Song of Solomon 1:1 The song of songs, which is Solomon’s.
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.
3 Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.
4 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.
5 I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.
6 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.
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?
The Bible teaches us that God is good and knowing Him is the best thing that man could ever do. The devil tries to interfere with the truth and tries to make God out to be a strict, spoil-sport who wants man to be miserable. In our time, New Evangelicalism has taken the devil’s message, with his blessing, tried to show that the devil’s way is the good way and God’s way is bad and must be rejected.
In the Song of Solomon God used the example of a Biblical marriage to describe the beautiful relationship that a person can have with God if saved. That is the only way to enjoy His blessings.
Verse 1 tells us that king Solomon is the writer of this book. God is the Author of all Scripture. Based on the context of this book, God likely directed Solomon to write it during his early years as king. His latter years were filled with trouble due to his rejection of God’s way and his choosing to be driven by lust, rather than a beautiful loving relationship.
We need to remember that God met with king Solomon early in his reign and asked him what he wanted. Solomon was young and understood he was not capable of leading this great nation. He demonstrated a wisdom at that time that his son Rehoboam did not have. Solomon acknowledged his need to God and asked for wisdom. God granted him wisdom like no one else had. In that wisdom he was tasked with writing this book. There are lessons in this book that speak to all people. The Bible is clear that there are promises that God made to the Jews that are only for the Jews. However, when it comes to a vital, living relationship with God, there are no boundaries. Whether Jew or Gentile, all can be saved and all can enjoy the blessings of salvation. This book shows us the blessings of God’s salvation and the relationship that builds out of that blessing.
A true Biblical marriage involves intimacy at different levels. In this book Solomon is depicted as a type of Jesus Christ and the bride is depicted as a type of the true saints that were in Israel and now in true churches. It is not about “replacement theology” but about God’s design for man since the creation of man. The Bible makes it clear that Israel will be the central focus of the Millennium and they will enjoy the blessings described in this book at that time.
Kissing is depicted here as an evidence of true love. Kissing requires a closeness, and intimacy with the other person. That intimacy is lost when we start kissing just for fun.
In our text it is taught that kissing is an expression of love. God stated that this kissing is better than wine. The sloppy way of looking at this is that God was promoting alcoholic drink and that kissing was to be preferred to getting drunk.
In the Bible the word “wine” is a generic word that can speak of alcoholic wine and can also refer to a pure, sweet, natural grape juice. The Jews were taught by God how to make this “wine”. Apparently there are Jews who still know how to make this wine today.
The Bible makes it clear that alcoholic drink is a poison that is ruinous even in small amounts. People have argued that but God does not lie. He knows far better than any person ever can.
In verse 3 this lover is referred to a good ointment. This ointment is referred to the name of Solomon/Christ. This ointment is plentiful. It is poured out. It is so good that the virgins love, not the ointment, but the person. A Biblical virgin is a woman that is pure. She has not been defiled by a man. She does not lust after men. She is not interested in selling herself as the strange woman described in Proverbs. A virgin is an unspoiled woman who is “smitten” by the man whom God leads her to. Israel was to be smitten with the love of God. The New Testament Christian is to be smitten by the love that God/Christ has for His bride. The love that God gives to a young couple that is entering into a pure marriage relationship is a wonderful thing. Today many are rejecting that and choosing to just try one another out and maybe it will last and maybe not. They act as though true intimacy is not that important. The result is a broken society that cannot appreciate the good things in life.
In verse 4 the bride is inviting the groom to draw her into his presence. She is ready to run after Him. The word “we” does not suggest multiple marriages which later defined king Solomon. In the lead up to a wedding there are bridesmaids/attendants. They are there to assist the bride in her preparations and up to the time of the consummation of the marriage. Those attendants will notice the tender love that is already there between the bridegroom and the bride.
Again we are shown the contrast between wine and the love of this lover. Notice it is the upright that love this bridegroom.
The Hebrew word translated as “upright” means “evenness”, “straightness”. Only those who are right with God can fit this description. As we have mentioned this book has reference to the true local church and the welcome we will receive in heaven as described in Revelation 19:7-9.
This book describes the blessed relationship a true child of God will have with his loving and gracious heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
In verse 5 we are told that the bride is black. We know that Solomon’s first wife was an Egyptian. We also know that skin colour is not limited to a certain region of the world. God shows us here that blackness does not mean closer to an animal. This bride is comely. The only real difference between a black woman and a Caucasian woman is the skin colour. They can be just as caring and sweet and all the rest of it. I do not need to speak from experience here. We have a Bible and God tells us this. The point here is not about skin colour as something to be avoided or shunned. The point is in the relationship this bride has with her bridegroom. The daughters of Jerusalem needed to accept this woman. She was like the tents of Kedar, or as the curtains of Solomon. The picture here is of the true church founded by a Jewish “Bridegroom”, but made up primarily of saved Gentiles. The reason for this is the long term rejection of the Jews for the true God and Shepherd of the sheep. During Christ’s first coming, the majority of the Jews despised Jesus. They went so far as to express their loyalty to the pagan king of Rome and rejected Jesus outright.
Not only was Jesus rejected, but His true followers were rejected. The apostles were imprisoned, beaten, stoned, etc. by unbelieving Jews. They wanted nothing to do with them.
It is clear from verse 6 that this blackness of this bride is unique in Israel. It is not the normal appearance. So too, true saints are in a minority. That has always been true and will always be true on this earth.
We see in verse 6 that even the immediate family of this black woman did not appreciate her. They wanted her to be the lesser person who would look after the vineyard. They did not approve of her being chosen as the bride in this context. This is again a true picture of the relationship between those who are truly saved and those who are not. Even in a family, there will be a division between the saved and the unsaved. The unsaved might tolerate the saved, but they do not want to hear of the blessing of knowing the God of the saved person. They reject the sweetness that only God can provide. They want that without turning to God.
In verse 7 the bridegroom turns his attention to the bride. He wants to know all about her. That is the case in a true relationship. Of course in the spiritual relationship between Christ and His bride, He knows all about us. Yet we know that the Bible teaches us the importance of prayer and the many aspects to Biblical prayer. Even though God knows all about us, He still teaches us the importance of making our requests known unto Him and of that sweet fellowship that He provides through the new birth. Jesus Christ is the key to a Godly relationship. Without God’s salvation people just fumble their way through life. They might make money and they might travel and see things. However, there is a key element in their lives they can never fill. When they hear truth, it triggers resentment and animosity. They would rather avoid that, than to submit to it. Occasionally a person will be broken and cry out for that blessing only God can provide. God is gracious and He grants that blessing to all who will come to Him in humility and trust in His provision through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
God shows us that it is a blessing reserved to the righteous, to have this intimate relationship with Him through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who have this intimate relationship have nothing to be ashamed of. They will be slandered and despised but they will find comfort and hope in their loving and eternal Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Pastor Bartel
