Sanctifying Love in the Song of Songs

mostsublimesong

10 years ago

“Here are innumerable gradations of truth adapted to the different degrees of the growth of the soul in grace, from the first exercises of conviction (in chapter 1) to the highest measure of sanctification attainable on earth (in Song 8:14) A particular development of our spiritual perceptions is requisite for feeling the beauty and power of any one of the portions of truth in this ascending scale.” George Burrowes, Song of Solomon pg 23

I agree with George Burrowes. How I have gone further is to see the clear distinct phases of this growth and you can not only know where you are but where you have been and what you need to do to grow. As in 1 John 2:12-14. Either you are a Babe, Child, Young Man, Strong Young Man or Father. Or half of one and another. Or part of one and mostly another.

To “sanctify” something is to set it apart for special use; to “sanctify” a person is to make them holy. Set apart for God. Set apart to glorify and enjoy God forever, this is what we were created for. To Love God with all our mind, heart, soul and strength. In the process of our sanctification we become more loving. We love God more and we love other’s more. We become less selfish and sinful and become more loving and good. The woman in the Song loves Solomon and God and her love grows. She becomes more mature in her walk with God. Solomon helps her out with her walk with God and she becomes more holy more sanctified. This page focuses on key truths in the Song that indicate her growing love and then where these phases of growth fit in the order of our salvation. First:

Key Truths that indicate that the Song of Songs is about sanctification.

She starts off ignorant about how to get close to Solomon in Song 1:7 to knowing where to find him Song 6:2.
Song 2:16 “My beloved is mine and I am his” to Song 7:10 “I am my beloveds and his desire is for me.” First my beloved is mine in Chapter 2 then she says first “I am my beloveds in Song 7:10. She has learned to give her will over completely to Solomon by chapter 7. By Solomon, the lesser Christ, giving himself to her she see’s his love and has learned to give herself to him. And has learned and experienced his love to the point that she has no doubt that “his desire is for her” good. And has no doubt at all about his love for her. Here we see growth from Chapter 2 to 7.
Praising her for looking to him and obeying encourages her to do more of the same. Song 4:8-9 and thus adorns herself with more jewels of love. These are precious moments with the lover of her soul when he compliments her moral character in metaphors throughout the Song. In Song 4:8-9 Solomon is praising her love in listening to him to “Come down..” This helps her realize what ravishes his heart and if she loves him she will do it more and more. Solomon praising her godly character encourages her to be more godly. Husbands ought to praise the noble character of their wives like in Prov. 31:28-30. For more go HERE
Her fruit bearing skills increase from
1. a neglected vineyard in Song 1:6
2. to a blossoming vineyard in 2:15
3. to a full garden in 4:12-5:1
4. to bearing fruit in high places Song 7:8
5. to spices on top of multiple mountains while he is away in 8:14 We can clearly see differing degrees of cultivation skills. She gets better and better at producing fruit. Here you have 5 levels of fruit bearing skills. From nothing to blossoming to a full garden to fruit in high places to bearing fruit in rare difficult situations. Which correspond to the 5 stages in the NT (Babe or infant, child, young man, strong young man, and Father 1 John 2:12-14)
6. These growing fruit bearing skills correspond to the progressive growth of the bride.
7. Scripture makes clear distinctions between 5 major categories of growth both in the Song with the bride as above and also in 1 John 2:12-14 with the bride of Christ. Below are brief verses in the NT on the 5 phases.
  1. “I write to you Children because you know your sins are forgiven for His Names sake.”
  2. “I write to you young men because you have overcome the evil one”
  3. “I write to you strong young men because the word abides in you.”
  4. “I write to you father’s because you know Him who is from the beginning.”
  5. The first phase, the Babe phase is in other scriptures. The Corinthians were worldly babes 1 Cor. 3:1 , Babes desire the pure milk of the word 1 Peter 2:2, babes are tossed to and fro Eph. 4:14. Aren’t acquainted with teachings about righteousness. Hebrews 5:13
8. I haven’t had much time, but I believe these 5 phases may also be depicted in the life and history of Israel but I’m not sure yet, here is my notes anyway on Israel God’s wife and bride Jer 3:14,20, 31:32. It was the progressive revelation of God to them in redemption out of Egypt, sanctification and testing in the wilderness, to taking over the promise land to….. I don’t know what?
  1. Infants or babes, new birth at the exodus till the giving of the Law or so Numbers 11:12, Dt 32:18
  2. Children at Mount Sinai in Covenant with God like the Child in the Song at 2:16
  3. Testing the whole time in the wilderness overcoming the evil one like young men. to possibly Joshua Jer. 2:2 and Dt. 31:6-7
  4. Fighting the enemies of God as a strong young man like Sampson and David.
  5. Spiritually wise King and father like Solomon
The marriage Song is a reflection of the Love of Christ to the Church. Ephesians 5:25-32. A lesser lover pointing to the Greatest Lover Christ for “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13 This love is irresistible and sanctifying Jer. 31:3 and Rom. 8:28-29 and Phil. 1:9, John 17:17. So if Christ has a sanctifying affect on His bride then so will the husband as he loves his bride as Christ loves the Church. Solomon does this by praising her character in metaphoric language in Song 1:9-10 then makes a promise himself to make her more beautiful. Was was beautiful with jewels of love and faithfulness around her neck. “We will make you earrings of gold studded with silver” We will make you more beautiful. You are holy we will make you more holy. Solomon and His God and all the people of the kingdom will make her more holy. She will grow. This is the promise Solomon makes in Song 1:11. He will have a good sanctifying effect upon her by him reflecting the glory of Christ in his kingdom reign, in his priestly office and in speaking Truth also by experiencing God’s love to her through union and communion with Solomon in marriage. 1 Kings 10:9
Basically, as Solomon’s wife she beheld the Glory of God in the face of Solomon. A veiled and reflected Glory of God but the Glory of God none the less. This transformed the OT believer as well as the New 2 Cor. 3:18. As she beholds the Glory of God in the face of Solomon she experiences God’s love to her and is changed from one level of glory to another by the Spirit illuminating truths to her heart about Solomon, the lesser Christ, who’s name is like perfume poured out and who’s love is more delightful than wine. Song 1:2-3. She changes from one level of glory to another. The multiple experiences of Solomon’s love increase her skills in bearing good fruit. She see’s, understands and delights in God’s love to her through Solomon. This transforms her. Solomon’s glory or love is only a reflection or shadow of the Love of Christ that changes us by just beholding it. Seeing it and delighting in it changes us from one level of Glory to another.

Song of Songs 1:11 “We will make you earrings of gold studded with silver.” Solomon is saying here that he and everyone in the Kingdom will help make her more beautiful. More morally excellent. More holy. He just complimented her moral beauty in the previous verse and now promises to make her more holy. This is the responsibility of the husband and Husband Christ. Ephesians 5:25-26 25 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, 26 so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word” Solomon does this in metaphoric language. If you miss the metaphors and read it literally it will look like flattery. But read it metaphorically then He is praising her noble character as a husband ought to do.

Babe, Child, Young Man, Strong Young Man, Father

Sanctification is a progressive work of God and man that makes us more and more free from sin and like Christ in our actual lives. (Wayne Grudem) The woman in the Song of Songs is becoming more holy. Solomon is loving her as Christ loves and sanctifies his wife by displaying the glory of God in marriage. Though with a veiled face it still transforms her making her grow more holy from one level of glory to another 2 Cor. 3:18. Her love for God is growing due to the very flame of God in her Song 8:6-7 She grows through the same phases of growth that a NT believer would in 1 John 2:12-14

Meat is for the Strong Young Man. Most Babes ought to be teachers by now Hebrews 5:12 “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.”

Everyone must desire the pure milk of the word of God like the Babe in chapter 1 then enjoy your adoption in Chapter 2, Looking forward to having Christ rule all your life and heart and enjoying the assurance of your salvation in chapter 3, overcoming the evil one in chapter 4, then getting stronger by the word of God abiding in you in chapters 5-7. By Chapter 8 you are the supreme example for everyone else and you can now teach anyone how to grow from Babe to Father.

Sort of like Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyon. It’s an allegory of the Christian life. Lessons are learned and Pilgrim progresses much like the woman. Same in the Song, she constantly progresses. Though in real life we will repeat sins and stay in one phase for quite some time, we will still grow because God promises it. Phil 1:6

Order of Salvation

Before Sanctification comes

Predestination Eph 1:11; Rom. 8:29
Illumination. II Corinthians 4:3–4. “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost; in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them,” together with v. 6, “For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ”
Effectual calling or drawing by His Love. Jer. 31:3, John 3:29, John 10:3

Regeneration or getting a new heart happens at conversion or when born again:

Conversion and Fruits of Union with Christ
1. Faith Eph 2:8-9, Hebrews Chapter 11
2. Regeneration. Sanctification has a definite beginning at Regeneration Titus 3:5, 1 John 3:9, Ez. 36:26
3. Repentance this is a change of mind and heart about sin. You hate it and so you do your best and don’t do it anymore.
Justification Rom. 8:30; 3:20, 4:5, Gal. 2:16
Adoption Rom 8:14-17; Ps 68:5, Is 43:6-7; Gal 3:23-26

The Sanctification Process in 5 stages

Sanctification, or becoming more like Christ increases throughout life Col. 3:10, Rom. 6:11, Phil 3:13-14, 2 Cor 3:18. It begins at regeneration Ez. 36:26 when you get a new heart and love to God is written on it, the sum of the law. Once you are a new creation with a new heart you are now equipped to grow and bear fruit. The 5 stages or phases of Sanctification, growth or levels of glory here on earth are Babe or Infant, Child, Young Man, Strong Young man and Father.

Glorification

Sanctification is Completed at Death for our souls and when the Lord returns (for our bodies). 1 John 1:8, Rom 6:12-13, phil 3:21, 1 Cor 15:23, Rom. 8:28-30.
Glorification in Eternity. Ephesians 2:6-7, John 17:11,22 Jonathan Edwards “This will the better appear, if we consider the degree and manner in which he aimed at the creature’s excellency and happiness in creating the world; viz. during the whole of its designed eternal duration; in greater and greater nearness, and strictness of union with himself, in his own glory and happiness, in constant progression, through all eternity. As the creature’s good was viewed, when God made the world, with respect to its whole duration, and eternally progressive union to, and communion with him: so the creature must be viewed as in infinitely strict union with himself. In this view it appears, that God’s respect to the creature, in the whole, unites with his respect to himself. Both regards are like two lines which at the beginning appear separate, but finally meet in one, both being directed to the same center. And as to the good of the creature itself, in its whole duration and infinite progression, it must be viewed as infinite; and as coming nearer and nearer to the same thing in its infinite fullness. The nearer anything comes to infinite, the nearer it comes to an identity with God. And if any good, as viewed by God, is beheld as infinite, it cannot be viewed as a distinct thing from God’s own infinite glory.”

The greater you love the greater your emotions. Love is understood in the mind and felt in the heart. The greater your feelings the greater your love. The Song of Song will raise your feelings of Love to God to higher and higher degree’s like no other portion of Scripture. Raising or growing our love for God is our responsibility as Christians and also of the pastor.

Jonathan Edwards

“I should think myself in the way of my duty, to raise the affections [emotions] of my hearers as high as I possibly can, provided”—then he gave two qualifications—”provided they are affected with nothing but truth, and with affections that are not disagreeable to the nature of what they are affected with.”

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