Song of Solomon Part 6

Last time we saw Solomon entering Jerusalem with all the pomp, power, prosperity, and popularity of a worldly king. The citizens had watched the display with varied reactions, all of them admiringly. The Shulamite was still Solomon’s virtual prisoner. None of Solomon’s display had impressed the Shulamite, who was totally dedicated to the shepherd.

In this section called An Hour of Togetherness, the shepherd again finds a way to be with his beloved Shulamite. Once more, he tells her how much he loves her. And he assures her that, when the time is ripe, he would come back to carry her away from all the dangers and temptations besetting her.

Throughout chapter four, the shepherd and the Shulamite converse together. We see in their dialogue the love relationship that exists between Christ and His church. No doubt, their exchange is intended by the Holy Spirit to teach us how we should talk to our Shepherd, and how He talks to us!

We can divide their conversation into four steps. We have the personal radiance of the Shulamite (4:1-5), the passionate response of the Shulamite (4:6), the pilgrim responsibilities of the Shulamite (4: 7-15), and the promised rapture of the Shulamite (4:16-5:1).

Chapter four opens with the shepherd speaking of her personal radiance:

4:1 “Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair!”

One translator puts it, “Thou art fair, my dear, so fair!” That is exactly what Christ thinks of His church. When the Lord looks at us, he does not see the blotches and blemishes that so often characterize us now. According to Eph.5:27, He sees us without blemish “or any such thing.”

Then he goes on to describe, in loving detail, just what he saw when looking at the Shulamite. First, her mystery:

4:1b “You have dove’s eyes behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats, going down from Mount Gilead.”

He is entranced by her eyes. The eye has been called “the index of the soul.” It reflects love, hate, hope, or fear. A dove’s eyes are its most prominent feature. They are perfectly round and innocent. And the dove in Scripture symbolizes the Holy Spirit.

What does Jesus see when he looks at us? He has the joy of seeing the Holy Spirit indwelling the believer to the extent that the believer’s eyes are filled with the presence of the dove!

Her hair is “like a flock of goats.” The Bible speaks of the woman’s hair being her glory and how it reveals the special majesty with which God has crowned her. Likewise, Jesus sees the majesty he has bestowed on each of us. We are “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a called-out people…”—1 Pet.2:9

Next, the shepherd mentions her magnificence:

4:2 “Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep which have come up from the washing, every one of which bears twins, and none is barren among them.”

The Shulamite’s teeth were perfect. She could smile a perfect smile; there was nothing to mar her smile. Is there anything that mars our smile? One of the greatest testimonies a believer has is a smiling countenance. The joy of the Lord will always elicit an infectious smile.

Next, he mentions her mouth:

4:3 “…your lips are like a strand of scarlet, and your mouth is lovely. Your temples behind your veil are like a piece of pomegranate.”

Next to the eyes, the mouth is the most expressive part of the face. It can reveal hardness or tenderness, sorrow or mirth, pain or surprise, humor or horror. A mere turning of the corners of the mouth can turn a smile into a scowl.

The shepherd looks at his beloved’s mouth, and all he saw was beauty. It reminded him of a crimson cord. And this is what the Lord would see on His church—a smile of peace and joy due to the “crimson cord,” the redemption from His shed blood.

The shepherd goes on to mention her might:

4:4 “Your neck is like the tower of David, built for an armory, on which hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.”

The shepherd saw around the neck of his beloved a string of coins, like Eastern women wore. Those coins may or may not have been valuable. But they were of infinite worth to the Shulamite because they symbolized betrothal, like an engagement ring.

The shepherd saw them as shields hung on the smooth wall of an armory. These coins acted as protectors. They told would be suitors that she was spoken for. Her “might” was due to her loyalty to the shepherd.

The betrothal gift given to us, Jesus’ spoken for church, is the Holy Spirit. He is called “the earnest of our inheritance.” The word “earnest” means “down payment.”

The Spirit of God in our hearts is but the down payment of what is coming! In the meantime, the Holy Spirit is our Protector in this world against the unwanted advances of the enemy. We are already spoken for!

Finally, the shepherd mentions the Shulamite’s maturity:

4:5 “Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle, which feed among the lilies.”

The shepherd sees her noble shape, carefully veiled behind the long tresses of her hair and the flowing contours of her veil. He sees a mature, grown woman.

It takes time to grow up, to become fully developed. It takes time for a flower to blossom, a tree to grow, and for a believer in Christ to become fully developed into the “fullness of the stature of Christ.”—Eph.4:13

The good news is that God is never in a hurry, whether it be in nature or in grace. The Holy Spirit is patiently bringing the church into maturity. As the shepherd saw the radiance of the Shulamite, the Lord Jesus sees the radiance of his church! And so we’ve seen the Shulamite’s personal radiance.

Next we see her passionate response to the shepherd. She talks about two things—the morning and a mountain.

4:6 “Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away, I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense.”

First, her heart was occupied with the coming day. Though now she was in Solomon’s gilded prison, he could not keep her forever. Likewise, we are in a dark world today of perversion and godlessness. But soon the “day will break,” and the “shadows will flee away!”

The “mountains of myrrh” and “hill of frankincense she mentions do not exist anywhere on earth. Myrrh and frankincense are two of the gifts the wise men brought to the Baby Jesus. They represent His death on the Cross.

One day, we shall climb those everlasting hills of frankincense and breathe forever the fragrance of the myrrh in heaven!

So we have the personal radiance and the passionate response of the Shulamite. We come next to her pilgrim responsibility.

The shepherd, though yet away in a distant place, is fully aware of the dangers and temptations assailing the Shulamite in Solomon’s court. Both fear and flattery are being used against her.

So the shepherd now talks to her about five things to aid in her pilgrimage—her person, her position, her passion, her protection, and her perfection. He begins with her person:

4:7 “You are all fair, my love, and there is no spot in you.”

Because of his love for her, the shepherd sees only spotless beauty and perfection. And that is how Christ sees us, His church, His bride! Paul the Apostle tells us that Jesus sees us, “…not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing” (Eph.5:27). It is so important in our own spiritual journey to keep in mind our purity in the eyes of our Great Shepherd!

Next, he talks of her position, and a perilous position it is! The shepherd knows, ever better than her, the danger she is in. So he first speaks to her about the heights she must climb by faith. He says, “Come with Me, from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon…” (4:8)

He’s calling her to higher ground. “Come with me…” He wanted to accomplish exactly what Jesus wants to accomplish in us when we are told to “set our affections on things above…” (Col.3:1) He’s saying, “Though in difficult circumstances, plant your faith in higher ground!”

Then He names some key locations. “Look from the top of Amana, from the top of Senir and Hermon.” Amana means “constancy, integrity, truth.” It is in the place of integrity and truth that we are able to walk on higher ground!

Then he mentions Senir. Senir means “bear the lamp.” Even in her difficult circumstances, she was to “bear the lamp” of integrity and faithfulness to the shepherd.

Likewise, Jesus said to us, “You are the light of the world…let your light so shine that they may see your good works…” (Matt. 5:14) In other words, “Bear the lamp!”

Then the shepherd acknowledges the dangers that surround her: “Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, from the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards” (4:8b).

Solomon was lion-like in his comportment, and like a leopard in his outward beauty. But inside there dwelt an animal that would tear her to pieces should she yield. So she must keep her heart firmly fixed on her beloved and, in spirit, maintain fellowship with him.

And we also are in a lion’s den. “Your adversary, the devil, like a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (1 Pet.5:8-9).

Her person and her position have been addressed. Next the shepherd speaks to her passion. The shepherd talked about the love he knew she had for him. What better way to protect herself from Solomon’s temptations than her love?

4:9 “You have ravished my heart, My sister, my spouse; You have ravished my heart with one look of your eyes, with one link of your necklace.”

He’s saying, “I have never known a love like yours! It is beyond comparison!” Did you know that Jesus also treasures every single expression of our love toward Him? Can you imagine the Lord speaking to you this way? In this kind of love language? He does!

4:10 “How fair is your love, My sister, my spouse! How much better than wine is your love, and the scent of your perfumes than all spices!”

Their relationship is pure because he calls her “my sister.” And their relationship is passionate because he calls her “my spouse.”

4:11 “Your lips, O my spouse, Drip as the honeycomb; Honey and milk are under your tongue; And the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.”

Her love was sweet like a honeycomb, satisfying like honey and milk, and stimulating like Lebanon, home of the great cedar trees. Can you even imagine that this is what our love for Christ Jesus means to Him?

Her person, her position, and her passion have all been addressed. Next, the shepherd speaks to her protection:

4:12 “A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.”

She is a “garden enclosed.” Her beauty was not for just anyone. It was closed off only for him.

She is a “spring shut up.” She was like a flowing stream of endless bounty. But her generosity had its bounds. He had first claims on her.

She was a “fountain.” Like a fountain, she was effervescent and overflowing. But again, the fountain had a “seal” upon it. The shepherd was first, and all others were trespassing.

Then finally, the shepherd spoke of her perfections:

4:13-15 “Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with pleasant fruits, fragrant henna with spikenard,14 Spikenard and saffron, Calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices—15 A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.”

We could sum this up by saying, “She was the bomb!”

Just before the shepherd ends their tryst, he whispers to her a few words about the greatest and brightest hope of all—the promised rapture of the Shulamite.