The Song of Songs

Q: What does the Bible say about the Song of Songs?

The Song of Songs is a poetic depiction of the love between Christ and His Church. The Song of Songs, written by Solomon, captures the profound and intimate relationship between Christ and His Church. It's not merely a collection of romantic verses but a theological testament to God's love for His people. The imagery within the text emphasizes the beauty and affection that exists in this divine union. The predominant theme throughout the Song is a reflection on love—specifically, the unconditional and lavish love that Christ has for His Church and vice versa. This understanding elevates the text beyond mere literary performance into a sacred covenantal expression.

Q: How do we know the Song of Songs applies to Christ and the Church?

The Song of Songs explicitly portrays Christ's love for His Church as a model for understanding their relationship. In examining the Song of Songs, it's essential to recognize its true interpretive context. This book is fundamentally about Christ's love for the Church and the Church's love for Christ. The imagery of lovers throughout the text serves to illustrate the deep, covenantal relationship that exists between them. For instance, the metaphors of beauty and purity reflect how Christ sees His Church through the lens of His righteousness and sacrifice. Such interpretations align closely with the broader teachings of Scripture where the Church is depicted as the Bride of Christ, thereby affirming that these passages predominantly focus on this relationship rather than mere human romantic love.

Q: Why is understanding the Song of Solomon important for Christians?

It provides insight into the intimate relationship between Christ and the Church, emphasizing God's love. Understanding the Song of Solomon enriches a believer's grasp of God's unchanging love and the intimate relationship He desires with His people. This book encourages Christians to reflect on their affection and devotion to Christ, motivating them towards deeper faith and commitment. Additionally, it reassures believers of their identity as beloved, chosen, and cherished by God. The vivid language and emotive expressions within the Song serve to demonstrate not only the beauty of divine love but also the call to live in response to that love, embodying the principles of faithfulness, devotion, and joy in the believer's life.

Q: What does the phrase 'my beloved is mine and I am his' mean in context?

'My beloved is mine and I am his' signifies the mutual ownership and intimate relationship between Christ and His Church. The phrase 'my beloved is mine, and I am his' profoundly encapsulates the mutual relationship of love and belonging that exists between Christ and His Church. This statement speaks to a covenantal bond where both the believer and Christ acknowledge belonging to one another. For Christians, this unity is foundational, highlighting the security and intimacy they have in Christ. It emphasizes that in this relationship, there is both commitment and a deep affection that reflects God's grace. Such language reassures believers of their place in the Kingdom and underscores the transformative nature of Christ's love that wraps around and embraces His Church.

In our Bible classes at the 13th
Street Baptist Church for the past two Sundays, we have been
studying the Song of Solomon. Song of Solomon. And I want to
combine a couple of these lessons and bring them to you today.
The title of the message is the Song of Songs. The Song of Songs. You know, a lot of people have
never heard a message from the Song of Solomon, and a lot of
preachers don't preach on the Song of Solomon, but we've been
studying the Song of Solomon, and it's been a great blessing.
I want to share some of these things with you today that we
have considered from the Song of Solomon. Would you take your
Bibles? I wish you would, because I'm
going to read several verses from the Song of Solomon, Chapter
2. Now, Solomon was the greatest son of wisdom that the church
has ever known, other than our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ our
Lord is wisdom, Christ is the wisdom of God, but Solomon, you
remember God asked him what he desired, and he said, Lord, give
me wisdom, give me wisdom. And first, let me read this to
you, you don't turn, you just stay there in the Song of Solomon
chapter 2, but in first Kings, chapter 4, verse 29, it says,
and God gave Solomon wisdom, wisdom and understanding, exceeding
much wisdom and largeness of heart. God gave Solomon wisdom
and understanding and largeness of heart, even as the sand of
the seashore Did you notice that God gave him wisdom? He was the
wisest of all men. That's what it said. He was wiser
than all men. And along with that wisdom came
largeness of heart, compassion, and love. It tells me this, that
where you find true wisdom, you'll find love. That's right. Those two go together. They cannot
be separated. They always accompany one another.
God is love, and God is wisdom. God is all wise, and God is all
love. And in the book of 2 John, John
the Apostle uses this phrase over and over again, truth and
love, truth and love, truth and love. Those things go together.
He that loveth not, knoweth not." God. That's what it says. Solomon was the wise man. God gave him wisdom, wiser than
all men. And along with that wisdom came
a largeness of heart, a generosity, compassion, love for people. And Solomon spake over 3,000
proverbs, we're told in the scripture, and 1,000 songs. And yet, his
most profound and beautiful work is before you right there today. Song of Solomon. That's his most
profound and beautiful work. The Song of Solomon. The Song
of Solomon. I believe it's fitting that the
man of greatest wisdom should write on the greatest subject. That God would use the man with
the greatest wisdom to write on the greatest subject. What's
the greatest subject? Now by the faith, hope, love,
the greatest of these is love. He that loveth not knoweth not,
and he that knoweth loveth. He who knows God loves God. And one thing has to be understood
before we look into this Song of Solomon. One thing has to
be understood. Will you please understand this?
And this is where most people miss the meaning of this book
altogether. They are lost. When they get
into this book, they're just lost. They don't understand it.
They think it's a bit vulgar, sort of blushed to read it. But anyone who looks at the Song
of Solomon must remember one thing. This is primary. This
is important. The Song of Solomon is written
by Solomon about Christ and his church. That's what the Song
of Solomon is all about. My beloved is mine and I'm his. It's Christ and the church. My
beloved is Christ. He's mine and I'm his. That's
all the way through, my beloved, it's Christ and the Church. It
speaks, this book speaks of Christ's love for the Church and the Church's,
the Bride's love for Christ. And the only people, now listen
to me, and I'm speaking dogmatically because this is just so, this
is absolutely true. The only people who can understand
this book, Song of Solomon, the only people who can enter into
the beauty of it, The joy of it are believers, those only
people. It's a holy book, it's an intimate
book, it's a personal book, it's a song of lovers. Their affection
for one another, their delight in one another. You see, it's
just like the old high priest of old. He was the only one who
could go into the Holy of Holies. No one else could go in there.
No one else was permitted in the Holy of Holies. Only the
high priest once a year, and not without blood. It was a holy
place. It was an intimate fellowship
with God, and no one else was allowed in there. And I'm saying
this, that this book, this is a love story. This is a love
letter. And it's the church in Christ. And if you're not either Christ
or the church, you're not going to understand it. He understands
it, and the church understands it. He enters into it, and they
do too. And I want to look for a few
moments first at chapter 2. Chapter 2 of the Song of Solomon.
And in this chapter, we have a conversation between Christ
and his church. in which they speak of one another. Christ speaks of the church,
and the church speaks of Christ. And they talk of the excellency
of the other, of each other, and they express their affection
for, and their delight in one another, and the pleasure that
they have in one another's company. That's what it's all about. Listen
to it. Verse 1. Christ speaks first. See it? You got it there?
Song of Solomon, chapter 2, verse 1. He says, I am Now that ought
to tell you something when you read that, I am. Moses said,
whom shall I say sent me? God said, tell them I am. I am
that I am. I am is my name. And Christ says
here in verse 1, I am the rose of Shavuot. I am the lily of
the valley. These are the words of our Lord
concerning himself. I am. I am the rose of roses. I am the lily of lilies. I am. He uses that so frequently. John
says a sevenfold I am. I am the light of the world. I am the bread of life. I am
the water. I am the resurrection. I am the
way. I am the truth. I am the life.
I am that I am. And he is I am. And as I am, he is above all
and preferred before all. And he's the only one who can
speak this way. So that's Christ speaking first.
I am. the rose of Sharon and the lily
of the valley and then he speaks of his bride who's there with
him his church he speaks of his church you know Paul tells us
in Ephesians husbands love your wives says Christ loved the church
Christ loved the church and gave himself for it greater love hath
no man than this that he lay down his life for his friends
he speaks of his bride the church and here's what he says about
us about the believers. As the lily among the thorns,
so is my love among the daughters. She's beauty, beauty, beauty
among ugliness. She's a lily among thorns. He
just says I'm the lily of the valleys. I'm the rose of Sharon. And no thorns or briars mentioned. But my bride, my She's a lily
among thorns. She's beauty among ugliness.
Well, where did she get her beauty? The Bible says there's no difference.
All that's seen and comes short of the glory of God. Is she human?
Oh, yeah. Flesh and blood? Oh, yes. Sinner? Oh, yes. Well, there's no difference.
There's none righteous. There's none that understandeth.
There's none that seeketh after God. Where did she get her beauty?
What makes her different? He tells us in Ezekiel 16, when
he talks about the deserted infant, your mama was an Amorite and
your daddy was a Hittite, and when you were born, no eye pitted
thee, and you were born and cast out into the field, in your blood,
polluted, dying, and I passed by, it was a time of love, and
I said, Leo, and I washed you, I washed you, and I anointed
you with oil, and I developed you, and he said, your beauty,
is perfect through my beauty and my comeliness which I put
on you." Oh, that's what makes her different. He made her different. He robed her in his righteousness.
He put his crown on her head, his beauty upon her, and made
her beautiful in the midst of ugliness. A lily among the thorns. That's what Paul said, I am what
I am by the grace of God. I'm crucified with Christ, nevertheless
I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. A man can receive
nothing except it be given him from above. Who made you to differ? Who made you to differ? What
do you have you didn't receive? By grace are you saved through
faith, and that's not of yourself, that faith's not of yourself,
it's the gift of God. Oh, Christ said, I am the rose
of Sharon. I'm the lily of the valley. And
there's my bride. She's the lily among thorns.
She's beauty among ugliness. I made her beautiful. She's beautiful
in my beauty, clothed in my righteousness. And then the church speaks of
Christ. Verse 3. Here the church speaks. And the
church says, as the apple tree among the other trees of the
wood. So is my beloved among the sons
of men. Yes, Christ became a man, son
of man, son of God. But as the apple tree is among
the trees of the wood, all the other trees with no fruit, barren,
but there's that apple tree standing in the midst of the wood, so
is my beloved among the sons of men. He's the one who provides
not only shade and rest, but fruit and food. And so she says,
I sat down under his shadow, under his shade, with great delight,
listen, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. That's my beloved. If you're
wondering why they talk about apples, keep me as the apple
of your eye, and here she says as the apple tree among other
trees. And then again in that fifth
or sixth verse, he says, comfort me with apples. Back in those
days, apples was a symbol of love. And a lover sent apples
to his beloved. You remember years ago they wrote
a song, don't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me.
Why did it say apple tree? Why not cherry tree or peach
tree or pecan tree? No, apples. Apples. And that's what she's saying
here. My beloved is as the apple tree among the trees of the woods,
and I sat down under his shade, and how sweet his fruit was to
my taste. Under his wings, under his shadow,
there's rest from the heat of the day, from the toil of the
day. He said, come unto me, I'll give
you rest. Learn of me, and you'll find more rest. My flesh is meat
indeed, my blood is drink indeed. There's rest and provision. Jesus
Christ is made to me. All I need. All I need. He alone is all my plea. He's
all I need. Wisdom. Righteousness. Holiness
and power. Righteousness. Holiness. Redemption
forevermore. He is all I need. All I need. And then verse 4,
she continues, the bride still speaking. As the apple tree among
the trees of the wood So was my beloved among the sons of
men, and I sat down under his shade and shadow, and his fruit
was sweet to my taste." Listen, and he brought me. He brought
me. I didn't sign a pledge card to
agree to go. He brought me. Like the shepherd
went out and found the sheep, he brought me. He brought me
to the banqueting house. And his banner over me was love. What is the banquet in house?
Well, it's a place of love and feasting and fellowship and joy. What's a banquet? A happy time,
a joyful time, a time of fellowship and feasting. He brought me to
the banquet in house. Whose house is it? It's his house.
It's his house. old Jacob lay under the stars
that night and God appeared to him and spoke to him and promised
him many things and Jacob woke up the next morning and he said
I call this place Bethel the house of God for I've seen God
I've seen God he brought me to his house the banqueting house
he brought me on purpose not to be a guest but to be his bride
For his banner over me was love." I tell you, let me tell you something.
This world and its preachers are carelessly, flippantly, indiscriminately talking about
God's love as though it were something that was immaterial or uneventful
or could be here today and gone tomorrow. Let me tell you something.
God's love is infinite. God's love is unchanging. God's
love is everlasting. God's love is sure. And she said,
he brought me. He didn't bring everybody, he
brought me. He brought me to the banquets in the house. And
his banner over me was love, a discriminating love. a particular
love, a peculiar love. His banner over me was love.
He said, I've loved you with an everlasting love, therefore
with loving kindness have I drawn you. Herein is love, not that
we love God, but He loved us and gave Himself to be a propitiation
for our sins, His Son Himself. It's a peculiar love. It's an
indescribable, unspeakable love. His banner over me was not law,
love. His banner over me was not rules
and regulations, it was love. He loved me. Oh, oh, oh my, isn't
that something? Now turn to chapter 5 for a few
moments, verse 9. So naturally the question comes
to the bride, to the church. What is your beloved more than
any other beloved? A lot of people have religious
professions, a lot of people have messiahs, they've created
messiahs, they've raised up messiahs, they've invented messiahs. What is your messiah, your beloved,
your Christ more than any other beloved, more than any other
Christ? What is Christ Jesus more than any other messiah?
What makes your Redeemer so special? That's what they said. And the
bride speaks. I'll tell you. Verse 10, chapter
5. You have it? She describes him. She says, my beloved is white.
White. What's that talking about? Purity. Holiness. He said, though your
sins be as scarlet, I'll make them white. White as snow. That's his divine nature. is
divine nature he knew no sin he had no sin my beloved is sinless
that's what you say my beloved is white sinless he can't be
the sacrifice for my sins unless he himself has no sin one condemned
man can't die for another condemned man then she says my beloved
is ruddy he's not only divine white sinless spotless but he's
ruddy red that's what that means red This indicates his human
nature. Adam, red man. That's right. Created from the red earth. This
is saying Jesus, my beloved, is not only God, but he's a man. He's not only white, pure and
sinless, but he took on himself our nature. He was made in the
likeness of sinful flesh and became obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross. my beloved, red, identified with
me. And then my beloved, listen,
verse 10, is the fairest among 10,000. Is that all, 10,000? When you see a number like that
in the scriptures, usually it's a definite number for an indefinite
number. If some of these folks made something
out of 144,000, that's an indefinite number. A number which no man can number,
thousands and thousands upon 10,000. This is saying he's the
fairest among 10,000. There are kings, but he's the king
of kings. There are priests, but he's a priest forever. There
are prophets, but he's that prophet. He's more excellent than all
the host of angels. How many angels are there? More
than 10,000. Then all the seraphims and cherubims,
how many of those are there? More than 10,000. Among all men,
how many of those are there? More than 10,000. That's a definite
number for an indefinite. He's the Parish. Parish Lord
Jesus. Ruler of all nations. Then verse
11. His head, his head is the most
fine gold. Now that's not talking about
his hair. Because she said his hair is black. John saw him on
the Isle of Patmos and said his hair was snow white. John was
talking about his eternality. She's talking about his youth.
But his head is fine gold. What's that talking about? The
crown he wears? My beloved is sovereign. What
is my beloved more than any other beloved? My beloved is a sovereign
beloved. He reigns and rules over all. All authority is given to him
in heaven and earth. He has all power over all flesh. He's almighty. My beloved can
do what he pleases. With whom he pleases, when he
pleases. None can stay his hand or say
unto him what doest thou. That's my beloved. And my beloved's
locks are black and bushy. This is his beauty and his eternal
youth. And that's what he's going to
give us. That's what he's going to give us. I'm growing old.
Older every day, so are you. But one day I'll be in the land
where we'll never grow old. We used to sing a song, I've
heard of a land, on a far away strand, the beautiful home of
the soul, built by Jesus on high, where we never, never shall die. It's a land where we never grow
old. He never grows old. He's the
same yesterday, today, and forever. Black and bushy. David said I'll
awake with his likeness someday. I'll be eternally young and never
grow old. And then verse 12 says his eyes.
His eyes are the eyes of a dove by the rivers of water washed
with milk. Now my friends to the wicked
and unbelieving his eyes are fierce, condemning, fearful. Can you imagine looking into
the eyes of God? charged with sin? Can you? You know, when he came to the
temple, our Lord plaited a whip and came to the temple. And there
were hundreds of people in that temple. They were buying and
selling. They were selling turtledoves
and doves and lambs and goats and heifers and all these things
for sacrifices. They were making money off people.
They were using religion and the sacrifices to make money
off poor people. And that's what TV preachers
are doing today, same day. Hooksters, merchandisers of souls,
using the house of God as a house of merchandise to make money
for themselves. That's right. It's just so, that's
all. And our Lord planted a whip and went into that temple, one
man, and drove every one of them out. Do you think they were looking
at that whip? Do you think those men were afraid
of that little whip he had? Do you think they were looking
at that one human being? They were looking into those
eyes. And they were afraid. His eyes
are terrible, they're condemning, fierce, piercing. when we're
guilty, but not to the beloved. This sovereign God, this king
of kings, this almighty God has eyes like a dove, gentle, gentle,
clear, no hidden meaning, washed with milk, no hidden meaning,
no hidden motive. And he said they were fixed,
fitly set, no change, always loving. always forgiving, always
loving. His eyes are like the eyes of
a dove. I'm glad he's reconciled to me. Aren't you glad he's reconciled
to you? God's not angry. God's reconciled with the death
of his son. And his eyes are like the eyes
of a dove, gentle. And his cheeks, verse 13, are
a bed of spices and sweet flowers. You ever watch a baby hold a
baby in a mother's arms and a baby just nestles up against the mother's
cheek and just buries their face right up here. That baby finds
rest and joy and comfort in the arms of that mother, leaning
upon her breast, nestling against her cheek. That's what this beloved
says. I find such comfort, rest, and
assurance in his arms, leaning upon his cheek. as a baby nestles
in the arms of a mother, and it's like lying in a bed of spices
and flowers. And his lips, like lilies, drop
sweet-smelling myrrh. Grace pours from his lips. His
words of comfort are pleasant to my ears and pleasant to my
taste. And I'm telling you, there's
nothing, nothing, nothing in this world as comforting to a
believer as the sweet words of his Lord. I get tired of hearing
the words of this old world and the words of preachers popping
off. I wish they'd tell me about him. His word is a lamp unto
my feet and a light unto my path and I'll hide his word in my
heart and find there my comfort and faith and strength, the word
of my God. All right, let's read on and
get this all the way through. Verse 14, his hands are as gold
rings set with beryl. What's that mean? of his hands. He's not poor. My God's not poor.
Why should I be a beggar? My God is rich and generous.
He'll supply all our needs according to his riches and glory through
Christ Jesus. But don't ask me and ask Him.
He's our provider. He'll supply all our needs. His
hands protect us and provide for us and comfort us. And His
belly is as a bright ivory, full of compassion. And His legs are
like pillars of marble. strength and power and his countenance
as excellent as the cedars of Lebanon and then verse 16 she
just run has run out of adjectives and she said well he's just altogether
lovely altogether lovely if I've left out anything he's just altogether
everything about him is lovely he's all and in all what is your
beloved more than any other beloved, but he's altogether lovely.

The Song of Songs

What does the Bible say about the Song of Songs?

How do we know the Song of Songs applies to Christ and the Church?

Why is understanding the Song of Solomon important for Christians?

What does the phrase 'my beloved is mine and I am his' mean in context?

Sermon Transcript

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The Song of Songs

What does the Bible say about the Song of Songs?

How do we know the Song of Songs applies to Christ and the Church?

Why is understanding the Song of Solomon important for Christians?

What does the phrase 'my beloved is mine and I am his' mean in context?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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