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< Song Of Solomon 3 >

Song 4 – The Bride’s search for her beloved (Song of Solomon 3:1-5)Song of Solomon 3:1-5XWaiting for response

Bride

By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me. I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.

Song 5 – The marriage procession, their beauty revealed (Song of Solomon 3:6-11Song of Solomon 3:6-11XWaiting for response to Song of Solomon 4:1-7)Song of Solomon 4:1-7XWaiting for response

Virgins

Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant? Behold his bed, which is Solomon's; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel. They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night. King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon. He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.

Bride

Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.

Verses 1-5

Song Of Solomon 3:1-5XWaiting for response

The fourth song is only 5 verses long and solely comprises the words of the Bride. It is noteworthy that the construction of the Bride’s dialogue shows her absolute obsession with her beloved. Thus, 12 times in these few verses we have the mention of “him” or “he”. The Bridegroom, to use a modern cliché, is her ‘be all and end all’, her absolute focus.

Indeed, the central message of this song concerns the Bride’s complete determination to seek out her Bridegroom. Accordingly, across verses 1 through to 4, we discover a fourfold repetition of each of the aspects of seeking, loving and finding; we can condense these key phrases as follows:

“I sought him... my soul loveth... I sought him... I found him not... I will seek him... my soul loveth... I sought him.... I found him not... [the watchmen] found me... my soul loveth... I found him... my soul loveth” (3:1-4)

It is helpful to consider each of these three important stages in turn:

• Seeking – the Bride is unrelenting in her search for her beloved. Again, to use a modern phrase, ‘no stone is left unturned’. Similarly, we must “Seek... the Lord while he may be found, call... upon him while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6)Isaiah 55:6XWaiting for response

• Loving – the deep reciprocal love that the two share penetrates to the very soul, and, therefore, the whole living creature. This reminds us of the first commandment given by the Lord Jesus Christ, as recorded in Mark 12:28-30Mark 12:28-30XWaiting for response

• Finding – it is noteworthy from comparing verses 2 and 4 that the Bridegroom was not found “in the streets... in the broad ways” – that is amongst the mass of humanity (see Matthew 7:13).Matthew 7:13XWaiting for response Rather it was necessary that she “passed from them” in order to “find him whom my soul loveth”. This is a valuable lesson for us if we are to be truly attached to our Lord and his sacrificial love

Verse 3

Song Of Solomon 3:3XWaiting for response

However, the seeking, loving and finding recorded in Song 4 is not without its trials. Verse 3 mentions “the watchmen” who found the Bride. By comparing this verse with Song of Solomon 5:7Song of Solomon 5:7XWaiting for response we understand that the watchmen are antagonistic towards the Bride and persecute her (“watchmen... smote me... wounded me”). So, for the faithful, a natural outcome of faithful service is to be subjected to ‘great tribulation’. After all, there is no other way for the perfecting process to occur (see 1 Peter 1:7,1 Peter 1:7XWaiting for response Revelation 7:14).Revelation 7:14XWaiting for response

For present day believers the trial / persecution may be more about overcoming indifference than being faced with a physical threat to personal safety (at least for the moment, anyway); however, this modern-day apathy can in its own way be a significant challenge – sapping a believer’s energy and dampening personal witnessing efforts.

Verse 4

Song Of Solomon 3:4XWaiting for response

However, the wonderful outcome that the fourth song alludes to is that the Bride and Bridegroom thereafter go in together into her “mother’s house” (v.4).Song Of Solomon 3:4XWaiting for response Our mother, spiritually speaking, is “Jerusalem” (Galatians 4:26)Galatians 4:26XWaiting for response or “Zion” (Psalm 87:5),Psalm 87:5XWaiting for response for whose peace we presently pray.

Verse 6

Song Of Solomon 3:6XWaiting for response

Whereas the fourth song was exclusively the words of the Bride, her dialogue features to a much lesser extent in the fifth song, which mostly comprises a conversation between the Bridegroom and the Virgins.

The song opens with a question from the Virgins. This surely describes the returned Lord Jesus Christ, coming out of Sinai, following the resurrection and judgement, as is described in both Deuteronomy 33:2Deuteronomy 33:2XWaiting for response and Habbakuk 3:3-4.

The phrase “Who is this...?” prophetically captures the sentiments of both the world at large and also, at first, the nation of natural Israel herself (Psalm 24:8-10)Psalm 24:8-10XWaiting for response

Verses 6-7

Song Of Solomon 3:6-7XWaiting for response

This intricate description shows in some remarkable points of detail the one coming is none other than God manifest; manifest, that is, in His Son the Lord Jesus:

• “like pillars of smoke” (3:6) – as God was manifest in the day (and this is the dawning of a ‘new day’) in a “pillar of a cloud” in the wilderness (Exodus 13:21)Exodus 13:21XWaiting for response

• “myrrh and frankincense” (also 3:6) – two of the three gifts given to the baby Jesus (Matthew 2:11),Matthew 2:11XWaiting for response both highly scented / valuable

• “bed… threescore valiant men are about it” (3:7) – as there were 60 pillars around the tabernacle in the wilderness (20 each to the north / south and 10 each to the east / west, see Exodus 27), the place of God’s dwelling / residing. The future tabernacle of God will be with men (Revelation 21:3)Revelation 21:3XWaiting for response

Verses 7,9,11

Song Of Solomon 3:7,9,11XWaiting for response

Why, we might reasonably ask, is the Bridegroom three times referred to as Solomon in this passage (3:7, 9, 11)? Well, this is the “greater than Solomon” (Matthew 12:42),Matthew 12:42XWaiting for response who will provide the ultimate fulfilment of the promises made to King David (as recorded in 2 Samuel 7).

This ultimate marriage will mark out the realisation of “the joy that was set before” Jesus (Hebrews 12:2).Hebrews 12:2XWaiting for response After all, as Isaiah prophetically describes “… he shall see his seed… the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand… He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied…” (Isaiah 53:10-11).Isaiah 53:10-11XWaiting for response How humbling it is that we are prospectively (God willing) a means of the fulfilment of Jesus’ joy!

Verse 8

Song Of Solomon 3:8XWaiting for response

The symbolic weaponry employed at this time, which is described in verse 8, will not be carnal but rather spiritual. Indeed, it will be the performance of the very Word of God, the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17).Ephesians 6:17XWaiting for response Christ & the saints will, at this future time, execute the judgement written, as is confirmed in Psalm 149.

Their intervention will overcome “fear in the night” (3:8). After all, as already noted, we have pictured here the dawning of a ‘new day’, ushered in by Christ’s return, when darkness will no longer be used as a cover for the wickedness of men (see imagery in Malachi 4:2).Malachi 4:2XWaiting for response For as we read in Psalm 30:5:Psalm 30:5XWaiting for response “weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning”.