Song of Songs: Overview

Many years ago when I was visiting Israel I decided to shop for a ring that had words engraved on it taken from the Song of Solomon...the Song of Songs. I wanted the words of the first half of Song of Songs 2:16: “My Beloved is mine...” I was so excited at the thought that I could find this ring, like one I had seen a friend of mine wearing in the US. I wanted to take it home to Cathy and surprise her. We had been married less than a year. I could imagine how overwhelmed and grateful she would be at this gift. But... as I went from shop to shop to shop in the Arab section of Jerusalem, and haggled with shop keeper after shop keeper, I could NOT find what I wanted.

Finally I found a merchant who promised me he would have the words engraved, in Hebrew, and I could pick it up later that day. I was so pumped. My hope and excitement were revived. I could go home the hero of love after all!

So, I made my way back to the shop later that afternoon and the shop keeper proudly presented me with the rings. My heart sank as I saw them. They were nice enough silver bands, but the Hebrew words had basically been scribbled into the metal with an engraving tool. It was nothing like the picture in my mind.

I had to pay for them, since I ordered them. 

Several days later when I arrived home in Houston, I apologetically presented to Cathy the ring. I did my best to explain what I had WANTED to bring home... then I gave her the ring with the scribbled words.

And that is when I learned yet another lesson about true love...it was NOT the scribbled Scripture on the silver band that ravished Cathy’s heart...it was the WORDS of committed love ALREADY ENGRAVED on my heart...MY BELOVED IS MINE.

And SHE IS STILL MY BELOVED. But as committed and satisfying as our love is, it is only a shadow and faint reflection of an INFINITELY GREATER LOVE. There is a love engraved on the heart of our Heavenly Father, brought to us and bought for us through our Lord Jesus Christ. AND that love has captured our hearts and will own them for all eternity.

By God’s INFINITE LOVE for us, He has given us a whole book of the Bible to for this SOLE purpose...to express His love for us and to WOO us to that love. He wants our love to soar BEYOND a merely human love and for our hearts to be RAVISHED at the covenant marriage love of our Heavenly Bridegroom...the Lord Jesus Christ.

The book God has given us is the Songs of Songs. 1 Kings 4:32 tells us that King Solomon wrote 1005 songs. But here, in SOS 1:1, Solomon calls this book, “The Song of Songs.” This is the Song of Songs because, as Jonathan Edwards said: “this is the most excellent of all songs because it is on the most excellent subject, the love and communion between Christ and the Church.”

Historically the SOS has been interpreted in 2 primary ways:

FIRST: As a parable or allegory of the love relationship between Christ and the Church (with, of course, application to human marriage), and

SECOND: As the story of a real human romance between a man and a woman (that can be applied to the relationship between Christ and the church)

In our day the SECOND of these interpretations is by far most common. SOS is taught first of all as a human love story.

But until the early 1800s or so, the nearly universal interpretation of the church was that the SOS was as an allegory of the relationship between Christ and the Church. SOS was considered the Holy of Holies of Scripture. 

And that is how we are going to look at it this morning.

LET me give you a few reasons why.

-The TITLE in 1:1: the Song of Songs, or most excellent song of all, does not seem be PRIMARILY about human marriage, because human marriage, though excellent and beautiful, is ONLY A SHADOW AND COPY of the great marriage between Christ and His Bride, the Church.

This is why the Apostle Paul says in 

Ephesians 5:31-32

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 (human marriage), and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

-Another reason for interpreting the SOS as primarily about the relationship between Christ and His Church:

The PRIMARY purpose of Scripture is to tell us about God redeeming a people for Himself through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Every book of the Bible contributes to this theme. In fact, the Bible begins and ends with a marriage theme: Adam and Eve, Adam being a pattern of Him who was to come, Christ (Romans 5:14). And THEN, Scripture culminates with the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Rev 19:7). So it is not surprising that for 90% of the church’s history, the church has understood SOS as primarily about this THEME OF MARRIAGE THEME BETWEEN CHRIST AND THE CHURCH.

-A Third Reason the church has believed SOS is about Christ and His Church:

There are so many places in SOS where Christ is described in glorious detail, as ONLY Christ could be described. This is also true of the Church. We will look at a few of these descriptions shortly.

-A Fourth Reason, (and there are others)...

There is an amazing resemblance between Psalm 45 and the SOS. Psalm 45 has been called a “nutshell of SOS.” In Psalm 45, as in the SOS, A King who is Divine but human takes a Bride from a foreign people to be His own in marriage.

NOW, let’s look at a few descriptions of CHRIST in the SOS:

In the SOS, your Bible probably identifies who is speaking as:

-HE

-SHE

-and OTHERS

HE refers to the the Bridegroom. 

-The BRIDEGROOM in SOS is a Shepherd & Divine King, like Christ, The Good Shepherd. 

In SOS 1:7 SHE, who is the bride, identifies the Bridegroom as a Shepherd:

Song of Songs 1:7

7 Tell me, you whom my soul loves,

where you pasture your flock,

where you make it lie down at noon;

for why should I be like one who veils herself

beside the flocks of your companions?

Then, later, we see He is the DIVINE KING as he arrives for His Wedding:

Song of Songs 3:6 

6 What is that coming up from the wilderness

like columns of smoke,

perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,

with all the fragrant powders of a merchant?

What is this...WHO is this? A column of smoke from the wilderness? Listen to:

Exodus 13:21

21 And the LORD went before them (Israel) by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. (this is God leading His people in the exodus from Egypt to the promised land. And we know from later Scripture that it is the Angel of the Lord, Christ Himself appearing in this cloud, this “column of smoke”!

He is also wearing Myrrh (not a strange wedding after shave!): Myrrh was used in the OT for consecrating the high priest and to prepare bodies for burial. High Priest? Death and Burial?

He also wears Frankincense: used in the sacred incense in the temple...

It seems clearly, as later biblical revelation makes clear, that the Lord Jesus Himself is pictured here, as the Divine Shepherd who leads His people through the wilderness of this world and who is the great High Priest over His people (Myrrh), His bride, and who eventually in His great love DIES for her (frankincense).

Now let’s look briefly at the Bride of Christ in the SOS:

Listen to her in:

Song of Songs 1:5

I am very dark, but lovely,

O daughters of Jerusalem,

like the tents of Kedar,

like the curtains of Solomon.

This bride seems to have a dual identity...she is dark but lovely: ie, DARKENED SKIN which was not so desirable, but yet she is lovely to the King.

She is like the tents of Kedar...Kedar was in Arabia, a pagan country, therefore she was NOT one of the people of God, yet she is at the same time like the curtains of Solomon, the curtains of the Holy of Holies in the Temple...the very place where God dwells.

She is not so lovely but lovely and appears to be an outsider who has become an insider...so that she can say in SOS 2:16: “My beloved is mine, and I am his...”

She is married to the Divine King, who is also the High Priest who has died for her...so she has become His...

And this is a perfect description of every true believer, every member of the Body and Bride of Christ.

Consider also the Bridegroom’s words to His Bride in...

Song of Songs 4:9-10

9 You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride;

you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes,

with one jewel of your necklace.

10 How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!

How much better is your love than wine,

and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!

She is BOTH the Divine Shepherd/King’s sister AND His bride...OT law would not allow one of God’s people to be married to his sister (Leviticus 18; Deuteronomy 20). But the Bride of Christ, believers, ARE ALSO the brothers and sisters of Christ. He calls us brothers (Hebrews 2:11). He is THE SON OF GOD who has lived and died and rose to make us all sons of God as well.

Look also at this beautiful identification of the Bride near the end of the SOS:

Song of Songs 8:5

5 Who is that coming up from the wilderness,

leaning on her beloved?

We see the Bride leaning on the Beloved Shepherd/King as they come up from the wilderness...a picture of the church, the Bride of Christ, navigating the challenges this wilderness world by leaning for strength and support on Christ, their covenant Lord.

So we have briefly looked at the identify of the Bridegroom and the Bride of SOS, which later Scripture identifies for us as none other than the Divine Shepherd King, Christ Himself, and His blood-bought Bride, the Church.

Now let’s look at the RELATIONSHIP between Christ and the Church in the SOS...

This will be our final focus as we finish this morning...

1. Our relationship with Christ, the Bridegroom is one of COVENANT. We are His bride...covenant in Scripture is about MARRIAGE. Covenant is a theme from the beginning to end of the Scriptures. The Son of God, our Shepherd/King/Bridegroom LEFT His Father to come into this world for a Bride...you and me. And the goal of marriage is TWO BECOME ONE...

Christ came and died that we might become ONE with Him and BE ONE with Him for all eternity. There is and will be an eternal exclusiveness between us and Christ...and at the end of the Scriptures, we see the final consummation of this in the wedding supper of the Lamb.

Genesis 2:24

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Revelation 19:6-8

6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,

“Hallelujah!

For the Lord our God

the Almighty reigns.

7 Let us rejoice and exult

and give him the glory,

for the marriage of the Lamb has come,

and his Bride has made herself ready;

8 it was granted her to clothe herself

with fine linen, bright and pure”—

for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

See this covenant love in 

Song of Songs 8:6-7

6 Set me as a seal upon your heart,

as a seal upon your arm,

for love is strong as death,

jealousy is fierce as the grave. (jealousy is a word that refers to marriage)

Its flashes are flashes of fire,

the very flame of the LORD.

7 Many waters cannot quench love,

neither can floods drown it.

If a man offered for love

all the wealth of his house,

he would be utterly despised.

2. Some of the most beautiful language and pictures in the SOS is the DESIRE the King has for His Bride and the Bride for Him.

Listen to the King’s desire for His Bride, CHRIST’S DESIRE FOR US...

Song of Songs 1:15

Behold, you are beautiful, my love;

behold, you are beautiful;

your eyes are doves.

Song of Songs 4:7

You are altogether beautiful, my love;

there is no flaw in you.

Song of Songs 4:9-10

9 You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride;

you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes,

with one jewel of your necklace.

10 How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!

How much better is your love than wine,

and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!

Song of Songs 6:4

You are beautiful as Tirzah (beautiful wild flowers), my love,

lovely as Jerusalem (sitting majestically on the heights),

awesome as an army with banners.

Brothers and sisters, if you belong to Christ, if He is your shepherd and King, then THIS IS HOW HE THINKS OF YOU, HOW HE SEES YOU...it is WHO He declares you to be. You are righteous with the very beauty and righteousness of Christ Himself...it is what you get from this Bridegroom as His bride...He came from heaven to make you His...to give you HIS beauty...HIS PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS.

He declares it so, like the King in SOS declares of His Beloved. And Because HE DECLARES YOU TO BE BEAUTIFUL, you ARE beautiful, altogether beautiful TO HIM AND IN HIM...you have captivated His heart...You are HIS love...He does NOT endure you or just put up with you...He DESIRES YOU, HE LOVES YOU. He IS JEALOUS FOR YOU.

But know this also: He wants YOUR DESIRE, also. The King HAS COME FOR YOU AND REDEEMED YOU FOR a RECIPROCAL relationship...He wants you to WANT HIM AS HE WANTS YOU. HE wants your heart to be captivated with HIS love.

But here is A VERY COMMON problem in our lives as believers...WE DON’T BELIEVE CHRIST, OUR SHEPHERD/KING/LOVER, LOVES US LIKE THIS... it is very difficult for us to OWN that love...we look at ourselves before Christ like what we see in the mirror on a bad morning...and we can’t believe He sees us any differently.

AND THEREFORE WE CANNOT LOVE HIM AS HE DESIRES.

Look at a few expressions of the love of the Bride in the SOS:

Song of Songs 1:16

Behold, you are beautiful, my beloved, truly delightful.

Song of Songs 2:3

With great delight I sat in his shadow,

and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

Song of Songs 2:16

16 My beloved is mine, and I am his;

he grazes among the lilies.

Song of Songs 5:10-16

My beloved is radiant and ruddy,

distinguished among ten thousand.

11 His head is the finest gold;

his locks are wavy,

black as a raven.

12 His eyes are like doves

beside streams of water,

bathed in milk,

sitting beside a full pool.

13 His cheeks are like beds of spices,

mounds of sweet-smelling herbs.

His lips are lilies,

dripping liquid myrrh.

14 His arms are rods of gold,

set with jewels.

His body is polished ivory,

bedecked with sapphires.

15 His legs are alabaster columns,

set on bases of gold.

His appearance is like Lebanon,

choice as the cedars.

16 His mouth is most sweet,

and he is altogether desirable.

This is my beloved and this is my friend,

O daughters of Jerusalem.

(This is NOT meant in any way to be LITERAL, or it would be grotesque! It is POETIC language...the Bride is saying, “There is NO ONE LIKE HIM! There is nothing but beauty in Him. He is ALTOGETHER DESIRABLE.”)

Song of Songs 7:10

I am my beloved's,

and his desire is for me.

Brothers and sisters...you may not and may never fully understand all the images and allusions of the SOS...But your DIVINE BRIDEGROOM, YOUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST WHO DIED FOR YOU TO MAKE YOU HIS BRIDE, wants you to get this from this book of passionate love:

HE LOVES YOU. HE IS PASSIONATE FOR YOU. HE DESIRES YOU. HE DECLARES YOU TO BE PERFECT IN HIS SIGHT. HE HAS GIVEN HIMSELF FOR YOU AND TO YOU. HE HAS COMMITTED HIS LOVE TO YOU FOR ALL ETERNITY. AND HE DESIRES YOUR LOVE, A PASSIONATE, EXCLUSIVE, WHOLE-HEARTED LOVE.

YOU MUST BELIEVE HE LOVES YOU THIS WAY BEFORE YOU CAN EVER LOVE HIM IN RETURN.

SO KNOW AND BELIEVE AND MEMORIZE THESE SOS TRUTHS EXPRESSED IN THE BOOK OF ROMANS AND EPHESIANS AND ALL THROUGH THE NEW TESTAMENT, 

BUT...

ALSO, LET YOUR HEART BE RAVISHED BY THE SOS...LET YOU MIND AND EMOTIONS BE CAPTURED WITH THE UNASHAMED, UNCENSORED LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST FOR YOU THAT YOU READ HERE...let His love capture your heart...and ask Him to open your heart to His love so that you might love Him with THIS SOS heart cry:

MY BELOVED IS MINE, AND I AM HIS.

Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her...Ephesian 5:25

Lord’s Supper!

Let us take from the heart, and let me suggest you do so with these words: “My Beloved is Mine, and I am His”