My Dove is One

The Reading from Song of Solomon 6

Please turn your Bible to Song of Solomon chapter 6 that can be found on page 563 of your pew. Bible Song of Solomon chapter 6. When you have that go ahead and stand for the reading of God's Word. Read verses 4 through 10, but our preaching today will be particularly on.

Verses.

8 9. You are beautiful as tears of my love lovely as Jerusalem awesome as an army with banners. Turn away your eyes from me for they overwhelm me. Your hair is like a flock of goats Leaping down the slopes of Gilead.

Your teeth are like a flock of ewes That have come up from the washing. All of them bear twins. Not one among them has lost its young. Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind your veil. There are 60 Queens and 80 concubines and virgins without number.

My dove. My perfect one is the only one the only one of her mother pure to her who bore her. The young women saw her and called her bless. The Queens and concubines also and they praised her. Who is this who looks down like the dawn beautiful as the moon bright as the Sun awesome as an army with banners?

Amen.

Maybe seated.

Family father we ask for Your blessing upon us today as we examine this passage of Scripture. I know that this book is one that is out Frequently neglected, but we ask that you would open our eyes to understand it and you would give us a great assurance of your Truth your love for your bride in Jesus name.

Amen. Some time ago. This might have been a year two years ago studying some works on the Catholic city of the church or the unity of the church and I was reading Early church writers on this topic and I came across this statement just very casually.

Offhandedly said my dove is one Expecting me to know what this meant. I don't know what church father I was reading But I saw that thought that was kind of odd. Then later saw another church father stayed the same thing.

My dove is one just as a as a proof of the unity of the church. So I had to look this up. What was this referring to? I found this passage Song of Solomon Chapter 6 verse 9 my dove my perfect one. It's the only one the only one of her mother.

I saw this many other places and then recently as I've been preaching through the series of how salvation Encourages or supplies the energy foreign powers good works. Number of these topics have touched on the unity of the church and there as I'm I've been reading Reformation writers Frequently they would do the same thing.

Simply saying this phrase my dove is one as a proof of the unity of the church without any explanation needed. It was simply understood. This verse is something that demonstrates the unity of the church.

Now.

Several years ago when I counted this the first time it seemed very foreign to me. More recently, it's less foreign given that I've had a chance to study this book a bit more. But it does make me Jealous in a sort of way that they could simply say this and expect that the audience that they are writing to.

Has the sort of biblical literacy that would embrace that as meaning? Yes, of course. This is speaking of the unity of the church. Sometimes Proof texts that are valuable to us sometimes passages in Scripture that are valuable to us are not just valuable.

Because they are the most clear. Sometimes it's because they are the most beautiful. This is a passage that is valuable to speak to the unity of the church. Not necessarily because it's the most clear in our modern eyes as we read this as would be a different passage like Ephesians 4.

But.

It is a very beautiful passage and I would not want us to Not have this same encouragement that Saints of previous generations have had when they contemplate the unity of the church. Being able to in a casual way say my dove is one speaking of the Cherished nature of the unity of the church.

So in order to explain this to you first like to explain Why the Song of Solomon is an allegory about Christ in the church why you should believe that then how this applies Looking at both the diversity and unity of the church.

Why the Song of Solomon Is an Allegory of Christ and the Church

So consider the Song of Solomon. The Song of Solomon is not Primarily to be understood as a love song between Solomon and his bride that is typologically referring to Christ and the church, but rather is directly an allegory about Christ in the church.

This is the way that it's supposed to be understood. Indeed if you even go back and you read Jewish authors if you read the Targum, which is a paraphrase of the Old Testament You read the Targum on this passage it does the same.

It understands that this is an allegory between God and his people of the love between God and his people if this were as Many considered to be and as the images as the metaphor itself is Speaking of Solomon and the daughter of Pharaoh This doesn't fit for a number of reasons.

One.

The his marriage to the daughter of Pharaoh is condemned in Scripture. So how could this be the great topic of this book? It could be the image that the book uses to choose to communicate something great greater, but how could it be the primary topic?

Secondly. You see in this passage or not this passage in particular, but in this book it speaks of the nose of the Bride as being like the Tower of Lebanon. The Tower of Lebanon in first Kings is constructed some 20 years after Solomon's marriage to the daughter of Pharaoh so if this is about daughter of Pharaoh it is written many years after.

So Solomon using this imagery about the daughter of Pharaoh about his bride. To communicate something greater to communicate this allegory is using images that don't exist until many years later. It means that he is writing this many years later.

So we are not to think of this as primarily being a poem poem that he composed at his wedding. It is something written many years later. Now consider also the name of this in most modern translations, this is called the Song of Solomon.

In Verse 1 of chapter 1 it says the song of songs which is Solomon the song of songs. What does it mean for this to be the song of songs? It means that it is the greatest song now. What makes a song great?

There is the nature of the poetry. There is the message that it communicates the subject which it address. If something is to be the greatest song. Certainly it would be the greatest in all these categories.

Solomon wrote a thousand in five songs according to the book of Kings a Thousand and five songs many of these we know from the Psalms are our songs about God himself. Now if part of what makes a song great is the subject it addresses is not God a greater subject than a mere human marriage.

And yet this is called the song of songs. This is something Much higher much greater than just about a mere human marriage. This is the song of songs we are to understand it as as People have in the past and generations as even Jewish writers understood it as being about a relationship between God and his people and as Christians about being the relationship between Christ and his bride and moreover.

This is the interpretation of the New Testament itself. Solomon says that he is a rose of Sharon like a lily of the valley. Jesus and the Sermon on the Mount points to the lilies. He says look at these in all his glory.

Solomon was not arrayed like one of these. Now Solomon says that he was arrayed like one of these. What does Jesus say that he was not arrayed like one of these. What does that mean. Solomon is not primarily talking about himself.

Solomon is talking about one greater than himself.

And.

Psalm 45 which is likewise Which likewise uses this figure of this marriage that Solomon authors? Many people regard it rightly so I believe as an abbreviation or a What do you call it abridgment. An abridgment of this song where he speaks of this marriage and What is said in Hebrews chapter 1 how is it interpreted.

This is interpreted as referring to Christ. It's not explained that. Oh, this was really about Solomon and in some way it has reference to Christ. No, this is primarily to be understood as allegory. So even Psalm 45 interpreted by Hebrews 1 is primarily being about Christ Jesus.

I believe the Sermon on the Mount referring to the song of Solomon. Letting us know that Solomon himself was not arrayed like the lilies. So Solomon must have been speaking of one greater than himself.

This is a picture of Christ and his bride. And so how ought we to understand this particular passage given that? First 8 says there are 60 Queens and 80 concubines and virgins without number. Now Solomon himself says in Kings had 700 wives and 300 concubines so you see these numbers are different and on top of these numbers being different.

They are reversed in their quantities. There are more concubines than there are Queens here. Virgins refer to those who would attend to the concubines and Queens. You're not sure what a concubine is. A concubine is a wife that does not have inheritance rights.

Okay, so it is a Essentially a wife where the children would not inherit property. Okay, if someone is a very wealthy person and they wanted to have many wives they would have many wives. But if they had too many that they wouldn't be able to let all of them inherit and they would have concubines.

That's that is what this is describing here. Now. What are these? What do they represent in this allegory? There's a lot of things that people have pointed to. There is. There are nations that would if the bride is the church then maybe the Concubines and Queens are nations or perhaps they are false churches or perhaps they are false believers.

There's a lot of different ideas People have had. Yet, I believe it's very simple. These are ones who praise her who call her blessed. These are none other than the individuals of the church. We see this in Revelation and Revelation chapter 14.

It gives a picture of 144 ,000 who have been redeemed from the earth and it says it is these who have not defiled themselves with women. For they are virgins is these who follow the Lamb where he goes.

Now it may not strike your ears as odd that he speaks of men who have not defiled themselves with women as virgins. Virginity in Scripture throughout most of human history is something that describes a woman.

A woman is a virgin. Now we live in a culture that uses the term virgin to speak of men. There are all kinds of. Yeah, people use that term all the time to describe a man who has not slept with a woman.

So that might not strike your ears as odd if you look through Scripture. The only time this term is used other than this part is for women. There is a Yeah, a woman's virginity is something very particular very.

It is different than a man's than a man not having slept with a woman. These are asymmetric asymmetric realities. We see later on in Revelation chapter 19 great a great multitude says in Revelation 19 6 then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder crying out Hallelujah for the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory. For the marriage of the Lamb has come and the bride has made herself ready. It was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen bright and pure for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the Saints.

And the angel said to me Write this blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb and He said to me these are the true words of God. Okay, so there's a great multitude. These are all God's holy people and they all gather for the marriage of the bride and Christ.

Now if you are thinking, okay. Well the bride is all the individual. So how can there be individuals in attendance to the bride? Well, that is the scene that is described here. It's the same scene that you see described in the Song of Solomon chapter 6 is many attendants around the bride.

Who have some status with the king than the bride herself and even this term virgins being applied to men. Demonstrating that you are supposed to think of them in a feminine way of being attendance to the bride.

Right.

Just to. Yeah, just to make that clear like there is a physical reality to virginity with a woman that doesn't exist for men, right? That is why that that term has been historically applied to women. And not applied to men.

And so this is supposed to this is you are supposed to see hints in Revelation that the author or the vision that's being given is doing something special there where it's describing these men as virgins.

So. Combining that with the Song of Solomon this gives you this picture that these Wives these queens and concubines and virgins are the individuals of the church. Gathered at the wedding feast of the church.

Says my dove my perfect one is the only one the only one of her mother now. There are sometimes in Scripture where words are added to make things Sound a little more normal like for example in In the Gospels there a number of times where Jesus says I am and most translations will say I am he.

You're probably familiar with some of those. This is one similar where this passage in older translations will typically say my dove. My undefiled is one. So it is not it does not say the only one. But my undefiled is one.

My dove. Yeah, my dove is one. So there are three statements that are given to here. My dove is one. She is the only one of her mother and she is pure to her. Who bore her also. Translated choice or favorite of her who bore her.

Okay, so three things. She is one. She is the only one of her mother. She is the favorite one of her mother. Is there these three accolades? Now she is one. All the virgins all the Queens all the concubines.

They are many but she is just one. She is the only one of her mother. You think about a an only child? That's a very precious thing. And yet she is also the favorite of her mother the. The picture here.

Describing her as an only child and also a favorite child might seem.

In.

Yeah, it might seem to contradict itself but this is yeah, this is the the picture here. And Song Solomon 1 verse 6 it says do not gaze at me because I am dark because the Sun has looked upon me. My mother's sons were angry with me.

They made me keepers of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept. So here you have the bride describing that she has mother-sons right there. There are other ones who have. Who have been angry with her.

This is typically interpreted as referring to false professors, so you do have. Both of these images fit if you understand it that way if those are false professors. She is the favorite child and yet she is also the only child in a sense.

Because she is in one the only true child and in calling her the only one of her. Oh, excuse me, and then to explain who is the mother who is the mother supposed to be? If you read through scripture. One thing that you may notice is the Bible frequently talks about Zion and the daughter of Zion.

Interchangeably frequently talks about Jerusalem and the daughter of Jerusalem. Interchangeably to speak about the people of God. This is what you are seeing here. The notion of the mother and the notion of the daughter of the mother are different aspects of the same reality of this church in Verse.

In Song of Solomon 3 verse 4 it says. Scarcely had I passed them when I found him whom my soul loves 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 who conceived.

Me.

So you see her taking him into her mother's room. It's. There's an interchangeability here that you see likewise throughout scripture when it speaks of Zion or it speaks to the daughter of Zion. So there are 60 Queens and 80 concubines and virgins without number my dove.

My perfect one is the only one the only one of her mother pure to her who bore her. This is. This is the picture of this uniqueness of the bride this preciousness of the bride. Now consider the Diversity of the church in this light.

There are 60 Queens and 80 concubines and virgins without number. This is the case for people of God there are many people of God they are innumerable they are like the sands of the sea given the way that God has blessed Christ in the church and They come in varieties Queens Concubines virgins.

One way that this is spoken of is in first Corinthians 15. It says there's one glory of the Sun another glory of the moon another glory of the stars for star differs from star and glory. So it is with the resurrection of the dead.

What is sown is in is perishable. What is raised is imperishable. There is differing glory between the different people of God and this is something that the various kinds of glory Demonstrate God's glory in a particular way.

You have those who are. You have what is in the greatest quantity being those things that are the least glorious and those which are in the smallest Quantity being those things which are the most glorious.

Just like here 60 Queens those being the fewest 80 concubines. They're being more of those virgins without number. They're being the most of those. Consider something like diamonds right if you were to go look for a Half carat or a one carat diamond.

It wouldn't be very much money because there are tons of those you look for a two carat three carat diamond far far more money, right it costs. You're talking a lot more. This is this is an order of magnitude more money.

You go up another carat or two. It's another order of magnitude because it become that much more rare. So there are different there are different glories in God's Church. In addition you see those also inversely proportional with the quantity the higher the glory the fewer.

There are. And what does that say if the bride herself? Well the bride herself shows. Because she is only one and there are many of different kinds of glories within the church shows. She is especially glory.

She is glorious beyond all the individuals of the church now considering the The unity of the church rather than the diversity the unity of the church. Ephesians 4 4 through 5 says. There's one body in one spirit just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call one Lord one faith one baptism.

One God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. So God gives grace in varying measures. But he has given all of us one Lord one faith one baptism.

We have one God one Father. We are all united together. And so despite the diversity there's something that God has accomplished and bringing us together to be one that is Something that is of special value.

Beyond any kind of value that he gives in making the individuals glorious it is through bringing them all together with the with the variety of with the variety of giftings that he gives with the variety of purity with the variety of Blessedness that demonstrates the ultimate glory of his church who is just one and so God in Providing all these various kinds of parts of his body.

Lesser parts greater parts just like it speaks of and first Corinthians just like it speaks of in many passages is illustrating to us not just realities about us as individuals but realities about the church as a whole.

If There are many of these and they are glorious that there are fewer of these and they are more glorious. There are fewer of these and they are more glorious. You know you think about the the greatest servants that God uses in his church people who have been recorded in history people have been recorded in Scripture that we are able to look back on and Think about how God used them in special ways and there are fewer and fewer of the greater and greater kinds.

But the absolute top of that hierarchy is for none other than all of them combined together in the one Church of God. She is the one dove. Dove is simply the the pet name that is used throughout this.

Yeah, this term of endearment that's used throughout the Song of Solomon. My dove is one. So your value well on one hand you as an individual believer have a particular grace that has been given to you.

Have a particular gifting that has been given to you have a particular glory. That God has in store for you on that final day. Well, that is true. Your greater glory is not found in that individual glory, but it's found in You being part of that one bride this provides a Motivation for unity.

Your greatest glory is not found in anything that God is doing in you individually. But what he is doing in you with others. Corporately if that is the greater glory that you will enjoy. Then how much should you pursue unity.

You should pursue unity with great with great zeal. This is true with individuals. All right as you pursue unity with one another you should be studying the Word of God that you can Be more and more Conformed to that word more and more conformed to Jesus Christ.

You can be unified with one another. Additionally as there are disagreements you should eagerly resolve those disagreements following the pattern given to us in Matthew 18. Where you go and you show your brother's fault where you work things out with one another you don't sweep things under the rug you don't Harbor bitterness, but you resolve these things because that is an important glory that is worth seeking.

Now beyond that there is an importance for local churches to pursue unity with one another. One of the things that happens if people elevate the Local church above the global church. They work they circle their wagons and work to their own advantage against Other local churches.

This ought not be you know, when other churches ask us to use the facilities we have Open hands, you know, so long as they're a true church. We have we have open hands. We desire to help other churches.

We belong to an association. You know, there are many Baptists who because Baptists believe in independence in church government and authority will not Be part of an association. They'll be anti associational.

That's the that's the term because they think that that would be contrary to Christ's purpose for the church. No, it is perfectly in line with this purpose if we're to pursue a greater unity than just the unity that we have here.

So local churches should pursue unity with one another. Now moreover We should desire the good of the global church. You should be often thinking not just what is best for my church individually, but also what is best for the for the global church.

Yeah, many churches are Just very very concerned about themselves and preserving themselves in a way That does not consider what the needs of the of the global church are. Remember one time I was on a team where I had a particular expertise.

This is at work. I had a particular expertise. It's maybe you know top kind of topped here. It's a very niche thing that hardly anybody has any experience in but I had experience and a lot of experience in it.

And I could help this other team with that thing. And so I asked my team asked my manager if that would be okay. He asked his manager that manager asked her manager said her and the answer came back. No, I couldn't because our priorities were important.

It was more important to work for the team than to work for the whole company. This is this is often how? People in churches operate there there you ought to have a special concern for your own church.

This is where God has placed you. But at the same time that concern for that church is ultimately in service of the one bride. My dove is one and if it's ever the case that Preserving your own church or or elevating your own church only serves to Detract from the health of the global church and whatever circumstance that may be.

Then.

It ought not be you could imagine a situation where there are two small churches. They're nearby each other. They have some small differences and they could they could merge together and it would be a healthier situation.

But because they are so concerned about the the life of their own church and preservation of their own church and their particulars. That they would not engage in that merger. That would be one example of caring about local above global.

We should be working together with other churches. We should be desiring the health of the the global church now. Think about this also when it comes to the way individuals work either for the local church or for the global church.

Many churches when they Have a pastor who is full-time They expect we are paying you to do this job. You should be focused on this if you are getting distracted by global church tasks. That's not good.

Now. Certainly it is the case that someone could Get into their mind that they're a big shot who needs to be doing all kind. You know going to conferences all around the globe, etc. And they are neglecting the local church when this is the institution that Christ has established for that the health of his people.

Certainly that could be the case. But is it not right for a church to recognize that it may be good for a pastor to? Use his efforts to use his energies not just Not only for the good of the local church, but also for the good of the global church.

I have a I'm doing an interview on a podcast soon and they sent me a list of questions one of the questions this is about money ministry, which most of you know, this is a Favorite topic of mine. One of the questions that's going to be asked of me is how can we still support?

Men to dedicate themselves to.

Being.

Professors in Seminary so that those kinds of institutions can still flourish. Part of me thinks that maybe that's not even the right question to be asking because What it's assuming is that if someone is working on the local church, they can't really do the job.

Well of serving the global church working. Working to educate others, right? Or if they are working to educate others in the global church, then they can't really be doing the work for the local church.

I don't think that it's that it works that way. In fact, I think it's healthiest when one is recognizing what gifting that God has given them and Working to the good of both. Primarily even the local church, but with an eye towards the towards the global church there are so many who have to Engage in unbiblical ways of raising funds of selling selling their teaching etc.

Because they are not being funded by the regular giving of the church because it's not something that's considered part of the ministry of the Church and because these things are being run by parachurch ministry since they're not considered part of the church.

That means they're outside of the oversight of elders. They're outside of the financial stewardship of deacons and it's it's run contrary to the way that Christ would have his church to run but it's done that way because people pit these two at odds with one another global church and local church not realizing that.

There should be a sweeter harmony between the two.

And.

Consider how good it is for one who is engaged in global church work to be engaged in local church work. It's very similar to a Doctor, you know, I I don't know a lot about the medical field but I imagine a research doctor who's trying to develop new techniques to deal with a with a disease Is not going to be very well Respected if he is not also practicing medicine.

Right if he's just dealing with medicine up in an ivory tower not actually practicing not actually looking at results and dealing with patients. Right the same should be. I think we should have a very similar attitude toward toward pastoral work.

That.

If someone is going to be doing global pastoral work, they ought to be Engaged in local work. Anyway, these two do not need to be at odds. They can be in sweet harmony and churches ought to Support their pastors with an eye toward understanding how their gifts could be used for the global church, not just the Not just the local church So that they can be in harmony.

Now.

Considering all those ways to pursue unity consider also how to pursue honor. Honor of one another. First of all you ought not Honor yourself above others in ways that are inappropriate.

Uh.

You see in scripture there are men who Consider honor the reason why they're in the church. They want to be at the head of the table. There are men like in third john diatrophies who doesn't want others to be recognized.

Now this is often true in church leadership where there are people who consider The church to exist for them rather than them for the church. But for every megalomaniac in church ministry who thinks that there are probably thousands in Among the laymen who think that that that the church exists for them rather than them for the church.

They see that the church is there to raise them up individually rather than them raising the church up. But where is the true glory here that's described in this passage? The young women saw her and called her blessed the queens and concubines also and they praised her.

It is.

Job of the layman even to elevate The church because that is where His or her glory ultimately is found is not in themself, but in church. So you should speak honorably of one another. Romans 12 10 says outdo one another in showing honor if this is the case if your ultimate glory is found in the The oneness of the church and not the manyness of you if that is a far more precious thing.

My dove is one. If that is the more precious thing then there is no reason for jealousy. There is no reason for gossip. A lot of people try to elevate themselves by tearing others down. Rather you can elevate yourself If you understand where your glory is rightly found by elevating others because it is in that unity in that oneness.

That your greatest glory will be found in the oneness of that dove in the oneness of the bride. And speak honorably about the church herself. I find it, uh disturbing. I catch myself doing this too when many people Look at problems in the church and they speak negatively of the church because of that they say you know the church is.

Um.

Yeah, the church is very foolish. So the church does not honor god or the church, etc. No, this is don't say that don't say that the bride definitely honors her groom. Do not say that the bride does not honor the groom if you if you need to speak that way then speak with sufficient qualification say things like the modern church has a lack of clarity about x or You can speak of her as being immature.

This is something that god describes that the body is growing to match the head. You can speak of her as being as in the process of being purified you can speak of her as Being distressed or attacked.

This is one of the ways, uh, one of the hymns we sing speaks that way. It talks about her by heresies distressed. That would be an appropriate way of speaking of the bride, uh, but speak honorably about the bride of christ.

If you're a married man, you would not be happy with someone speaking poorly of your bride so we should not speak poorly of the bride of christ rather when we notice flaws we should Identify them in truthful yet honorable ways that acknowledge the purity the goodness of that bride.

All this is a Great truth that not only motivates unity, but should be an incredible encouragement. And source of joy for you as you see what christ has in store. As we are growing together as one as he is building up this body.

Your glory individually may be Increasing as you are being sanctified as you are being purified. But as that one body as that one bride is being purified being made mature. There is a greater glory which you get to see what you get to be part of that is growing.

So that you can like the young women like the queens and concubines call her blessed praise her. Because as the lord says my dove is my dove. My perfect one is the only one the only one of our mother pure to her who bore her.

Amen. Dear heavenly father, we thank you for your word We pray that we would be able to embrace it as many have in generations past understanding. These truths is applying to Christ and his bride. We ask that it would be an encouragement to us and that we would not neglect your word in jesus's name.

Amen.