Song of Solomon 1

Song of Solomon 1:1-4

Why do we love Him Son 1:1-4“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 savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. Draw me, we will run after thee: 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.” In many ways the Song of Solomon is the most precious and most refreshing of the Books of Inspiration. It is a book altogether about fellowship and communion with Christ. It is not in any sense to be interpreted literally. It is spiritual. It is an allegory, a spiritual dialogue between Christ our heavenly Bridegroom and the church his Bride. John Gill wrote, “The whole Song is figurative and allegorical; expressing, in a variety of lively metaphors, the love, union, and communion between Christ and his church; setting forth the several different frames, cases, and circumstances of believers in this life.” There is no case, no circumstance, no spiritual condition that we may be in, regarding our relationship to Christ, which is not expressed in this sacred Song of Love. C. H. Spurgeon said, “This Book stands like the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and no man shall ever be able to pluck its fruit, and eat thereof, until first he has been brought by Christ past the sword of the cherubim, and led to rejoice in the love which hath delivered him from death. The Song of Solomon is only to be comprehended by men whose standing is within the veil. The outer court worshippers, and even those who only enter the court of the priests, think the Book a very strange one; but they who come very near Christ can often see in this Song of Solomon the only expression which their love to their Lord desires.” In these opening verses of this “song of songs” we see the cry of a renewed heart to Christ, the great Object of its love. These verses are not so much a description of our Lord as they are an expression of love to Christ and the desire of a renewed heart for his fellowship and some token of his love. All who know the Lord Jesus Christ love him (1 Corinthians 16:22; 1 John 4:19; John 21:17). A true, saving revelation and knowledge of Christ always creates an ardent love for Christ. To know him is to love him. It is not possible for a person to have a saving knowledge of Christ without a true heart of love for Christ. Any who do not love Christ, truly, sincerely, and above all others, simply to not know him. Communion Here is the first things that I want you to see. I hope that you can enter into it. The one thing all believers want is for Christ to manifest his love to their hearts in sweet, intimate communion. Our hearts’ desire is expressed in the words of verse two, – “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.” The Song begins very abruptly, without any introduction. It opens with a cry of love to Christ, a desire for some manifestation of his love. It is the picture of a bride whose husband has been away for some time. But now she is anticipating his return. With hope, expectation, and delight she cries, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.” Oh, that our Redeemer might return to us and smother us with the kisses of his grace! Jeremiah Burrowes once wrote, “Permission to kiss the hand of a sovereign is considered an honor; but for that sovereign to give another the kisses of his mouth, is evidence of the tenderest affection, and is the highest possible honor.” What we want is some fresh manifestation of our Savior’s love, some fresh evidence of his affection to us. Nothing could have been more delightful to the returning prodigal than the fact that his father ran to greet him and that, “He fell on his neck and kissed him.” Nothing is sweeter or more precious to our souls than the kisses of mercy, love, and grace. Oh, that he might smother us with the kisses of his mouth! A kiss from the Savior’s mouth is a token of his deep love. A kiss from his mouth is an evidence of complete pardon, forgiveness, and acceptance. The ardent kisses of his mouth are so many evidences of his great love, deeply felt and freely bestowed. We rejoice in his daily providence. We give thanks for his covenant mercy. We delight in his written Word. But what we ardently desire is for Christ himself to manifest himself to us by the gracious influences of his Spirit. We give thanks for his providence. We rest in his promises. We rejoice in his power. But we want his presence.—We want him! We long for Christ himself, because we know by experience that his love is better than wine. Wine is a comforting, strengthening, exhilarating beverage. It rejoices the heart, revives the spirits, and soothes the nerves of a man. But the love of Christ is far better than the best of wine. When the love of Christ is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, it is like drinking some heavenly wine. Oh, that we might have this blessed intoxication that we might be filled with the wine of his love. We rejoice in the knowledge of his love. It is without beginning. It is without change. It is without measure. It is without end.—Electing Love! – Redeeming Love! – Saving Love! – Preserving Love! – Everlasting Love! Still, we long to taste his love in our daily experience. It revives languishing spirits. It comforts troubled hearts. It strengthens weak souls. It refreshes thirsty hearts. If . . . If the Lord is pleased to draw us by the cords of his love, we will run after him. – “Draw me, we will run after thee” (Son 1:4). I hope we recognize our need. We need Christ. We want him. We want him to revive our hearts, enliven our souls, and quicken us. But I know that he must do the work for us. We cannot revive ourselves. Here is an acknowledgment and a prayer.—“Draw me.” We acknowledge our own weakness and inability. Though we may know our need of and truly long for an awakening of our souls and the reviving of our hearts, Christ alone can revive and awaken us. We cannot work up a revival, or even pray it down. Revival does not depend upon the actions of the church or the abilities of the preacher. It is the work of Christ alone. Make this your prayer. If you want him, so earnestly want him that your heart aches for a manifestation of his love, pray like this - “Draw me,” O Lord, “Draw me to thyself.’ How does Christ draw his people to himself? He draws us by the gracious influence of his Spirit, by the manifestation of himself through the Word of his gospel, and by the irresistible power of His love. If the Lord will draw us to himself, then we will follow him. If he makes us know the constraint and attraction of his love, we will run after him. Then, no service will be too demanding. No obstacle will be too hard. No sacrifice will be too great. Knowledge Our hearts burn with love for Christ, because we know him.—“Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee” (Son 1:3). I repeat myself deliberately.—If we truly know Christ by faith, if he has been revealed in our hearts, we love him supremely. “We love him because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). This is the true testimony of every true believer. His love for us precedes our love for him. His love for us causes our love for him. But we do truly love him. His many attributes are to us a sweet smelling ointment. There is no aspect of his character, no attribute of his nature that is in the least measure repugnant to us. We love him because he is who he is. Believing sinners love Christ as he is revealed in the Scriptures (Psalms 45:1-9; Revelation 1:10-20). His holiness and his goodness, his justice and his mercy, his righteousness and his grace, his power and his tenderness, his immutability and his compassion, his wisdom and his sympathy, his wrath and his love, his judgment and his salvation, are all “good ointments” in the estimation of our souls. We have looked him over from every point of view, as the Holy Spirit has revealed him to us, and this is our conclusion: – “He is altogether lovely.” There is not one attribute, not one word, not one act of our Lord that does not enhance his beauty to our hearts. In his humiliation, in his life, in his death, in his resurrection, in his exaltation, in his majestic sovereignty, in his glorious coming, in his strict judgment, and in his everlasting glory—“He is altogether lovely!” His name, by which he has revealed himself, is like an enchanting perfume to our souls. “The virgins,” those who have been made pure by him, love the Lord because of his name. His name is Immanuel - “God with us.” His name is Jesus - “Jah-Hosea.” “Divine Savior.” His name is Christ - “God’s anointed.” His name is “The LORD Our Righteousness.” In the eyes of others our adorable Savior has no form, nor comeliness for which they might desire him. But in the eyes of his own he is truly precious. He is fairer than ten thousand. In comparison with him, all others must be despised. We are made to cry, “Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth I desire beside thee.’ Charles Simeon said this of Christ’s church and Bride: “She is altogether occupied with the savor of her Beloved’s name, the perfume of which makes every other odor worthless at least, if not nauseous and offensive. In a word, so entirely does this beloved Object fill her soul, that with him a dungeon would be heaven; and without him, heaven itself would be a dungeon.” Rejoice I do not know what the Lord may be pleased to do for us in this day. In the midst of wrath, I pray that he will remember mercy, that he will revive his work. It is my earnest hope, it is the burden of my heart, it is the cry of my soul that he may be pleased to send us a mighty awakening. I pray that he will reveal himself in our midst. Yet, whatever he does, or does not do, we must, even in our times of spiritual emptiness and barrenness, rejoice in our Savior and in his love. – “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” (Son 1:4). We must not despise the grace he has bestowed upon us. We must not murmur against his providence. When he speaks and when he is silent, when he sends refreshing and when he sends barrenness, when he reveals himself and when he hides himself, let us rejoice in the Lord. We have abundant reason to rejoice and be glad. Christ has accepted us as his own. The King has brought us into his chambers! Let us ever remember his love. We have many proofs of it. He may for a time hide his face from us, but he loves us still. Even now, though our hearts may seem dull and heavy, we love the Lord our Redeemer. We will wait before him in loving submission. Whatever he is pleased to do, we will love him. We have reason enough to do so, who can say, – “My Beloved is mine, and I am his!”

Song of Solomon 1:2

“Let him kiss me” Son 1:2“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.” After reviewing our Savior’s words of tender, intimate love and affection for us (Son 7:1-13), does your heart not again cry, “Let him kiss me”? A kiss is one of the most tender expressions of affection and love known to man. It is universally understood. The very first thing a mother does with a newborn baby as she holds it to her breast is kiss it. The very last thing we do with a dying loved one is plant a farewell kiss on the face we shall never again see in this world. Here is a bride longing to be kissed, and kissed, and kissed by her beloved. The bride is the Church of God. Her Beloved is the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Glory. What a great, noble, ennobling, burning desire this is. —“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.” This is an enormous desire. It is a privilege, beyond comparison, to have the Lord Jesus Christ himself kiss us. In days of old, it was considered a high, high honor for a king to stretch out his hand and allow one of his subjects to kiss just his hand. Here, the Shulamite expresses a desire which would be utterly unthinkable. – She desired the king himself to kiss her, not only to kiss her, but to kiss her intimately, passionately, and repeatedly with the kisses of his mouth! She desired all the kisses he had to offer. The desire would be unthinkable, except for one thing. – She knew; she was fully convinced that the king wanted to kiss her as much as she wanted to be kissed by him! But, there is much more here than a story of romance between a Shulamite woman and King Solomon. This is an expression of a soul in love with the Lord Jesus Christ, longing for him to come in sweet manifestations of himself and his love, with the kisses of his mouth. The request Meditate on this heartfelt request. “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.” Really, the text might be read, “O that he would kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!” She speaks as one who has experienced Christ’s love, as one who knew how sweet the kisses of his mouth are. She had tasted that the Lord is gracious. She had found grace in his lips, overflowing, abundant and sweet. She is, therefore, anxious and ardent in her request, venting her soul passionately before him. Though she does not call him by name, clearly, this is a request addressed to Christ himself, though spoken publicly before others. As John Gill put it, “She had him so much in her thoughts, her love was so fixed on him, she knew him so well, and had had so much converse with him, that she thought there was no need to mention his name; but that every one must very well know who she designed.” She speaks of him as if there were no one else in the world but him. Indeed, there is none other but him for our souls—“Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee” (Psalms 73:25). The kisses What are these kisses? How can the Lord Jesus kiss us? Obviously, the kisses with which the Son of God kisses his people, the kisses by which he manifestly expresses his love to us, by which he assures us of his everlasting love for us, are the manifestations of himself to us. One of the most instructive and most delightful pictures of God’s great grace is that which is drawn by Luke’s pen of the prodigal son (Luke 15). The only time in the Bible God almighty is portrayed as being in a hurry is there. When his son was yet a great way off, the father saw him, jumped off his throne, ran to meet him, fell on his neck, and kissed him, and kissed him, and kissed him, and kissed him! What a great picture that is of our God welcoming poor sinners into his kingdom! Here, however, is one who has experienced that grace and love, one whose soul is wed to the Son of God, crying, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.” These kisses are fresh manifestations and discoveries of our Savior’s love to us, by some precious word of promise from his mouth applied to us by his Spirit. As in the picture of the prodigal’s reception, we owe our salvation to the kisses of our Savior. In regeneration the Son of God kissed us with his grace and openly wed himself to us forever. He betrothed us unto him in righteousness, in judgment, in loving kindness, in tender mercies, and even in faithfulness, and caused us to know him (Hosea 2:19-20). He kissed us with the kiss of redemption, that great act of his love in which mercy and truth met together and righteousness and peace kissed each other (Psalms 85:10). He bought us to himself (Hosea 2:3; Titus 2:14), distinctly and particularly bought us. When he called us by his grace, he declared, “I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, and thou art mine” (Isaiah 43:1). With that came the kiss of reconciliation, by which our Savior wrapped us in his arms of mercy and declared in our very hearts that our sins are all put away and that we have been made the very righteousness of God in him, reconciled to God by his blood and reconciled to God by the power of his grace (Romans 8:1-4). Not only has our Savior kissed us, he commands us to kiss him (Psalms 2:11-12); that is to put our trust in him. When he kisses us in grace, we kiss him in faith. The sinner loved, chosen, redeemed and called by the grace of God is kissed by Christ and is sweetly compelled by irresistible grace to kiss him. He espouses us; and we espouse him. He chooses us for his bride; and we choose him for our husband. He loves us; and “we love him because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). The reason “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.” That is our desire. Here is the reason for it. We have discovered that “for thy love is better than wine.” The love of Christ, that love with which he loves us, that love which in its length is longer than eternity, in its breadth is broader than the earth, in its depth reaches the lowest of sinners, and in its height ascends to the very throne of God is better than wine. Wine is a temporary cordial for the body’s weakness. Christ’s love is the everlasting cordial for our immortal souls! Wine may relieve worldly sorrows for a brief moment. Christ’s love will cure all sorrows forever! Wine, if used too freely, will only add drunkenness to thirst. Christ’s love is such that those who drink the deepest draughts, those who are most intoxicated by it are most blessed and never injured. The love of Christ is more than pleasant. It is always effectual. It raises sinners dead in trespasses and sins to eternal life. It raises us from the dunghill to the King’s chamber. It delivers us from all curse and condemnation. It makes us the sons of God. It infallibly saves us from the second death. It brings us to eternal glory. Look yonder to Calvary’s cursed tree. Behold our crucified Substitute, and behold how he loved us! Oh, let our souls be ravished with his love! Have we tasted the love of Christ? Have we drunk this sweet wine? If so, we are constrained to cry out, “Stay me with flagons, for I am sick of love!” (Son 2:5). Let this now be the prayer of our hearts - “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; for thy love is better than wine!”

Song of Solomon 1:5-7

Four characteristics of true faith Son 1:5-7“I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother’s children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept. Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?” Here is a beautiful picture of true faith. It expresses every believer’s thoughts concerning himself and his Savior. In verses five and six, the Church, the Bride of Christ, speaks about herself to the Daughters of Jerusalem. “I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother’s children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.” Then, in verse seven, she speaks about herself to her Beloved Lord. “Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?” “Black” True faith acknowledges and confesses sin. “I am black.” The people of God are charged by both the world and by self-righteous religionists with many evils. But none of our enemies have such a loathsome view of us as we have of ourselves. Do any charge us with evil? It is true. “I am black…My own vineyard have I not kept.” I am black in myself, by nature. I am black in the eyes of others, because of my actions. I am black in my own eyes. True faith does not defend itself. It does not seek any excuse for sin. True faith acknowledges and confesses sin (Job 40:3-5; Job 42:5-6; Psalms 51:4-5). The believer is a person with two distinct natures, the flesh and the spirit. These two natures are constantly at war with one another so long as we live in this world (Romans 7:14-24; Galatians 5:17). We are sinners by nature. We are sinners by choice. We are sinners by practice. We are sinners at heart. Sin is not to be measured by our actions, but by our attitude. Sin is not to be measured by our deeds, but by our principles. Sin is not so much what we do, but what we are. Sin is mixed with all we do. Old man Adam is still present with us. He is no longer master; but he is still present. That is a fact from which we cannot escape. Yes, we do love Christ. He has created in us true love for himself. But before you were converted, did you ever think that you could love God so little as you do? – We do pray. Grace has taught every believing heart to pray. But before God saved you, did you ever think that prayer could be so difficult as it actually is? – We bow to and trust God’s wise, unerring providence. But before God gave you faith in Christ, did you ever think that a believer could grumble so much against the providence of God as you do?

Did you ever think that a believer could be so unbelieving? – Thank God, he has set our hearts on things above. But before God revealed himself to you and in you in Christ, did you ever think that a person who knows the Lord could be so thoroughly attached to the toys of this world as you are? – We are his witnesses. We confess Christ before men. But before you knew the Lord, did you ever think that a believer could be so reluctant and timid about holding up the banner of Christ among his enemies as you are? Sin is so much a part of us that it is mixed with all we do and all we are. We despise that fact; but we cannot, in honesty, deny it (1 John 1:10). Truly, we confess, “I am black.” “Comely” True faith acknowledges and confesses sin, while resting upon the merits of Christ alone. In ourselves we are black; but in Christ we are comely (suitable, beautiful, seemly). In our own eyes we are black; but in the eyes of God we are comely (Son 4:1; Ezekiel 16:9-14). The Lord Jesus Christ has made us beautiful in the eyes of God, through his righteousness and shed blood; and we trust his merits alone for our acceptance with God. Be sure you understand this. In Christ every true believer is perfect and complete (Colossians 2:10; Colossians 1:28). “He was manifest to take away our sin; and in him is no sin!” Though full of sin in ourselves, in him we have no sin (1 John 3:5). Through the merits of his own blood and righteousness, the Lord Jesus Christ will present us before the Father in the perfection of holiness (Ephesians 5:25-27). All who are born of God trust the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ alone for their entire, complete, absolute, and everlasting acceptance with God. We are nothing. We have nothing. We can do nothing in ourselves and by ourselves that God can or will accept. All our hope before God is in Christ (Lamentations 3:22-26; 1 Corinthians 1:30). He is our only Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification, and Redemption. That means he is our only hope before God. Loves True faith acknowledges and confesses sin, while looking to Christ alone for acceptance with God. And true faith loves Christ supremely. The Lord Jesus Christ is our Beloved. He is that One who is loved by all who trust him. It is written, “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha” (1 Corinthians 16:22). All believers love the Son of God. Notice the title which is here given to our Lord, “Tell me, O Thou whom my soul loveth.” This is every believer’s humble, but honest acknowledgement. – “We love him because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). His love for us precedes our love for him. His love for us is infinitely greater than our love to him. His love for us is the cause of our love to him. But if we know the Lord Jesus Christ, we love him. Our love for Christ is something the world can never understand, because they do not know our Lord (1 John 3:1-2). We love him because of all that he has done for us. We love him because of all that he has given us. We love him because of himself, because he is who he is. And we love him supremely (Matthew 10:37-39). Our love for Christ grows as our knowledge of him grows. Our love for Christ is the motive of our actions (2 Corinthians 5:14). Our love for Christ is the governing principle of our lives. Even Peter, in the teeth of his horrible sin, honestly and truthfully confessed, “Thou knowest that I love thee.” Like Peter, we err greatly, fall often, and act presumptuously. But, like Peter, ever true believer, at the very core of his being, loves Christ. Does this seem confusing? It really shouldn’t. If we would learn to quit playing religion and be honest with ourselves and honest with God, we would acknowledge these things. A man who truly loves his wife, a truly faithful husband, often acts as though he does not love her at all. A woman who truly loves her husband, one who is a faithful wife often acts as though she does not love him at all. No one else may perceive it; but ask the man or the woman. They well tell you it is so with weeping eyes and broken heart. So it is with God’s saints in this world. We love our Savior. We seek to serve him and honor him in all things. Yet, we often think, and say, and do things that are totally contrary to that love. Yet, with Peter, with weeping eyes and broken hearts, we confess, “Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee.” Seeks True faith seeks Christ continually. This is what we see in verse seven.—“Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?” True faith is never self-confident and self-sufficient. It continually seeks Christ (Hebrews 12:1-4; Philippians 3:7-14). Faith is not an act of life. Faith is a way of life. We seek him, not just what we might hope to get from him. We seek him because we need him, because we know we must have him. We seek him earnestly, continually, in the place where he has promised he will be found, in his Word, in his house, among his people. And we seek him with this confidence: – All who truly seek him shall find him (Jeremiah 29:10-13). Let us never seek to grow beyond simple, childlike faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.” As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him” (Colossians 2:6). This is the only way we can walk with him. We must ever seek him and walk with him as sinners needing to be bathed in his blood, robed in his righteousness, and saved by his grace. May God give us grace to do so.

Song of Solomon 1:7-11

The footsteps of the flock Son 1:7-11“Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions? If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents. I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots. Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold. We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.” I direct your attention to just three things in these verses. These three things ought to be matters of great concern to all who read these lines.

1. A question asked In verse seven a question is asked. Here it is the Bride, the Church, speaking to him whom her soul loves, the Lord Jesus Christ. Every word, every syllable of this question is worthy of our careful meditation.—“Tell me, O Thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon.” That question expresses an intense longing for Christ’s manifest presence. Do we know anything about this? Is there in our souls an intense longing to be in the sweet fellowship of Christ? It is both wise and comforting to God’s people to flee to Christ in every time of need (Hebrews 4:16). The ungodly rush to and fro in search of help and peace. They find no real consolation anywhere. But the believing heart flies as naturally to Christ as the rabbit does to its den. In him alone can we find refuge for our souls.

“Other refuge have I none, Hangs my helpless soul on Thee: Leave, oh leave me not alone, Still support and comfort me.”

We have much which causes us to blush with shame before our beloved Savior. We are black with sin. We labor too much for the cares of this world. We are terribly neglectful both of our Lord and our own souls. Still, though we are so full of evil, and so unworthy of his grace, we must cling to Christ. He is all we have and all we want. Indeed, this is the very reason why we must cling to him! We must never let our sins keep us from Christ. Under a sense of sin, do not run from him, but rather run to him. Sin may well drive us away from Moses and Mt. Sinai, but it ought to draw us to Christ and Mt. Calvary. Christ will not reject us because of our sin. He will not deal with us harshly when we run into his arms. Rather, he will comfort and protect all who do. Notice the spirit in which this question is asked. It is not, “O thou whom my soul believes in.” That would be true; but she has gone further. It is not, “O thou whom my soul honors.” That is true, too; but she has passed beyond that stage. Nor is it merely, “O thou whom my soul trusts and obeys.” She is doing that; but she uses warmer and more tender language than that. Her soul is full of fire and enthusiasm. She says, “Tell me, O Thou whom my soul loveth.” This question arises from a heart of love for Christ. Whatever she may feel herself to be, she knows that she loves him. She is black and ashamed of herself, but still she loves her Bridegroom. She has not kept her own vineyard as she should have. She knows that and acknowledges it. Still, she loves him. She loves him as she loves no one else in all the world. Only Christ could claim such a title as this - “Thou whom my soul loveth.” No one in all the world can be compared to him. He has no rival. He is the Lord of every believer’s heart. He is the monarch of our affections. Our love, to be sure, is not worthy of him, but we love him supremely and we love him intensely. It is this love for Christ which governs our hearts and motivates our lives (2 Corinthians 5:14). Others serve by the rigorous rule of the law. The believer serves Christ from a heart of love. Settle this matter in your own heart. Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ? (1 Corinthians 16:22).—Do you serve him out of fear? Do you serve him because of your desire for gain? Or, do you serve him because you love him? This question is addressed to Christ himself. “Tell me, O Thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon.” She goes directly to him. She desires to have him speak directly to her heart. We love to hear the gospel. We love to read the gospel message. But the thing we desire is to hear it from Christ himself. If he will but speak the Word directly to our hearts by the power of his Spirit, then our souls shall be fed and refreshed. Now, look at the question itself. She desires to know where Christ is and where he feeds his flock, where he meets with and refreshes his people. “Tell me, O Thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon.”—What is the bread with which the Son of God feeds his people’s souls? It is the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in him (sovereign election, effectual redemption, free justification, absolute forgiveness, immutable grace, and everlasting love (Jeremiah 6:16).—What are those promises by which the Lord Jesus comforts and refreshes his own in the heat of the day? They are sure, covenant promises which are “yea and amen” in him. 2. An argument urged Being in earnest about her soul and her Beloved, the Bride is not content merely to raise a question. She presses for an answer, urging her question with an argument.—“For why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?” John Gill suggested that these “companions” are not real companions of Christ, “But false friends, hypocrites and heretics, rivals with him, who set up schemes of worship and doctrine in opposition to his.” He was probably right. Satan is a wise and crafty enemy to our souls. He knows that we are not likely to turn aside and follow men who openly oppose Christ. Therefore, he makes his ministers the ministers of righteousness (self-righteousness). We are ever pressed to turn aside from Christ to pursue this or that. There are many pretended companions of Christ, who allure our souls. There has always been an abundance of false teachers and those who follow them. Some have been turned aside from worship in the spirit to religious ritualism. Others have been turned aside from looking to Christ alone for righteousness to a legal righteousness of their own making. Some have turned aside from free grace to free will, from the gospel of Christ to Arminianism. Many are turned from Christ by pressure from husband or wife.

There are many who turn aside from the gospel of Christ to provide religious toys for their children. Many are turned aside from the simplicity of Christ crucified to search out “deeper” things: church order, prophetic mysteries, and Bible codes. Multitudes are turning aside to legalism. They leave Christ for Moses. They forsake Calvary for Sinai. They turn from grace to law. Be warned! - Satan does not care what you turn to, so long as you turn from Christ. If he can get you to leave Christ for anything, he has won the day. Why should we be as those who turn aside by the flocks of Christ’s pretended companions, when we can walk with Christ himself? It grieves me to see any leave Christ, turning aside to follow something or someone other than Christ. But why should we be turned aside from him? When the multitudes turned and walked no more with Christ, he turned to his disciples and said, “Will ye also go away?” With Peter we must answer, why should we be turned aside unto the flocks of thy companions? “Lord, to whom shall we go?” We have found all that we need and desire in him. Why should we turn aside by the flocks of others and miss his fellowship? There may be reason for others to leave him, but not for us. His rich, free, eternal, redeeming love has bound us hand and foot, so that we cannot leave him. If it should ever come to pass that the local church or denomination of which you are a member turns aside from Christ, you will be wise to turn aside from that church and denomination (Revelation 18:4); but do not turn aside from Christ. Why should we leave him (Luke 22:35)? Is there anything your soul needs that you do not find in him in infinite abundance? Is not his pardon sufficient? Is his righteousness not enough? Is there another comforter to compare to his Spirit? Is anyone or anything more effectual to reprove our sin and unbelief, or to motivate our hearts? Let us endeavor to live in fellowship with Christ himself. We seek not the blessings of his hand, but the presence of his person. It is good to have the truth of Christ; but it is better to have Christ himself. If we miss his fellowship, if we turn aside from him, his truth will have no aroma. If we lose fellowship with Christ, we will have the standard, but not the Standard Bearer. We might have the candlestick, but there will be no light upon it. If we miss the fellowship of Christ, will we not be stripped of our strength, our joy, and our comfort? Let us take up this prayer and make it our own.—“Tell me, O Thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?”

“Thou, O Christ, art all I want! More than all in Thee I find!” 3. An answer obtained She asked him where he fed, where he made his flock to rest at noon. And now the Lord Jesus replies to his beloved Bride. He speaks in love to comfort her heart and assure her. First, the Lord tells us how beautiful his people are in his eyes (Son 1:8-11). In our own eyes, and in the eyes of others, we are black and scornful. But in his eyes we are fair and comely. I would rather trust his eyes than my eyes. If my eyes tell me that I am black, I will weep. But if he assures me that I am fair in his eyes, I will believe him and rejoice. This is what the Son of God says to all who are washed in his blood, robed in his righteousness, and united to him by faith.—“O thou fairest among women,…I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots. Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold. We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.” Christ sees us in the beauty of his own imputed righteousness and declares that we are perfectly beautiful (Ezekiel 16:13-14).

“In thy Surety thou art free. His dear hands were pierced for thee: With his spotless garments on, We’re as holy as God’s own Son!”

Christ does not exaggerate the beauty of his people. In him we are perfectly beautiful and gloriously complete, so much so that we may confidently exclaim, “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?” This is not only what we shall be, experimentally, when he is finished with us (Ephesians 5:25-27). This is what we are in him now! In this passage (Son 1:9-11), our Lord uses a well known picture of royal beauty to typify the beauty of his people in him. He compares us to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots. Each one is specially chosen, very costly, exceedingly beautiful, and very strong. Next, he shows how he has adorned us by his grace, with rows of jewels—The graces of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22), and chains of gold—The blessings of graces in him (Ephesians 1:3-14). Then, he tells us what will yet be done for us.—“We” (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit), “We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.” This is obviously symbolic, picturing our everlasting bliss and glory with Christ in the heavenly Jerusalem (Isaiah 54:11-12; Revelation 21:18-21). Now, look at the Lord’s answer to our question. – “Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions? If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents” (vv.7-8). Here is his word of instruction for our hearts.—“Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents.” He tells us where to find him, where to find food and rest and refreshment for our souls. If you would find Christ, you will find him in the way of the holy prophets, in the way of the patriarchs, and in the way of the apostles. Follow the footsteps of the flock, feed by the tents of his shepherds, and you may find him. What are the footsteps of the flock? They are the paths in which God’s people have always walked. They are the paths of the Lord’s sheep. They are not hard to find. They are plain and clear. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob walked in these paths. These are the paths of David, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. Peter, James, John, and Paul followed these paths. Let us walk in them, too. “The footsteps of the flock” are the path of faith and trust, submission and obedience, righteousness and godliness, love and kindness, and doctrinal truth (Jeremiah 6:16). Who are these shepherds, by whose tents we must feed? There are many in these days who have set themselves up as shepherds, who feed their sheep in poisonous pastures. Keep away from them. Do not follow a man. Do not cling to a church. Find a man who is preaching the gospel of Christ, and feed by his tent. The church where the gospel is preached is the shepherds’ tent. The man who is preaching the gospel is one of Christ’s shepherds (Jeremiah 3:15). Find a man who is like Paul, “Determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified,” and you can safely feed by his tent. Those who are the true servants of Christ preach Christ, they preach all of Christ, and they preach nothing but Christ. Let others turn aside if they must to the empty cisterns of religious philosophy. We have found a refreshing fountain of life in Christ himself, and we have found rich pastures for our souls in these blessed doctrines of the gospel.

Song of Solomon 1:8-11

Christ’s estimate of his people Son 1:8-11“O thou fairest among women, …I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots. Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold. We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.” As we become increasingly aware of our personal sinfulness and corruption, as we are humbled by the depravity of our hearts, nothing is more comforting, cheerful, and reassuring to God’s saints in this world than the knowledge of the fact that in the eyes of Christ we stand perfect in the beauty of his righteousness, the beauty which he has put upon us. Indeed, all the spiritual goodness, beauty, and comeliness we have before God is that which Christ puts upon us! We are washed in his blood, robed in his righteousness, and created in his image. How blessed it is, when most keenly and painfully aware of the fact that in us, in our flesh dwelleth no good thing, to hear our Savior say, “Thy beauty is perfect through my comeliness, which I put upon thee” (Ezekiel 16:14). In its essence, that is what the Song of Solomon is all about. This blessed book is a song of love between Christ and his church. As we read the book, we who belong to Christ, we who are married to the Son of God ought to make it as personal as possible. Whenever the bride speaks, read it in the first person. Her words are the expressions of every believer’s heart. Whenever Solomon speaks to the bride, (Pharaoh’s daughter), read the words as the words of Christ speaking to you personally. All that he says to her shows the great love and high estimate Christ has for those who are chosen by him, washed in his blood and saved by his grace. Throughout this blessed love song, we see a constant fluctuation in the bride, but not in the bridegroom. She varies greatly. Sometimes her heart burns with love for him. Then it is as cold as ice. Sometimes she delights to have him lie between her breasts. Then she bolts the door of her heart against him. But his love for her never changes! Is that not the way things are with you? Does your heart not ache and pine for a closer walk with Christ? Does not your heart cry out with Cowper…

“Oh for a closer walk with God, A calm and heavenly frame; A Light to shine upon the road That leads me to the Lamb.

Where is the blessedness I knew When first I saw the Lord? Where is the soul-refreshing view Of Jesus in His Word?

What peaceful hours I then enjoyed, How sweet their memory still! But now I find an aching void The world can never fill.

Return, O holy Dove, return, Sweet Messenger of rest! I hate the sins that made Thee mourn And drove Thee from my breast. The record of our constant need The Song of Solomon is an inspired record of the constant languishings and revivings we experience in this world, the languishings of our hearts because of sin and the sweet revivings of our souls by our Savior’s unfailing grace. Son 1:1 – “The song of songs, which is Solomon’s.” What a proper, fitting, appropriate title that is for this book. Solomon means peaceful. He represents Christ, the Prince of Peace, our beloved, all-glorious Savior. This is not just a Song. It is called “The Song Of Songs.” There are many songs recorded in the pages of Holy Scripture. Moses, Aaron and Miriam, Deborah, Hannah and David all sang songs, great and good songs unto the Lord. But this is called “The Song of Songs.” All those other songs were songs of battles fought and victories won, trials endured and triumphs experienced. But this is purely a song of love. It is Solomon’s Song and it is all about Solomon. That is to say, it is Christ’s song and it is all about Christ and his great love for us. Son 1:2-4 – “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. Draw me, we will run after thee: 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.” These verses express the ardent desires of the believer’s languishing heart for fresh discoveries of Christ’s love and fresh sweet tokens of it from the kisses of his mouth. Son 1:5-6 – “I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother’s children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.” Believers frankly and honestly confess their sin, the blackness of their hearts, their natures, and their lives. Yet, in the teeth of our sin, we look to Christ and claim the beauty that he has given us by grace. In our many trials and afflictions, we are often careless and fail to keep our own vineyards. Every heaven born soul knows and freely confesses his sin (1 John 1:9). Son 1:7 – “Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?” Here is an ardent expression of love for Christ, followed by an earnest prayer for guidance and grace. While we live in this world, we seek to follow Christ and feed at his table. But there are many false prophets and apostate churches, all claiming to be his companions. Therefore, we constantly look to our beloved Lord to direct our steps and keep us in the footsteps of his flock. Son 1:8-11 – “If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents. I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots. Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold. We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.” This is our Savior’s response to the confession of his beloved bride, telling us where he feeds his flock and makes them rest. This is what the Lord Jesus Christ thinks of his people. A reminder of our ignorance The bride asked her beloved where he feeds his flock, where he makes his flock to rest at noon. In our text he replies to his beloved Bride, reminding her of her ignorance. The phrase, “If thou know not,” would be better translated, “Since you do not know.” The question asked in verse seven was an acknowledgment of ignorance. This reminder of the fact of our ignorance in all things spiritual is given not to discourage us, but to remind us that we must never cease looking to him for guidance and direction. Particularly, he is reminding us that though we know something of our sinfulness, the corruption and deceitfulness of our hearts, we really have no idea just how corrupt and deceitful our hearts are. We know we are weak; but we do not really have any idea just how weak. We must ever look to him for strength to resist temptation, trust him, obey him, and walk in his way. Instructions for where to find him Here is his word of instruction for our hearts.—“Go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents.” Here we are told where to find our Lord, where to find food and rest and refreshment for our souls. If we would find Christ, we will find him in the way of the holy prophets, in the way of the patriarchs, and in the way of the apostles. Only as we follow the footsteps of the flock and feed by the tents of his shepherds, will we find him. “The footsteps of the flock” are the paths in which God’s people have always walked. They are the paths of the Lord’s sheep. They are not hard to find. They are plain and clear. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob walked in these paths. These are the paths of David, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. Peter, James, John, and Paul followed these paths. Let us walk in them, too. They are the paths of faith and trust, of submission and obedience, of righteousness and godliness, of love and kindness, and the old paths of doctrinal truth (Jeremiah 6:16). Who are these shepherds, by whose tents we must feed? There are many who set themselves up as shepherds, who would feed their followers in poisonous pastures of free will, works religion. Keep away from them. Find a man who is preaching the gospel of God’s free and sovereign grace in Christ, and feed by his tent. Only that church where the gospel is preached is the shepherds’ tent. Only that man who is preaching the gospel is one of Christ’s shepherds (Jeremiah 3:15). Find a man who is like Paul, “Determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified,” and you can safely feed by his tent. Those who are the true servants of Christ preach Christ, they preach all of Christ, and they preach nothing but Christ. The shepherds spoken of here are faithful gospel preachers, men appointed and called of God to be undershepherds to Christ. The shepherds tents are the churches pastored by God’s faithful servants. As shepherds in ancient times pitched their tents in the wilderness where they led their flocks, so God’s servants establish gospel churches in the wilderness of this world for the feeding of Christ’s flock. “Feed thy kids beside the shepherds tents.”—We are here directed to feed our kids by the shepherds’ tents, and nowhere else. The word “kids” does not to refer to our physical children, though there is certainly an application to them. We are responsible to see to it that our children hear the Word of God faithfully preached. If you feed them upon the husks of free will, works religion you will be responsible for their eternal ruin. However, the word “kids” is used here in reference to young converts, weak in faith and knowledge. They often think they know much and are strong; but that is not usually the case. Like young lambs, young believers are often a bit wild and rowdy, and have an offensive smell. But it is the “kids” (lambs) of the flock who need our special care and patience. Christ’s estimate of his people Here is Christ’s estimate of his people. First, our Savior tells us how beautiful his people are in his eyes.—“O thou fairest among women” (vv.8-10). In our own eyes, and in the eyes of others, we are black and scornful. But in his eyes we are fair and comely. I would rather trust his eyes than my eyes. If my eyes tell me that I am black, I will weep. But if he assures me that I am fair in his eyes, I will believe him and rejoice. This is our Redeemer’s declaration to every believing sinner.—“I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots. Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold.” The Son of God, our Mediator, sees us in the beauty of his own imputed righteousness and declares that we are perfectly beautiful. Yes, this is how we shall be when he gets done with us and presents us before the Father’s throne (Ephesians 5:25-27); but that is not what is spoken of here. Here our great God and Savior is declaring what we are at this very moment in his eyes. This is no exaggeration, but a statement of fact (Ezekiel 16:13-14). We are perfectly beautiful and gloriously complete, so much so that we may confidently exclaim, “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect?”

“In thy Surety thou art free. His dear hands were pierced for thee: With his spotless garments on, We’re as holy as God’s own Son!”

In this passage (Son 1:9-11), our Lord uses a well-known picture of royal beauty to typify the beauty of his people in him. He compares us to a company of horses in Pharaoh’s chariots (Beautiful, Chosen, Costly, Strong). Then, he shows how he has adorned us by his grace, with rows of jewels (The graces of the Holy Spirit—Galatians 5:22) and chains of gold (The blessings of grace in him—Ephesians 1:3-14). In Son 1:11, our beloved Savior tells us what will yet be done for us.—“We” (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit), “We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.” This is a symbolic picture of the heavenly Jerusalem and our everlasting glory in heaven (Isaiah 54:11-12; Revelation 21:18-21, cf Ephesians 5:25-27; Jude 1:24-25). Let us never forget our personal weakness, ignorance, and sin. May God graciously cause us ever to look to Christ alone for strength, grace, and cleansing. Let us resolve, by God’s grace, ever to be found walking in the footsteps of the flock, feeding by the shepherds’tents, as long as we are in this world. Let us always take special care to watch out and care for our younger brothers and sisters in the kingdom of God. Let us now remember what great things the Lord has done for us. Let us ever live in the anticipation of that glory which awaits us.

Song of Solomon 1:12-17

Sitting with the King at his table Son 1:12-17“While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof. A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts. My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi. Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes. Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green. The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.” Do you know this King? Is Jesus Christ your Lord, your Savior, your King? Do you know the sweet taste of his saving grace? Have you experienced the blessedness of sins forgiven? Do you trust Christ? Are you washed in his blood, robed in his righteousness, and born of his Spirit? If you are, if you are a sinner saved by the grace of God, saved through the blood of Christ, saved by the power of his Spirit, I am certain that your very soul longs, thirsts, pants, and hungers for him, like a love sick young bride longs, thirsts, pants, and hungers for her husband. You want nothing like you want the embrace of his arms and the kisses of his mouth. That which we need and, I trust, desire above all things is communion with our all-glorious Christ.The object of public worship The object of public worship is that we may meet with and worship the Lord Jesus Christ, that we may sit with him at his table, have communion with him, and be fed by him. It is the presence of Christ which gives life and meaning to our worship. Our gatherings for worship without the fellowship of Christ are dreary business. It is like a brook without water, a cloud without rain, a sky without a sun, a night without a star. We need Christ! Without him all is vain!

The doctrine of Christ without the presence of Christ is a lifeless corpse. The ordinances of Christ without the presence of Christ are meaningless rituals. Our songs of praise without the presence of Christ are but sorrowful groans. The Word of God without the presence of Christ is a sealed Book. The preaching of the gospel without the presence of Christ is only an exercise in futility.We must have Christ, or we have nothing! We cannot live without him.

Without him we have no light. Without him we have no comfort. Without him we have no strength. Without him we are nothing. Without him we can do nothing. We have before us a picture of King Jesus sitting at his table, a table spread with the rich morsels of the gospel, manifesting himself to his people. We have here a picture of communion and fellowship with Christ himself. Nothing so precious There is nothing so precious to the true believer as Christ himself (Son 1:12-14). Here, the bride speaks about her Beloved. — “While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof. A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts. My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.” What a picture this is! The King is sitting at his table in his palace with his beloved Bride. She is so overcome by his beauty and goodness that her heart must speak. In tender affection she tells him how precious he is to her. The picture, of course, is of our Lord Jesus Christ, sitting in the midst of his church in precious fellowship. Truly, our meetings are blessed when he meets with us. The gospel is truly a feast for our souls when he spreads the table. Christ is precious to believing hearts; and he is never more precious than at those times when he reveals and manifests himself in sweet, intimate, and real fellowship with his people (1 Peter 2:7). Here is the Lord Jesus Christ, the King (Our King!), revealing himself in the blessedness of fellowship with his people (Son 1:12). – “While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.” This is the thing we most greatly desire at all times when we come together for worship. If Christ meets with us, all is well. It matters not where we meet, or even how many of us there are. If Christ is present, we have all that our hearts can desire. All true believers reverence Christ as their sovereign King, bowing to him with willing, loving hearts. What bride would object to her loving and beloved husband being her king? Christ the King has his royal table spread in the gospel. The gospel of the grace of God is a feast of fat things prepared for all nations. It is a table furnished, by which the souls of men are fed. Our Lord has promised to be present with two or three who gather in his name. He comes, by his Spirit through the ministry of his Word, to sup with us, and he allows us to sup with him. When Christ himself meets with us, our meetings are truly blessed, because his presence draws out the grace he has created in our hearts. That is what is meant by the words, “My spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.” As Mary broke open the box of precious spikenard and the sweet fragrance of it filled the room, so when the Lord Jesus meets with his people in the house of God, as the preacher breaks open the Word, the sweet fragrance of Christ crucified fills the room (John 12:1-3). When he withdraws and hides himself from us our spirits languish like tender plants in the hot sun. But when our Lord reveals himself our souls are renewed and made fruitful. Nothing gives believing souls so much joy and satisfaction as fellowship with Christ. The children of God are not morbid people. We know how to enjoy the good things of life. But the greatest joys known to men in this world are mixed with a measure of bitterness and sorrow. The blessed fellowship of Christ is pure joy. There are no bitter dregs in this sweet wine. A bundle of myrrh The Lord Jesus Christ is unutterably precious to every believer (Son 1:13-14). — “A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts. My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.” Here we have a picture of our Lord’s beauty, his value, and his love to a believing soul. The language is the language of intimate love. It is altogether spiritual. Christ is well beloved, the choice object of our hearts’ affections. He is not merely beloved, but “well-beloved.” He is chosen and preferred above all others. In our innermost souls his is uppermost. None can rival him. None can be compared with him. The Lord Jesus is like a bundle of myrrh to us. Myrrh was a very costly and rare plant, greatly valued in ancient times for many reasons. It serves very well as a picture of Christ in this passage. Here are five ways in which myrrh fitly represents our Savior… First, Christ may be compared to myrrh, because of its preciousness. It was a very expensive thing. It is always represented in Scripture as being rare and costly. Jacob sent some myrrh down into Egypt as a choice gift. But no myrrh could ever compare with our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the precious gift of God to us. When God gave us his Son, he gave us his all. What a precious gift Christ is to us! “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!” Second, Christ may be compared to myrrh, because it was a very pleasant perfume. It was sweet to the smell. In the Old Testament, myrrh was mingled with the sacrifices, so that when the fat of the kidneys of rams and beasts were burned, the smoke that ascended up to heaven had the sweet fragrance of myrrh. Do you see the picture? That which makes us acceptable to God is the sweet perfume of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5). We are “accepted in the Beloved.” (2 Corinthians 2:15-16; Philippians 4:18; Malachi 1:11). Third, Christ may be compared to myrrh, because it was a preservative. The Egyptians used myrrh to embalm the dead. Nicodemus and those holy women who came to bury the Savior brought myrrh and aloes to wrap his body. Myrrh was used to prevent decay and corruption. Even so, Christ, like a bundle of myrrh, preserves us. Fourth, Christ may be compared to myrrh, because it was used for purification. In ancient times people thought that myrrh had certain medicinal qualities. In times of pestilence and plague they would carry a little bag of myrrh around their necks, hanging between their breasts, to serve as a disinfectant. They were not correct in their ideas. But this is certain: — The Lord Jesus Christ has infinitely great medicinal value for our souls. His name is “Jehovah-rophi..” He declares, “I am the Lord that healeth thee.” He heals the hearts of chosen sinners of the deadly plague of sin. He makes every believer pure and perfect before God. Fifth, Christ may be compared to myrrh, because women in ancient times used it as a beautifier. Before Esther was presented to Ahasuerus she prepared herself with myrrh. Oriental women thought that myrrh would remove wrinkles and soften the skin. I have no knowledge about such things. But I do know that nothing makes a believer beautiful except Christ. He removes every spot and blemish and wrinkle from all his people (Ephesians 5:25-27). Women in ancient times would very carefully take precious, costly, rare sprigs of myrrh, tie them together, and hang them in a bag between their breasts for all of these reasons. And for all of these reasons, we will cling to Christ. His presence, his fellowship is like a bundle of myrrh between our breasts. When we have him all is well. Child of God, cling to Christ. Keep him near you. Bind him to your heart. “He shall lie all night between my breasts.” This is an expression of intense desire. These are the words of confident faith. He said he would! This is a firm resolve. Throughout the long night of my pilgrimage through this world, I want his fellowship. If Christ will be with me, I want no more! “He shall lie all night between my breasts.” A cluster of camphire Christ is our only acceptance before God (Son 1:14). — “My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.” The word translated “camphire” is most commonly translated “atonement,” “covering,” or “propitiation.” The Lord Jesus Christ is a cluster of merit and righteousness to all believers. He is precious to us, because he is our propitiation before God. I do not suggest that Christ is so fully precious to all people. He is not. Multitudes see nothing in him. But, no matter what he is or is not to another, every heaven born soul speaks like this about Christ. — “My Beloved is unto me all that is needful, all that is lovely, all that is precious. He loved me and gave himself for me. He is my Lord and my God.”—“Unto you therefore which believe, he is precious!” Nothing so precious to Christ As there is nothing in all the world so precious to the believer as Christ, so nothing in all the world is so precious to the Lord Jesus Christ as his church (Son 1:15). Here the Lord Jesus speaks to us about us. — “Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes.” So precious are the chosen to the Lord God that he will sacrifice nations for them (Isaiah 43:4). It is one thing for us to speak of Christ with great delight and satisfaction. But here is something that would be utterly unbelievable, were it not written in the Book of God. — The Son of God, our all-glorious Christ, speaks of all who are united to him by faith, with delight and satisfaction! Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ has great delight in his church. Every true believer is beautiful in his eyes! — “Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair: thou hast dove’s eyes.” In his eyes we are perfectly beautiful! There is no cause for pride, or for arrogance on our part. We have no beauty of our own. But his beauty is upon us, and he delights in that which he has made us to be in himself. The beauty Christ beholds in us is the real beauty of all true believers. Yet, the only beauty Christ looks upon with delight is the beauty he has created. We must never cease to be humbled by our own blackness, and never cease to rejoice in the beauty which Christ has given us. The Son of God looks upon us as we really are in him (1 Corinthians 1:30; 1 Corinthians 6:11). And he looks upon us as we shall one day be (Ephesians 5:27). Our Lord also here assures us of his special, peculiar love for us — “My love.” The Lord Jesus Christ holds his own elect near to his heart as the objects of his special love and favor. He speaks not to the world, but to his own chosen and beloved companion, his bride, his church, when he says, “My love.” The love of Christ for our souls truly is special. It is a sovereign, selective, sacrificial, saving, and satisfying love, and more. Christ’s love for his own is an immutable, indestructible, everlasting love! The one aspect of beauty, which our Lord mentions is that his people have the eyes of a dove. They have eyes that are enlightened and guided by the Dove of heaven, God the Holy Spirit. They have eyes that are loyal and faithful — Eyes for Christ alone. They have weeping eyes that mourn as a dove (Ezekiel 7:16). Blessed pleasantness When the Lord Jesus makes himself known to us and reveals his love to our hearts, all is pleasant (Son 1:16-17). — “Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green. The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.” It is really impossible for me to say who is speaking here, Christ or the bride; but it really makes no difference. The message is the same whether coming from the bride or the Bridegroom. Yet, recognizing his beauty, and recognizing that whatever beauty we may have he has given us, we would turn all attention and praise to our beloved Lord. He is fair in himself. We are fair only in him. Our marriage to Christ is a blessed, happy, fruitful union (Romans 7:4). “Our bed is green.” Our union with Christ is a firm and lasting union. “The beams of our house are cedar.” It is both an ancient and durable union, a union which shall never be broken. And our fellowship with Christ is most delightful - “Our rafters of fir.” The word “rafters” literally means “galleries” or “balconies,” the porches that extend out from the bedroom, where the bride and groom sit and walk together in intimate fellowship. These galleries were made of fir, a fragrant and durable wood. Perhaps, these galleries have reference to the Word of God and the ordinances of divine worship in the assembly of the saints. Perhaps, they refer to our times of private prayer, worship, and meditation. Perhaps, they refer to all the blessed doctrines of the gospel and all the blessings the grace of God revealed in it. The galleries, wherein we walk with our Savior in sweet, intimate communion, include all these and more. They are all those things wherein the Son of God makes himself known to our hearts, all those things which cause our hearts to say with Peter, “He is precious!”