Song of Solomon 6:4 Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.
5 Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.
6 Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.
7 As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.
8 There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.
9 My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.
10 Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?
11 I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded.
12 Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib.
13 Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.
In this text the groom is speaking about his bride. He begins by calling her beautiful. He uses metaphors that we might never think of using to describe our bride. The name Tirzah means “favourable”. The name was that given to the youngest of the five daughters of Zelophehad. It was also the name of a city in Israel.
Solomon also described his bride as being comely as Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the capital city of Israel and it displayed the wealth and strength of Israel in the time of king Solomon. It was a well protected city and it was where the Temple was located, as well as the king’s palace.
To a man, a well dressed and equipped army is something to admire. A well prepared army is a safety feature that is important to any city and country. A country that does not have a well equipped army is not able to defend itself. Sadly, that is where Canada finds itself today. Our country is too busy chasing after the hoax of climate change, and wasted too much money on the Wuhan virus hoax and does not have the money to properly equip our army. We are under threats right now, but they are from within and our leaders are oblivious to the threat.
In verse 5 Solomon wrote of the power of her eyes. A woman can give a message with her eyes. She can use them to flirt with a man or she can use them to speak of her care for a man. As a bride, this woman would not be flirting with Solomon. She would be expressing her great love for him. He found this love overwhelming. He was not prepared for the love she was willing to not just speak of, but actually demonstrate to him.
Her hair was like a flock of goats. Again, this is an illustration we would not use today, but it speaks of the beauty of her hair. A man is to be the provider of the family, and thus a good flock of goats would speak of the potential for an income to feed his family. Her hair was not for sale, but it spoke to the health of her body.
In verse 6 he further describes his bride. Her teeth were as a flock of sheep. Generally sheep were white and a nice flock of sheep was appealing. People could see that the man was a good farmer if he had a good flock of sheep. Solomon saw his bride’s teeth as well set and white. Everything that Solomon saw in his wife was very appealing to him.
In verse 7 he spoke of her temples being as a piece of a pomegranate. Pomegranates are not that well known in Canada among some people. It was a common fruit in Israel. Again, Solomon is speaking of the pleasant nature even of the appearance of his bride. The groom should see his bride as the most beautiful woman around. He does not need to compare her to other women. He is pleased with all that he sees in her. We have noted before that true beauty is more than just outward appearance. Women in Bible times knew how to manipulate their looks with different forms of makeup just as many women do today. A godly woman does not need to paint herself up. She is not out to compete with other women. She has a husband and she is only needs to look good for him. He is a godly man who wants to see the real woman, not a made up woman.
In verses 8-10 Solomon refers to his wife as of greater importance to him than the threescore queens and the fourscore concubines and the many virgins that were around him. That was the case for Solomon at this time. We know things did not remain that way for him. He allowed his eyes to wander and he had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. He lost out on many blessings because of his undisciplined lifestyle. Just because he had the power to take many wives, did not mean he should do so.
In verses 11-12 Solomon went down to his garden to check on some of the fruits of the garden. He had a good garden; however, he also knew he had a bride that was better than this garden. He would rather spend time with his bride than in his garden. He found more satisfaction with her than with his garden. Again we are reminded that life is about much more than material things. A right relationship between a man and his wife is far more important than all the wealth in the world. You cannot buy happiness and contentment. That is a gift that God gives to those who know Him.
In verse 13 the daughters of Jerusalem chime in once again. They have been observing Solomon and his bride and they see them as two armies that are in full agreement with each other. They are not opposing armies, but rather they are a company of two armies.
There is a difference between the man and the woman but the difference is not conflicting. The differences were complimentary.
So it is in a true church. There are differences between members of a true church, but those differences are not conflicts of doctrine. They are differences that do not interfere with the unity that is found in Christ. That is important for us to understand. Unity is not something that is an abstract thing. Biblical unity is found in humbly submitting to the absolute authority of the true God and of accepting the leadership of the Lord Jesus Christ in the local church. We need that unity in our lives. The world needs to see the purity in unity in a true church. We do not hold our noses and try to tolerate one another. We work together to encourage one another to grow in the Lord. As we do that we will develop more of the mind of Christ.
Philippians 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Pastor Bartel
