Solomon’s Sweetest Words
Solomon’s Song of Songs 5:16
“His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely”
There is a holy sweet relish upon the hearing of praise, honor, godly advice, holy promises and admiration etc. Solomon’s words were sweetness itself. Earlier Solomon adored her lips, in 4:3 her “lips were like scarlet ribbon and her mouth was lovely.” Now the Bride remembers all Solomon has said to her, and says “His mouth is sweetness itself” which was one characteristic about Solomon that made him lovely. Solomon’s love is a sweet flame that manifested itself in his speech to his wife. Solomons words were sweetness itself.
This blog will focus on everything Solomon said in the Song.Solomon sweetly praises his wife 7x, commands or sweetly asks her to do something 4x, makes a few promises and holds sweet communion with her 5x. His words were sweet and his mouth was sweetness itself! Then we could argue that Christ was greater than Solomon. If Solomon’s words were so sweet how much sweeter are the words of Christ Himself! The Word of God is sweetness itself. It forevermore just keeps on breathing out sweetness in every verse, for God’s Mouth is infinite sweetness for He is altogether lovely beyond measure.
First we will look at the praises and sweet words of admiration that Solomon gives his beautiful wife! Solomon sweetly praises his wife 7x, commands or sweetly asks her to do something 4x, makes a few promises and holds sweet communion with her 5x. His words were sweet and his mouth was sweetness itself! this post may be a bit long but I wanted to get all Solomon’s sweet words in one blog post. 34 out of 50x Solomon speaks he is praising or adoring his bride!! No wonder his mouth was sweetness itself!!
A wife of excellent character has a husband who praised her when she was worthy of it (Prov. 31:28-30) and humble enough to receive it and give the ultimate glory to God.
Proverbs 15:33 “Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord, and humility comes before honor.”
Solomon’s praises from a mouth that is sweetness itself!
Sweet Praise #1 of 7 and a most sweet answer!
Solomon praises and adores the internal moral beauty of her holy heart and her external beauty as well when he calls her “the most beautiful of women” Solomon’s Song of Songs 1:8
Her soul and body were in slavery and desperately desiring rest.1:6 Knowing who to talk to but not where to find this rest she calls out to “the one her heart loves” 1:7 and king Solomon, guided by unmeasurable wisdom, responds sweetly by first letting her know he admires her beauty by calling her “the most beautiful of women”
And the words of a beloved and friend that makes him stand out above the rest are 16 “His mouth is “full of sweetness. ” And he is wholly desirable.
Solomon’s holy sweet advice amidst the praise.
His Sweet words… “If you do not know most beautiful of women, follow the tracks of the sheep and rest your young goats by the shepherd tents.”
Right off the bat, the first conversation they have he compliments her beauty. Not just any compliment but calls her as she is “the most beautiful woman” both inside and out. This is who she is and how he properly see’s her moral and external beauty. He admires her beauty and compliments it in the sweetest manner.
She had said that she called out to “the one her soul loved”
Oh to know that the one you love knows you to be the most beautiful of women, with a moral excellency of infinite proportions written upon her heart.
What do we learn from the first words of Solomon’s conversation?
- He was there for her to guide her when she needed him.
- Not only was he there for her but encouraged her by letting her know what he truly thought of her beauty.
- He gave her the most excellent advice. He knew where she could find rest but she didn’t. God gave Solomon unmeasurable wisdom. Imagine a husband like that!
Application
- Husbands compliment the moral and external beauty of their wives.
- Compliment her Moral Beauty, holiness or love to God. Husbands, her beauty draws you closer. She is beautiful and likes to hear it. Her hearing sincere words of her beauty will be sweet to her taste. Let her know it. Both inside and out, she is beautiful. The wife has less fear of drawing near when she knows her husband loves and adores her, and has a name like perfume poured out. This admiration is in a general sense. No particular beauty is being admired but a general statement of the overall moral and external beauty of the bride, she is “the most beautiful of women”.
- Her willingness to learn from her shepherd leader is beautiful!
- God’s design for marriage is on display when the wife is eager to listen to and then obey her husband. In this way the authority of God is reflected in the marriage by the king shepherd giving advice and the bride obeying. The wife submits to her own husband Ephesians. She gets advice from her husband not any other. Beautiful, oh so beautiful isn’t it, a wife proving her Love to God by submitting to her husband as her greatest delight on earth.
- Compliment her External Beauty
- Compliment her moral and external beautify consistent with her level of humility. Dark is she, yet lovely in Christ. If your praise and adore her moral loveliness which is Christ in her and she takes all the glory then she is not humble. Praises to the proud of heart go to their heads. And they take the glory, yet the humble when praised will stay humble accept the praise and honor but give the ultimate glory to God in their heart as they are receiving that praise. Proverbs 27:21. “The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold,
And each is tested by the praise accorded him.” “As the refining pot,” his praise tries her, as gold is tried in the fire. That this is the meaning is manifest by Proverbs 17:3. “‘Rara virtus est humilitas honorata,’ said Barnard. To find humility with honor is to find a phoenix. Let an obscure person be lifted up to honor, and how steady and well-composed soever he was before, ’tis a thousand to one but his eyes will dazzle and his head run round when he is upon the lofty pinnacle of praise and honor. Put the best gold in the fining pot of praise, and it’s a great wonder if a great deal of dross don’t appear.
- Compliment her Moral Beauty, holiness or love to God. Husbands, her beauty draws you closer. She is beautiful and likes to hear it. Her hearing sincere words of her beauty will be sweet to her taste. Let her know it. Both inside and out, she is beautiful. The wife has less fear of drawing near when she knows her husband loves and adores her, and has a name like perfume poured out. This admiration is in a general sense. No particular beauty is being admired but a general statement of the overall moral and external beauty of the bride, she is “the most beautiful of women”.
- Pick the right context to compliment both external and moral beauties. The context here is Solomon compliments her beauty even though she is ignorant of where to find rest. He encourages her with how he thinks of her. She is the most beautiful woman and Solomon recognizes it. She is beautiful inside and out and has nothing to worry about, there is nothing holding him back on his part because she has got it all. Her lack of not knowing where to go to find peace and rest didn’t hinder the way Solomon saw his beautiful bride. They are one positionally, but practically her knowledge was next to nothing compared to his for he had unmeasurable wisdom. Solomon was king of kings and she was a enemy servant slave girl prior to their meeting. There was a huge difference here in maturity. Solomon is the one who should know for he had unmeasurable wisdom and a “flaming love to God” 8:6 in his heart. No one else would have given her better advice. Plus he was the one she loved, Solomon, who possessed unmeasurable wisdom 1 Kings 4:29. Husbands ought to seek wisdom at all costs so that they can love their wives as Christ loved the Church.
- Husbands be sincere in your compliments, don’t flatter but be genuine as to how you see her beauty. 1 Peter 3:3-4 “Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; 4 but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.” Praise her gentle, humble, not anxious but quiet spirit.
- Apologize if you haven’t been praising her often enough and promise to do better and then be faithful to keep your promise as you grow in the grace and knowledge of God. Growing Greater in the knowledge of God’s love and grace to us in Christ is what enables you to love your wife as Christ loved the Church.
Wives and bride of Christ, you must live a live worthy of the LORD. Live a life worthy of praise from your husband/Husband. Repent of whatever is not of a praiseworthy character.
Had she not been morally beautiful adorned with holiness. Her moral beauty is her holiness. Without which she would not be the “most beautiful of women”. If you are making a statement about the whole of a person apart from God and describing them. Someone who is only evil, all the thoughts and intent of their heart is only evil all the time Gen. 6:5 and that person was dressed in a pure white dress and had the most beautiful face. There is no way Solomon would call an nonbeliever the “most beautiful of women” Solomon’s attraction is to her holy love that is “more delightful” to experience than anything else. Song 4:10
Sweet Praise # 2 and Adoration of the Bride
Solomon’s Song of Songs 1:9-10
Song 1:9 “I liken you my darling to a mare harnessed to pharaoh chariot” would
- Experienced in battle
- The most valuable mare
- The most fearless
- The fastest
- The most obedient to Pharaoh
So the bride pursuit of Solomon is time tested and she is experienced and the best at it, most valuable to Pharaoh, most fearless in battle, and most obedient. You could probably come up with more similar excellencies between a mare and the bride but these will suffice for now.
Song 1:10 “Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings, your neck with strings of jewels.” Is Solomon still complimenting the mare, is the mare illustration still on his mind in Song 1:10. Meaning in verse 10 did the context change from admiring her character to admiring only her outward adornments. Or is v 10 an extension of verse 9 where her character qualities in her pursuit of him are beautiful and worthy of praise because she heeded instruction. Proverbs 13:18 “whoever heeds correction is honored.
Oneness is stricter when you listen to the Good Shepherd. God would want the wife to listen to her husband who is the king, God’s representative here on earth and the wife is the suitable helper. They are one positionally, but practically it grows stricter and stricter, more and more intimate for those who have the “Flame of the LORD” in them. Song 8:6
Not flattery. Solomon is not flattering his bride but giving honor where honor is fitting. Solomon told the bride she was the most beautiful of women in verse 8. Then in verse 9 he compliments her character and in verse ten is Solomon expressing how precious and valuable she is to him with those adornments. these virtues add to her beauty.
This would be the kind of character a mare harnessed to pharaoh chariot would have. These characteristics adorned her soul like precious jewelry adorns a brides cheeks and neck. Only the most worthy horses where adorned with precious jewelry.
Sweet Praise #3 Song 2:2
During persecution she stays beautiful!! This is worthy of praise!!
Under the trials she is still beautiful and she hears these sweet words from her husband Song 2:2 “Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens.”
Sweet Praise #4 Song 4:1-4:7
Solomon’s Song of Songs 4:1-4:7
All of Solomons words were sweet but these come directly after the wedding on the wedding night. These words are a little extra sweet to the bride! For she later says his lips were sweetness itself
This praise and adoration of the bride of Solomon goes on and on for 7 verses. Song 4:1-7. It starts with “How beautiful you are my darling, Oh, how beautiful. ” and ends with “You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you” and everything in between is beautiful as well, both physical and moral beauty is adored in the bride on her wedding night.
Beauty is both natural or physical and spiritual or invisible. Natural beauty that consists in harmony and proper proportions. Natural beauty is the delightful equal proportion of her teeth, temples and breasts that constitute her natural beauty along with her lips hair and neck. She is altogether lovely!! These beauties are only to be adored by the husband in marriage. And thank God the skillful craftsman! Song 7:1. Will she let all this praise and adoration go to her head?
Sweet Praise #5 Song 4:9-5:1
The humble obedience of Solomon’s bride ravishes his heart!! Benevolent love desires the object of our affection to be happy and we are happy when he is happy. Yeah, its all about being happy as can be in doing God’s will. For we delight in obeying God more than riches!
Praise #5 at 4:9 comes right after praise 4:1-7. only 1 verse separates the two. The one verse that separates the two is a command by Solomon. She must listen or bitterly be eaten by lions!! Song 4:8 Solomon commands his wife to come down from viewing all of Israel, her inheritance. They were married, on the honeymoon on top of the mountains and they need to come down or the lions will get her. Solomon calls her down and she looks his way with her doves eyes fixed on what God what he wanted her to do at a time of receiving great praise. She needed to stay humble and remember she was nothing until the “flame of the LORD” was written on her heart. She was nothing before her union with God through Solomon. She stayed humble and didn’t get prideful. She was a slave and now she is queen. She was in debt and now she is both physically and spiritually rich in Solomon.
For her to listen to Solomon and humble herself at a time of such praise ravishes the heart of Solomon and he lets her know it.
Solomon’s Song of Songs 4:9 “You have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride! With one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace.” What sweet holy words these are!
‘He praises her right after doing great acts of humility when being greatly blessed.
This is just one act of obedience and it ravished his heart!! One manifestation of the Love of God in the heart of the bride to her husband ravishes his heart and she is precious and valuable (jewel) to him because of her love to God and Solomon. He called to her and she looked without hesitation and that look absolutely ravished Solomon’s heart. Then Solomon goes on for another 6 verses praising her delightful holy virtues culminating in both desiring to and enjoying one another to the fullest. Song 5:1
Sweet Praise #6
Solomon’s Song of Songs 6:4-6-9
You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling,
As lovely as Jerusalem,
As awesome as an army with banners.
5 “Turn your eyes away from me,
For they have confused me;
Your hair is like a flock of goats
That have descended from Gilead.
6 “Your teeth are like a flock of ewes
Which have come up from their washing,
All of which bear twins,
And not one among them has lost her young.
7 “Your temples are like a slice of a pomegranate
Behind your veil.
8 “There are sixty queens and eighty concubines,
And maidens without number;
9 But my dove, my perfect one, is unique:
She is her mother’s only daughter;
She is the pure child of the one who bore her.
The maidens saw her and called her blessed,
The queens and the concubines also, and they praised her, saying
10 “Who is this that grows like the dawn,
As beautiful as the full moon,
As pure as the sun,
As awesome as an army with banners?”
Wow!! The praises just keep getting better and better because she does!! And this praise ends with her not only getting praise from her husband but also the “queens and concubines praised her” 6:10
Sweet Praise #7
The longest praise and adoration in the Song of Songs
How beautiful you are and how pleasing,
my love, with your delights!
How beautiful your sandaled feet,
O prince’s daughter!
Your graceful legs are like jewels,
the work of an artist’s hands.
2 Your navel is a rounded goblet
that never lacks blended wine.
Your waist is a mound of wheat
encircled by lilies.
3 Your breasts are like two fawns,
like twin fawns of a gazelle.
4 Your neck is like an ivory tower.
Your eyes are the pools of Heshbon
by the gate of Bath Rabbim.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon
looking toward Damascus.
5 Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel.
Your hair is like royal tapestry;
the king is held captive by its tresses.
6 How beautiful you are and how pleasing,
my love, with your delights!
7 Your stature is like that of the palm,
and your breasts like clusters of fruit.
8 I said, “I will climb the palm tree;
I will take hold of its fruit.”
May your breasts be like clusters of grapes on the vine,
the fragrance of your breath like apples,
9 and your mouth like the best wine.
She
May the wine go straight to my beloved,
flowing gently over lips and teeth. Solomon’s Song of Songs 7:1-9
By the moral perfections of God, they mean those attributes which God exercises as a moral agent, or whereby the heart and will of God are good, right, and infinitely becoming, and lovely; such as his righteousness, truth, faithfulness, and goodness; or, in one word, his holiness.
By God’s natural attributes or perfections, they mean those attributes, wherein, according to our way of conceiving of God, consists, not the holiness or moral goodness of God, but his greatness; such as his power, his knowledge whereby he knows all things, and his being eternal, from everlasting to everlasting, his omnipresence, and his awful and terrible majesty.
Hips surrounded by lilies. He is looking at what is proportionate and in harmony with the whole nature of the body.
Her princes sandaled feet are a moral beauty.
There is so much here. Go to my commentary on Chapter 7 if you want details on this praise.
Solomon’s Sweet Commands
Command because he is the king in Israel and the marriage. Plus any command by Solomon was to be taken as a command of God through Solomon. Any words of Solomon would have been sweet. Solomon was good and loving therefore anything he told her to do would have been for her spiritual good and God’s glory for her show her love by obeying. His commands were sweetness itself because by doing them she kept peace with God and found rest for her soul. Song 1:8 and by catching the foxes as he commands she gets a blossoming relationship with the one her heart loves. Oh so sweet to hear him remind her to catch the foxes that were destroying the blossoming relationship. And then to hear him call her down from lebanon when her life depended on it. Had she not listened the lions would have eaten her alive. Song 4:8 So his words even when they were commands were sweet to her taste.
Sweet Command #1 Song of Songs 2:14
In Solomon’s Song of Songs 2:14 Solomon desires to speak to his wife and get her to talk to him and be sincere, so he waits till feels safe and not threatened and says…
“O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
In the secret place of the steep pathway,
Let me see your form,
Let me hear your voice;
For your voice is sweet,
And your form/face is lovely.”
Sweet Command #2 Song of songs 4:8
“Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,
May you come with me from Lebanon.
Journey down from the summit of Amana,
From the summit of Senir and Hermon,
From the dens of lions,
From the mountains of leopards.”
Details on this command for the bride to stay humble during times of physical and spiritual prosperity click here for.
No so Sweet Command #3
Right at about the time his wife was getting comfortable Solomon comes home and due to a lack of a little self denial the bride forfits sweet communion with Solomon because she didn’t open the door soon enough. God desires quick obedience out of Love to God the wife obeys without delay. But here in 5:2-6 When he asks her to open the door she doesn’t. His words weren’t so sweet because she was selfish. She didn’t want to go through the trouble of getting out of bed to let her husband in. You would think she would want him in bed with her at night. She went to bed without him, woke up with him at the door and wasn’t excited enough or desired him enough to quickly open the door. Before in Song 1:4 she was like a mare running after him! and now she is more like a slow sluggard verses a fast mare in battle. And she pays for it later. God disciplined her for it and she learns and then she gets the praise in 6:4-10 for learning her lesson.
Sweet Command # 4
“You who dwell in the gardens with friends in attendance, let me hear your voice!”
Mutual Sweet Agreements 1
I say this is mutual because of the catch for “us” and “our” vineyards. This is a mutual delight.
“Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.” Solomon’s Song of Songs 2:14
The relationship is blossoming but there are some foxes keeping them apart and slowing down the process of beautification or oneness.
Wether it is Solomon speaking or the woman, the truth still stands the same. If Solomon said to his wife to stop sinning because it ruins the blossoming vineyards. It is true. All women have sin in their hearts. Pride, selfishness and unbelief that are foxes that will destroy the blessed oneness and holy happiness in marriage because sin separates it doesn’t unite or cause a stricter union. So both husband and wife desire a stricter union and both parties are responsible for the catching of all the foxes.
Even if it is her sin, he has a responsibility for it to some degree as well, they are one. Meaning if the husband doesn’t honor, respect or love his wife then his prayers wont be answered. If the husband is praying for the beautification of the wifes soul and it seems to not be happening then maybe he isn’t loving her as Christ loved the Church, then his prayers for her would be answered. Husbands, look to yourself first.
Both need to agree that it is both their duties in the relationship to get rid of the foxes. He does his part and she does hers. He delights to help her and she delights to be spiritually shepherded by him. The feeling are mutual and the words were sweet for the bride to hear her husband say catch the foxes because thats what she wanted to do as well!! Oh the sweetest words of the greatest type of Christ alive.
Sweet promises
Sweet Promise #1 They all promise to make her more beautiful!
Song of Songs 1:11 “We will make you earrings of Gold studded with silver.”
I take the “WE” to be everyone involved in making her more beautiful. This would include Solomon, the daughters of Jerusalem, watchmen etc. Everyone involved in her moral and external beautification promise to make her more beautiful. More holy. She is beautiful and they are going to add to it. She is the most beautiful of women, yet even though we are infinitely beautiful in Christ we rid ourselves of the flesh for it is our enemy. They promise to beautify her, Im wondering if the Song records beautified. I know Solomon does it by wisely calling her down humbling herself at a time of exaltation or praise or honor and the look she take toward Solomon is so precious to Solomon that her look of love to God and Solomon was more delightful to experience than anything else. Song 4:10
It is intimated that the watchmen prophets gave her advice on where to find Solomon in Song 3:3 and scarily does she pass them when she finds the one her heart loves, Solomon. And holds him tighter. a stricter union is achieved.
Sweet Promise #2
Solomon’s Song of Songs 4:6
“Until the day breaks and the shadows flee, I will go to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of incense.”
At the end of praising the moral and external beauty of his bride, Solomon makes this sweet promise as to what he is going to do and for how long. Basically he said until she is perfect or Christ raptures her I will go and dwell in her holier heart. There they will give each other their love. Solomon will always find his greatest joy and delight in the holiness of his wives heart.
Sweet promise # 3
A promise of sweet communion in love.
Sweet communion 1
Communion=The mutual sharing of those good things with delight those in that relationship.
Song of Songs 1:15,16
Words and feelings shared in sweet holy communion in love. Reassuring words confirming his love to and delight in our holiness or good works by faith out of Love to God.
Her holy Love to God on fire in her heart beautifies the act. And oh, how beautiful she is. Love to God was written on her new heart. Ez. 36:26 Notice there has been no other compliment to her outer appearance other than her hair and cheeks that alone weren’t being adored but the fact that they had jewels made them valuable and worthy to be adored. What did the bride possess that made her so worthy and valuable? A mare like attitude!! A mare harnessed to her king in battle. An experienced, fearless, obedient, fast mare in battle! This attitude in her pursuit of him is praiseworthy!
- She used to fear the Wrath of God and now she doesn’t. Doves eyes. Love. Perfect love casts out all fear of punishment 1 John 4. She was an enemy of God and now Loves God. Song 8:6
- She was drawn by his Name. Song 1:2 She had great faith and beloved in God and it was credited her righteousness Gen. 15:6. Knowing his name gave her trust, knowing his name was like perfume poured out, it was so pleasing for her to hear the name of the one her heart loved. She still has who Solomon was and their new and growing experiences in mind. Her eyes where doves. This was no blind love. Its was love drawn by a godly character and manifestations of his love to God. i.e.. Solomons prayer for wisdom and discernment rather than riches was a great display of Love to God and Israel. Imagine having a king like that among many other things!! His name was like perfume poured out.
How deep His love and delight in her holiness is. “Oh, how beautiful” Song 1:15
Not just admiration but more than what you thought, he adores holiness in us more than what we think. How sweet is this!! Can it get much sweeter?! Yes and it will but hey for now check this out. He not only lets her know that she is beautiful and fair and to add intensity to delight he has in beholding her beauty he sweetly says
15 How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how beautiful!
Your eyes are doves”
The intimacy level has just jumped up another notch quite quickly. Wow, just a second ago she was an enemy slave girl just born again, desired closer intimacy with king Solomon and now they are eye to eye and he is complimenting her beauty!! This has got to have her holy flame of Love in her on fire! She getting closer to the answer to her prayer in the beginning. They aren’t quite kissing but they are eye to eye and he is sweetly complimenting her beauty and oh how beautiful it is to add depth and intensity to fact that He adores and delights in His holy image in us more than what we think, oh how beautiful.
Love and adoration in the midst of holy communion in love.
More than what we think!! The point here is that Jesus Christ is more pleased with acts of faith that work by love and not fear are very beautiful to God and he is more pleased with what we see as our poor service to him than what we think.
This depth of intensity at which she is really beautiful, very attractive, most delightful to behold is here specifically mentioned as her lovely eyes!! Her eyes were doves. They had a beauty was not just beautiful but oh so beautiful, “your eyes are doves”. Pure Love is her eyes. Holy Love “the very Flame of the LORD”Song 8:6 His delight is in the holiness of her love. What beautified her words, actions and emotions was that they were holy and consistent with Scripture. Her eyes were doves, no mixture of evil. Surely they have been holding communion ever since 1:7 now all the way to verse 15 and 16 the degree of intimacy has grown from a shepherdess without a shepherd to sitting delightfully in the shade of their shared strong luxurious dwelling place in 1:17 Deeper communion. Do you see the progression from 1:7 to 1:17 it just gets better and better for the bride!! The blessings of oneness with the king, shepherd, the one her heart loves are pouring out!! She gets the most glorious compliments by being united to the greatest type of Christ.
He praises her moral excellency and beauty she is “Fair” “Beautiful” “Virtuous”
Sweet Holy Communion in Love #2
Communion is a mutual sharing of feelings, delights, loves etc.
Solomon’s Song of Songs 4:16-5:1
Awake, O north wind,
And come, wind of the south;
Make my garden breathe out fragrance,
Let its spices be wafted abroad.
May my beloved come into his garden
And eat its choice fruits!”
5 “I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride;
I have gathered my myrrh along with my balsam.
I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey;
I have drunk my wine and my milk.
Eat, friends;
Drink and imbibe deeply, O lovers.”
Sweet Communion #3
Solomon’s Song of Songs 2:16
“My beloved is mine and I am his”/His
Solomons kingdom, his royalty status, all he owned, the skills he had as a husband and all the promises of God were hers in Solomon. And she was his. His side, companion, beloved, friend, darling, dove, his love, shepherdess, sister, bride, princess of peace and Im sure there are other, many other things she was to him. She is his glory! For the glory of man is woman!
1 Corinthians 11:7 “For a man ought not to have his head covered, since he is theimage and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.”
The term “Communion,” as used by Owen, is used in a wider sense than is consistent with that which is now generally attached to it in religious phraseology. It denotes not merely the interchange of feeling between God on his gracious character and a soul in a gracious state, but the gracious relationship upon which this holy interchange is based. On the part of Christ, for example, all his work and its results are described, from the atonement till it takes effect in the actual justification of the sinner.
Sweet Communion #4
Solomon’s Song of Song 7:8-9
8 “I said, ‘I will climb the palm tree,
I will take hold of its fruit stalks.’
Oh, may your breasts be like clusters of the vine,
And the fragrance of your breath like apples,
9 And your mouth like the best wine!”
“It goes down smoothly for my beloved,
Flowing gently through the lips of those who fall asleep.
This praise comes after her learning to fight her sin, flesh, the world and Satan, by the word of God abiding in her and the joy of the Lord as her strength she was among the royal chariots of Solomon and was dancing the Mahanaim So Solomon praised her from foot to head and the praise and adoration ended in pure sweet communion of 7:8-9
Following nearly every praise is sweet holy communion in love. A mutual sharing of their feelings one toward another.
Sweet Communion #5
Solomon’s Song of Songs 7:10
“I am his, and his desire is for me.”
She delights to be his. He delights for her to be his.
His desire is for her and she delights to have his desire for her good and God’s glory.
The feelings are mutual.
Another sweet poetic thing Solomon says but I haven’t categorized it yet.
Solomons song of Songs 1:17
“The beams of our house are cedars our rafters are furs”
Its a mutual relationship. “Our” . It’s mutual. Their houses, meaning their dwelling place was sure, long lasting like cedars, highest quality for its purpose, what excellency is in the cedar? “the beams of our house are cedars”=Solid, most desirable for their strength and worthiness to be used in building a house for God 1 Kings 6:18 “There was cedar on the house within, carved in the shape of gourds and open flowers; all was cedar, there was no stone seen.”, Solomon is describing the place in which they are dwelling. Specifically the cedars are mentioned. they share the same dwelling place., solid foundation and support system. The most desirable object for its foundation. The most suitable foundation. Cedars. Imagine having a shack of twigs verses a house of cedars. We get a greater sense of security and joy knowing that the foundation of our dwelling place is sure and solid, the most durable wood. To have cedars as the beams of your house would mean that you were very rich. Remember she was very poor, she was an enemy slave girl and now she is enjoying the most luxurious dwelling place with the one her heart loves. They are close, near one another at this point.
How much does a sense of the sureness of this foundation confirm and heighten the joy!
A most delightful surprise
Song of Songs 6:11-13
Solomon lets his bride know that when he went looking for fruit in the holy heart of his wife, she was much more mature sooner than he thought. “Before I knew it, my desire set me among the royal chariots of my people”
She is a worthy fighter in Solomon’s army. Sure looks like the queen went out to battle or at least was among the royal chariots. Like she was in on there plans. More than likely she is a warrior spreading the truth and God’s enemies where being destroyed by her living up to her name and being the princes of peace with royal sandaled feet bringing good news of the coming messiah.
I must say I haven’t studied this enough to know what all this is. Lord willing I will come back later to this one.
Then the daughters of Jerusalem wanted to see the bride and bid her come back from being among the royal chariots.
And the princess of peace dances the Mahanaim. A dance of victory over her enemies of sin, her flesh, the world and Satan.
All of 6:10-13 is context for the next longest praise in the Song. 7:1-7
The Song ends with the bride desperately yearning for the return of her husband and she has been fruit beyond imagining! She has got quite the praise coming her way when the greatest type of Christ returns to his bride!
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Saved in 2000 at age 27. Nearly immediately I fell in love with the Song and grew very fast the first two years memorizing large portions of scripture purifying my mind the started chewing on meat to soon and struggled for 12 years and Christ has me on track like always but I just took the long way around and now I love leading others closer to Christ by seeing His love reflected in Solomons love for an enemy slave girl.
I have experienced God's love to me in the Song in ways that words can't express. There are many portion of the Word where she experiences extra ordinary outpouring of the Holy Spirit of God. If you have a burning desire for a close intimate relationship with God by experiencing His Love to you over and over again at greater and greater heights, depths, lengths and breaths then The Song of Songs is where you need to be.
I can help you with this process of Growing in the experience of God's love. As of 7-23-16 I have experienced everything prior to chapter 8. The Song of Song is progressive in experience. Meaning that if you are mature then you can experience the joys and extraordinary outpourings of God's Love shed abroad in your heart.
If you are not so mature then the delights in the first chapter of the Song will satisfy your thirst for experiencing the Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Many Christian are living in sin because they do not know how to experience God's love and get hooked on Loving Him. It feels good to be loved and to love Him. His burden is not heavy and His yoke is light, Jesus said in Matt. 10:28
I believe God wants to use me to help beautify His Bride through the Song of Solomon.
If you see the book literally you will not understand nor grasp the Love God has for you. If you see the book and the verses in it relating to Christ's love to you then I would love to show you how to experience this Love to the fullest. I will pray for you daily and guide you every step of the way.
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
I grew up going to church but was a hypocrite. I lived my life how I chose but went to church on Sunday because my family went.
Mom and Dad divorced when I was about 5.
About this time I was sexually abused by "Bob" a made up name. This incident changed my life for the worst. I had no clue how to deal with it.
As I got older I grew in my hatred for Bob. I didn't blame anyone of my family because I was to young to know any better. Some of what happened during the abuse was in a bathroom. So overtime I would use the bathroom and look at my private parts that night would replay in my mind. My hatred for Bob would continue to grow each time.
Now I know this only happened to me one night. I can't image the pain other's go through who have had this happen to them over and over. Even as I write this now I cry with many tears for those hurting. God love you even though you may not know it or feel it. Go to Him in your time of need.
I was a really bad teenager. I only cared about myself and not even my family. I always came first in my mind. Even at the expense of hurting others. I was growing in my hatred for God by now.
I was going to church and was learned that God was in control. I thought well, if God was in control then He must have let me be sexually abused. I didn't understand this, How could a good and loving God allow this. I hated Him for it. My hatred for Bob grew as well. I was still using the bathroom and memories kept coming back. My heart grew even harder for Bob and God. As far as I was concerned God would have nothing to do with my life so I lived even worse. I thought I would be in jail or dead and I really didn't care, I thought it could be much worse than reliving your painful past over and over again. Little did I know that God's plan later would be to use these events to give me a burning passion for the closest most intimate love relationship with Himself through Christ mainly through the love poem in the Song of Songs in the Bible.
I remember hating Bob so much that the only thing that would relieve my pain was actually thinking he would suffer forever for what he did. I grew so much in my hatred for him that I had to continue to think that he would get even worse than what I imaged before. After some time I would only be relieved of hatred for him unless I thought he would burn in a hotter and hotter hell for all the suffering he put me through.
I never told my mom or family what happened, although I think some of them knew something had happened.
I grew up quite rebellious and even went to jail at the age of 20. I was living the fast life pursuing all my sinful desires and wanting more. It never seemed to be enough. I was quite happy in my sin but I just wanted more of it.
I lived life thinking I would die at a young age, riding motorcycle and living on the edge put me in the hospital many times and I should have been dead.
California at age 26.
I moved to California for a job opportunity at the age of 27. While trying to figure out what radio stations to program in my car, I ran across a RC Sproul talking about "people who have the faith that saves and people who only say that have faith" only the people who have the faith that saves will go to heaven. I thought "I don't think I have the faith that saves because my life was so bad." I searched the scriptures to try to get this faith. I found a church and thought people there could help me get this faith that saves. All along God kept showing me how sinful I was and that I deserved punishment from Him for living my life hating Him.
One weekend I read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John desperately trying to find out how to get this faith that saves. By now I knew that if you had the faith that saves that Jesus would be saving you from a life of sin. I still liked my sin and Jesus sure wasn't saving me from a life of sin, so I rightly concluded that I didn't have the faith that saves.
By the time I got to John, I saw "believe" everywhere. John 3:16 and other verses and wow the whole book was written so that you may believe. John 20:31 "these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." So at night I would pray "I believe Jesus died for me, I believe, I believe. This was just an intellectual belief. I knew that in history and the Bible that Jesus died for everyone, so I believed it. But this belief did not change my life.
I would go on night after night saying the same prayer only to wake up the next day wanting to fulfill my sinful desires. The prayer wasn't working so I started to word it different each time hoping some prayer would work. After about 2 weeks of this I was fed up with it all, nothing was happening. I still was living in my sin and wanted more of it. A Christian hates their sin and does something about it, and certainly they don't continue to make plans to sin. The prayers weren't working so I gave up. I thought to myself "God, I tried with all my might, I searched the Scriptures, went to church, read the Bible and prayed all to no avail. If Im going to be saved your going to have to do it because I tried."
So I quit praying but still the Bible kept calling me so I read more. 3 Days later I was laying in a tanning bed and God convicted me really hard that I had offended Him by the life I was living. I was so scared of God, where could I run. You can't hide from God. It seemed like forever that I was under these terrors of being punished by a Holy Angry God. This lasted about 10 minutes then this is how I understood it. God let me understand that all that anger that He had for me for all my sin should come my way but He had poured that anger out on Jesus 2,000 years ago. I immediately started weeping an couldn't stop for about 20 minutes. All the sins that I could think of I confessed for that 20 minutes one after another after another, I was so sorrowful and grieved it physically hurt inside.
After I stopped crying I thought that was the weirdest thing that ever happened. I walked out of the tanning salon and stood outside and everything seemed so beautiful, the tree's, the birds, even the air seemed pleasant. Now I was really wondering what was going on.
I pondered all of this as I drove to work that day. I brought my Bible to work and was thinking what am I doing, I want to take my Bible to work so I can read it. As soon as I got to work I started reading my Bible. I couldn't believe what I was reading!! It all was so wonderful. It felt so good to just read my Bible. My client showed up and as I was training them the only thing I could think about was getting back to my Bible. I read all night and slept about 2 hours and was reading again.
I had sinful things in my apartment and I rounded everything evil up and threw it in the garbage. It was weird I was thinking but it felt good so I left it all in the garbage. I called my girlfriend to break it up and she thought I had another girl, I said no, I just think this is wrong we shouldn't be sleeping together. She didn't understand so I told her I was a Christian now and she still thought I had another girlfriend. She said "Im glad your a Christian, so am I" I thought to myself, "I have a strong conviction that sleeping together is wrong and she thought it was okay" I wondered how she could think that. Anyway we broke up.
I kept reading my bible and repenting, there was so much to repent of and I had lived a very sinful life. I was a thief for some part of my life and all the people I stole from kept coming to mind. I owed so much money. I was instantly in debt about $80,000. As I could I paid them back. As of 7-18-2016 I still owe about $25,000 but it sure is a joy to be paying them back.
The first week of being saved a car just about ran me over, they hit me but I wasn't hurt at all. The guy in the car felt so bad. I just looked at him and said "God bless you and have a great day, I am okay" smiled at him and moved on. Now I was really wondering what was going on because I normally would have cussed him out left and right and instead of cussing I blessed him. That was so weird. But again it felt good. I learned to do good by what my conscience told me was good and that it felt good. I got hooked on this feeling good by doing good and did it more often.
About two weeks after being saved I thought of Bob. I immediately prayed for him, something like "Lord help him.." then I stopped praying and said out loud "What am I doing?" I'm praying for a man that I hated my whole life, but it feels good and right, so I did it again. I stopped again midway in the prayer and started pacing around. I was trying to make sense of what was going on and couldn't figure it out. But again it made me happy to pray for him so I did. Bob would often come to mind when I went to the bathroom and each time I would pray for Him. The more I did this the less weird it got. And the greater my love grew for him.
I started memorizing large portions of scripture and this was wonderful because it felt like the words were cleaning my mind and as Proverbs 2:10 "For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul." I wanted more and more of this pleasantness. So I memorized even more and the joy got more and more.
Then this life changing advice came:
A friend from church told me to find a book of the Bible and really understand it. Read through the Bible and pick one and read it over and over and study it and really get it. So I started in Genesis and read through. When I got to Proverbs I really liked it so I thought that would be the book. I started by memorizing all of Proverbs chapter 3. After that I thought maybe there is a better book than Proverbs. So I read on. Then I came to Song of Solomon. I read it with quite some confusion. It wasn't as good as the other books, I didn't know why. So I bought a commentary on it. George Burrowes commentary on the Song of Solomon.
In the commentary I found that George and other saw the book as illustrating God's love to the Church. And not only illustrating it but displaying the Love of Christ better than any other book. This caught my attention big time, because I was having a burning desire for a closer relationship with God and desperately learning about His Love so that I could Love God. You see I had hated Him for so long that God used that old hard heart to spur me on in loving Him. I so much did not want to hate God anymore that I was on fire to learn to Love Him as much and as fast as possible. So here was a book that would help me do that. So I landed on the Song of Solomon. I committed to learning as much of this book as possible.
I memorized the first chapter and would repeat it often throughout the day. I didn't know much of what I was repeating but it sure made me happier and on fire for God. I grew so fast repeating the first chapter over and over again all day, like a dozen times a day at least. It felt so good and I never found any other book that caused me to weep so much. I would often weep everyday just reading it. I was to immature to know what was going on. Even though it hurt to weep so much, I felt like my heart was being cleansed from the filth that was in it by repeating it over and over again so I did. As I read the commentary I understood more and more. What God was doing in me through the Song was greater and faster than any other portion of Scripture so I tended to stay there often. I was so excited about God that I thought it funny that other's in church weren't the same way. Some where happy but it seemed most of them didn't seem to care much about God. They would talk about work, football the weather. The only thing I wanted to talk about was Jesus and God and how can I grow closer to Him.
About this time there was a mission trip to Ireland.
I started to have convictions that I should try to find Bob and witness to him. I kept praying for him but how could he be saved if he hadn't heard the Gospel that has power unto salvation. So I asked family if they had any information. Like me before, my family hated him and thought he deserved hell. After some time I got his name but no location or phone number. Either they didn't know where he was or didn't want to tell me. I prayed some more and then started to get stronger convictions to do something about finding Bob.
So I went on the internet and typed in "his name and child molestation sex offender court" thinking that some court record would have some info leading to where I may find him" I even talked to a private eye and he couldn't help. So I googled some key words and spent hours each day looking through each page. I believed it was God's will for me to witness to Bob. I wanted him to be saved. Really bad. So much so that I thought God would save Bob if I were to witness to him. So I didn't stop searching for him. I kept my computer on each day and went page by page. It took two years to go through about 15,000 pages but I found someone who matched his name in a prison for molesting his grandchildren. I wrote the prison and he wrote back. All kinds of emotions went through my body when I saw his letter from the jail. I didn't open it right away but two hours later God gave me enough courage to face my fears again and I opened the letter. He admitted to being the one who molested me. We wrote back and forth I told him I was angry before but now I was saved and that I loved him and believed God wanted me to talk to him. He read my letters over and over again. I shared the gospel in each one.
I got mad at Bob 2x. Once he said that he love me. I got really angry with him. He didn't love me. That night it was hard to love Bob, I had to call a friend to pray for me to repent, after he prayed I felt greater love for Bob. Then I wrote him back saying "I'm sorry but you can't say that you loved me. You did not love me you lusted after me." He admitted he didn't love as he should have and admitted that it was lust and sinful. Finally some conviction. Yet I only thought he was saying that because I was being nice to him. All his family had left him and he said I was the only "friend" he had.
Wether or not it was true Bob said that he had cancer in his arm and that the help the prison gives was not enough and if he had money he could see a different doctor and get help. I sent him some money and since I was in jail before I knew what it was like to be in there without money, so I sent him money.
About 4-5 months in the economy went down, it was 2008. Work was hard. I still sent him money and I had to work harder. This was a really good lesson for me because I had to "work hard for the benefit of someone who did not deserve it." This was one of the greatest blessing ever because I realized with great certainty that Jesus was in me. This is what Jesus did. Jesus worked his whole life for me and I didn't deserve it!! Christ was in me! This was one of the best feelings ever and it put me in worship for months.
Then a mission trip to Croatia.
Each time I had to leave my business and amazing as it is I was completely okay each time. I am a self employed personal trainer and it is normally absurd to just leave and start over, but each time I had enough work within 2 weeks of coming back. This is a flat out miracle. I trusted God to provide and he did. How many people can start up a business in 2 weeks. Only with the help of God. God was teaching me early on in my walk that as long as I did what He wanted me to do then I had nothing to worry about.
About 3 years saved now.
I Taught the 4 year old's at church Sunday morning for 10 years.
Left my business 2x for mission trips and God miraculously provided when I came back.
I taught 5 x a week plus held a job.
Sunday morning to the kids.
Sunday night with the 5th graders
Friday afternoons at Good News Clubs. Sponsored by Child Evangelism Fellowship.
Friday Nights with the Kids teaching through Pilgrims Progress, I did this 2x
Teaching Monday afternoons at a nursing home. I taught through the Song of Songs once then John, then Romans then back to the Song again! I love the Song of Songs.
I grew up hating God for what happened to me, and now I love Him because He first loved me. My passion is for children to grow up loving God and not hating Him.
My other passion which has become ever greater is to help others see the Love of Christ to His Church in the Song of Songs!!
I would love to help you, just let me know and I will lead you and pray for you.
God demonstrates His love to us in sending His one and only Son to suffer in our place, taking our sins upon Himself so that whoever believes they get to heaven because of what He did for us will not perish but have everlasting life.
Thank you for this post. What is better than the intimate love of God. May He fill all of our cups to overflowing.
God bless you Scott, May the LORD draw near to you and shower His Love upon you like never before as you seek His Face so that you may rejoice in the Lord with Joy unspeakable and full of glory!