Song of Solomon Part 10

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

Song of Solomon

Part 10

"An Hour of Triumph”

It’s almost time to bring the story to a close. And like most good stories, it has a happy ending. We ended last time with the Shulmaite charging the women of Solomon’s Court for the third and last time to stop trying to stir up illicit desire in her for Solomon. She won her battle with temptation, and only longed to be joined to her beloved shepherd.

The closing paragraphs can be divided into three sections. We have the Shulamite and her beloved (8:5-7), the Shulamite and her brothers (8:8-12), and the Shulamite and her betrothed (8:13-14).

The first voice to be heard is the voice of the companions of the shepherd, who are the friends of the bridegroom.

8:5 “Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?”

At long last the two are together. We are not told when or how the shepherd secured the release of his bride from the perfumed prison of Solomon’s pavilion. She was there one moment, and the next moment she was gone. All we know is the miracle had taken place.

The shepherd had come, the shackles were broken, and she was with her shepherd at last. He and his friends joined in the joy and rejoicing of the reuniting of the bride and groom.

This is exactly how it shall be with us. One moment we will be here on earth, and the next moment we will find ourselves staring at our longed for Shepherd face to face! The church will be gone in a flash. And this poor, wretched Earth will suddenly be bereft of its salt, light, and nobility.

Next, we find the Shepherd and the Shulamite communing together. They first discuss what they remembered:

8:5b “I awakened you under the apple tree. There your mother brought you forth; there she who bore you brought you forth.”

The shepherd is reminiscing on the time and place where their love began, and he equates that to when life began. Love is like life in that it brings forth something new.

It is also important for us to remember as Christians when our life with Him began. It is good to occasionally go back into the past to remember our spiritual birthday!

Then, they recall what they had relished. First, they had relished love’s seal:

8:6a “Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm;”

This might also be rendered, “Wear me as a seal close to your heart; wear me like a ring upon your hand.” The “seal” spoken of was a signet ring that in olden days was regarded as the actual signature of the owner.

In Bible days, the signature ring actually stood for the person who wore it. The imprint left by the ring was used to make contracts binding. They were also a symbol of ownership.

The “signet ring” the Lord Jesus Christ gives to His earthly bride is the Holy Spirit. It is the mark of His ownership. “You were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise…” (Eph.1:13).

So then, the shepherd and the Shulamite relished love’s seal. But they also relished love’s strength:

8:6b “For love is as strong as death…”

The believer has many enemies in life, the last and worst of which is death. The Bible says death is an enemy. But “love is strong as death,” stronger, indeed, than death:

Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

If death is strong, so is love. “For love is as strong as death,” they whispered to one another.

We see next what they realized. They realized they had a powerful foe. The Shulamite had spurned Solomon—his advances, his flatteries, and all his promises and offers.

She had triumphed over him, but he was still out there, still threatening, still to be watched for. And so as the two walked hand in hand, they talked about the vindictiveness they expected:

8:6c “Jealousy as cruel as the grave; its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame.”

Though the Shulamite was now safe from Solomon’s clutches, envy and jealousy could yet raise their ugly heads. Jealousy is the white hot emotion of hell. Solomon wrote about this tormenting emotion in the Proverbs as if he knew it well:

Prov. 27:4 “Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous.”

I have often thought that one of the motivating factors in Satan’s attack against the church is jealousy. We enjoy so much of what he once had but can no longer enjoy—worship of God, the presence of His Spirit, fellowship with the Lord, deep peace, and…the anticipation of eternity in glory.

But the Shulamite and the shepherd didn’t dwell long on Solomon’s possible vindictiveness. They moved on to discuss the victory they experienced.

8:7 “Many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly despised.”

They knew in their heart that, whatever Solomon may try, he could never quench their love for each other. Love is so valuable that its price is far above all the wealth of your house!

Consider the mammoth attack Satan made against our Great Shepherd’s love for us! All the way to the cross, through its terror and pain, its darkness and horror, the jeering crowds and mocking soldiers, our Lord’s love for us remained steadfast. Many waters could not quench it!

The closing verses of the Song are occupied with the Shulamite. We have seen her beloved (8:5-7) as they communed together. The trials and temptations were over. We need to pause now and take a good look at the Shulamite’s brothers. This will be the third and last time they appear.

Looking back, the first time we met them they were repressing the Shulamite (1:6). They were harsh with her, and did all they could to separate her from the shepherd. They had made her a “keeper of the vineyards.”

The second time we see them, they ridicule her (2:15). “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the grapes.” Foxes, of course, are noted for being crafty and cunning.

While working in the vineyards where they had placed her, how could she possibly have hoped to catch the crafty foxes that spoiled the vineyard? That would be dangerous for a man, much less a young girl! Simply put, they were sneering at their younger sister, poking fun at her, taunting her.

Now at the third meeting, we see a change. Here they respected her (8:8). The scene opens with the brothers talking to each other about her. They first make an assessment:

8:8 “We have a little sister, and she has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister in the day when she is spoken for?”

Notice, they call her “little sister.” They are still viewing her as immature. “She has no breasts.” She’s not developed. They were struggling with the fact that their little sister had grown up.

People view the church the same way. In many eyes, we are yet “immature.” We are that “little church” over there. They call us narrow, prejudiced, stilted.

Yet just as the fiery oven of temptation and trial had turned the Shulamite from a girl into a woman, so will the church of the last days be brought into adulthood through trials, fiery tests, persecutions, and temptations. It’s happening right now!

Thus was the brother’s assessment of the Shulamite. But next we see what they proposed. Their proposal hinges on two possibilities. Their first proposal is summarized by the symbol of a wall; the other proposal is symbolized by a door. They said,

8:9 “If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver.”

A wall is primarily a symbol of invincibility. What they were asking is very blunt. How had she behaved herself in Solomon’s palace? Had she maintained her purity? Had she been a wall?

If they found she had stayed pure, they would honor her and crown her with silver. Next, they asked:

8:9b “And if she is a door, we will enclose her with boards of cedar.”

A door is primarily a symbol of invitation. An open door says, “Come on in.” Had she been open to Solomon’s proposals? Had she been of easy access? If so, then they proposed a prison of boards of cedar.

In other words, if she had shamed herself, she would have to pay the penalty. Never again would she be free to choose her path in life freely. The whole scene was sort of a judgment seat for their sister.

So, too, there will be a judgment seat of Christ for us, the church. And while no one there will be exiled to hell, there will be both gain and loss, depending on the deeds of our life.

Next, the Shulamite answers the charge. She said:

8:10 “I am a wall, and my breasts like towers; Then I became in his eyes as one who found peace.”

She was no “little sister”; she was fully mature. I am mighty! I am mature! I am marriageable! She could look her brothers in the eye and assert her purity. And her beloved was satisfied with her answer.

Next, we see the Shulamite’s triumph. She says:

8:11-12 “Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon; He leased the vineyard to keepers; everyone was to bring for its fruit a thousand silver coins. My own vineyard is before me. You, O Solomon, may have a thousand, and those who tend its fruit two hundred.”

This could be loosely paraphrased, “You are welcome to your silver, Solomon, welcome to your fruit you keepers.” This is the way to talk to the enemy! Take a good hard look at all of his prosperity and power, look well at all that he as to offer—and say, “Keep it!”

What Satan has to offer is never sufficient; it always falls short of expectations. God has engineered the human soul for Himself and nothing else will do. Because she never lost sight of the shepherd in her innermost heart, she had been able to keep the world in proper focus.

Note the shepherd’s last request:

8:13 “You who dwell in the gardens, the companions listen for your voice—Let me hear it!”

The story appropriately ends in a garden. Paradise had been regained. The shepherd used a word for “dwell” that literally means “to abide permanently.”

Never again would the Shulamite be in peril from the world or its prince. The shepherd only wanted to hear her voice. “Others have heard your voice, not let me hear it!” Then comes the Shulamite’s last reply:

8:14 “Make haste, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.”

She was no longer talking about the mountains of separation as she had before. These were the mountains of spices. In other words, she’s saying “I want you! Let nothing come between us now and evermore.”

And what does our Shepherd want us to say? “Lord Jesus, come! Come in all your glory and boundless life!” The love song ends where the book of Revelation ends—“Even so, come Lord Jesus!” (Rev.22:20)