Song of Solomon 4:8 Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards.
9 Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.
10 How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!
11 Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.
12 A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
13 Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,
14 Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices:
15 A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.
Another tragic event took place in Australia over the weekend. A father and son decided to murder some Jews. Fifteen Jews were murdered and more were injured. This is the beginning of Hanukkah. Hanukkah is the festival of lights for the Jews. It is sad that people want to find any way possible to attack Jews during their festivals.
In our text, Solomon was inviting his bride to come away from Lebanon with him. Amana was a mountain in that area. Shenir is the Amorite word for Hermon. Hermon is the tallest mountain in that region. Solomon was inviting his bride to come and travel with him.
Solomon was smitten with his bride. She was all he needed. She was not an abrasive, stubborn woman. She understood her place as the help meet for the man. It was easy for him to embrace her fully. Solomon was completely taken in by her.
Jesus Christ invites us to come away with Him. He invited the disciples to come follow Him. He had a plan, a right plan. He would make them fishers of men. Jesus never leads anyone into the abyss. His way is good and it is right.
In verse 10 Solomon continued to speak of the beauty of her love. In a godly marriage, there is no withholding of love for one another. A true marriage is not a competition and it is not where one person uses their body as a weapon against the other. Again Solomon contrasts her love as better than wine. Again, God is not talking about alcoholic wine. God is talking about the sweet, pure taste of good grape juice. As we mentioned before, God showed the Jews how to crush the grapes and get the best of the juice out of them. Well prepared grape juice is very tasty. I do not believe we have access to the high quality grape juice that the Jews know how to produce.
In verse 11 Solomon spoke of the lips of his bride. A honeycomb is very tasty; for me at least. I can remember having a honeycomb as a child. It tasted much better to me than honey from a jar. It was special. God directed Solomon to use these common illustrations to speak of his bride.
There is a reason why this intimate kissing is to be reserved for the married couple. There is an excitement that is awakened through the kissing that is spoken of here. Again, in spite of what some people want to believe, this book is not a pornographic book. God is addressing His design in marriage. It is a pure, blessed thing that is not a one night stand or a one month event. It is a lifelong commitment that is based on mutual trust and genuine care for one another. It is not an experiment. It is a commitment for life.
God further spoke of the raiment of the bride. The ointment she used also had a very good aroma.
Again these are all illustrations to point to the relationship that Jesus Christ has with His bride, the true church. There is a sweet relationship that the saved have with the Lord Jesus Christ.
In verse 12 he spoke of a garden. A garden with plants like orchards is also very pleasing. I grew up in an area where there were peach orchards and apple orchards. There were also pear trees. All of that was very inviting during the harvest season. A peach straight off the tree is very juicy and very flavourful. The same is true for apples and pears. The fruit you purchase in the store is not like that fresh fruit.
Solomon was directed by God to use these examples to describe the relationship he had with his bride. In the greater context, it speaks of the relationship between Jesus Christ and His bride, the true local church.
It is a shame that so many try to avoid this beautiful relationship. They too, do not have the relationship in their marriage that God describes here. It takes a surrendered child of God to know the blessings of the Lord. Those blessings cannot be manufactured. They are real when the heart is right with God.
Be sure your heart is right with the Lord. You do not need to settle for a lacklustre relationship. You can have a beautiful relationship with your spouse and more importantly, you can have a vibrant relationship with the Lord if you know Him as your personal Saviour and Lord. Be sure the church you are attending is teaching the Word of God in truth. Don’t settle for story time and empty traditions. Examine what is being taught in the light of God’s Word. Be sure to ask God to open your eyes to the truth. It is common to read the Bible through the tainted eyes of man’s traditions. We miss the truth because we have a pre-conceived idea in our heads.
II Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
6 And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.
As mentioned in our opening remarks, there is a great need for truth today. The senseless killings that took place in Australia, in Syria, and in Brown University, just this weekend remind us of the darkness that many are living in. The hope of man is found in knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. He will bless those who truly know Him in a very meaningful way.
Pastor Bartel
