The Song of Solomon Survey.
Pr Edi Giudetti
30-07-2017
The Song of Solomon Survey takes us to the heart of the heart in the Bible, a heart that speaks of the death of Love God has for his bride.
We look today at concluding the Heart of the Bible, that is those five books that find themselves in the centre of the Old Testament, between the seventeen historical narratives and the seventeen prophetical books.
This is where we find the heart of the Bible, this is where we find the five personal books relating to the heart of Man toward God and his dealing with us (personally) through them.
Job describes the broken heart.
Psalms describe the mended heart
Proverbs teaches the renewed heart
Ecclesiastes reveals a malleable heart, that is, a heart that risks turning about.
Introduction
THE SONG OF SONGS
And now we come to the culmination of those things to which the heart will be tuned. The Song of Songs being the most incredible description of LOVE between The King and his Bride.
It’s the last of the five books of the heart, and you could even say it is the last stage that a saved person may go through before eternity.
My encouragement to you today is to skip going through the “Ecclesiastes” stage of your walk with the Lord and move straight on to your heart singing The Song Of Songs!
But let’s look at some interesting features of the book first
Penned, as it seems evident, by King Solomon. It has his wisdom, it carries forward his poetry and the beauty of his pen. It also seems to have a historical nature to it, in that it references one woman above all others, the Shulamite.
It speaks of LOVE, and what a love. Only the love of a husband and a wife can come close to the love described here.
It is called The Song of Solomon, it is also known as “The Song of Songs” and you will hear it also referred to as “The Canticles” (Spiritual or Biblical Hymns).
But From the most ancient of times, before the Birth of the Saviour, it was understood by the people of Israel as an allegory describing the marital relationship between God and the nation. This seems true, God is recognised throughout the Old testament as being wed to his people;
Consider:
5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.
14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
The entire book of Hosea is given as an example of the faithfulness of the Lord to his wife and compares her adultery to his faithfulness.
Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement, whom I have put away?
And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
And then came the Lord Jesus Christ in who’s glory the father has revealed himself, and in who’s actions have demonstrated to us all the extent of his Love for us through his giving himself to the death of the Cross, to procure for his bride, life everlasting.
And this we see also represented in the new testament, the Church being called the bride of Christ.
Consider:
And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
Jn 3:29 (John speaking)
He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
This is why marriage is marriage; it is the representation of God joined to his own people. And that also seems to fit the curious wordings of the Song concerning the Shulamite, for she is often identified in a unity of plurality. What do I mean?
She speaks and is addressed in both the singular and the plural in this song. Could that be indication of the true nature of the allegory?
Consider
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. 3 Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. 4 Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.
9 My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.
15 Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes. 16 My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.
1 I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.
in this Song of Solomon survey then we note that there are two peoples to which God is wed, the first are the people for which he came to die, the second is for the people who have believed. Those for which he came to die where slow to open their doors to him, and now for a time he has “Withdrawn himself”, but only for a time.
Though the book may have a historical reality to it, we generally read it personally and allegorically. So many are the allegorical renderings it cannot be considered that any one is the right one, BUT THIS IS LOVE, it is personal, it is subjective, it is ones own and cannot be judged by another.
As for its reading; much concentration is required to recognize the speaker and we cannot always be confident we have it right. We have the ‘Beloved’ which is The King, and we have his Spouse, the Shulamite who is never referred to by a single name.
Chapter five I found to be most beneficial to bring the summary for the benefit of those who know Christ and to encourage them in the reading of all the book again and again.
THE CALL OF THE KING
1 I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.
2 I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. 3 I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? 4 My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.
The passage begins with the voice of the King who is calling to his bride.
Now you will note that in this passage we have the first reference to the Shulamite as wed to the King; “I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse.” Prior to this she is only seeking after the one she loves even in a form of courtship. But here she is wed and referred to as such.
And here she sleeps, but here her heart is awakened by his voice and also by his promptings.
2 I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled:
It is his words that awaken our hearts, his voice that now penetrates the deepest sleep. Nothing else has the opportunity to awaken his bride, nothing else is that to which we will give account.
Jesus reminds us that “My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me”. We are referred to him also as his sheep, we need him to lead us and to guide us, he is the Shepherd and the Groom.
But it is his voice that we hear.
And he Also prompts; It is his voice that does the knocking; “it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh.”
As though he were on the outside desiring to come in, his voice, his words, prompt us physically. We hear him by the ear and are prompted to respond by the very physical nature of his voice, his words, knocking upon the heart.
We refer to that in Christian circles as ‘Conviction’ in the heart.
Do you recall the time that you did not know the voice of the saviour but were prompted by his words to answer his call? You might have been like the young Samuel who did not yet know the voice of the Lord.
Perhaps there are some listening to this message who also have heard a voice knocking at their hearts, prompting them to respond.
We have this clearly presented to us in Revelation 3:20
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Did you know that this is the voice of the beloved that knocketh?
The same voice that asked us to open to him that he may come in, asks his bride even now to Open to him;
“Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.”
She is the very essence of his love, he speaks to her with words so delicate, my dove, No bird could ever match the simple elegance and beauty of the dove. It is white and undefiled; Peace is personified in it and here the King calls his love by it.
“my undefiled”, There is no blemish in her, why? Scripture teaches us that the Church has been washed and made clean by the blood of Jesus, her garments are undefiled, she is without spot.
for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. A picture is given to us that the Lord calls long and knocks long and waits for us to respond, even as he stands all the night till his head is filled with dew, and hair with the drops of the night.
The Bible says we need to seek him while he may be found, answer his voice while he may be heard, for he will not wait forever.
Genesis reminds us that Gods spirit will not always strive with man (Gen 6:3)
Think of the Love the King has for his bride, it is the King who is calling but it is not a demand, its not a punishment that awaits the bride if she does not answer, just a desperate longing.
Yet he waits for her patiently until that is, he hears the response of her heart;
THE DELAY OF THE CALLED
3 I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them? 4 My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.
This is she who responds to his call and does so also in her heart;
3 I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? Should she now get up? She has just gotten herself comfortable, should she be disturbed while in comfort?
How often have we turned aside from the Lord? Now that we know that heaven is our home and eternity is secured we rest as if there is no further call from him. We turn to doing that which we think to bring us comfort as we thought before. The prior book of Ecclesiastes is our reference to this.
But his voice still knocks.
I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?
To get up now is to dirty my feet again. To dirty our feet is to begin the day, to work while it is day, is there work to do for the King when he calls? Does his voice knock us out of our comfort zone, does it compel us to the will of the King?
But his call is with love and not demand, it is our will he entices.
Understand and know that the poorer people from which the Shulamite came did not have carpet on the floors nor stone, nor timber: To wash the feet before bed was necessary on the floors of their homes. In reading this the people understood that to open the door is to dirty the feet.
But it is the Kings voice that knocks.
It seems also that this door is the same as the simple doors of the homes of the people for 4 My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door,
The doors had a small opening where the hand can reach in and unlatch the door. The latch was always on the inside and can be seen reaching in.
But the King is a gentleman and will not come in uninvited.
How wonderfully does this represent the Gospel of Jesus to us. We heard the voice knocking on the heart and it is then we are to respond and not delay.
But notice;
And as he does so, as his hand is seen so evidently, 4 …and my bowels were moved for him.
Her heart was stirred when he spoke, yet her excuses did not move her, it was not until she had seen his hand that her heart (bowels) were moved or motivated for him.
Sometimes this also seems true for us today. We hear his voice knock and we give excuses against responding to his loving call to us.
Perhaps it is to come to the Lord in prayer. We feel the need to pray but say to ourselves, “really, I just got comfortable; I don’t have time right now; I’ll just finish what I’m doing” and the knock stops.
Perhaps it is a step of obedience that he desires you to hear, he is calling you to a more delightful place with him in love and without the hindrances that prevent it. But we delay and the knock stops.
But it is not long before we see his hand in the hole of our life so evidently, circumstances so clearly set for us from the Lord, and then our hearts are moved, then we are motivated.
Perhaps we should have responded when his voice knocked!!!
THE SEARCH FOR THE CALLER
5 I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock. 6 I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.
Finally she is moved to respond, she has prepared her hands, sweetened her countenance and set her hands upon the handles of the lock to open to her Lord.
Who knows the time that had past, who knows how long she had taken to prepare herself to respond to the voice that knocked. We know he was outside all the night, we know that it was not any lack of patience on his part for her to respond.
The Lord is patient and longsuffering, not willing that any should perish. He is not slack concerning his promise (2 Pet 3:9).
We know this from all of history; he called Noah as a preacher of righteousness for 120 years before the Flood. He named Methuselah prophetically “his death shall bring”, this is the oldest man in the Bible who’s death brought the flood upon the world, again a picture of patience for man.
But his spirit will not always strive with man (Gen 6:3)
He was patient for Israel, he is patient with the Gospel giving man his entire life to respond to his call, but there will be a time when the door is shut and no man can open. The opportunity for the Gospel will last only as long as the life endures and death will seal the decision of the heart.
But not for the Bride, for she is wed;
Yet here we see a time when the Lord will withdraw, We have seen this historically with the Jews, for Christ came originally for them, and now, he has withdrawn until he is sought after by them.
We need to seek him while he may be found, answer while he is calling, open while he is knocking rather than waiting till we think we are ready or worthy.
6 I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake:
So descriptive of our walk with the Lord.
He calls us to such a love we may be yet to truly experience, such a loving call to draw so near to him but we put it off more and more until when we finally Open to our beloved, he has withdrawn himself. True it is that ‘our souls failed when he spake’
But what are we to do then? Do we remove our coat, wash out feet and go back to sleep?
No! I sought him she said. We seek him, we seek him diligently, even if we cannot find him we seek him, even if we call to him and he does not seem to answer, we seek him.
I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.
Notice that this is not the first time the King had seemed to be missing;
Turn to chapter 3
By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. 2 I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. 3 The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? 4 It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.
Before she became his bride she knew it was he whom she loved and she sought him.
Ps 105:3 “Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord”
Jeremiah 29:13 “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”
I was in the Bank yesterday and encouraged a young teller with this verse. We spoke of a few things and I had told her I am a Pastor. She spoke of being frightened about the things she sees happening in the world and I wanted to encourage her in the Lord, telling her that all that is going on is spoken about in the Bible and to seek the Lord, he will be found of her.
This promise is true, and it remains true especially to those who are wed to Christ. Chapter three gives us that true nature of love, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go.
Not even for life’s sake should we abandon the love of loves. Not even for the sake of persecution, even when we backslide.
Notice that the Watchmen of chapter 3 did not persecute the seeking Shulamite, but consider the watchmen of chapter 5 to the backsliding Bride;
THE PERSECUTION OF THE CALLED
7 The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me. 8 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.
9 What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?
When the bride now turns from her backsliding and diligently seeks after the Lord, it is not unusual to face persecution.
(2 Tim 3:12) Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
Seeking after the Lord when first hearing his call, we are not bothered by the watchmen of the night. Some might even help us try to find him. Friends and family understand that we are seeking a “deeper meaning in life” and see this as normal. No problem there.
But when we have found the Lord and desire to obey and “live godly” we suffer persecution.
The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me;
Now when we are wed, we are encouraged to deny the Lord, to not hear the voice of his knocking. All the world seems against us, ready to distract us from that love of loves, that love and that joy that fills all in all within our lives.
Work, entertainment, relationships, media of all sorts, it all steals our heart away; some are so far removed that they don’t hear the kings call, until that is their beloved put in his hand by the hold of the door, when his hand is seen in the hole of their life they turn back to him.
Friends are turned away when we return to truly seek after the Lord and to live Godly, has it happened to you yet?
(1 Pet 4:4) Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:
This explains the persecution, you no longer live the way you had before, your life and behavior no longer agrees with theirs and you are hated by them. They speak evil of you in their hearts, all you do and say is wrong to them. They judge you because your way of life judges them.
Friends, darkness cannot dwell with Light, even if you have done NOTHING to upset them and even if ALL has been done is against you, YOU will still be the one to blame.
Has it happened to you yet?
If not then your love for the Lord is not emitting the light the brightens the day. That is a light that is attractive to some who will come to the Lord, desiring that love you are lighted with. If you have that light you will be despised by those who “love darkenss rather than light”. If you do not emit that light you will not suffer persecution, you will never be bothered by the godless. The dark is never disturbed but by light!
Has it happened to you yet?
If not I am sad for you, for you have not yet loved the Lord as he would be loved. You have not yet sought him diligently, called after him and kept searching.
But the Shulamite bride cried out even in persecution;
8 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.
Beaten for her Lord yet she is even more lovesick. The more the Children of God are persecuted for their Love for God, the more they desire to be with God. Persecution has always historically drawn the Godly closer to God, the blood of the martyrs is known to be the seed of the church.
Have you ever been truly lovesick?
I have felt that way often for my Maria. Often the more I am with her the more lovesick I find myself. Have you ever experienced that love that so fills you that you think you cannot live without your beloved? The closer you come the more you long. Such a wonderful experience to love like this.
9 What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?
This is the speech of fools. Just as there can be no other Maria for me, there can be no other Christ than Jesus my beloved.
Only those who have not loved like this would say such foolishness; but the bride answers the fools who think all loves are alike.
THE LOVE OF THE BETROTHED
10 My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. 11 His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven. 12 His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set. 13 His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh. 14 His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires. 15 His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. 16 His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
There is nothing I find lacking in my saviour; he is The Lily of the Valley, the Rose of Sharon, the Chiefest of ten thousand to my soul.
He is whom my soul loves and the more I read this Song, the more words I find to convey to my Beloved, the Love I have for him, for Jesus.
Friends, Jesus bought you with a price, his love for you shown on the cross.
He calls you beloved, a lily among thorns and he has taken you for his very own.
But he calls you into a relationship like no other, one that rewards you with the greatest of joy that you will ever know, one that has eyes turned to him so perfectly that he is able to make your countenance shine. He clothes you fit for heaven, we cannot clothe ourselves.
Your love for him will have you speak of no other.
Your joy in him will not suffer you to despair.
Your trust in him will give you the very foundation to live life to the full knowing that your life is in his hands.
The Song which is Solomon’s is also yours.
Pr Edi
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