The Beginning Of The Song Of Solomon

Feature 1 – March 2011 – Grace & Truth Magazine

The Beginning Of
The Song Of Solomon

“The song of songs, which is Solomon’s. Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth – for Thy love is better than wine. Because of the savor of Thy good ointments, Thy name is like ointment poured forth; therefore do the virgins love Thee. Draw me after Thee! We will make haste. The king hath brought me into His chambers. We will be glad and rejoice in Thee; we will remember Thy love more than wine. The upright love Thee.” — Song of Solomon 1:1-4 KJV

The wonderful Song of Solomon, abounding in figurative language and so rich in spiritual meaning, is called the song of songs, because it is the one song that surpasses all other songs for excellency and beauty. It is the greatest love song ever sung because it speaks of the most ardent love and the greatest lover the world has ever known. It is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, the Son of God, wooing a bride from among the children of men.

In its primary application it is a prophecy of Christ, the Messiah of Israel, wooing to Himself the heart of the Jewish remnant after the Church has been caught up to glory. It is a profitable study to take up this Song in its prophetic application to Israel; in fact some passages can only be rightly understood when considered in this connection. But when we realize that the love of the Lord to Israel, His earthly bride, is but a shadow or reflection of His deeper love for His heavenly bride, we find immense profit in applying these beautiful figures to ourselves. So while we should not forget that these figures have a direct application to the remnant of the last days, yet we will find that they have also a deeper spiritual application to ourselves as members of the heavenly bride. With these few introductory remarks we will look at the opening verses of The Song of Songs.

“The song of songs, which is Solomon’s.”
Solomon is the writer. His name means “peace.” Of him it is written, “King Solomon passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom” (2 Chr. 9:22). He is but a faint type of our great Prince of Peace, who is “altogether lovely,” “fairer than the sons of men,” whom God has “anointed ... with the oil of gladness” above His companions and “appointed heir of all things” (Song 5:16; Ps. 45:2,7; Heb. 1:2). How wonderful to have Him as the lover of our souls.

“Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth.”
Thus the song opens abruptly with these ardent words of His loved one. She has Him before her eyes and heart. Transported with His beauty and His charming grace, how her heart is drawn out with a deep desire for more of those intimate expressions of His love. The kiss is the expression of intimate personal love.

One who can “taste and see that the LORD is good” (Ps. 34:8) knows that there is nothing so delightful to the human heart as those sweet moments when one enjoys in the depth of the soul that intimate, tender love of Christ. It surpasses all that earth can give.

“For Thy love is better than wine.”
Wine here is the symbol of earthly pleasure and mirth. But there is something far sweeter and more satisfying than any pleasure this world can afford. It is those moments of love exchanged with our adorable Savior and Lord, whose love to us is “better than wine” and stronger than death. He died out of love for our souls, but now is alive forevermore, with that “love of Christ which passeth knowledge” (Eph. 3:19) – a love that took Him to Calvary’s cross, and ever lives and abides in His breast in its unchanging, everlasting strength for us.

True Christianity is not a head knowledge of certain doctrines, but an intimate acquaintance with the living, loving Son of God. Alas, how many Christians seem satisfied with knowing that their sins are forgiven through His death, and fail to go on in fellowship with the Son of God, whose love is better than wine. How much they lose in their own souls, for there is nothing that can compensate for lack of personal communion with the Lord. Souls that have been washed in the blood of Christ can never be satisfied with anything short of personal intimate fellowship with Him. no Christian can be happy, contented and satisfied who is not maintaining this personal touch with the Lord. notice how personal and intimate it is: “let Him kiss me.”

“Because of the savor of Thy good ointments, Thy name is like ointment poured forth.”
Ointments speak of fragrant grace. How many and varied are the graces that abound in Him, each having its special charm and sweet savor. Ointments were not only used for perfumes but also for healing (Isa. 1:6). There is not a heartache nor a wound that His ointments cannot soothe and heal. Come to Him with all your sorrows, disappointments and grief; in Him you will find a balm.

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
In a believer’s ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fears.

It makes the wounded spirit whole,
It calms the troubled breast;
’Tis manna to the hungry soul,
And to the weary rest.
By John Newton

Not only is the name of Jesus filled with fragrance, but He has many names in Scripture, and each one has a special fragrance of its own.

“Therefore do the virgins love Thee.”
The apostle John wrote this: “We love Him, because He first loved us” (1 Jn. 4:19). It is His love that draws our hearts to Him, and the more we are occupied with Him and His love to us, the more we will love Him. There is no use mourning over our lack of affection for Christ or trying to fan up a bigger flame of love for Him. We must turn away from self to Christ, and keep Him before our hearts. Self-occupation will never deepen our affection for Christ, but occupation with Him will. It is not by mourning over our coldness, but by meditating upon His love for us, that our hearts are warmed.

He loves us though there is nothing attractive in us. It is His nature to love. His heart of love cannot be satisfied without an object upon which it can bestow itself. But we love Him because “He is altogether lovely” (Song 5:16). There is no lack of attraction in Him, but how prone we are to let other things take His place. We all feel the need of this ardent prayer found in the next verse.

“Draw me after Thee! We will make haste.”
The world is running after many things today, and all too often Christians are found running after this or that instead of Christ. no wonder their joy ebbs and their light dims, and they are restless and uneasy in soul. The things the world is running after can never satisfy an immortal soul created for higher things. God has called us into “the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor. 1:9). And He has given us a spiritual capacity – when He made us partakers of His divine nature – to enjoy Him, and to find our delight in things above where Christ sits at “the right hand of God” (Heb. 10:12).

I am sure we all agree that the most joy-filled times were those when we felt near to Christ. We need to return to Him again with our whole heart and then our joy will return. Let’s beware what we run after. May these words be our earnest prayer: “Draw me after Thee.”

“The King hath brought me into His chambers.”
Here is the glorious climax, when our Lord shall take His beloved bride to Himself. “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (Jn. 14:2-3). But while we wait for that glorious day, we have Him with us in spirit. So we may say,

“We will be glad and rejoice in Thee; we will remember Thy love more than wine.”
Here is a spring of gladness that will never run dry – a source of rejoicing that can never be exhausted. It is a fountain of joy from which we can continually drink regardless of our circumstances. The poor sinner has no pleasure except what he can find in the shifting circumstances of a passing world. But we have a wellspring of joy in Christ that is untouched by circumstances. Therefore we can always be glad. Paul says again and again, “Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4; 1 Th. 5:16).

If our joy is not full it is because we have allowed ourselves to become taken up with our circumstances instead of with our Lord who is above our circumstances and ever looking down to take care of us. We must learn the great secret that true joy and contentment are found only in Christ.

“The upright love Thee.”
Our hearts must be upright, if we are to rejoice in Him. If we are not upright with Him or our fellow man, our conscience will not allow us to be at ease before Him. Instead of rejoicing we will shrink back from His presence until we correct what is wrong. One reason why so many Christians are dissatisfied is because they have allowed things to come between them and the Lord or someone else, and are not ready to put it right.

To be happy in the Lord you must be upright before Him. Let nothing come between your soul and Him. If something does come in, go to Him at once and get it settled. How lovingly He will receive you. He knows you can only be happy in Him. He wants nothing to hinder you.

END NOTE
This article is an edited version of pages 1-8 of E. C. Hadley’s book, The Song Of Solomon, (2006 reprint available from Believers Bookshelf, Sunbury, PA, 17801, USA, www.bbusa.org).