May 22, Evening

C. H. Spurgeon · Modern retelling

"Behold, Thou art fair, my Beloved." — Song of Songs 1:16 · KJV

From every angle our Well-beloved is altogether fair. Our varied experiences are meant by our heavenly Father to provide fresh vantage points from which we can view the loveliness of Jesus. How welcome our trials become when they carry us high enough to see Jesus more clearly than ordinary life allows! We have seen Him from the mountain summits, and He has shone on us like the sun at full strength; but we have also seen Him "from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards," and He has lost none of His beauty. From the weariness of a sickbed, from the very edge of the grave, we have turned our eyes to the Husband of our souls, and He has never been anything other than "all fair." Many of His saints have looked at Him from the gloom of prison cells and from the flames of execution, and yet they never spoke one ill word of Him but died praising His surpassing charms. What a noble and pleasant occupation, to gaze forever at our dear Lord Jesus! Is it not unspeakably delightful to view the Savior in all His offices and find Him matchless in every one, to turn the kaleidoscope, as it were, and discover new combinations of unequaled graces? In the manger and in eternity, on the cross and on His throne, in the garden and in His kingdom, among criminals or in the midst of the angelic hosts, everywhere He is "altogether lovely." Examine carefully every small act of His life and every trait of His character, and He is as lovely in the smallest detail as in the most majestic. Judge Him however you will, you cannot find fault; weigh Him however you please, and He will not be found wanting. Eternity will never uncover the shadow of a flaw in our Beloved; rather, as the ages roll on, His hidden glories will shine out with still more inconceivable splendor, and His indescribable loveliness will delight all heavenly minds more and more.