Song of Songs Commentary Ch. 5-6 (Conflict)

Posted on March 5, 2022 by dkoop

This new section tells how the couple’s marriage grew and matured in spite of problems. Some time had passed since the wedding, and the girl felt as though some indifference had developed in their relationship. She had become cool to her husband’s advances, and by the time she changed her mind and responded to him, he had left.

Inevitably, with the passing of time and the growth of familiarity, a marriage will start to lose its initial sparkle. Glances and touches no longer produce the same emotional response. Conflicts and pressures may creep in, causing you to lose your tenderness toward your spouse. The world is not a haven for lovers; in fact, external stress often works against the marriage relationship. But you and your spouse can learn to be a haven for each other. If intimacy and passion decline, remember that they can be renewed and regenerated. Take time to remember the commitment you made, those first thrills, the excitement of sex, and your spouse’s strengths. When you focus on the positives, reconciliation and renewal can result.

Her self-centeredness and impatience, though brief, caused separation. But she quickly moved to correct the problem by searching for her husband (5:6-8).

The quest for her husband (5:2-9). The couple experiences conflict. (See 3:1-4.) She heard her husband calling to her (note that he doesn’t call her his “bride”) and asking her to let him in. Apparently she had locked the door and gone to bed without him. But she had bathed and was comfortable in bed and didn’t want to be disturbed. Perhaps she wasn’t in the mood for romance. She didn’t respond to his voice, but she did respond when she saw his hand come through the opening for the door latch and when she smelled the fragrant perfume on his hand. The king didn’t force his way in, but surely he was disappointed when his beloved rejected him.

Realizing her mistake, the Shulamite went to the door, but when she did, she discovered that he was gone. Her heart sank, for love is a delicate thing, easily misunderstood and quickly hurt. She called, but he didn’t answer, so she went in search of him. This time the city guards didn’t cooperate with her; instead, they wounded her and took her cloak. Did they think she was a prostitute out looking for business? The beloved seemed to have most of her trouble in the night and not when she was walking in the daytime with her king. She told the daughters of Jerusalem that she was faint from love (2:5), for she was learning that there’s a price to pay in marriage if we want to mature in our affection. They asked her what made her beloved so special, and her reply was another description of how handsome he was.

The beauty of her husband (5:10-16). Perhaps if she had told him this on their wedding night, he wouldn’t have left her temporarily or been so quick to leave before she could open the door. “Love is patient, love is kind” (1 Cor. 13:4, niv), but love needs to be nourished with kind words and actions. Again, the measures she used to describe his attractiveness are different from those we use today, but they do convey the right message. “White and ruddy” describes a man radiant with health and strength, just like David (1 Sam. 16:12; 17:42). “Ruddy” comes from a word that means “red,” which could suggest a red tint to the hair or perhaps the “bronzed” complexion of the person who has an active life outdoors.

A head like fine gold means a valuable head; that is, his brains were worth something. A body like ivory and marble speaks of beauty and strength. “Like Lebanon” also suggests beauty and strength, but this time she points to the famous and valuable cedars of Lebanon. The beautiful phrase “altogether lovely” says it all. Over the years, our bodies change and we get old, but the husband and wife who grow in their appreciation and evaluation of each other will never cultivate a critical attitude. “Young in heart” is the secret of a long and happy marriage.

5:16 The girl calls Solomon her “friend.” In a healthy marriage, lovers are also good friends. Too often people are driven into marriage by the exciting feelings of love and passion before they take the time to develop a deep friendship. This involves listening, sharing, and showing understanding for the other’s likes and dislikes. Friendship takes time, but it makes a love relationship much deeper and far more satisfying.

Their meeting in the garden (6:1-13). It’s now daylight and the women of Jerusalem offer to help her to find her husband, but the Shulamite knows him well and knows where he has gone. One of the important elements in a marriage is getting to know each other so well that we can “read each other’s minds” and anticipate actions and words. “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine” expresses it perfectly (6:3; see 2:16 and 7:10). Solomon was not lost to her even though they weren’t together. He was feeding his flock in the garden and she knew where to go.

The moment he saw her, he welcomed her and began to extol her virtues. He didn’t scold her for keeping him outside the door or for walking about the city alone at night and getting bruised by the watchmen. Tirzah was the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel after the nation divided. “You are fit for a king!” is what he was saying. The Jews thought that Jerusalem was the most beautiful of all cities (Ps. 48; Ps. 50:2; Lam. 2:15). “Terrible” means “awesome, majestic.” Remember, he is speaking about a woman and comparing her to an impressive army on the march. Her eyes alone captivated him and overcame him. He used a number of the similes that she had used in 4:10-16, although he wasn’t present to hear her words. They are starting to become very much alike, something that often happens in marriages.

6:8-9 Solomon did indeed have many queens (wives) and concubines (1 Kings 11:3). Polygamy, though not condoned, was common in Old Testament days. Solomon said that his love for this woman had not diminished since their wedding night, even though many other women were available to him.

The number of queens and concubines in his harem was much lower than in his later years 1 Kings 11:3), so this was written very early in his reign. But of all the women in his life, the Shulamite was his favorite as well as the favorite of her mother and the other queens in the palace. In the eyes of the Shulamite, Solomon was “altogether lovely [beautiful]” (5:16), and in Solomon’s eyes, his wife was “the only one of her kind—unique” (6:9). Even the daughters of Jerusalem praised the Shulamite for her beauty. They had been with her at night and saw her as fair as the moon, and now that it was morning, she looked as lovely as the dawn. As the sun ascended, she looked as awesome as an army, a phrase the king had used (v. 4). Some see verse 10 describing the king and his wife riding off in the royal palanquin.

The beloved wife decided she wanted to visit their garden to see if the spring had brought new growth to the trees and vines, so there was a temporary separation from her husband. But then a remarkable thing happened: she found herself “among the chariots of the people of the prince” (v. 12, niv margin). Her husband’s army was arriving, and the garden looked like a battlefield. But gardens are for beauty and nourishment, not for battles. Is there a suggestion here that marriage should be neither a battleground nor a playground, but a garden that is carefully cultivated and thoroughly enjoyed? The first marriage took place in a perfect garden (Gen. 2:18-25), and marriage ought to be like a garden. This takes work, but it’s worth it!

www.Upwards.Church

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

Sources: Life Application Study Bible, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1988), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 1082.

Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary – Wisdom and Poetry, (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2004), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 546-550.

 

Posted in Love of Loves in the Song of Songs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sexual Intimacy in Marriage – Song of Songs Ch 4 – 5:1

Posted on February 25, 2022 by dkoop

Today we come to chapter four of the Song of Solomon.  It’s one of the most intimate sections of the entire Bible and there for a reason.  God put it there because He doesn’t think of our lives like we do.  “There’s the sacred over here, there’s the secular over here, there’s sex  here, there’s God there and never the two shall meet.”  God looks at life as a whole.  He created all of it.   The Song of Solomon is an important part of the Bible for us to understand.

As we do, we notice in a healthy marriage and in sex that he responds to sight.  Men are wired differently.  We’re called the “opposite sex.”  It’s why we don’t see a Victoria’s Secret for men’s lingerie!  Women are wired differently.  What he’s going to do in the Song, chapter four is he’s going to describe what he sees in his wife from her head all the way down.  He starts in 4:1, “How beautiful you are, my darling!  Oh, how beautiful!  Your eyes behind your veil are doves.  Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from Mount Gilead.”

What is that about?  This is an ancient, near east description of a woman.  They use different metaphors.  They have different images than we may have in the western world.  What he’s saying is that her hair is beautiful.  Gilead was one of the most beautiful places in Palestine.  To see a flock of black goats come down off Mt. Gilead with their hair flowing in the wind would have been an impressive sight.  Probably what’s happening is she is letting her hair down.  He says, “Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from Mt. Gilead.”  You have to be cautious how you use this stuff at home.

“Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn, coming up from the washing.  Each has its twin; not one of them is alone.”   He’s saying, “My girl has white teeth and she has every one of them!”  “Your teeth are like a sheep that’s just been washed.” They are white.  And look…they are all aligned and not one is missing!  In the ancient world they didn’t have dentists to go to to get the perfect smile.  This was a big deal.

Then in chapter 4:3 he describes her lips.  He says, “Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon, your mouth is lovely.”  He goes on to describe her temple coming down her cheek and her neck.  He describes some other parts of her body in very intimate ways.

So he responds to sight.  She responds to sound.  His primary wiring is motivated by his eyes.  Hers more by the ear, the emotional, the mental and all of that.  Chapter 4:7, “How beautiful you are my darling.  There is no flaw in you.”  Do you know what I love about this whole description of her?  He never really tells us what she looks like.  We don’t know what her actual appearance looks like because beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  It doesn’t matter to him.  She is his one and only.

Solomon, in the Song of Songs, has described how beautiful his wife is and then he issues an invitation to her.  He invites her to be intimate with him.  It says this in Chapter 4:8, “Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me from Lebanon.  Descend from the crest of Amana, from the top of Senir, the summit of Hermon, from the lions’ dens and the mountain haunts of the leopards.”  Basically, it’s imagery.  The idea is he is inviting her to be with him.  It talks about mountains and lions’ dens.  It was a place of danger. He is saying, its ok, I won’t harm you, you will be safe.

Chapter 4:9 he says, “You have stolen my heart my sister, my bride!”  By the way, that’s not his actual sister.  This is not an incestuous relationship.  It’s a term of affection.  “You have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace.  How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride!  How much more pleasing is your love than wine and the fragrance of your perfume than any spice!” He opens up about how he feels and he’s meeting her emotional needs.  She’s going to ultimately respond to that.

Chapter 4:16 this is the center of the Song of Songs.  It’s the pinnacle.  A hundred and eleven lines in Hebrew before this verse and a hundred and eleven lines after.  Here is what she says in the first time we’ll hear from her this weekend.  She says, “Awake north wind and come, south wind!  Blow on my garden that its fragrance may spread abroad.  Let my lover come into his garden and taste its choice fruits.”  Don’t think we need a lot of commentary there, do we?  You pretty much get it, don’t you?  The idea is the climax of the Song of Solomon is when the bedroom door shuts and this couple is intimate together.

In Sex…

He Responds to the Opportunity for sex and what He Sees

As we see Solomon begin to talk about his bride as she lets her hair down.  They are preparing for an intimate time together.  Remember men have physical needs.  It goes beyond just wants, it’s needs.  In a dating relationship, sexual purity is important and is God’s way.  Once you are married the whole dynamic of a relationship changes.

Think of it like this: Let’s say that the husband needs a drink of water.  A glass of  water represents sexual fulfillment for him.  The husband comes in at night and says, “Hey honey  How about we spend some time together?”  She says, “Not tonight.  I’m not in the mood.  I have a lot of stuff going on.”  He says, “Alright.  It’s okay.”  But several days go by and he comes back. “Hey honey, how about you and I tonight?”  She says, “I have a headache.  Not going to happen tonight.”  A couple days go by and he’s dying of thirst at this point.  “Honey, can I PLEASE have a drink of water?  My body needs the water.  You are the only one that has the water!”  She turns to him and says, “You are not getting any water with that kind of attitude.”  He comes back a few days later and says, “Please, can I please have a drink?  Can I please have a drink?”  She says, “OK!  you can have a drink – here drink it!”

Now he’s drinking the water but the whole time he’s thinking, “Man, I’m going to get thirsty again.  What am I going to have to go through then?”  It’s a need in his life.  The question is, are you going to be the one that fulfills that need in his life?  Or will he turn to pornography or any number of other things?  Who’s going to meet the need?  A wife will say, “I want to be the only one that you look at.  You should only have eyes only for me.”  Then she continually rejects him when he makes advances to her.  Do you not see how that can cause problems?

Here is what rejection does for a guy.  On the surface, Ladies you may think, “It’s no big deal.  I’m just not in the mood. Maybe next time.”    But that’s a primary way most guys receive love.  He takes that as rejection.  “She doesn’t love me.”

Ladies, just imagine what it would be like if he didn’t talk to you for three days or three weeks?  Ladies, who are married please, take initiative.  Approach him sexually,  it will go light years in your relationship.  You might have to get the defibrillator out and bring him back to life!

Women can use sex in a relationship to manipulate.  Truthfully, this is an area where we need to serve one another.  In the New Testament,  it says, “Do not deprive each other sexually or Satan will tempt you”( 1 Cor. 7:5) We need to reach out and meet their needs.  We need to surrender some of our own perspectives when it comes to this.  Meet his physical needs.

Men love every opportunity to have sex with their wives.

Also in Sex, he responds to   What He Sees.

He reminds us that he is wired visually.  I think the point of this particular section of scripture is this:  For all of us to remember in a relationship to take care of our appearance.

When we are dating, she’s taking care of herself, taking care of her body, cares about what she wears.  She looks awesome.  She does her make up, she gets her hair just right, and she cares and wants to be attractive for him.  Then we get married, the focus might change to the kids or something else.

Men don’t expect a supermodel; do the best with what you’ve got.  Take care of yourself.  That applies to guys just as well.  One thing I’ve seen in ministry, in working with different couples and people, is too often a couple will go through a relational crisis and their marriage will break.  I will see him and I will see her six months later.  Now they are dating other people.  They look like different human beings.  She’s lost twenty pounds.  She’s hitting the gym and looking good.  “Why wait until the relationship broke down to take care of yourself?”

What if the relationship I’m in now if I took care of myself?”  Take care of yourself.

 Ok, let’s look at what she responds to.  Niki helped me write this part for the ladies….

  • She Responds to Affirmation of Her Physical Attributes  and to Being Treated Like a Princess.

Guys we have to take care with our words.  Men, the ladies in your life will be shaped,  by the words that we speak to them.   It’s not just our wives, it’s our daughters as well.  We better be really cautious to pour into them what they need to hear.

I want to pour into Niki’s life.  I don’t want my wife to get more acceptance from a female friend or a male friend or from anyone else other than me.  I don’t want my wife to feel more accepted, more loved or more valued from anyone else other than me.  Guys, it’s a huge deal.  Solomon compliments her, he talks to her and tells her how beautiful she is.

An article in Newsweek was called, “The New Infidelity.”  It said, “To office affairs, to internet hookups, easier to cheat than ever.”   You know what?  Have an affair with your spouse!  If you are going to have an affair and go through all that work, cover it up, hide the romance on the side, live two lives, be a paranoid schizophrenic. If you were going to do all that for someone else, what would happen if you took all that effort and energy and poured that into your relationship with your wife.  Have an affair with your spouse. The grass is greener where you water it.

You’ve heard the old analogy that men are like microwaves and women are like crock-pots.  Men fire up quick. You plug a crock-pot in and it takes a long time.  Meet her emotional needs.  The way he responds to her is that he doesn’t stop wooing, he doesn’t quit complimenting, when you think he’s done, he says even more.  He opens up about the relationship.   Put the ingredients in the crock pot.

Women need us to meet their emotional needs.  Let’s take our water illustration.  First it served for the sexual need in a guy.  Now it serves for the emotional need for the woman.   He’s in a unique position to meet her emotional needs.  She comes to him and says, “Honey, I’m really thirsty, can we talk?  Can I please have a drink of that water?  He grunts or ignores his wife. She says, “I’m really thirsty.  Can I please have a drink of the water now?  It’s been awhile.”  He says, “Mmmm-Hmmm…whatever.    She says, “No, look!  I’m talking to you.  I’m dying here.  Guys, we ignore the emotional needs of women.  It’s a huge need in their life.  She will get that need met.  Are you going to meet that need or is somebody else?

We meet their emotional needs.  Talk with them.  Open up about your feelings then they respond mutually.

This whole area of sex that God wired up to unite us, too often divides us and tears us apart.  We get on a “spin cycle.”  He won’t meet her emotional needs because she won’t meet his physical needs.  She won’t meet his physical needs because he won’t meet her emotional needs.  Round and round and round it goes.  You’ve got to come together mutually.

Here is what that means.  Each of us in the relationship has to surrender and begin to say, “How can I meet my partners needs?”  When you do amazing things will begin to happen.

In our text, they respond mutually.  God responds too…

  • God Responds with Approval and Encouragement.

Chapter 5:1, this is awesome,  “Eat, O friends, and drink; drink your fill, O lovers.”  Now commentators have argued over who this is speaking here.  It can’t be the refrain of the friends in the love song.  They weren’t in the bedroom with them.  In fact, no one was in the bedroom with them except God himself.  A lot of commentators say this is like a divine stamp of approval.  It’s a divine refrain in the Song of Songs after they’ve had this intimate moment.  Right after the pentacle of the Song, the middle verse comes this phrase:  “Eat and drink; drink your fill, O lovers.”  It would be just like God to do that because God invented this whole area.  It was His idea.  He wants couples to enjoy it within the proper framework and to have fun with one another.  When we begin to meet one another’s needs, God can do amazing things.

Darrell

www.Upwards.Church

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

Posted in Love of Loves in the Song of Songs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Wedding Night: Song of Solomon 4:1-5:1 Commentary

Posted on February 23, 2022 by dkoop

In this passage we will see the Beauty of Sexual Love and God’s Response

The Beauty of the Bride (4:1-7)
4:1. The first to speak on their wedding night was Solomon and his words praised his bride’s beauty. Three times on the wedding night he told her she was beautiful. Women in the ancient Near East did not ordinarily wear a veil except at the time of their wedding, and then removed it in the wedding chamber. (This is why Rebekah immediately veiled herself when she learned the identity of Isaac, her husband-to-be, Gen. 24:65. It also explains why Laban was able to deceive Jacob with Leah on their wedding night, Gen. 29:19-25.) So Solomon, seeing her eyes behind her veil (cf. Song 4:3) said they were doves. Doves were known for their tranquility in the ancient world, and since one’s eyes are “windows of his soul” reflecting his character, Solomon was praising her calm and innocent character.

To say that her hair was like a flock of goats coming down Mount Gilead hardly sounds like a compliment, but it was. Seen from a distance the dark hair of Palestinian goats was beautiful in the sunset as a flock was descending from the mountains. The beloved’s dark hair had the same beautiful quality. Mount Gilead was a mountain range east of the Jordan River in Gilead, known for its fertile pastures and many flocks (cf. Micah 7:14).
4:2-3. Her teeth were white (like a flock of sheep just shorn) and perfectly matched (each has its twin). Her lips, being red and thin, were like a scarlet ribbon. “Ribbon” is literally “thread,” referring to the perfect outline and delicately formed shape of her lips. Her teeth and lips made her mouth beautiful. The beloved’s temples, probably including her cheeks, were reddish and sweet like pomegranate fruit.

4:4. The tower of David may have been the tower (cf. Neh. 3:25) of the king’s palace. This tower may have been built or used by David for military purposes, or it may have been built by Solomon and given David’s name. The custom of hanging shields on the tower was symbolic of the warriors’ allegiance to and valor for a particular king or country (cf. Ezek. 27:10-11). The warriors probably referred to David’s elite corps of men (2 Sam. 23:8-39). By comparing her neck to the tower Solomon was emphasizing not so much her neck’s symmetry and beauty as he was making a statement about her person. She didn’t hang her head in shame but held it upright and straight. She had confidence that he appreciated.

4:5. When the groom said his bride’s breasts were like… fawns he was comparing their softness, not their color or form. Looking on the soft coat of a little fawn makes a person want to stroke it. Solomon wanted his bride to know that her soft and gentle beauty had kindled his desire for her and he wished to express that desire with his caresses.

4:6. At this point Solomon was overcome with desire for his bride and resolved to fulfill her silent request. The mountain of myrrh and the hill of incense refer to the beloved’s breasts. The primary point of comparison was not in the visual area, but rather in the realms of function and value. Myrrh and incense were used to perfume the body as well as the bedroom in order to make a person and the surroundings more attractive. They would give their love to each other till the morning. Myrrh and incense (lit., “frankincense,” a balsamic gum that exudes from the wood of shrubs and trees of the genus Boswellia) were not native to Palestine. Both were luxury items that had to be imported at considerable cost. A mountain of myrrh or a hill of frankincense would have been greatly valued. To Solomon, therefore, his bride’s breasts were attractive and of great value to him.

4:7. Solomon summarized his praise by ascribing perfect beauty to his bride. She had no flaw, or physical defect. She was perfect in appearance. (Later she called him “my flawless one,” 5:2.) Solomon praised eight parts of his bride’s body: her eyes, hair, teeth, lips, mouth, temples, neck, and breasts.

Compared with this lavish praise of the beloved’s beauty, some wives today may feel uncomfortable about their own appearance. However, one must remember that initially the daughters of Jerusalem did not seem to regard the beloved as a beautiful woman. Unlike the other royal ladies she was not fair-skinned, a preeminent sign of beauty in the ancient world. Yet in her lover’s eyes she was beautiful, even though she did not meet the objective standards of beauty in her society. In other words, though few people in any age meet their own particular culture’s standard of beauty, a woman is beautiful in the eyes of her lover simply because he loves her. Every husband who genuinely loves his wife can say, “To me you are beautiful and there is no flaw in you.”
His total attention was focused on his bride and her beauty. The conclusion to be drawn from this is that sex, when enjoyed properly within marriage, draws attention from oneself to one’s mate, to his or her needs and pleasures. Second, the metaphors and imagery which Solomon used in praising his beloved were drawn from a pastoral setting: doves, goats, sheep, pomegranates, fawns, gazelles, mountains, hills. Solomon’s bride, having been raised in the country, understood and appreciated these images. Praise drawn from this well-known realm would have created a sense of peace and security in her on the anxious night when her new life began in new surroundings. Later (7:1-9) after she became accustomed to “royal” living, Solomon drew on royal imagery (as well as pastoral scenes) in praising her beauty.

4:8. The beloved may have lived in Lebanon near the mountains mentioned in this verse. Amana is the eastern part of the Anti-Lebanon range facing Damascus, and Senir and Hermon are two peaks in the Hermon range (though Deut. 3:9 speaks of Senir as a synonym for Hermon). However, it is unlikely that she lived by lions’ dens or haunts of… leopards. The lions and leopards may represent fearful places or circumstances. In other words Solomon was asking his bride to leave her thoughts of home and put her fears behind her in order to concentrate completely on him, as he had done for her. The fact that Solomon called her my bride five times (vv. 8-12) also confirms that chapter 4 depicts their wedding night.

The Praise of His Bride’s Love (4:9-11)
Apparently the bride granted Solomon’s request (v. 8) to turn all her attention to him, for in this section he praised her physical expression of love and its effect on him.

4:9. The words stolen my heart mean to be robbed of either one’s willpower or his ability to think clearly. The effect of his bride’s love was so powerful that even a glance from her beautiful eyes or even seeing an article of jewelry or clothing associated with her was enchanting to Solomon. Five times he called her his sister (4:9-10, 12; 5:1-2) because in the ancient Near East “sister” was an affectionate term for one’s wife.

4:10. Her physical expressions of love had a more refreshing and intoxicating effect on him than wine, just as his expressions had earlier affected her. Even her perfume added to the excitement of their love. The senses of sight, touch, smell, and sound were involved in their lovemaking.

4:11. The beloved gave herself freely with joy. She was not at all passive in their lovemaking. Her kisses were as desirable as milk and as sweet as honey. Milk and honey are combined here probably to allude to the fact that Canaan was a land of milk and honey. Just as the land, rich in agricultural prosperity, was a source of blessing and joy to the people, so her kisses were a source of joy to him. Besides applying perfume to herself she also applied it to her clothes. Lebanon, because of its cedar trees (1 Kings 5:6; Pss. 29:5; 92:12; 104:16; Isa. 2:13; 14:8; Hosea 14:5), was known for its fragrance (Hosea 14:6).

The Bride’s Purity (4:12-15)

4:12. The garden locked up… spring enclosed, and sealed fountain all suggest “inaccessibility.” The king was obviously praising his bride’s virginity. Gardens were walled to keep out intruders. Springs were sometimes covered, and fountains were sealed on the sides with clay to indicate private ownership. Similarly, she had kept herself “sealed” from all others, thus preserving her purity for her husband.

4:13-14. By extending the metaphor of the garden (begun in v. 12) Solomon conveyed to his beloved how much he valued her purity. She was like a rich exotic garden, with rare and valuable plant life. Such a garden was therefore valuable, attractive, and desirable. Included were fruits, flowers, plants, trees, and spices. Pomegranates (cf. v. 3) were a delicacy in Bible times. Henna is a flower with white blossoms. Nard is a fragrant ointment from a plant native to India (cf. Mark 14:3; John 12:3), and saffron is a powder from the pistils of a plant in the crocus family. Calamus (also mentioned in Isa. 43:24; Jer. 6:20; Ezek. 27:19) is possibly sweet cane. Other perfumes were cinnamon, from the bark of a tall tree, myrrh, and aloes, a plant native to an island in the Red (Reed) Sea, whose partially decayed wood gives off a fragrance. These items would make an unusual garden, valuable for its pleasant tastes, sights, and smells. Similarly Solomon valued his bride for her pleasing attractiveness.

4:15. This part of the metaphor contrasts with her inaccessibility as a garden and water in verse 12. The water is pure and wholesome, like flowing water streaming down from Lebanon (cf. “Lebanon” in vv. 8, 11), and is now accessible to Solomon. When the bride surrendered her virginity to her husband, she was no less pure for doing so. The progression from a garden fountain to a well to “water streaming down” indicates that his beloved more than quenched Solomon’s desire for her and fully satisfied him. As mountain streams are refreshing so she refreshed him.

The Consummation of  the Marriage (4:16-5:1)
4:16. The beloved’s request that the winds blow on her garden, that is, herself (cf. vv. 12, 15) was a delicate, poetically beautiful invitation to her lover to fully possess her (come into her). She wished to be his with her charms as available as fruit on a tree (cf. v. 13).

5:1. With exhilaration Solomon declared that their marriage was complete. He had totally enjoyed his garden , that is, his bride. Possessing her was more delightful than gathering myrrh in a garden, as sweet as eating honey, as enjoyable as drinking the best wine and milk.

The NIV margin attributes the last part of the verse, Eat, O friends, and drink; drink your fill, O lovers, to the “friends” of the couple. However, it is unlikely that friends, wedding guests, or any other persons would have been present in the bedroom at the consummation of the couple’s marriage. A more plausible suggestion is that the speaker was God Himself. Only their Creator would have been a “guest” on that occasion. Since their love was from Him it was fitting that He approve it. He invited them to enjoy sexual love in marriage as if it were a banquet (“eat… and drink”). This clearly indicates God’s approval of marriage, which He designed in the Garden of Eden (cf. Gen. 2:24).

www.Upwards.Church

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

Sources: Warren Wiersbe “Be Series,”  Life Application Bible Study Notes

Posted in Love of Loves in the Song of Songs | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Song of Songs Commentary Ch. 2:7-3:11

Posted on February 23, 2022 by dkoop

Love is an Adventure. After the banquet, Solomon leaves and the Shulamite went back to her normal life, but her eyes and ears were always open as she anticipated his return. Then it happened! One day as she was in her brothers’ home, she heard his voice and saw him coming toward her bounding across every barrier that stood between him and his beloved. He stopped at the wall that protected the house and looked at her through the lattice window. Then he spoke to her and twice invited her to “come away!”

2:8-9. As Solomon approached his beloved’s home, she excitedly described him coming as a gazelle or a young stag  This emphasized his attractive appearance, strength, and agility. He approached the wall around her parents’ home and then peered through the lattice. He was anxious to see her.

2:10-13. Solomon, her lover, asked his darling to go for a walk in the countryside. At the beginning and ending of his invitation he said, Come with me . The elaborate description of spring was probably meant to do more than simply emphasize the beauty of the setting. It is likely that he was also describing their relationship. In a sense when one falls in love the feeling is like spring for everything seems fresh and new. The world is seen from a different perspective, which is how Solomon felt when he was with his beloved. Several statements refer to the beauty of spring: (1) The winter is past. The word for winter (set̠aw, used only here in the OT) refers to the cloudy season of March and April with the “latter” rains. (2) Flowers appear in the spring, adding delightful colors to the landscape, causing people to sing for joy. (3) Doves coo, “announcing” spring’s arrival. (4) Fig trees put forth their early fruit (cf. Nahum 3:12). The early figs were either those that had remained unripened on the trees from the previous summer and then ripened at the beginning of spring, or were small edible buds that appeared in March. (5) Grape vines blossom, giving off their fragrance just before the grapes appear.  Spring stimulates the senses of sight, sound, taste, and smell.

2:14. Another characteristic of genuine love is the desire to be alone with one’s lover. This desire seems to be easily experienced during courtship, but unfortunately it often fades in marriage. Yet if love is to grow a couple must find time to be alone. Doves hide in rock crevices, reluctant to leave. The lover likened his beloved to such a dove, hesitant to join him in the countryside. So again he urged her to leave her home and join him so he could enjoy her sweet-sounding voice and lovely face.

2:15. She was probably speaking poetically about their relationship rather than about literal foxes and vineyards. Foxes were noted for their destructive tendencies in crop fields, so her reference to those animals probably suggested metaphorically some problems in their relationship. The beloved was asking her lover to take the initiative in solving the problems that were potentially harmful to their relationship. “The foxes represent as many obstacles or temptations as have plagued lovers throughout the centuries. Perhaps it is the fox of uncontrolled desire which drives a wedge of guilt between a couple. Perhaps it is the fox of mistrust and jealousy which breaks the bond of love. Or it may be the fox of selfishness and pride which refuses to let one acknowledge his fault to another. Or it may be an unforgiving spirit which will not accept the apology of the other. These foxes have been ruining vineyards for years and the end of their work is not in sight” (S. Craig Glickman, A Song for Lovers, pp. 49-50). Even in ideal courtships and marriages most couples encounter some potentially destructive problems. Their willingness to solve them together is an evidence of their maturity.

2:16-17. Though they had some problems in their relationship, the beloved knew that her lover belonged to her and she belonged to him. They were committed to each other. She could rest in the shepherd-like quality of his love despite the struggles they shared. She said he browses (lit., “he pastures” his flock) among the lilies . Her thoughts of their mutual possession of each other naturally led to her desire for physical intimacy. So in her mind she invited him to turn (i.e., to her) with the strength and agility of a gazelle or… young stag. Rugged hills (hārê b̠āt̠er) is literally, “hills or mountains of separation or cleavage.” Some say this refers to actual mountains—perhaps “hills of Bether” (niv marg.), though the location of such a site is unknown.  It seems preferable to take this as a reference to her breasts, thus an inner longing that they consummate their marriage. If that is the meaning, then she wanted that intimacy to last during the night till the day breaks (lit., “breathes”) at dawn and the night shadows vanish. When their marriage was consummated they did this (see 4:5-6). As already stated, in expressing their love in their courtship, the beloved and her lover used restraint. Yet because of their deep love and commitment to each other they longed for their wedding day to come.

Fear of Losing Her Lover 

3:1-4.  Solomon returned to Jerusalem, leaving his beloved at her home in the country. The phrase All night long on my bed indicates that the experience she was describing took place in a dream. When a person loves another person deeply, it is natural to fear losing him or her. In her dream she lost her lover and sought to find him. The repeated expression the one my heart loves (once in each of these four verses) revealed the depth of her love for Solomon.

In her dream she went to a city (either a town near her home or Jerusalem) to look for him, but she was unsuccessful. She even asked the watchmen, men who guarded the city at night, if they had seen him. Apparently they had not. When she found him in her dream, she took him to her mother’s house, the most secure place she knew.

The Refrain (3:5)

This refrain marks the end of the section on the courtship (1:2-3:5) and the beginning of the wedding section (3:6-5:1). Perhaps the wedding was to be seen as a reward for patience on the beloved’s part.

 The Wedding (3:6-11)

Marriages in the ancient Near East were usually sanctioned through civil contracts rather than through religious ceremonies. Except for Proverbs 2:17 and Malachi 2:14 marriage covenants or contracts are not mentioned in the Old Testament. However, examples of Jewish civil marriage contracts have been found in the remains of the Jewish colony at Elephantine, Egypt dating back to the fifth century b.c. The marriage of Ruth and Boaz before a court of elders rather than before priestly officials (cf. Ruth 4:10-11) also illustrates the “civil” rather than religious character of wedding ceremonies. It is not surprising, therefore, to find that weddings took place not in the temple (or later in the synagogue), but rather in the couples’ homes.

A central feature of a wedding ceremony was a procession to the bride’s home led by the groom, who then escorted her back to their new residence. Next a wedding feast was given which lasted up to a week or even longer. Though the feast was prolonged the couple consummated their marriage on the first night. The wedding feast is not described in the Song of Songs but both the wedding procession (Song 3:6-11) and the wedding night (Song 4:1-5:1) are presented in some detail.

Song 3:6. The author spoke as a narrator in this verse, as if he were a spectator watching the approaching wedding procession, which was elaborate. What at first appeared in the distance to be a great column of smoke.  There was incense burning in front of the procession. The fact that the incense was made from all the spices of the merchant emphasizes the costly nature of this display. The myrrh added another fragrance to the procession.

The pomp and beauty of this procession were wholly appropriate in light of the event’s significance. The Scriptures teach that marriage is one of the most important events in a person’s life. Therefore it is fitting that the union of a couple be commemorated in a special way. The current practice of couples casually living together apart from the bonds of marriage demonstrates how unfashionable genuine commitment to another person has become in contemporary society. This violates the sanctity of marriage and is contrary to God’s standards of purity.

3:7-8. The 60 warriors accompanying Solomon’s carriage were friends of he groom. It was common for a groom’s friends to go with him in the wedding procession. But they were also the noblest and most experienced soldiers in Israel, probably Solomon’s royal bodyguard. David had a bodyguard (2 Sam. 23:23) and so possibly did Solomon. Since the caravan may have had to travel some distance (cf. “coming up from the desert,” Song 3:6, and note also the mention of Lebanon in 4:8, 15), the king was taking no chances with the safety of his bride. If bandits would appear at night and terrorize the bride, the soldiers were ready for them. The lesson is valid today for a would-be husband. He should give proper thought and planning to protect his bride. One form this takes is providing economic security for her.

3:9-11. Solomon’s carriage was made of the very best, that is, wood from Lebanon (possibly his bride’s homeland; cf. 4:8, 15). The carriage was adorned with the most expensive materials, silver… gold, and purple (representing royalty) fabric. Solomon offered his bride the best he had. And his love for her brought out the best in him. Others shared the couple’s joy by helping prepare for the procession (the daughters—female inhabitants—of Jerusalem helped make the interior of the carriage and did so gladly) and by watching it (look at King Solomon). In the procession he wore a crown. This was not his royal crown, but a crown… his mother (Bathsheba, 1 Kings 2:13) gave him; it probably depicted happiness more than royalty.

Next week, we will read about the couple’s wedding night as they have sex in Chapter 4.

www.Upwards.Church

Watch Messages: YouTube-Upwards Church

Facebook: Upwards Church

Sources:  Bible Exposition Commentary, Bible Knowledge Commentary, Life Application Study Notes

Posted in Love of Loves in the Song of Songs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment