Sweet Notes from

Chapter 2, verse 4. "He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. What a glorious sight those banners of war must have been as they hung from the rafters of the banqueting house of the king of Israel as he sat down to eat with his young bride. How many great and glorious victories must have been inscribed upon those velvet flags of honour! But above the head of the young bride of the Song of Songs was stretched out in her imagination a far more glorious banner than Israel could ever boast, and that was the banner of "Love" that Solomon had woven for her and had inscribed with his own undivided attention. And what a banner flies above the heads of the Lord's Elect. And how many victories are woven into the fabric of the flag of our redemption.

As soon as it was unfurled in that manger at Bethlehem "the kings of the earth set themselves against the Lord, and against His anointed," for Herod would "seek out the young child to destroy him." The articles of war had been issued many hundreds of years before in that Garden of Eden when enmity was declared between the seeds of the woman and the serpent; and it wasn't long until our Redeemer had entered into hand-to-hand combat with the prince of this world.

Three names are especially emblazoned upon the banner of the Lord.

The Battle of Gethsemane is there, where Christ must needs enter into combat with the justice of His Father in Heaven, and take the way of salvation for man that God had ordained. "If it be possible, let this cup pass from me." But it wasn't possible, and Christ entered into the fray and gained the victor's crown.

The Battle of Gabbatha is there also. How many unholy alliances were forged that day against the Prince of Life at that "place of the pavement?" Herod and Pilate making common cause; the Jews and the Romans; the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Yet, the victory was the Lord's.

The Battle of Golgotha shines brightly there, as well. How black it seemed when the battle commenced that day on that hill that was called Calvary! See how the Captain of our salvation even wilts and falls under the blows of Divine wrath. But the blood of His veins is only to dye the banner of our redemption a crimson hue that the golden letters of our Father's love might be plain for all His children to read.

Truly: "He brought me to the banqueting house, and His banner over me was love."