“While the king was at his table..” Song of Songs 1:12

Song of Songs 1:12  “While the king was at his table, my perfume spread forth it’s fragrance.”

Some translate “at his table” differently.  Some say “While the king was around..”  or “lying on the couch” or “was (still) at his table”  or “at his banqueting table”

The point is that she is in the presence of the one her heart loves being praised and honored by him/Him as he/He adores her holy character and promises to make her more lovely, holy and morally excellent in Song 1:11.  Actually all who are involved in her sanctification promise to make her more holy.  See the “We” in verse 1:9.  Now in verse 1:12 her affections are heightened due to his praising her most beautiful, gifted, purchased by another, it can’t be bought Song 8:7, holy character in Song 1:9 and admiring her moral beauty in 1:10 then he promises to make her more lovely, holy and morally excellent in Song 1:11.

Her love and faithfulness are what is precious and valuable to him, this is what Solomon is seeing and complimenting in Song 1:10 He says “Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings and you neck with strings of gold.”  What she wears to adorn her face and neck is what is precious and valuable to him/Him that causes him to adore her beauty, moral excellency or holiness that consists in love to God.

Think about it how would you feel?  She was once his/His enemy and in debt and now she is beautiful beyond imagining seated at the king of Jerusalem’s table wearing the perfume he most delights in and your being praised and honored due to you love for him/Him.

And she is just loving every moment of it!  Her lover/Lover delights in her and she in him and the best words she can come up with are “While the king was at his table, my perfume spread its fragrance.”

She intentionally puts something special on that he/He will delight in and be pleased with like perfume/love/moral excellency etc.  You put perfume on in order to smell pleasing to your lover.

What do you put on in order to be pleasing to God?  Put on Christ, put on love, put off sin, put on holiness etc.  Put on Christ and Christ will be more pleased with you then Solomon is with his bride to be.

The bride’s idea of who he/He is and what he/He has done for me written on her mind and the heart will reflexively enflame with her love to her husbands.   Christ is her husband in one sense and her physical husband is a husband in another sense.  But the idea is the same in both Christ’s love to each believer and Solomons love to his bride.  The idea that if the bride gained more knowledge of Solomon’s love, kisses, that her love to him/Him would enflame reflexively in both the bride of Solomon and the bride of Christ,  They are one and the same for the Shulammite is a true Jew and God was the Husband of Israel.  Since God is the Husband of Israel then God is the Husband of both Solomon and his enemy bride because Solomon and his bride are united to God through the mediatory work of the messiah seen typified in the sacrificial system, prophecies of him and other types of the messiah like Abraham and Issac.  The messiah when he comes would reverse the curse!  During Solomon’s reign the curse of God was being lifted off all the nations through His son (( Jedidiah2 Sam. 12:25 (God loves) who sat on the Throne of God and ruled righteously with unmeasurable wisdom bringing news about peace with God and doing nothing but good will toward all mankind like never before.  It sure looked like The messiah they were waiting for was finally here.

 

Here the Bride’s is sensible of her love being in vigorous exercise.   She is sensible that her perfume, her character is being poured out, her perfume spread it’s fragrance.   His name was like perfume in Song 1:3 and now in his/His presence  he/He is enjoying her love.

Sensible of her love to God she says “my perfume spread it’s fragrance.”  She knew it was going forth and she knew it was going forth when she was in his presence at his table away from slavery in the hot vineyards.  She knew the difference between being dissatisfied away from him/Him but in his presence you have fullness of holy joy.  Sensible by both the understanding and the will.  It was her desire for her love to pour forth out to Him especially in his/His presence at the table.

He delighted in her love in Song 1:9-10 and now she is aware that he/He delights in her holiness and promises to sanctify her.  To set her apart for God.  This praising her in his/His presence is what causes her perfume to spread forth.  Her love to spread forth.  Her love and delight in Him is enflamed.  She gets excited to rejoice and delight in Him while he praises her Prov. 31:28-30.

“While the king was around my perfume spread its fragrance”
As the king complimented his bride’s greatest beauty and promises to make her more beautiful thus more beautiful to him/Him by more loveliness of heart.  The holier the heart the lovelier it gets.  The closer to God the lovelier the soul.  What is pleasing to my king is my love for him/Him.

The bride attracts the attention, adoration and praise of her husband due to her holiness. Her love to God and Solomon is what ravishes his eye.

A benevolent propensity of heart is exercised, not only in seeking to promote the happiness of the being towards whom it is exercised, but also in rejoicing in his happiness. Even as gratitude for benefits received will not only excite endeavors to requite the kindness we receive, by equally benefiting our benefactor; but also, if he be above any need of us, or we have nothing to bestow, and are unable to repay his kindness, it will dispose us to rejoice in his prosperity.

 

Now although it be true, that the love thus spoken of, includes the whole of a sincerely benevolent propensity of the soul, towards God and man; yet it may be considered, that it is evident from what has been before observed, that this propensity or inclination of the soul, when in sensible and vigorous exercise, becomes affection, and is no other than affectionate love.  Jonathan Edwards

Application

1.  Deny yourself often, pursue a close intimate relationship with God and as you put off sin and put on holiness, fearlessly like a mare in battle and your conscience is clear of sin and guilt then take the compliment from Christ at Song 1:9 and know that what adorns you is love and faithfulness around your neck, beautiful more precious than rubies to Him.
2. Then enjoy Christ!!!  He is the one that died for you and purchase you holiness and love to God and forgave your sins!!!  He is the one that promised to make you more holy.
3. Keep thinking highly of Christ, God in Christ reconciling the world, think upon the excellencies of Christ.  Argue from the lesser Christ in the Song of Songs to the greater Jesus Christ the Son of God who demonstrated His love to God and man at the  cross and rose again so that we could have a close intimate relationship with God!
4. If Christ were to smell my life what would it be to Him?  Would it be a sweet smelling aroma?
5. Look!!  This kind of enjoyment of Christ will not come if you continue in any habitual pattern of sin.  Keep reading your Bible and listening to your conscience no matter how hard it is and then Christ will come sup with you.  It takes practice, practice thinking much about Christ for 2-3 minutes then 10 minutes a day and maybe all day on Sunday as much as you can as deep and high as you can extol the Love of Christ then do it!!

Just as Solomon’s officials where happy to be in his presence 1 Kings 10:8, how much more happier is the redeemed sinner in the presence of God being praised and honored by her husband/Husband.