Songs of Solomon: Jesus Is The Loving Bridegroom
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Preaching Christ Through The Bible |
THE SONG OF SOLOMON: JESUS IS THE LOVING BRIDEGROOM
Song of Songs 4:1-7 (ESV):
1 Behold, you are beautiful, my love, behold, you are beautiful! Your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead.
2 Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes that have come up from the washing, all of which bear twins, and not one among them has lost its young.
3 Your lips are like a scarlet thread, and your mouth is lovely. Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind your veil.
4 Your neck is like the tower of David, built in rows of stone; on it hang a thousand shields, all of them shields of warriors.
5 Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle, that graze among the lilies.
6 Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, I will go away to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense.
7 You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.
In our church, Bible Church International, if you are a couple who is planning to get married and you would like me to do your wedding, you have to know that I would require that you go through several hours of pre-marital counseling. Why is this necessary? I see two important reasons why this counseling is beneficial to our members:
This counseling will help prepare the couple not only for the wedding ceremony but also for the marriage relationship. The ceremony will only be for a day, while the marriage should last for a lifetime.
This counseling will help build a relationship with the pastor who can function as a marriage counselor in the future. Many times couples need a third party to sort out some of their unresolved issues.
I believe that for believers who are preparing to get married, investing adequate time to build a good marriage should be crucial because our marriages had been designed to project the intimate relationship of Jesus Christ and His church. This truth is declared when we read Ephesians 5:31-32 (ESV):
31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
In other words, if you are a Christian couple, you should always desire to have a good and godly marriage because God wants to use your marriage as a powerful testimony of how Jesus Christ is relating to His people today. Evidently, in a broken world where marriage commitments are easily taken for granted, believers can experience a marriage covenant that can last for a lifetime when they commit themselves to follow the unconditional and passionate love that Jesus Christ Himself has demonstrated for His people.
This morning, as we study together the Song of Solomon, we will find Jesus Christ is being portrayed as the loving Bridegroom. Of course, throughout the Bible, this metaphor of God being in a marriage relationship with His people appears both in the Old and New Testament:
1. God and the nation of Israel:
Isaiah 54:5-6 (ESV)
5 For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.
6 For the LORD has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your God.
2. Jesus and the Church:
Ephesians 5:31-32 (ESV):
31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”
32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.
I recognize that when we think of God, it is easy to identify Him as our Creator. We appreciate the fact that He is the One who gave us life, and He also helps to sustain this life. Or we see Him as our Lord. He is the Sovereign Ruler of the world, and He deserves our service and obedience. Believe me; these are essential concepts about God that we should always bear in mind. However, I submit to you that we should not also take for granted that He is our Bridegroom who passionately loves us regardless of who we are. I hope we will understand better this profound truth as we study the Song of Solomon.
If you can still remember, last week, I said that King Solomon wrote the Song of Solomon when he was still a young man, and it’s about a story of deep love and devotion. As you begin to read the book, it opens up with these words – “The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s.” I want to highlight this phrase, The Song of Songs, because according to 1 Kings 4:32, King Solomon wrote 1005 songs. So, with those 1005 songs that he wrote, the number one hit in his chart or the most excellent song is this book that we are studying this morning. And it is all about his marriage with the Shulamite woman. If you want to have an over-view outline for the book, here’s a simple outline I have borrowed from Dr. Warren Wiersbe, Bible Exposition Commentary on the Old Testament.
I Anticipation: The Courtship (1:1 – 3:5)
II Consummation: The Wedding (3:6 – 5:1)
III Celebration: The Marriage (5:2 – 8:14)
To describe the quality of love that the Bridegroom has for His bride in the book, allow me to give you at least three designations:
I THE PASSIONATE LOVE IN MARRIAGE:
Many believers failed to appreciate the Song of Solomon not only because it is written in a poetic form, but some have also felt that the book is so sensual. One passage that stands out is Song of Songs 4:1-7. We read this passage earlier.
Here is a passage where the Bridegroom describes her bride during the wedding night. The bride is naked as her husband was describing her. Now, let me emphasize that all these descriptions should never be described as dirty because everything has been said within the backdrop of marriage.
There is nothing more passionate and purer relationship than the union of a husband and wife. While the Song of Solomon celebrates sex in marriage because it is the ultimate expression of love between the husband and his wife, it is also against sex outside marriage. Here are some verses about it:
The Shulamite woman repeatedly warns her girlfriends with these words (2:7; 3:5; 8:4) – “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or the does of the field, that you not stir up or awaken love (sexual passion) until it pleases (until the right time).”
Her brothers were very protective of her while she was still a virgin (8: 8-9).
Song of Songs 8:8-9 (MSG)
8 My brothers used to worry about me: "Our little sister has no breasts. What shall we do with our little sister when men come asking for her?
9 She's a virgin and vulnerable, and we'll protect her. If they think she's a wall, we'll top it with barbed wire. If they think she's a door, we'll barricade it."
Unfortunately, Satan was able to hijack sex and perverted it in our society. Many people casually practice it outside of marriage. But the Bible is quite clear that God as the architect of marriage has included sex as a gift for married couples. Remember, humanity’s capacity to procreate was in place even before sin came into the world. So, sex is part of God’s design. And God has established this standard about it:
Hebrews 13:4 (ESV)
4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
Couples should do their best to protect the purity of their marriage bed because God will hold them accountable when they have failed to do so.
In our relationship with God, it is excellent to know that God is passionately in love with us, and He is never embarrassed to openly confess His love and boast about the object of His love to others. One of the key verses is this book is found in Song of Songs 6:3 (ESV):
3 I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine . . .
If you are a believer today, let me assure you that because you belong to Him, He is totally passionate about you.
II THE PEER LOVE IN MARRIAGE
The next truth that we should not miss from the book is the emphasis on this extraordinary friendship between the Bridegroom and His bride. I call this as peer love. Listen to the Shulamite woman describing her lover:
Song of Songs 5:16 (ESV)
16 His mouth is most sweet, and he is altogether desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
Besides romantic love, the love of two friends should also be emphasized. Married Couples should enjoy being best friends or being with each other’s company if they want their marriage to last for a lifetime. How do you exercise in kind of love in marriage?
1. There is excitement to spend time together.
In Song of Solomon 2:8-9a, the Shulamite woman describes her lover coming to see her – “The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills. My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag . . .”
Reading these verses, she imagines him leaping and bounding like a gazelle or a young stag. Of course, these animals are admired for their speed, strength, and beauty. But, more importantly, the emphasis is on leaping and bounding that carries the idea of excitement. Couples, do you still enjoy spending time together?
2. There is grace towards each other.
One admirable characteristic among true friends is that they accept each other’s weaknesses and shortcomings. The bride conveyed this truth when she referred to her failures, but her lover never abandoned her:
Song of Songs 5:3-6 (MSG)
3 "But I'm in my nightgown—do you expect me to get dressed? I'm bathed and in bed—do you want me to get dirty?"
4 But my lover wouldn't take no for an answer, and the longer he knocked, the more excited I became.
5 I got up to open the door to my lover, sweetly ready to receive him, Desiring and expectant as I turned the door handle.
6 But when I opened the door he was gone. My loved One had tired of waiting and left. And I died inside—oh, I felt so bad! I ran out looking for him But he was nowhere to be found. I called into the darkness—but no answer.
Married couples are never perfect; they make mistakes. But because of this gracious love that exists among true friends, you continue to stay together and enjoy each other’s company. The apostle Peter gave this exhortation:
1 Peter 4:8 (ESV)
8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
I love this reminder that true love never demands perfection. Instead, it will cover a multitude of sins. In other words, it is willing to bear each other’s mistakes and failures.
3. There are no secrets between true friends
Open communication is essential in a lasting marriage. When you read the Song of Solomon, this open communication is very evident. Solomon repeatedly communicated what he admired the most about his bride, and the bride does the same. In Christ’s friendship with His people, He does not hide any secrets from them:
John 15:15 (ESV)
15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
This truth of peer love is an excellent reminder to us. If you are going to get married, don’t marry someone you don’t consider your best friend. If you are already married, you need to keep nurturing your friendship. Keep spending time together; keep going out on dates; don’t get tired of each other’s company.
III THE PROVIDING LOVE IN MARRIAGE
If you follow the love story in the book, the Shulamite woman lived in the village of Shunem, a country village in Lebanon (4:8). Since the family of the Shulamite woman owned a vineyard, King Solomon initially hid his identity as a King. He introduced himself as a shepherd. We find this reference in Song of Songs 1:7-8:
7 Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where you pasture your flock, where you make it lie down at noon; for why should I be like one who veils herself beside the flocks of your companions?
8 If you do not know, O most beautiful among women, follow in the tracks of the flock, and pasture your young goats beside the shepherds’ tents.
However, during the wedding day, he surprised his bride when he finally came with his real identity as the King of Jerusalem. This revelation is described in Song of Songs 3:6-10:
6 What is that coming up from the wilderness like columns of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all the fragrant powders of a merchant?
7 Behold, it is the litter of Solomon! Around it are sixty mighty men, some of the mighty men of Israel,
8 all of them wearing swords and expert in war, each with his sword at his thigh, against terror by night.
9 King Solomon made himself a carriage from the wood of Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver, its back of gold, its seat of purple; its interior was inlaid with love by the daughters of Jerusalem.
The descriptions of King Solomon as a shepherd and a king are so appropriate with our Savior. Often, the Jews have failed to recognize Jesus as their true Messiah because they did not expect Him to come as the Good Shepherd who would lay down His life for His sheep (John 10:11). They only anticipated a coming King. However, as we study the New Testament, you would realize that both are true with Jesus Christ. His first coming was to die and care for His sheep, while at His second coming; He will come as a conquering King.
Applying these titles in marriage, both speak of the Bridegroom’s ability to provide His bride's needs adequately. The Good Shepherd will even sacrifice His life to care for and provide the greatest need of His sheep. And for the King, of course, there is nothing He can’t give. He is more than sufficient to meet every need.
As we close this sermon, I would like to challenge each of us to look to Jesus as the ultimate lover of our souls. He is passionate about us as our Husband, Friend, and Shepherd-King. You know, if our perception of Jesus Christ is only limited to being our Creator and Lord, often, we see our services to Him as an obligation. We don’t have a choice, or else we will suffer if we don’t live for Him and serve Him. But, if we see Him as the One who pursues us; the One who is passionate about us, we would find our response to Him as simply reciprocating His love towards us. Just as John said:
1 John 4:19 (ESV)
19 We love because he first loved us.
-Dr. Jeremiah Lepasana