verse has the words, thy voice, which Hebrew word in Psalm 104:12 is translated into English as, sing! And even there it refers to the birds, like our little dove singing. Psalm 104:12 By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.
But we must consider the first verse of the fifth chapter of Isaiah to completely understand that the voice the king wishes to hear is of the bride, prompted by the flowers, fruits and the animals, which all remind her of her Beloved, singing to him. For so it is with the singing of the believers today! Ephesians 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
Here is that Isaiah verse: Isaiah 5:1 Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: 7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant:… If we did not know it, we would imagine that these verses actually came from the Song of Solomon.
It even states that I am singing “to” him, a song “of” his! Therefore as our study is in The Song of Solomon, so here it is said to be the song of my beloved. And what it the subject? Nothing but that as touching his vineyard.
Let us consider a little known verse that even states that the Lord shall sing with his church. Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. For remember, it is a song “to” the Lord, but only as it is a song “of” the Lord’s. For we can do nothing without him. (John 15:5). For this melody is only in your heart to the Lord!
Here are two other verses from the Prophet Hosea setting forth the singing of the church, derived from remembered afflictions. Hosea 2:14 Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her. 15 And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.
The leading of the Lord allures the church with his effectual call into his prepared place. Revelation 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. 14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And this “place” was prepared for her by the Lord Jesus’ work of redemption and atonement on the cross! John 14:2 … I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Then he speaks comfortably unto her, from the voice of his gospel. And in so doing she is reminded of the valley of Achor. That was a place of severe judgment. For there a law breaker was executed by stoning, and then was burned in fire. Joshua 7:24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. And in that verse 25 we read the meaning of the word Achor. For it means, “to trouble.”
God’s true and complete gospel contains both the realization of the horrible death of the One who was made to be sin for us – the Lamb of God – the Lord Jesus Christ, as well as the benefit of redemption for the confessed sinner! 2 Corinthians 5:21 For he (Father) hath made him (Son) to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Therefore our “valley of Achor” becomes a “door of hope,” as we enter into the new and living way through the blood of the Lord Jesus! For at the cross we see both the hatred of God for sin, as the Son is delivered up to death, without mercy. And we see the love of God, most purely displayed for his church! Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Christ is both our door of life and of liberty. John 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
And finally, in that Hosea passage, we see that all this was done so that she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.
Therefore we come to understand that the church’s voice is a blessing to the companions, that is, the other believers, but she is mainly to cause the Lord to hear her voice of praise to him, as he even sings with her. For it is only his song that she sings. And being so, it is a new song. It is a song he imparts into the hearts only of his believing Bride. It is not written down. There is no sheet music. It cannot be taught at choir practice. For it is a holy and instantaneous adoration, springing from the realization that the ‘trouble’ at Achor could have been theirs, except for the everlasting mercy of the Lord!
Revelation 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 14:3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
For only those realized sinners, knowing that redemption came from Christ alone, can burst forth into this God-glorifying song! Psalm 40:1 I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. 2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. 3 And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.
It is a personal matter of heart worship from the individual believer instantly activated from his personal awareness of his Lord! And the Lord will silence heaven in order to hear it! And when he does so, trumpeters of judgment prepare themselves to sound, as the providences of earth are governed by the church’s prayers to heaven. 1 John 3:22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
The temple of the Lord is the individual believer. 1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. And when the Lord is within that individual believer, raising up their voice in prayer and praise, he requires silence from all others. Habakkuk 2:20 But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.
Revelation 8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. 2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. 3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand. 5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. 6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
But prayer must be according to his will! It is not to be like a wish list to Santa! But it must be within the realm of seeking first for the good and glory of Christ’s kingdom! James 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
It was the prayers of the individual Israelites, grieved by the cruelty of their Egyptian task masters that was heard by God, that brought him down for their deliverance. Exodus 3:7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; 8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey;
Therefore the church’s prayer closet is far more powerful than any government’s parliamentary chambers! Matthew 6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Let us then, cause the Lord to hear our voices, amidst this apostate age of darkness. Let your hearts have voice though ardent prayers. Pastor Gene Breed
March 15, 2017