Thou Whom My Soul Loveth

Thou Whom My Soul Loveth – Song of Solomon 1:7 (Spurgeon 9/3)

John 21:7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.

The phrase, “whom Jesus loved” is used 4 times in the KJV. All 4 are in John and all 4 speak of John as the one whom Jesus loved.

I don’t suppose that any of us question whether or not Jesus loves us, (at least not for more than a moment or two). We understand that God, Jesus, love us but who is it that we love?

Solomon wrote, a women speaks:

Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions? Song of Solomon 1:7.

The question is, can we declare the words of Solomon to the Lord? “Thou whom my soul loveth” or do we love another?

Spurgeon wrote about this in one of his many morning devotions:

· True love to Christ is in every case the Holy Spirit’s work, and must be wrought in the heart by him.

· He is the efficient cause of it; but the logical reason why we love Jesus lies in himself.

o 2 Corinthians 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

· Why do we love Jesus? Because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

o Why do we love Jesus? Because he “gave himself for us.” (5x in the NT)

§ Galatians 1:4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

o We have life through his death; we have peace through his blood.

§ Colossians 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

· Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor.

o 2 Corinthians 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

· Why do we love Jesus? Because of the excellency of his person.

o Hebrews 1:3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

§ Christ alone was able to purge us of our sins.

· We are filled with a sense of his beauty! an admiration of his charms! a consciousness of his infinite perfection! His greatness, goodness, and loveliness, in one resplendent ray, combine to enchant the soul till it is so ravished that it exclaims, “Yea, he is altogether lovely.” (Song of Solomon 5:16)

· Blessed love this—a love which binds the heart with chains more soft than silk, and yet more firm than adamant! (Spurgeon, C. H. (1896). Morning and evening: Daily readings.)

The flesh and the spirit do strive against each other for the soul of man. (Galatians 5:17) The flesh because it is selfish and corrupt. The spirit because it is from God.

The final question in this verse is, “why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?” Truth be told, if my soul loves the Lord, why should I be a one that turns aside to one other than the Lord?

So, I ask, whom does thy soul loveth, and can the world bear witness?