I.
General
information of the storyline
A. King
Solomon: He represents the triumphant, resurrected Jesus Christ who is
King of kings.
Shulamite maiden: She represents the Bride of Christ. She is
introduced as a young maiden who grows up to become a Bride in mature
partnership with King Jesus.
Daughters of Jerusalem: They represent spiritually immature,
believers. They look to the Shulamite for answers on how to grow close to the
King.
B.
4 Characteristics of the Song
1.
We seek to love God because He loves us with all of
His heart, soul, mind, and strength.
"We love Him because He first loved us." 1John 4:19
"....
And you shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your
strength. This is the first
commandment. And the second, like it is
this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31
2.
The Song reveals the emotional side of Jesus'. It shows the why behind the what. Why we were
created and why did Jesus go to the cross for us.
3.
4 Truths that are within these characteristics
a.
The revelation of Jesus' affections and enjoyment of
His people
b.
The revelation of the beauty of Jesus, especially as
Bridegoom King. (Ps. 27:4)
c.
The revelation of the individual believer to Jesus,
even in our weakness.
d.
The call to grow in love and mature partnership with
Jesus.
C.
3-fold Inheritance
1. There is a
3-fold inheritance that is described by King David in Psalm 2 and its shown in the Songs. It is a mature Bride that trembles, rejoices
and kisses the Son.
"Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for
Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession...,Be wise, O
kings...Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son...." Psalm 2:8-12
2. David shows us 3
sides of redemption
a.
Trembling- we see the majesty of
Jesus and it causes us to have the fear of the Lord.
b.
Rejoicing - we rejoice in who we are
in Christ for who He is and what He's done for us.
c.
Kissing - We love Jesus with our
heart, soul, mind and strength.
II.
THE
DIVINE KISS AND THE BRIDE'S LIFE VISION
A.
In this 8 chapter love song, the running theme is
the Bride's journey with Jesus, drawing near to
Him, and then running together in partnership with Him.
"Let
him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth (Word)[1]. For your love is better than wine. Draw
me away (intimacy)! We will run after you (ministry)." (Song 1:2-4)
B.
The Song has 2 main sections: Song 1-4 emphasizes
the Bride's inheritance in Jesus. It talks
about how we can enjoy Jesus and what we receive from Him. It also helps us understand what we have in
Him and how God views us. The main
revelation of these 4 chapters is God's desire for us even in our
weakness. It shows that God doesn't
begin to enjoy us after we mature but that He enjoys/delights in us while we
are maturing.
C.
The second half of the Songs emphasizes Jesus'
inheritance in us. This change in emphasis,
happens in SOS 4:16. In the first half
of the book, He is giving us His heart and He gave us His life. In chapters 5-8, we give ourselves back to
him because we are overwhelmed with the love of God.
III.
HER
JOURNEY BEGINS WITH THE PARADOX OF GRACE (SOS 1:5-11)
"I
am dark, but lovely.... my own
vineyard (heart) I have not kept." Song 1:5-6
A.
The first 4 verses are an introduction to the
story. The story actually starts in
verse 5. Here we see that she has
revelation of the darkness of her heart but how lovely, beautiful she is to
God. We need to balance both of these
truths and not lean on one more than the other.
B.
There are 4 reasons as to why we
are lovely before God.
1.
God's personality - He is filled with tender, loving
emotions for us. When God sees us, He
sees us through His heart.
2.
The gift of righteousness
"For He
made Him who knew no sin to be
sin for us, that we might become the righteousness
of God in Him." 2 Cor. 5:21
3.
The Holy Spirit's Impartation - When we become
born-again the Holy Spirit places a sincere and willing spirit to obey
Christ. Although we are still immature,
that cry is placed within us.
"you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba,
Father.”"
Rom. 8:15
4.
Our eternal destiny makes us lovely before Him.
C.
She has a desperate cry for Jesus. She wants Him to feed her spirit personally. She asks Him
where You will meet me, feed me. Her cry
is that He would share with her the deep things that are in His heart.
"Tell me, O you whom I love, where you feed your flock....For why should I be as one who veils herself by
the flocks of your companions? Song of Solomon 1:7
D. Jesus reveals His heart for her.
"O fairest among women" Song 1:8
IV.
SHE BEGINS TO UNDERSTAND HER IDENTITY IN GOD'S
BEAUTY (SONG 1:12-2:7)
A.
She
starts to have a revelation of Jesus' beauty and the joy of knowing Him. Psalm
27:4 is becoming a reality in her life.
She is fascinated with the beautiful God.
He's not just Master, He is
someone beautiful.
"You are handsome, my beloved! Yes,
pleasant!" Song 1:16
"One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I
seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my
life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire
in His temple." Psalm 27:4
B.
She receives revelation of her identity in Christ.
This verse is actually spoken by the Bride not Jesus. She is stating her identity as a great prize.
She is the rose that God is preparing to give to Jesus as His
inheritance.
"I am the rose of Sharon, and
the lily of the valleys." Song 2:1
C.
She is lovesick
for Jesus and is resting in the work of the cross. She is desiring to connect with Him more than
she has ever before. It's not a struggle
to spend time with Him. It's
enjoyable. She has found pleasures,
delight in Jesus. So, she's resting in
Him. His banner/leadership is love. Everything He does is because of love. And it produces love in her. Then she asks Him to sustain, refresh her for
she is lovesick. She is focused on her
own spiritual contentment. This happens
when she experiences God's presence.
"I
sat down in his shade with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. He
brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. Sustain me...Refresh me...for I am lovesick." Song 2:8-17
V.
CHALLENGING THE COMFORT ZONE (SONG 2:8-17)
A. Jesus is pictured as skipping and leaping over mountains and
hills. The mountains are obstacles/sin. Jesus has power over all of them. So, she is lovesick for Jesus. She is comfortable and all she wants is to
feel good in His presence. When He now is calling her to come to the
mountains with Him. He speaks to her
tenderly and says, "Rise up, my love....and come away."
"The
voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes
leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the
hills. My beloved is
like a gazelle...My Beloved spoke...“Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come
away. ...Let me see your
face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is
lovely.” Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away, Turn,
my beloved and be like a gazelle or a young stag upon the mountains of Bether.
"Song
2:8-17
B.
In Song
2:17, She says, "No." She
refuses because of fear and immaturity.
She fears full obedience. The
cost of it. How difficult it is. She loves Him but doesn't think she can do
it.
VI.
SHE EXPERIENCES GOD'S LOVING DISCIPLINE
A. She searches for Him but doesn't find Him. The sweetness of His presence is gone. He is lovingly
disciplining her (Heb. 12:5-11). God is
not rejecting her. He is actually
drawing her to Himself. He wants to walk
deeper with us. God's goal is to make an
inheritance for Jesus. And He will do
whatever it takes in love for us to mature.
"By night on my bed I sought the one I
love; I sought him, but I did not find him. “I will rise now,” I said, "And go about the city; In
the streets and in the squares I will seek the one I love.”I sought him, but I
did not find him. .....When I found the one I love. I held him and would not
let him go..."Song 3:1-4
B.
Soon she arises to obey the call to leave her
comfort zone. Jesus' presence returns in
response to her obedience.
VII.
SHE RECEIVES
A REVELATION OF JESUS AS A SAFE SAVIOR (SONG 3:6-11)
She receives
revelation that wherever He is that is the safe place. He reveals Himself as One who is safe to
obey.
VIII.
THE
PROPHETIC HEART OF THE BRIDEGROOM GOD (SONG 4:1-8)
A. Jesus,
The King begins to prophesy over her. He
speaks those things that are not as though they are. He reveals how beautiful she is to Him. He describes 8 character traits that He
desires to see in her. They are all in agriculture metaphors. It's the language of her own heart. He is calling her forth. Gideon is an example of how He sees us. He doesn't see us by our sin or
struggles. He sees us by the cries of
our spirit that say "Yes". It
gives us confidence before Him. It makes
us run to Him verses running away because we know we are accepted and not
condemned.
"Behold, you are
fair, my love! Behold, you are
fair!" Song 4:1
B. We
need to fully commit every area of our lives in order to mature. She says, No.
But now she realizes that she needs to obey. So she commits to obey to go to the mountain
of myrrh.
I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh... Song 4:6
IX.
THE RAVISHED
HEART OF THE BRIDEGROOM GOD (Song 4:9-5:1)
A. Jesus
is revealed as a Bridegroom to her. His
heart is filled with desire for her.
This revelation equips her to go and embrace the cross, the mountains of
myrrh.
"You have ravished my heart...you have ravished my heart with one look of your eyes..... How fair is
your love.... How much better than wine is your love...." Song 4:9-11
B. Jesus
gives her seven descriptions of her ministry to Him(4:12-15). Her heart is a garden. A king's garden was a private place. This was a place where the king would get to
know another person intimately.
"A garden enclosed is
my sister, my spouse, a spring
shut up, a fountain sealed." Song 4:12
C. The
storyline changes in Song 4:16. She
begins to realize that she is an inheritance to Him. She prays for north winds, which is the cold
and bitter winds of winter. The times of
testing. But she also prays for south
winds, which are the winds of refreshing.
The warm summer winds. She's not
afraid to ask for north winds. She is
confident in Jesus and knows that He wants His inheritance.
"Awake, O north wind, And
come, O south! Blow upon my garden, that
its spices may flow out.
Let my beloved come to his garden and eat its pleasant fruits. I have come to my garden, my sister, my spouse; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk." Song 4:16, 5:1
Let my beloved come to his garden and eat its pleasant fruits. I have come to my garden, my sister, my spouse; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk." Song 4:16, 5:1
D.
Here she realizes that the garden of her heart is
His. And His alone. She is changed by
this thought. She sees herself so
differently because of this truth. 9
times he uses ownership and uses the word "my" in 5:1.
X.
A TWO-FOLD
TEST OF MATURITY (SONG 5:2-8)
A. Jesus
comes to her as the man of sorrows. As
the man that was in the garden of Gethsemane.
He invites her to share in His sufferings. Will she go with Him and share in the
fellowship of suffering? Will she walk
with Him no matter what the cost?
"It is the voice of my beloved! He knocks, saying, "Open for me, my sister,
my love,
My dove, my perfect one; For my head is covered with dew, My locks with the drops of the night.”" Song 5:2
My dove, my perfect one; For my head is covered with dew, My locks with the drops of the night.”" Song 5:2
"But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for
Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all
things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him,
not having my own righteousness, which is
from the law, but that which is
through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I
may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His
sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the
resurrection from the dead." Phil 3:7-11
B. Jesus
asks her to open up those areas to Him.
He wants her to give Him every area of her life. He wants to be the center of her life.
C. She
says, "Yes" to His call to dying to self. She takes off her old self (her robe), she is
dying to self (Gal 2:20). She walks in
full obedience to His call to die to self.
"I have taken off my robe; How can I put it on again? I have washed my feet; How can
I defile them? My beloved put his hand by the latch of the door, and my heart yearned for
him. I arose to open for my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with liquid
myrrh, on the handles of the lock." Song 5:3-5
D. She
experiences the first test. He withdraws
His presence. She searches for Him but
He is gone. This experience enables her
to go deeper with God through her obedience.
She is in that desert. She is
searching until she finds Him. She is
maturing because of her total obedience.
God is answering her prayer to be the mature Bride. During this time, she needs to remember His
promises. That His banner over her is
love.
"I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had turned away and was gone. My heart leaped up when
he spoke. I sought him, but I could not
find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer." Song 5:6
E. The
second test comes her way. She loses
her ministry. The watchmen (spiritual
leaders) don't understand her passion for Jesus. So they take away her ministry within the
Body. So Christ is saying to her, Can
you still love me? Will you still follow
until the end? When there is nothing
else, can her identity be found in Him and Him alone.
The watchmen....They struck me, they wounded me; the keepers of the
walls took my veil away from me. Song 5:7
F.
She responds to Jesus by saying, "I am
lovesick." She still desires Him
even in the testing of the 2 things that she prayed for in the beginning of the
Song. For Him to draw her away and to be
able to run in ministry with others (Song 1:2-4). She doesn't quit and continues to pursue Him
no matter what has happened.
XI.
THE BRIDES
RESPONSE TO THE TEST (SONG 5:9-6:5)
A. The
immature believers ask the Bride, What is so special about your Beloved? Why do
you love Him so much? You've lost
everything and still you pursue Him.
"What is your
beloved more than another
beloved, O fairest among women?" Song 5:9
B. She
answers them by giving a description of the majesty of Jesus.. She gives 10 descriptions of how beautiful He
is. This reveals her love for Him.
"My beloved is
white and (dazzling NASB)... chief among ten thousand. His head is like the finest gold; His locks are wavy, and black as a raven. His eyes are like doves by the rivers of waters..... His cheeks are like a bed of spices....His lips are lilies, dripping liquid
myrrh. His hands are rods of gold set with beryl.
His body is carved ivory
inlaid with sapphires. His legs are pillars of marble set on bases of fine gold. His countenance is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. His mouth is most sweet, Yes, he is altogether lovely. This is
my beloved, and this is my
friend..." Song 5:10-16
XII.
JESUS
PRAISES THE BRIDE AFTER THE SEASON OF TESTING (SONG 6:4-10)
A. The
time of testing is over. He breaks the
silence and begins to tell her how beautiful she is to Him. She describes her as Tirzah and
Jerusalem. Tirzah was known for its
natural beauty, its exquisite gardens and abundant water supply. Jerusalem was the place where the temple
resided and had the Shekinah glory of God.
They were two great cities. He
tells her how she is like a great army.
That she has overcome the enemies of her heart.
"O my love, you are as
beautiful as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners!" Song 6:4
B. He
shares that her eyes of devotion have touched His heart. He is overwhelmed by her love for Him.
"Turn your eyes away from me, for they have overcome me."
Song 6:5
C.
In Song 6:5c-10, Jesus describes the Bride's
maturity and devotion.
XIII.
VINDICATION
OF THE BRIDE (SONG 6:11-7:9A)
As the Bride
walks in the revelation of who she is to God, she has been and is persecuted.
She is asked to come back. Jesus
vindicates her through the church in 7:1-5. Then He, Himself vindicates her in
7:6-9a).
XIV.
THE BRIDE'S
MATURE PARTNERSHIP WITH JESUS (SONG 7:9B-8:4)
The Bride is fully mature. Walking in partnership with Jesus. She expresses partnership in every area (intercession for more power, boldness in
ministry, and in being one with Jesus).
XV.
THE BRIDE'S
SEAL OF MATURE LOVE (SONG 8:5-7)
Jesus
invites her to place Him as a seal on her heart. Her journey begins with her longing to be kissed by His word and ends with a seal of
unconditional passionate love on her heart.
The arm speaks of the ministry
work. The 2nd Commandment being a
reality in her life because of the love of God
that has filled her life.
"Set me as a seal upon your
heart, as a seal upon your arm..." Song 8:6
XVI.
THE BRIDE'S
INTERCESSION AND REVELATION (SONG 8:8-14)
The
Bride intercedes for others and for Jesus' return. She experiences the power and enjoyment of living before Him. The truth that He is the one that counts and
nothing else does. She also realizes her spiritual maturity before God. She has now become that mature Bride!
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