The Lord Is Near 2023 calendar

His legs, pillars of marble, set upon bases of fine gold: his bearing as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. Song of Songs 5:15 JND

The Bridegroom and the Bride (8)

His legs, pillars of marble, set upon bases of fine gold. The pillars of marble speak of His stability. What a contrast with our feeble knees and our tendency at times to “halt between two opinions.” The marble speaks of the white color that we have seen several times during the bride’s description of her Beloved. He is white, His eyes are washed with milk, His lips are lilies, His belly is bright ivory, and His legs are pillars of marble. Indeed He is absolutely pure, “holy, harmless, undefiled, separated from sinners” (Heb. 7:26). Besides the white color, we see the gold, symbol of divine righteousness, recurring frequently in her description. His head is as the finest gold, His hands are gold rings, His legs are set upon bases of fine gold. Thus whether we think of His thoughts and counsels (the head), or His works (the hands), or His walk (the legs), they all speak of the divine righteousness of our Beloved.

His bearing as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. Having spoken in some detail about her Beloved, about His head, His hair, His eyes, His cheeks, His lips, His hands, His belly, and His legs, she now speaks about His appearance in general, about the awe which results from beholding Him. He is like a mountain, elevated and majestic. He is the One described in Psalm 113:4 with these words: “Jehovah is high above all nations, His glory above the heavens.” Mount Lebanon derived its name from the white snow that covers its top. And so we see white from the first sentence to the last in her description of her Beloved. The great men of this world including Roman governors and Jewish religious leaders were too blind to know Him, “for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:8). But to us who believe, He is preciousness itself.

A. M. Behnam