King Solomon who was a type of Christ wrote 1,005 Songs. The one that made it into the Bible was the one that illustrated love in marriage better than any of the other’s.
Chapter one starts off at a time in history when Solomon was a child and David was about to die. David said that Solomon was to be the next king and they anointed him before David died. Solomon would be the 3rd Messiah of Israel.
At the time of his first anointing (Solomon was crowned king a “second time” “on the day of his wedding” after David died. 2 Chronicles 29:22 and Song 3:11. The Gentile enemy slave girls response to seeing the new king anointed and smelling the aroma is recorded in Song of Songs 1:2-4.
At this point she knew of him and he didn’t know her as of yet. She was immediately in love because he had a “name“, a good reputation that was as pleasing to hear as his anointing oils were pleasing to smell.
The born again Gentile sunburnt slave girl desired the king to be her husband and have him show her love over and over again because his love was more delightful than wine, thus drawing her to himself as quickly as possible. Song 1:2-4.
Since she was a Gentile and the king and his people were Jews, the daughters of Jerusalem stared down at the sunburnt slave girl as she desired to be in the closest most intimate relationship with their new king. She wanted to be accepted into their fellowship with the king and be out of slavery and experience peace and rest in the promise land beside the “flocks of the kings friends” 1:7.
Solomon as a child was also a shepherd. The first conversation the slave girl has with Solomon is when he is co-regent and shepherding his flock. She is still in slavery and wants to be out of the hot noon day sun and sitting next to him at perfect peace and rest where he shepherds his flock. He lets her know where to find him and they have their first date. The first date goes so well from first conversation to first time looking into each other’s doves eyes, then a walk through the most beautiful garden all the while they are adoring each other, then time under the apple tree then he takes her to the banquet hall where his banner over her was love and she passes out in his arms due to the overwhelming effect his love has on her.
Just at the right time he comes to propose to her, she hesitates a little and he gets her to talk to her while she felt safe saying,
“My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places on the mountain side, show me your face, let me hear your voice, for your face is lovely and your voice is sweet.”
She desires to marry him and wants to be a close to him as possible but there are foxes in the relationship that are hindering them from enjoying the blessed fruits of their friendship that was soon to be and engagement. So she says to him,
“Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.” 2:15
So what we have here right before engagement is a proposal by the shepherd king and the bride to be is wanting the relationship to blossom but their are foxes, little foxes that she would like caught before engagement. He must have agreed to catch them because in the very next verse she glories in the fact they they own each other due to their love for each other. She says,
“My beloved is mine and I am his.”
They are engaged and the wedding isn’t until later in 3:11.
He gives himself to her and she gives herself to him. Love gives. Also notice the mutual ownership and possession of the one to the other in her words, “My beloved is mine, and I am his”
She has great reason to boast and glory in this fact. The one she loved is now hers!! The king of Israel is hers! A Messiah of Israel has just given himself to a Gentile slave girl because he loves her and she gave her life to him and was his because she loved him. She glories in the fact and says “My beloved is mine and I am his”
The man of every woman’s dreams just gave himself to her and she is the happiest woman alive. On her mind is the fact that he is hers, particularly in context to “catch the foxes” that would otherwise keep them apart. He will do his part and she promised to do her part. Her part was to be his. Her part was to deny herself and do his will not her own, thus making sure the two were bonded in love as tight as possible.
Sinful boasting.
There is a sinful boasting or glorying in a fact and there is boasting that is not sinful but righteous boasting. Sinful boasting comes from a proud conceit, is ostentatious, often has external manifestations of it and has a selfish motive and ambition as a primary goal and not the Glory of God. Sinful boasting is exceedingly sinful. Also to not rejoice with those who rejoice is sinful. Rejoice with the bride who is in possession of her beloved and who has given herself to him. One might think that she was sinfully boasting if she only said “My beloved is mine…” as if she of herself got him to love her, but still happy she says, “…and I am his.” She doesn’t just take in the relationship she also gives. He gives himself 100 percent to her and she gives herself 100 percent to him and no agreement is made as if there was a price to their love. She doesn’t say if you give yourself to me then I will give myself to you, then this would make her love conditional. But her love is not conditional but reciprocal in nature because she loves him. For her to not boast in her current situation would be an unworthy treating of the work of God in their relationship and a not giving God what is due His name. She may esteem the honor that is from God and in subordination to the honor of God. Its a heart issue not the words she says.
Godly boasting.
Godly boasting is lawful and pleases God. A glorying that is proper and fitting for the godly comes from a humble heart, that signifies a rejoicing in and making much of any privilege and honor that one is possessed of before other’s for their notice and esteem of that privilege for the glory of God. Ps. 34:2, 44:8, 64:10, 106:5; Isaiah 45:25.
Here she is rejoicing and delighting in a mutual giving of one person to another. A most beautiful act of love for love gives. Her boast is in the outward expression of love. Any outward expression of love is due to an inward working of God in the heart for God is love. She makes much of the situation, rejoices in it and does so in a way that lets us know, implying that we take notice of their privilege and may highly esteem it also due to the praiseworthiness of the occasion. Phil 4:8.
There is nothing wrong with a bride to be going home and telling all her friends and family, “We are engaged, the one I love gave himself to me and I gave myself to him.” “My beloved is mine and I am his.” Our response is usually something like “I am so happy for you, praise God!” and we give God the honor due his name for God is love and is Sovereign. Love binds and sin separates. Here God dwelling in their hearts binds them together in love for love gives. He gave himself to her and she gave herself to him. This is a very joyous occasion! Those who take notice of their high privilege may humbly and highly esteem it.
Tis a real Privilege & an Honor worthy to be made much of that is chiefly Gloried in, a proud glorying is more generally in that which is indeed not worthy.
Though God is not mentioned directly in the verse love is. We can see what God is doing. He is uniting two lovers by the power of His love in their hearts. The reason for their closer and closer union was because of love Song 8:6. He gives himself to her because his love is strong as death in its purpose and unquenchable in nature. She reciprocates for the same reason, because of the superlative characteristics of the love they shared. Love is the cause of their union, therefore the love of the king is rightly to be praised. Love is an attribute of God, when love is praised so is God.
God delights in our happiness, seeing it as a work of his own goodness.God may have a real and proper pleasure or happiness in seeing the happy stateof the creature; yet this may not be different from his delight in himself, being a delight in his own infinite goodness, or the exercise of that glorious propensity of his nature to diffuse and communicate himself, and so gratifying this inclination of his own heart. This delight which God has in his creature’s happiness cannot properly be said to be what God receives from the creature. For it is only the effect of his own work in and communications to the creature, in making it and admitting it to a participation of his fullness, as the sun receives nothing from the jewel that receives its light and shines only by a participation of its brightness. Jonathan Edwards
Love delights in the happiness of the object of its affection. We must see it as an act of God’s own goodness when those who are engaged are happy!
God exercises that glorious propensity of His Nature to diffuse and communicate Himself in the free giving of one spouse to another in engagement and marriage. The point is to see God on display in their engagement. The giving of oneself to another is and expression of true love. Love is an attribute of God. Any manifestation of love is an act of God. To delight in God is the same as a delighting in any expression or effulgence of love. A delight in the expression is a praise of love. Speaking of the king the people say, “We will rejoice and delight in you we will praise your love more than wine.” Him giving himself to her, giving his life to her for her good and her giving herself to him is a proper effect of love and is praiseworthy. We are to think of those things that are worthy of praise.
God would delight in the manifestations of his love and so should we. The same disposition that inclines him to delight in his glory causes him to delight in the exhibitions, expressions, and communications of it.
First person language. “My beloved is mine and I am his.”
Take note that she doesn’t say this to him nor the anyone else. She speaks in the first person. Like watching a movie when the main character talks expressing their thoughts so the audience can know what she is thinking and feeling. Generally this is done so that we, the audience, can get a glimpse into the heart of the bride. Other first person verses are 1:2-4, 12-14, 2:1, and now 2:16. The first person in this love poem is used because just giving a description of an engagement won’t give us enough information about what the bride to be is thinking and feeling at a certain time. Rather than leaving us to guess, Solomon lets us know what was going on in her heart at one of many high points of emotion in the love Song.
Taking the bride to be’s request of him to “Catch the little foxes…” Together with “My beloved is mine…” gives us the impression that he has given himself to her in order to further the intimacy of the relationship by catching the foxes or enemies of the blossoming relationship. He sincerely asks her to talk to him because he loves her and she gives her answer and he goes to work, thus catching the foxes. It was a husbands job to catch the physical foxes. She had no husband to help her with her own vineyard but now they both have mutual possession of each other’s vineyards and a team that will do the work to produce fruit in that union. Meaning she does her part in cultivating the vineyard and he does his part in catching the foxes. Together their will be fruit of their labor in love.
He gives himself to her so that the foxes get caught and she gives herself to him so that the vineyard is properly cultivated and taken care of so that it keeps on blossoming. Ps 92:4 “I will triumph in the work of Thine hands.” God has united them, let no one separate them. The work God does is enabling them to love each other and the work of the husband is to give himself to her and the work of the bride is to give herself to her husband. Everyone is doing their job in the relationship and therefore she, in her heart, most triumphantly glories in the closer relationship that is achieved. “My beloved is mine, and I am his.”
Satan does not want God glorified. In any all unions where two become one, God is glorified, therefore there is victory over Satan when two who truly have love in them give themselves one to the other. Love is manifested, gloried in and then praised, thus God is glorified when two enemies truly give themselves to each other in love.
Reasons for her to Glory
Advancement of intimacy and commitment in the relationship is achieved. Engagement is a big step. They have advanced in intimacy. No longer is he hers as just a king. No longer is he hers as a spiritual shepherd. But now he is her fiancé. The relationship is moving on and things are getting more and more intimate. What woman wouldn’t glory in the advancement of a relationship in which she so earnestly desires to be as intimate as possible as fast as possible with the greatest type of Christ alive?
A child would glory in the advancement of its parent. A servant the advancement of her king. A follower would glory in the advancement of her teacher. One friend would also rejoice, be happy and glory in the advancement of another friend. So also those in a love relationship would glory in the advancement of the level of commitment between the two.
Another reason to glory is that such a high and honorable king is hers. Solomon had unmeasurable wisdom. Was a Messiah of Israel that came with promises of peace and rest during his reign. Being his wife she would be a mother in the line of the Messiah which was one of the greatest honors and privileges at the time. She had a husband who loved God and her. She would inherit Israel. She would be co er to God’s kingdom on earth. She would have the happiness every woman dreamed of in marriage.
The king who had many choices chose her among all the women to give himself to. He would rule during a time of justice and righteousness for God’s people. He had peace with God and so would she. She also glories that she is his. She is his friend. She is joyfully his servant. She is joyfully his follower. Not only is it her great happiness that he is hers, but it is her joy to be his as well. I suppose their to be many other reasons for her to rejoice and glory in the new found deeper relationship, but this is good enough for now.
What great reason is there her for her to be humbled. She didn’t deserve any of this. She was a slave. It is only due to love being in her heart that she could enjoy such great privileges, otherwise she would still be in slavery under the hot sun. For her to be in such a low position and exalted to queen of Israel during a time of peace is a great honor.
Application
Those who are married. Have you given yourself completely to your spouse or where they just words when you got engaged and married? Love gives. Give yourself without reserve for the good of the one you love.
Those in Christ. Since Christ is yours and your are his then glory to God in the fact, but look closely at your life. Is it true. Could you say you have given your will and life over to Jesus Christ or are you holding anything back for yourself. If when you think that Jesus has given Himself to and for you, you may know that but when you think “I am his” do you feel guilty because of sin in your life causing you to doubt the fact that you are his. If you are his then you will deny all of yourself, go through whatever difficulty He calls you to and follow Him.
Who has possession of you? It it Christ or the devil. Who is your husband and king? If you are not for Christ you are against Him. Who has your heart? Where your treasure is there your heart will be also. Do you esteem it your main happiness to give yourself both body and mind to Jesus Christ who loved you and died for you?
The bride gloried in the fact that king Solomon was hers, how much more so should we glory that Christ Jesus is ours.
The Bride gloried in the fact that she was his! How much more so should we glory in the fact that we belong to Christ! If it be true that Christ dwells in you. Oh how much to we yearn for heaven where we will no longer sin but be wholly and always devoted to Christ. You belong to Him. You are his bride. Set yourself apart for His service, in this way you will make yourself beautiful. Adorn yourself with every moral beauty for the one you love. Battle and fight for His glory!
If you are lacking in your Love to Christ then think often of His love to you. He left heaven to suffer in your place out of love. He lived a perfect life on your behalf so you could be credited His righteousness out of love. It was love that held him there on the cross. It is love that gives you food and clothing everyday. It is love that He forgives your sins. See his love to his disciples. See his love to the blind, lame and poor. See him feeding the hungry. See him preparing a place for you and on and on and on, all out of love. In seeing his love you will then love more. As you love the way you ought to then you will realize that as you denied yourself you were giving yourself to Christ and that you were his and not your own. Then you can glory in the fact that your beloved Christ is yours and you are his!
Non Believers. Seek an interest in Christ! You who are without Christ are dead in your sins and will pay the penalty for them unless you go to Christ who calls you closer by His love. He offers Himself to you as your King, Shepherd, Friend and Savior. Accept him as your King in every area of your life. Follow the teachings of the good Shepherd. He wants you to be His friend and not your enemy. You want you to reconcile with Him, for God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that when He belongs to us so does His righteousness and death. Repent of your sinful life and accept Jesus as your heavenly Husband! Hurry and do not delay to have the closest most intimate relationship with God through Christ! Read your Bible daily and obey your conscience. And when the time is right you can rejoice and glory in the fact that Christ is yours and you are His. Also espouse other’s to Christ by preaching the Gospel. Jesus Christ is the perfect Husband, their is no one greater than Him. What a privilege and honor to be the wife of the Highest KING of kings and LORD of lords.
Other lessons I did on this verse
My beloved is mine, I am His, His desire is for me.
Thank you for your response. ✨
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