Pleasures Fulfilled Song of Songs 2:1-7

Desire Fulfilled

Introduction

When Josh told me we were going to be preaching in this setting together for the sake of sharpening our skills for future ministry, I was really excited. I thought that it would be neat to have some themes in play as I selected my passage. One of the most difficult things about being able to choose any text in all of the scriptures to preach on is that the possibilities are endless. So, I thought having a theme would make it more manageable and also constructive for building my skills in preaching. So, I decided that what I would do is select two different passages to preach from, one that is obscure and more challenging perhaps and one that is more familiar. So, I ended up choosing the first text out of the Song of Songs and the other will be the passage of . I look forward to the unexpected challenges and difficulties that a very familiar passage like will present, but for tonight we will be focusing on the first text, specifically .

Song of Songs presents us with many difficulties related to exegesis and gospel application, but I hope to do my best in presenting to you an edifying faith building message from this beautiful, wonderful, challenging book of the Bible.

Transition

First, a little information about the book of Song of Songs.

Throughout church history there have been four main approaches to interpreting Song of Songs.

Allegory

Typology

Drama

Literal (Collection of human love poems)

Allegory

The allegorical method of interpreting the Song of Songs approaches the text as *only* a metaphorical picture of the love of God for his people or the love of Christ for his church.

This to me is the easiest method to take because it basically eliminates the need to address actual love making between a man and a woman and any awkwardness that may come of it when in certain settings, particularly from the pulpit on Sunday mornings.

This method has some warrant because of the scripture’s clear teaching that marriage between a man and woman is a picture of Christ and the Church. However, the problem with this method is that is sees *only* that metaphor and denies that this book is at all about the real love and intimacy between a man and a woman, which to me seems to be a very hard case to support when you read this book.

So, if allegorical may going too far in interpreting this book, what about typological?

Typological

The word typological has to do with the study of types, and for as it relates to the scriptures, usually has to do with how a particular person or theme (such as the themes of love and intimacy) are a type of a greater reality of something greater i.e. Christ and his Church.

At first glance, this seems to be a valid approach to this book, but we run into a couple problems.

It shifts emphases from the people to other realities.

There are some aspects of the book that are clearly indicative of sexual relations, which of course do not find their direct fulfillment in Christ and his people, even if it does give more meaning and point indirectly to our relationship with Christ.

Drama

This method seeks to make the book out to be a drama or story, but the problem with this is that their is no real coherent plot, and not a whole lot of character development throughout the book.

Literal

Most scholars today believe that the Song of Songs is a collections of love poems that should be read and understood literally. This is the view that I have taken.

This does not mean that the book of Song of Songs does not have much to teach us about the truths of Christ and his love for the church, but it is to say, that at it’s most basic level, we should not try to read into the text so much, that we leave behind the beautiful realities of affection, desire, and intimacy between a man and a woman, that are so clearly evident throughout this book.

Transition

So, let us turn to , to see how what we can learn about God’s wisdom concerning the topic of love between a man and a woman.

Song of Solomon 2 ESV

I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. As a lily among brambles, so is my love among the young women. As an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men. With great delight I sat in his shadow, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. Sustain me with raisins; refresh me with apples, for I am sick with love. His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me! I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or the does of the field, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases. The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills. My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, there he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, looking through the lattice. My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away, for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree ripens its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away. O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the crannies of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom.” My beloved is mine, and I am his; he grazes among the lilies. Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, turn, my beloved, be like a gazelle or a young stag on cleft mountains.

Song of Solomon 2:1–7 ESV

I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. As a lily among brambles, so is my love among the young women. As an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men. With great delight I sat in his shadow, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. Sustain me with raisins; refresh me with apples, for I am sick with love. His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me! I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or the does of the field, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases.

Proposition

This passage of scripture demonstrates the desire, affection, and pleasure between a man and a woman.

Interrogative

How does this passage of scripture demonstrate the desire, affection, and pleasure between a man and a woman?

Main Point 1a

This passage demonstrates the desire between a man and a woman through their mutual admiration of one another.

The woman downplays her beauty

If your wife downplays her beauty, compliment her.

This has more to do with ones perspective than cultural norms.

The man responds with admiration

We are to view our wives as uniquely beautiful, and to express that.

Other women should be like Brambles to us, regardless of how beautiful they are in the eyes of others or society.

The woman Responds with Admiration

We see here a building up of one another.

We also see emotions rising and the anticipation for the affection that will come next.

We must not skip any one of these parts before physical union.

Transition

So we see how the man and the woman express their desire for one another through their mutual admiration, so now let’s look at how they show affection for one another.

Main Point 2a

This passage demonstrates the affections between a man and a woman through the woman’s need for the man and his tender care for her.

The man brings her to the banquet and declares his love for her.

The woman expresses her need for his loving sustenance.

Transition

So we have seen how the man and woman demonstrate their admiration and affections for one another, now let’s look at how they experience pleasure between one another.

Main Point 3a

This passage demonstrates the pleasure experienced between a man and a woman through their physical union.

The man and the woman come together in a loving embrace.

This is the fulfilment of our desires. This is what it all leads to. Desires and affection without the fulfilment of pleasure, makes our hearts sick as in v. 5.

Pleasure is a good thing, and it is to be embraced and experienced because God has given it to us.

The woman warns the daughters of Jerusalem against awakening their desires until it is possible for them to be fulfilled.

We must not skip desire and affections to get to physical union.

We must make sure that we have the opportunity (i.e. marriage) to come together physically before allowing our affections and our desires to be stirred.

Transition

So we have learned from this passage how God intends for us to express and experience desire, affections and pleasure with our spouse, but I do not want to stop there. Look with me at (ESV)

31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

Paul tells us in this passage that the relationship between a husband and wife refers the relationship between Christ and His Church. So, I would like to take some time to draw some connections between this passage and the relationship that we have with our Lord Jesus Christ.

Main Point 1b

Desire

Christ has set his desires upon us, despite our lack of desirability.

If your wife downplays her beauty, compliment her.

This has more to do with ones perspective than cultural norms.

The man responds with admiration

We are to view our wives as uniquely beautiful, and to express that.

Other women should be like Brambles to us, regardless of how beautiful they are in the eyes of others or society.

The woman Responds with Admiration

We see here a building up of one another.

We express our desire for Christ through admiration.

Affection

We also see emotions rising and the anticipation for the affection that will come next.

Pleasure

John 15:9 CSB

“As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Christian Standard Bible Jude

24 Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,

24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Conclusion

As we have seen throughout this passage, it is good and God honoring to demonstrate our love for our spouse, through desire, affection, and pleasure.

We have also seen that desire, affection, and pleasure, are ultimately fulfilled through our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

One more word of connection. The more we love our wives and admire them, the more the world will see a picture of what Christ feels toward us, but also, in our own hearts, we will sense a clearer picture of the way Christ views us, as we desire, show affection, and find pleasure in our spouse, we are reminded each step of the way, of the intimate, personal, and loving relationship we have entered into with God the Father and his blessed Son our Lord Jesus Christ.