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SOLOMON.S07
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Study No. 7.
SONG OF SOLOMON
LOSING THE FIRST LOVE - Chapter 2:8 - 3:5
The Song of Solomon, as we have seen, contains a series of
reflections of a married woman, Shulamith, in which she remembers
certain events leading to her marriage with Solomon as well as
some problems they experienced in the early years of their
marriage.
The message of this group of reflections (2:8-3:5) seems to be
that the engagement period has three basic purposes.
First, it is a time of getting to know one another (2:8-14).
Secondly, it is a time of coming to grips with the potential
problem areas of a couple's relationship and establishing
problem-solving procedures (2:15-17). Third, it is to be a time
of seriously counting the cost of being married to this person
(3:1-5).
This part of the Book describes a serious decline in the Bride's
relationship with the King. She becomes selfish and spiritually
insensitive - even rebellious in order to satisfy her own desires
now that she has been "established spiritually."
2:8 - "The voice of my beloved! Behold he cometh leaping upon
the mountains, skipping upon the hills."
a) This is the first time that reference is made to His
voice. It is significant that in this section of the
book which deals with her decline that His voice is given
such prominence. Her decline in part is due to direct
disobedience to His voice. Jesus said, "My sheep hear my
voice", and He said to the pharisees, "You believe not
because you are not my sheep" (John 10:26-27).
b) "Behold He Cometh". This is the hour of visitation and
restoration and she recognized it. The cry was made at
midnight "the bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet Him".
(Matt.25), so they awoke, trimmed their lamps and went
out to meet Him.
c) "Leaping upon the Mountains, skipping upon the Hills".
He comes to manifest Himself as the risen Lord. The
power of His Resurrection. He skips over the mountains
of difficulty, divisions and hindrances. Nothing can
hinder His approach to His loved one. He has triumphed
over every barrier.
One of the next truths to be revealed to the Church is
"resurrection of the dead" (resurrection life, Heb. 6:2).
This is signified by the leaping and skipping (new life
and energy).
2:9 - "My beloved is like a roe or a young hart; behold, he
standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows,
gazing through the lattice."
a) "My beloved is like a roe or young hart", i.e. "hind of
the morning". This points to His Resurrection. He
stands here in all of His resurrection glory and power.
Psalm 22 begins with the words, "To the chief musician
upon Aijeleth Shahar" which means "according to the hind
of the morning". This Psalm of the crucifixion and
suffering of Christ is prefaced with the prophetic
promise of His resurrection of which the "hind of the
morning" is a type, and in the original Hebrew scriptures
concludes with the exclamation, "It is finished".
b) "He standeth". He no longer sits, resting and feasting
with her. There is work to be done - a vision to
fulfill.
c) "Behind our Wall". A wall separates them. There are a
variety of things which can form a wall of separation....
bondage reserve
inferiority complex unbelief
ignorance of truth sectarianism
traditionalism self will
Some people shut themselves up with the Lord in intimate
communion and don't realise that the Lord is calling them
to service and spiritual warfare.
She has built a wall to keep our every element likely to
disturb her life, and to try to contain her spiritual
experience of perfect rest. In doing so, she also kept
out the King. Her defence mechanism became a device of
division between them. The stage of rest was designed to
be a temporary one until her spiritual equilibrium had
been restored, and she had assimilated the revelation of
the King at His Table and bed, and as the apple tree.
She was trying to hang onto that which was now past and
in so doing she missed the next "move" of the King. She
saw what He was doing through the window (through a glass
darkly - 1 Cor. 13:12), but she didn't become a
participant of that new activity of the King.
She also has the effrontery and lack of spiritual
perception to call it "our wall". It was her doing. It
was not His will for her. She, like many of us, excused
her position by claiming the Lord had led her to do it.
2:10-13 - "My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love,
my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is
past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on
the earth; the time of the singing of the birds is come
and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; the
fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines
with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my
love, my fair one, and come away."
a) He keeps referring to her as "my love, my fair one".
Despite her spiritual decline, He never deviates from His
faith opinion of her, and He never denigrates her. His
voice is always one of encouragement and also a constant
reminder of her new nature.
Having experienced sweet communion and feasting in the
banqueting house - it is now time for a further
experience, to leap together on the mountains and hills
etc. The Lord's presence will be with us just as it was
in the banqueting house.
b) "The winter is past". Winter is cold and gloomy. It
speaks of a time of trial and testing. She has been
brought through many trials.
In Winter the outward manifestation of growth is checked.
As long as she remains within the confines of her wall,
her spiritual growth and development is checked. But now
she is being called out from behind the wall - Winter is
past. A new season has dawned.
c) "the rain is over and gone ..."
This is winter rain which makes work impossible. The
barriers to progress and productivity have passed. It is
a time to be up and doing - John 9:4.
God's dealings with us change. It is not all testing and
trial. The grain of wheat falls into the ground and
dies, but then there is a change and it brings forth
fruit. It is not God's will for a Christian or a Church
to be constantly going through times of difficulty and
oppression. There is a release.
d) "the flowers appear on the earth ..."
The King is trying to present to her abundant proof that
this is indeed a new day. The time of darkness,
unfruitfulness, and negativity has come to an end. Now
is the time to release the resurrection life symbolized
by springtime. Flowers are an expression of beauty and
are essential to the production of honey - referred to
later in the book. This is a time when one thing will
lead to another. Spiritual progress at many levels and
in many directions is possible in this flush of new life.
e) "...the time of the singing of the birds is come ..."
"Of birds" is not in the original scriptures. Singing
represents praise. The victory of subduing mountains is
associated with praising God in heavenly places. This is
the time for the Bride to come out from behind past
experiences and sing a new song unto God. In fact this
suggests that Praise is the means whereby she can exit
from the wall and it is the entrance into the next stage
of God's dealings with her.
f) "...the voice of the (dove) is heard in our land."
The word turtle is incorrect and it should be
"turtledove". It is the same word used in Gen. 15:9.
The dove is a type of the Holy Spirit. Whenever there is
activity and progress in the Church, it will be
associated with the work of the Holy Spirit, particularly
His prophetic voice bringing the people of God into a
total restoration.
g) "the fig tree putteth forth her green figs"
i) The fig tree produces two crops a year and the one
which follows winter is generally smaller and sweeter
than the main crop. Many of them fall to the ground
and are called the green or untimely figs. Regardless
of this, they are a good sign. These figs signal that
the tree is not dead or sterile and it has survived
winter.
ii) It also refers to the Bride who is still immature yet
precious to the bridegroom because he sees what she
shall be. 1 John 3:2.
iii) The fig is valuable when mature because it ministers
strength and healing. Isa. 38:21.
h) "The vines with the tender grapes give a good smell"
i.e., they are in blossom with the promise of the
forthcoming fruitfulness. At this stage of his spiritual
growth the believer gives forth a fragrance - a promise
of forthcoming. This is resurrection ground. That of
death is passed, abundant life now in view.
i) The fig tree and vine are linked together and this
connection occurs frequently in scripture, i.e. Luke
13:6, Joel 1:12, etc.
The fig tree speaks of Israel (Matt. 24:32), and the vine
of the Church (John 15:1). There is a close connection
between what God does in Israel what He subsequently does
in the Church. Israel is often a sign of a move of God
or a new emphasis coming among God's spiritual people.
i.e. i) 1898 - Theodore Herzl receives a vision of the
Messiah and begins to stir up the Jews for the
return to Palestine.
1900 - Pentecostal revival begins
ii) 1948 - Rebirth of Israel as a nation.
1948 - Release of man[ of the great evangelistic
and healing ministries in the Church - Kuhlman,
Graham, Roberts, Osborn, Hagin, Branham, etc.
iii) 1967 - Recovery of the city of Jerusalem
1967 - Charismatic Catholic Renewal
2:14 - "O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the
secret places of the stairs ..."
a) Despite her reluctance to leave her wall and move into a
new dimension with the King, He does not condemn, but
seeks to encourage her by reminding her of the things
that have already been accomplished within her.
Previously He said she had "doves' eyes" and that the
voice of the dove was heard in the land. Now He says she
is like a dove in totality. Our victory in Christ is
dependent of life, not law, and the King is attempting to
lift the veil of failure and regression from her
spiritual vision by showing her herself as He sees her.
When we are saved we are one spirit with the Lord - 1
Cor. 6:17.
b) The King calls her to remembrance of her place in the
cross and shows her that this must produce an ascending
work of Grace in our lives (stairs). It is internal and
secret, but God's work in us will never be static. It
will always cause us to rise higher. This also shows us
that every step God leads us to is the place from which
we reach the next step - so every step is important. In
fact, this is a reference to the way God deals with us in
stages. We are not suddenly there without any need of
further development. Stairs are often arduous to climb.
It is an effort to rise higher in God and the temptation
is always with us to settle behind our wall and be
comfortable in our past revelation instead of "pressing
on the upward way, new heights gaining every day."
c) These are secret places (plural) and once again there is
a reference to the King's chambers - the Holy and Most
Holy Place. The Banqueting House is not all there is,
there is more. But these are secret or hidden places
(Note Ps. 91:1-4). It speaks to us that not only is
their progression in God, but our life is hidden with
Christ in God. The work that He is doing is not totally
visible from outside. There are both green figs (obvious
fruit) and tender grapes (hidden fruit).
d) "Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice".
The King is still reminding her that there is no reason
to hide or retreat behind a wall. She looks comely to
Him (1:5). It is difficult for us to realise how much
enjoyment we give to God when we seek His face. For in
seeing Him, He sees us. While we hide from Him behind a
wall there is no openness and His work in us is not being
shown to Him for His pleasure.
e) He longs to hear our voice. This refers to our praise
and worship Jer. 33:11. This ministry is typified by the
Tabernacle worship at the Altar of Incense and the King
says our voice is "sweet". The time of singing has come,
but she is not singing yet.
2:15 - "Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the
vines: for our vines have tender grapes."
a) The King warns her that little things of the world
allowed to come into her life have the potential of being
more damaging than many big things. She would be on the
lookout for major sins which would destroy her fruit.
The little foxes, however, unable to reach the fruitful
areas of her life, attack the roots of her life. They
destroy the roots and ringbark the vine and eventually
sap the whole plant of its energy.
Retreating behind her wall may seem to be such a small
thing. But deciding not to join the King in subduing
life's challenges is a little fox with sharp teeth.
b) The vine has tender grapes and this is a reference to the
possibility of our potential being spoiled through the
tolerance of habits, attitudes, or worldliness which we
consider to be of no consequence. The King says, "take
them (catch) for us." Otherwise the work of the Godhead
(1:11) will be hindered in us. We are not told to kill
them, but to give them to God in surrender.
2:16 - "My beloved is mine, and I am his; he feedeth among the
lilies."
a) "My beloved is mine, and I am his."
At first appearances this sounds a very spiritual
statement. However, the woman identifies the selfish
motivation of her life at this stage. She has built a
wall to protect what is "hers". In Chapter 1:6 she had
neglected her own vineyard through excessive duty. Now
she is becoming "exclusive" and wishes to keep all other
demands and challenges out of her vision. Her own
vineyard is all she cares for.
Now she feels that the King exists for her, rather than
she for Him. "My beloved is mine", is put before "I am
his".
However, much of this expression of devotion is mere
formula at this point in her selfish spirituality. She
is saying words, but will not obey Him.
b) "He feedeth among the lilies." The lilies typify the
pure in heart fully dedicated to Him. It is among such a
company that the Lord feeds and communes. She implies
she is His lily and has the Lord to attend her and is
fully satisfied, but has failed to heed her beloved's
call to rise and come away.
2:17 - "Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my
beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the
mountains of Bether."
This is still the period of His physical absence (in heaven).
Previously she had said, "He shall lie all night betwixt my
breasts (faith and love)" - 1:13. However, during this
period of spiritual decline through her selfishness, she is
now prepared to settle for a remote relationship filled with
"shadows" until the day break - until He physically comes
again. The shadows are things without substance - vain
remembrances of previous glory.
END of STUDY SEVEN
