Let Me Tell You About My Beloved

What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us? My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. the chiefest...: Heb. a standard-bearer His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven. bushy...: or, curled His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set. fitly...: Heb sitting in fulnesse, that is fitly placed, and set as a precious stone in the foile of a ring fitly...: Heb. sitting in fulness, that is, fitly placed, and set as a precious stone in the foil of a ring His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh. sweet flowers...: or, towers of perfumes His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires. His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. mouth...: Heb. palate - Song of Solomon 5:9-16

    “What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us? My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand. His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven. His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set. His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh. His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires. His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.”

    Let me tell you about my Beloved. His name is Jesus Christ, the Lord. He is my Savior, my Redeemer, my Prophet, my Priest, my King, and my All. He is my Lord; and he is my God. But he is more —Jesus Christ is the Beloved One of my heart and the Friend of my soul. He is “the chiefest among ten thousand,” and “he is altogether lovely.”

    Has God the Holy Spirit has created in your heart a desire to know him. This is the thing that matters. Christ is the one thing needful. It is not enough that we know about Christ. We must know Christ. It is not enough that we know the doctrine of Christ. We must know Christ himself. It is not enough that we merely know about Christ crucified on the tree, we must know the crucified Christ in our hearts. To that end, let me tell you about him. All beauty, excellence, and perfection, divine and human, dwells in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the perfect God and the perfect man. All that our souls need and all that will satisfy our hearts is found in Christ in infinite abundance.

    The context

    In verse 2-8 the Lord came to bless his church (his bride, his beloved) with his presence, his fellowship, and his communion (v. 2). But he found his church asleep, slothful and negligent. He was shamefully treated with neglect (v. 3). He graciously caused her to desire him, creating in her heart a longing for his presence (v. 4). Then the Lord withdrew himself from her (v. 5-6). It was not at all his desire to punish her. He simply intended to cause her to see his preciousness to her. So, in order to make her properly value and esteem him, the Lord withdrew and hid himself from her for a while. At last we see the church, the bride of Christ, his beloved, holding him to be precious. When she had lost the sense of his presence, she saw how valuable and necessary he was to her soul. And she gave this solemn charge to those who were around her —“I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my Beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.”

    The question

    “What is thy Beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?” (v. 9). There is hope for men when they begin to inquire about the beauty, the perfection, the excellence, the grace, and the glory of Christ. “What is thy Beloved more than another beloved?” That is a question believing souls delight to answer. Yet, it is a question that I can never answer fully.

    The answer

    “My Beloved is…” How can he be described? Someone wrote,

    “What the hand is to the lute,

    What breath is to the flute,

    What fragrance is to the smell,

    What the spring is to the well,

    What the flower is to the bee,

    That is Jesus Christ to me.

    What the mother is to the child,

    What the compass is in pathless wild,

    What oil is to the troubled wave,

    What ransom is to the slave,

    What water is to the sea,

    That is Jesus Christ to me.”

    His character

    The question is raised, “What is thy Beloved more than another beloved?” Here is a general description of his character - “My Beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand” (v. 10). My Beloved is one of incomparable perfection, unparalleled beauty, and infinite excellence. He is so infinitely precious above all others that he alone is Precious. His loveliness is so infinitely higher than the loveliness of others that he alone is Lovely.

    He has everything in himself that is pleasant, lovely, and admirable – “He is white and ruddy.” These words refer to the excellence of his Divine glory as God and the excellence of his mediatorial character as man. In him resides all the perfection of the eternal God. And in him is all that our souls need. He is the holy, immaculate, eternal Son of God. And he is made unto me wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. His love toward me makes him lovely to me. He is white in the spotless innocence of his life, and ruddy in the bloody sufferings of his death. He is white in his glory as God, and ruddy in his incarnation as man.² He is white in his tenderness toward his people, and ruddy in his terrible vengeance upon his enemies.

    My Beloved is so infinitely above all others that there is none to compare with him. – “He is the chiefest among ten thousand.” In comparison with Christ, every other object of love and affection is but dung (Phil. 3:8). He is higher than the kings of the earth; and he has obtained a more excellent name than any in heaven, or earth, or hell (Psa. 89:27; Heb. 1:4; Phil. 2:9-11).

    In his church Christ is the Chief Corner-Stone. Among the brethren Christ is the Firstborn. Among the resurrected Christ is the First-Begotten. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the Firstborn of every creature. God has made Christ to be pre-eminent in all things. And in the hearts of his people, He is pre-eminent (Col. 1:14-20). The marginal translation says, “He is the Standard-Bearer among ten thousand.” He is lifted up as the Ensign, to whom his people gather. He is lifted up as the Banner, around whom we rally (Isa. 11:10; John 12:32).

    The question is asked, “What is thy Beloved more than another beloved?” The bride answers, “My Beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.” But that is not enough. A more detailed description must be given of him who ravishes her heart. She wants all to know how she beholds him.—Excellent in Beauty!—Omnipotent!—Gracious!—In every way worthy of her trust!—Fully qualified to redeem and save his people and bring them all, at last, safe to heaven! Christ is worthy of our love, our trust, and our highest admiration and esteem. He is so transcendently glorious that he is both great and gracious.

    His head

    “His head is as the most fine gold” (v. 11). His head speaks of our Lord’s sovereign dominion over all things (Eph. 1:22). Like gold, the sovereignty of Christ is beautiful, strong, and precious. All who know this great King relish the fact that he is indeed King over all!

    His hair

    “His locks are bushy, and black as a raven” (v. 11). His hair is at the same time white and black. Whiteness denotes his eternality and wisdom (Rev. 1:14). Blackness speaks of his perpetual strength and power.

    His eyes

    “His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk and fitly set” (v. 12). His eyes are pure. His eyes toward us are peaceable. His eyes are penetrating. His eyes are powerful, irresistible. One look of his eye struck Peter’s heart. His eyes never blink. They are always fixed upon the objects of his love.

    His cheeks

    “His cheeks are a bed of spices, as sweet flowers” (v. 13). The very sight of his face, like a rich, fragrant garden, is reviving, refreshing, and pleasing.

    His lips

    “His lips are like lilies, dropping sweet-smelling myrrh” (v. 13). His lips are so sweet and pleasant. The words of his lips are sweeter than honey and the honeycomb. The kisses of his lips are better than wine. Grace is poured into his lips. And grace proceeds out of his lips. Grace poured out of his lips as our Surety when he pledged himself to the salvation of his chosen. Grace poured out of his lips as our Substitute at Calvary, when he said, “Father, forgive them!” and cried again in triumphant majesty, “It is finished.” Grace pours from his lips as our Savior. He comes to his own in the time of love, spreads over his redeemed the skirt of his righteousness, and says, “Live!” He declares, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”

    His hands

    “His hands are as gold rings set with beryl” (v. 14). His hands, like golden rings, fitted to the finger, are fitted to accomplish their purpose —the salvation of his people (Matt. 1:21). His hands, like the king’s signet, seal the covenant of God’s grace. The piercing of his hands in death was the ratification of God’s covenant.

    His heart

    “His belly (His bowels of compassion, His heart) is as ivory overlaid with sapphires” (v. 14). The love of Christ’s heart for his people is as strong and firm as ivory. The many instances of his love, by which he reveals his love, are as sapphires and precious jewels.—Electing Love!—Redeeming Love!—Life-Giving Love!—Preserving Love!—Interceding Love!—Forgiving Love!—Unfailing Love!—Faithful Love!—Immutable Love!—Everlasting Love!—His Love!—There is none like it! Words can never describe it!

    His legs

    “His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold” (v. 15). He is The Rock! His legs are strong. His legs are stable. In other word, the Lord Jesus Christ is ever dependable. He will never be turned aside from his purpose. And he is able to accomplish it.

    His countenance

    “His countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars” (v. 15). In height, in strength, in power, in grace, in beauty, and in love he excels all others. There is none to rival him.

    His mouth

    “His mouth is most sweet” (v. 16). The words of his mouth are sweet to his people. The precepts of his Word are sweet. The principles of his Word are sweet. The promises of his Word are sweet. The kisses of his mouth, the many tokens of his love and goodness, have a transcendent sweetness in them.

    What more can be said? What more can I tell you about my Beloved? “He is altogether lovely!” “Unto you therefore which believe, He is precious.” He is truly lovely. He is wholly lovely. There is nothing in him but that which is lovely, and there is nothing truly lovely but that which is in him. All that our souls need is in him in infinite fulness (Psa. 73:25-26). Christ is altogether lovely. In his divinity he is lovely. In his humanity he is lovely. In his redemption he is lovely. In his salvation he is lovely. In his providence he is lovely. He is even lovely in his justice and judgment.

    The assurance

    “This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend” (v. 16). Matthew Henry wrote, “To see Christ, and not to see him as ours, would be rather a torture than a happiness; but to see one that is thus lovely, and to see him as ours, is complete satisfaction.”

    It is faith in him that gives this assurance (Heb. 11:1). We know that Christ, in all the fulness of his grace and glory, is ours, because I trust him. Every believing heart has the right to say with Thomas to the Son of God, “My Lord and my God.” He is ours in all of his offices. He is ours in all of his works. He is ours in all of his ways. He is ours in all of his provisions. He is ours always, both now and forever. He is ours in all his possessions. He is ours, both when he openly reveals himself, and when he hides his face; both when we sense it and when we do not, he is ours. In prosperity and in adversity, in health and in sickness, in joy and in sorrow, Jesus Christ is mine, and I am his.

    Because Christ is ours, he is our Beloved. He loves us and we love him (1 John 4:19). He is our one true love. We have chosen him. We have willingly, deliberately given ourselves to him. Our hearts are for him, only him, and not another.

    And Jesus Christ the Lord, our Beloved is our Friend. O what a Friend! He is a powerful Friend. He is a sympathetic Friend. He is a patient Friend. He is an unchanging Friend. He is a wise Friend. He is a faithful Friend. He is my Friend. I have done what I can to tell you about my Beloved. I do not know whether you will ever trust him or not; but he is worthy of your trust. I do not know whether you will ever love him or not; but he is worthy of your love. I do not know whether you will ever praise him or not; but he is worthy of your praise.