Song of Solomon 5:10 My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.
11 His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven.
12 His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set.
13 His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.
14 His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires.
15 His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.
16 His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
Truth is a beautiful thing. There is no substitute for Truth. We live in a time when Truth is being attacked as never before.
Isaiah 59:14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.
The few of us that know the Truth need to pray for boldness. It is not uncommon to be attacked for speaking the Truth. The apostle Paul warned:
II Corinthians 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
The key for those of us who are saved, is that “we preach not ourselves”. It is not about us. It is about Jesus Christ. In the Song of Solomon, we have a groom and we have a bride. We see the bride exalting her groom in an amazing way. She thinks the world of him. She wants to be with him. She knows of no better man than him.
God chose Solomon to write the words of this book. God calls the writers of Scripture “holy men of God”. God points out some of the sins of Solomon, but He still called him a holy man of God. There are things about Solomon that we do not know. What we do know is that Solomon was a “type” of Jesus Christ. He was not Jesus Christ. EVERY TRUE CHRISTIAN NEEDS TO BE REMINDED THAT OUR EXAMPLE, OUR SAVIOUR, OUR LORD, IS THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. Every true born again Christian needs to seek to draw closer to the Lord on a daily basis, but we will never be Jesus. We need to point people to the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who truly know Him will agree with the words of the bride in this book. They will see Jesus Christ as the ultimate prize. They will want to improve on exalting Him and not throwing mud at Him.
I wish that more people would get past themselves and the offence they take to the Truth. When you shut yourself off from exposure to the Truth, you have nothing. Your opinions do not matter. Neither do mine. The Truth is what matters.
In our text, we learned earlier that the bride was black. We know that Solomon’s first wife was from Egypt. They are generally darker skinned than the Jews. Now we read that Solomon was white. He was of fairer complexion than she was. We see here that there is no problem with the difference in skin colour. There was a love between those two people that was unique. It was a love that man cannot manufacture. It has to come from God. God seldom makes reference to the skin colour of the person. The word “ruddy” is a reference to redness. This could describe rosy cheeks.
In the bride’s eyes, he was chiefest among ten thousand. He was the king. However, this was more than just that he was the king. To her, he was all that mattered. She was not looking for a second man. She had her man and she wanted all of him. This is a picture of a godly marriage. The husband is all the wife needs, and the wife is all the husband needs. Years ago, soap operas were quite popular in some circles. I do not know if they are today or not. There are many things that will encourage lust. Of course the sinful heart is open to lust. Obviously Solomon had a problem with that. This bride, it seems would not have been happy with his many wives. She wanted him for herself. That is the way it should be. A wife should not need to share her husband with another woman. A husband should not need to share his wife with another man.
Mormons teach polygamy as do Muslims. Hollywood is known for teaching infidelity. Then there are also the many men who lust after the strange woman. If you want a blessed marriage, you need to be saved first of all and then be led by God to your spouse and then you will be content to dwell with that person for life! That is God’s design.
In verse 11 we read further of her description of her groom. He had a shiny head and it seems he had curly black hair.
Verses 12-13 continue to describe the head and facial features of her groom. She is pleased with what she has. God will help you to train your eyes to the spouse you have. When a person is looking for a spouse, outward appearance is only a small part of the whole package. Of course God knows we are attracted to beauty. We also know that beauty is defined differently by different people. When you settle on your spouse, you need to settle for more than just outward appearance.
As a person gets older, their nice dark hair may turn grey. You do not need hair colouring to try to keep the same colour. Wrinkles will set in and that smooth face may not be so smooth anymore. Things change as we get older.
In verse 14 she noticed his hands and his belly. In verse 15 she spoke of his legs and his countenance. Everything she sees in him is pleasing to her. She is not looking to change his looks. She will have an effect on his character as they live and grow together. That is the natural outflow of a godly marriage.
God brings couples together that can compliment one another as they live together.
In verse 16 she speaks of his mouth and that he is altogether lovely. That is the way a bride should look at her husband. She tells the daughters of Jerusalem that this is her beloved. He is not to be shared with others. She also stated that he was her friend. It is important that a couple can be friends. They need to build a trust in each other. A husband and wife should be able to share their feelings and cares with one another and they should be able to trust that things will be kept in confidence. It is very important that each one in the relationship can trust the other. The goal is not to make the other ashamed, but to protect each other and build a sweet and loving and caring relationship.
This is the relationship that Jesus Christ has with His body, the true church. He is sweet above all else. He knows every need His child has. He knows how to supply every need. Even in times of physical weakness, He is there to comfort and encourage the true saint.
I have found the Lord to be all I need as I have come through my recent surgery and now in the recovery stage. I have always been a very active person, but that has changed. Because I am learning how to trust the Lord more and more, I can be content with where things currently stand. Of course, my wife is a big help to me. God has blessed me and us in bringing us together.
Being frustrated and anxious will not make things better, it will just make things worse for me and for my wife. Thus we need to adjust to our current situation and God helps us to do that. He is working in me that which is well pleasing in His sight. All glory belongs to the True God and Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Pastor Bartel
