Natural wisdom in the things of God will stop the flow of blessing.

SONG OF SOLOMON 1

If you remember the book just before this one, (Ecclesiastes), you'll see that nothing completely satisfied the writer, the place was a disappointment, but in this book (Song of Solomon) the heart is satisfied with a person. The book is a love story, a man (Solomon, a picture of Christ) in love with an unnamed woman (Israel).

Now all this is a picture of Christ and His actual bride (all the believers). But remember carefully, the pictures in the Old Testament are like shadows (read Heb. 10:1). We get the perfect Person (Christ) and His bride (every believer in Him). Israel refused the Lord Jesus when He came to earth to them the first time, so we see that the woman at times fails.

There are many beautiful pictures in this love story which can apply to us as the bride of Christ. Remember Christ has one bride only, the believers in Him... the Church, the Assembly. We're reading of a picture of the real thing.

Song 1:1-4 The bride tells of how much he means to her, and how sweet and intimate that love is.

Song 1:5-6 She realizes how unworthy she is to be loved by him. (She compares herself with the black tents, and him with the beautiful, gorgeous curtains of Solomon's temple)!

Song 1:8-11 The bridegroom answers, and tells her of his love.

Song 1:12-14 She was just thrilled to sit in his presence. She did not ask for anything more than himself.

Song 1:15-17 In spite of how terribly she had acted toward him in the past, here is how he now sees her! Throughout this book, you will notice that when it is he who is speaking he speaks directly to her and says "thou". But when it is she who speaks, she speaks of him, by using the word "he". (We believers in the Lord Jesus can know the intimacy of addressing Him as "Thou"... see Rev. 5:9).

#722

Holiness is not transmittable by association (Haggai 2:12). Uncleanness can be transmitted by association (Haggai 2:13).

SONG OF SOLOMON 2

Song 2:1 She was not proud of what she had done, but she was happy in knowing what she was to him.

Song 2:2 He immediately replies. She says that just as an apple tree is so much better than the trees of a forest, so is he compared with everyone else.

Song 2:3-4 She sat down - (rest), his fruit was sweet - (pleasant food), his banner over her - (protection). These are pictures of what the Lord is to us. Are we conscious of how much the Lord loves us? Eph. 5:25

Song 2:7 Roes and hinds are the most easily startled animals, and have great ability to hear. We can easily spoil our closeness to the Lord by an evil or light thought.

Song 2:10-13 She tells what he had said to her. This refers to the coming day, when Israel will remember the dark days of sorrow which will then be past; and the prospects of bright and glorious days to come.

Song 2:14-15 He longs to see her face, and to hear her voice. But the little foxes are like the little things we do which spoil our happiness with the Lord.

Song 2:16-17 She speaks with confidence. (We know that the Lord is ours). Notice this 16th verse, then 6:3 and 7:10 - progress in her confidence).

Song 2:17 Sweet and glorious day coming!

#723

Peace should be the outcome of our fellowship - not the object of it.

SONG OF SOLOMON 3

Disappointment enters. She is thinking of him. But she has lost something. He seems far, far away. She has allowed her thoughts to wander from him. (Just like us, isn't it?) Satan hates us to have our eye on Christ.

Song 3:2-3 She goes out to search for him.

Song 3:2-4 Her love for him gives her energy to search for him. (Do we love the Lord with this same energy?) She would not stop till she finds him. (If we are in earnest, it is not long before we are restored to the Lord).

Song 3:6-11 These verses describe the glorious coming of the bridegroom. It can be a picture of the day when the Lord Jesus shall come in glory to set up His 1,000 year reign called "the millennium".

#724

Grace is what should characterize Christianity today.

SONG OF SOLOMON 4

Song 4:1-7 (We often realize that we love the Lord, but we are not so sure how He feels about us.) The bridegroom pours out his thoughts of his beloved. This was what she (and we) wanted to hear. He tells seven things about her that delight him. (When we realize how much the Lord Jesus loves us, it humbles us, and warms our heart).

Song 4:8-15 The bridegroom calls her to come with him. Lebanon was one of the most beautiful places. But he saw the dangers - the lions and the leopards. (So the Lord sees the dangers we don't see), so he says "come with me from"... (We often must separate from what may be very attractive to our eyes, but He sees the dangers).

Song 4:9-11 Though the scenery around might be ever so beautiful, his eye is attracted to the one beside him. (We are the completeness of Him! Eph. 1:23).

Song 4:12-15 The bridegroom compares the one he loves to a garden. Every possible delight is found there, and in her. A garden, a spring, a fountain, an orchard, fruits, sweetness, perfumes, a paradise (that is what it means).

Song 4:16 The garden belongs to him. (We are the Lord's). He knows how to get the most out of that garden. So he calls for a blast of the cold north wind to blow. This brings out the best in his plantings. (Sometimes we need trials and difficulties to bring out the best in us for Him). The warm south wind follows.

#725

We don't profit if we don't want to be corrected.

SONG OF SOLOMON 5

Song 5:1 These different fruits could represent the different conditions of the Lord's people. "Myrrh" is a picture of sorrow, (which some of us are called on to bear. But often the result is sweet as honey, when the work is completed in our soul).

Song 5:2 But once again the bride becomes careless, restless, uncomfortable, sleepy, with no energy for him. He has not changed. He is standing at the door and knocks. He wants her company. (Sometimes we turn our thoughts away from Him to ourselves). He stands and waits, his heart full of love and desire.

Song 5:3 Sad excuses.

Song 5:4 He persists. He loves her too much to let her go undisturbed. (Have you ever been in this condition?) His blessed hand reaches in to open the door. Love always takes the low place, and makes the first move. Love always wins in the end.

Song 5:5 She is recovering from her carelessness. Her conscience is touched and she weeps with sorrow, (myrrh) and joy (sweet-smelling myrrh).

Song 5:6 She has delayed too long, and he has gone.

Song 5:7-8 She searches for him. She is full of energy, but also of confusion. Everyone seems against her. (Is not this the way we often get when we are away from the Lord?)

Song 5:9 Others ask her why she is so attracted to him. (Isn't that what the world asks us?) If you are living close to the Lord, the unbelievers can't understand the secret you have. But if we are not different from them, we are a poor witness to them for Christ.

Song 5:10-16 Now she bursts out in one of the loveliest descriptions of the beauty that you and I can see of the Lord in all the Scriptures. From head to feet, "He is altogether lovely".

Song 5:16 Sweet ending "my beloved... my friend". (Are these our thoughts of the Lord?)

#726

What a dishonor to the Lord's name when the world sees believers at odds with one another - in contention.

SONG OF SOLOMON 6

Song 6:1 All this creates a desire in others to know more about him, and to see him too. Here they ask where he is. How could she ever wander away from such a glorious person? (If we are enjoying the Lord, others will want to hear about Him).

Song 6:2 She knows now he is not in the busy city, but in the quiet garden. (We too, know where He is).

Song 6:3 Notice the reverse here to 2:16. She is thinking about herself less now!

Song 6:4-9 The first words spoken to his beloved after her sad failure. Not a word about her coldness, only deeper expressions of his love for her.

Song 6:10 Her friends seem to say these words.

Song 6:13 The friends around join in wanting to see more of this beautiful bride. As she goes down (in humility) she rises higher.

#727

If we fail to hold the truth in love, we will be open to the attacks of the enemy to plunge us into one of the many errors around us.

SONG OF SOLOMON 7

Song 7:1 The verse refers to her. Her feet are beautiful - look at Isaiah 52:7 to see the feet of the Lord described. The feet suggest the walk, the life. His walk was perfect and beautiful. Now turn to Romans 10:15 for a description of the feet, the walk, the life, of the believer in Christ today. May each one of us take this to heart.

Now the bride has a royal title. She approaches the great day when she shall be the queen of the earth - Psalm 45:9. This will be in the Millennium.

Song 7:1-9 This only brings out fresh expressions of love from his lips. He sees her in a fresh light.

Song 7:10 This might be the highest note the bride ever struck. Thoughts of herself are all gone, she rests in his love. "We shall be satisfied when we awake in His likeness". Psalm 17:15.

Song 7:11-13 She says "Let us" four times. She has perfect confidence in speaking so boldly to him. She knows so well how much he loves her. There is perfect oneness of mind, she knows exactly his thoughts. Her love is full, and yet she wants more. All this is a picture of the condition of the whole earth in the millennium.

#728

The truth of God always directs itself to the heart and conscience; the enemy directs his efforts to the intellect.

SONG OF SOLOMON 8

A review of the whole book.

Song 8:1-5 The bride has deep desires for the bridegroom. She longs to hand him a cup of sweet joys! In this way she tells him how much she appreciated all he did for her.

Song 8:5 He reminds her that he had lifted her up.

Song 8:6-7 What can compare with love! What is stronger!

Song 8:8-9 To understand this, you will have to remember far back into Israel's history. It was divided into two kingdoms - Judah and Benjamin, called the kingdom of Judah, and the other ten tribes, known as the kingdom of Israel. This latter was carried away to captivity. They are today scattered somewhere in the world. The Lord Jesus was born into the tribe of Judah. But when the Lord Jesus returns in glory, He is going to gather the lost ten tribes, from all over the world. They are the "little sister". They took no part in the rejection of the Saviour, but they were idol worshippers. Nevertheless, they will come into blessing too, at the end, but not as great as Judah.

Song 8:11-14 Refers to the whole earth in the millennium. The earth will then be united; every heart shall be full of joy because the Lord Jesus is its source. Did you understand the progress in the three verses mentioned when we were reading 2:16? Often we put ourselves first as in that verse. The second one is some progress, but still she is thinking a bit of her love for him. But the third verse tells us that Christ's love for us is the supreme love. Are you getting it?