Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 22 August, 2021
“O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness:
fear before him, all the earth” (Ps. 96:9)
Morning Service – 11:00 AM
Solomon: Israel’s Wisest King (1)
Old, Cold David [youtube]
Scripture Reading: I Kings 1:1-21
Text: I Kings 1:1-4
I. The Practical Application
II. The Typological Significance
III. The Narrative Purpose
Psalms: 18:33-40; 143:5-12; 71:16-21; 144:1-5, 9-10
Evening Service – 6:00 PM
The Results of the Fall [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Psalm 90
Text: Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 4
I. Grievous Losses
II. Extreme Punishments
Psalms: 65:1-5; 144:1-8; 14:1-7; 90:3-9
For CDs of the sermons and DVDs of the worship services, contact Stephen Murray
If you desire a pastoral visit, please contact Rev. Stewart or the elders
CPRC Website: www.cprc.co.uk • Live Webcast: www.cprc.co.uk/live-streaming
CPRC YouTube: www.youtube.com/cprcni
CPRC Facebook: www.facebook.com/CovenantPRC
Quotes to Consider
Prof. David J. Engelsma: “The period culminating in the reign of King Solomon began with the inheritance of Canaan under Joshua. The establishment and glory of the kingdom of God under David and Solomon, climaxing in Solomon’s glorious reign, constitute the goal of a distinct epoch in the progress of the typical kingdom/covenant of God. The outstanding elements of this distinct period of covenantal history include the inheritance of the promised land; defeat of the enemies of the people of God; enjoyment of peace and prosperity; and the glory of God’s covenantal kingdom shining out to the nations of the world of that time. In power, in wealth, in territory, Israel had become one of the greatest, if not the greatest, kingdom in the world. The surrounding nations recognized the greatness of Israel, as the visit to Solomon by the queen of Sheba indicated. The root and essence of all this bliss and glory was Israel’s living with Jehovah as its friend in the covenant and its living obediently under Jehovah as its sovereign in the kingdom. The progress in this epoch reached its zenith in David’s son Solomon. Under Solomon, Israel experiences the possibilities of the blessing of God in the covenant” (Unfolding Covenant History, vol. 6, pp. 169-170).
Herman Hoeksema on Lord’s Day 4: “That man is the servant of the living God is not the result of a voluntary contract he made with his Creator. There were no mutual conditions and stipulations, agreements and demands, before man entered into the service of the Most High. On the contrary, his employer is God. He is the Lord of heaven and earth, the creator of all. By an act of his omnipotent will alone man was called into being, endowed with his faculties, powers, and talents, and placed in God’s world and in God’s service” (In the Midst of Death, p. 182).
Announcements (subject to God’s will)
Our thanks to Justyn for cleaning the church windows.
RFPA books are available on the back table for RFPA Book Club members. Standard Bearers are also available for subscribers.
The Council meets tomorrow evening at 7 PM at church.
Tuesday Bible study at 11 AM will meet upstairs to discuss the idea of good works as fruit.
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s day (Gospel 846 MW at 8:30 AM) by Rev. Haak is entitled, “The Power of the Pulpit” (Neh. 8).
Offerings: General Fund: £810.02. Donations: £100 (Malaysia), £400 (England), £11,266.81 (USA).
Translation Additions: 6 Dutch, 6 Hungarian, 2 Kirundi, 2 Polish, 2 Russian and 1 Spanish.
PRC News: Hudsonville PRC and First PRC have called Rev. R Kleyn. Doon PRC called Rev. Barnhill. Kalamazoo PRC has called Rev. DeBoer.
Drink From Your Own Cistern
Brian D. Dykstra
“Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. Let them be only thine own, and not strangers’ with thee. Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love” (Prov. 5:15-19).
In the preceding verses, Solomon instructed his children about the disastrous consequences of succumbing to one’s sinful passions with a strange woman. Adultery leads to ruin, both physical and spiritual. Solomon now explains the blessings found in being faithful in a marriage to a godly wife.
When Solomon begins verse fifteen by discussing cisterns and wells, he is not moving on to a new topic. He is not explaining to his son that, if he were to steal water from his neighbour, he will have an adversary living next door. The cistern and well picture the son’s wife. Water, and therefore the cisterns and wells which contained and produced it, was very valuable in Canaan. Wells which produced beautiful, fresh water were especially treasured. Remember how David longed for a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem while Saul sought his life? By comparing one’s wife to a cistern or well, Solomon hinted at the value of a good wife.
It is natural for people to become thirsty and need water. Similarly, God created man a sexual creature who has desires for physical intimacy. This was true for Adam before the fall. Just as a man must slake his thirst with water from his own well, a man must fulfil his need for intimacy only with his wife. God’s decree was for a man to have one wife. The Bible records incidents of men, even men who are examples of faith to us, having more than one wife. Abraham had two wives, but there was not peace in his family because of the strife between Sarah and Hagar. The same was true for Jacob. Solomon’s many wives and concubines led him away from God to build temples for, and serve, idols. God’s decree is one man, one wife. Anything other than this will only bring confusion and trouble, the consequences of sin.
Solomon continues comparing family life to water when he writes of fountains being dispersed and rivers of waters in the streets. These fountains and waters refer to children which God is usually pleased to give couples as the fruit of their marriage relationship. Solomon speaks of an abundance of water. The towns and cities of Israel would be filled with the happy sound of children playing with each other in the streets.
The warning comes in the next verse. These children must be “thine own.” These children are the offspring of a faithful husband and wife. They must not be the children of “strangers,” children of women who are not the man’s wife. There are examples of such sons of harlots and concubines in Scripture. We recall Abimelech who murdered nearly all of his half-brothers and brought great trouble to Israel. On the other hand, there is Jephthah, “the son of an harlot,” whom God used to deliver His people from Ammon. God’s grace is powerful enough to use a Jephthah for the good of His people. More often, though, Abimelechs are the bitter result.
In being faithful to his wife, God will bless a man’s fountain and the man will “rejoice with the wife of thy youth.” A husband is called to be faithful to the wife he took in his youth. He may not forsake her when she is older and her physical beauty has faded, and marry a younger woman. The prophet Malachi says God would not accept the people’s offerings because of men’s treachery in divorcing their godly wives so they could marry younger women. It’s fine for a young man to be attracted to a woman because he finds her beautiful. God can use such means to begin relationships. However, there had better be more to one’s love than physical attraction. Such physical attraction must lead to the bonding of redeemed hearts which share a love for God and a trust in His promises. If the only reason a young man loves a young woman is because of her lovely yellow hair and gleaming white teeth, what will he do if God gives them many years together and he discovers his wife now has white hair and yellow teeth? If in his youth he had also loved her for her godly heart, which beauty will not fade with time, he will continue to rejoice with her, and his love for her, though now matured, will still be youthful.
Finally, we read of the husband’s abiding attraction to his wife. She is attractive as the loving deer. This could refer to the attraction we see in the animal world between mates or the devotion for offspring females display. This might also speak of deer which are kept by people. I can’t recall any instances in Scripture where men kept deer or roe on some land or that men had tamed them. The royalty of Europe maintained hunting grounds which contained deer. The prophet Nathan told a parable to David about a man who kept a ewe lamb which became as a daughter to him, but not a tamed deer. The beauty of the deer represents how a man’s wife is attractive to him.
Solomon even uses sensual language in this passage. God created the woman to be desirable to man. The husband must limit his sexual attractions and desires to his wife, and, in the way of living faithfully to God’s seventh commandment, God will work in the husband’s heart so he continues to find his wife beautiful. Her breasts represent her love and embraces as mentioned in the Song of Solomon 1:13. God can work in His people’s hearts so the husband is “ravished always with her love.”
Our age is one of increasing lawlessness. As we read in Romans, the world even goes against “natural law” in that men burn with lust for other men, and women for women. God has given Western culture over to foolishness as a result of idolatry. The wicked now boast of and express pride in their shame. Because of the influence of godless culture, many adolescents are confused about their “gender identity.” There are debates about how many sexes there are or what pronouns one should use when addressing others. In light of such developments, it is refreshing when the Bible calls a husband to find his wife ravishing. When God commands such obedience, He will also send the Spirit to work in us and grant the grace we need to walk in His fear.
