Daily Bible Study from the Song of Solomon

[king'sbloomingrose]

Hi guys, I just started a daily Bible study page from the Song of Solomon on Facebook and wanted to share with you guys. We will be posting a verse a day with short reflection on each one. The Lord gave me the idea after I realized that I had fallen out of love with Him. I wanted to remember my first love, so I started meditating on the Song of Solomon a verse a day. I wonder how many of us have gotten busy with our everyday lives, watching for the Lord's return, yet we forgot to see who we were waiting for. I know I have been there. I had strayed so far away from the Lord that I thought I could never be found. I got into sin, but God was faithful. He pulled me back from that place. No, I am still not totally in fellowship with Him, but I want to be. If you too find yourself in that place, won't you take that journey with me back to the Father? Back to your Bridegroom who waits for you?

"The song of songs, which is Solomon's." (SOS 1:1)

This is a very quiet introduction to a very marvelous book. The opening phrase, "the song of songs," implies that what is to follow is the greatest of all songs that have ever been sung or written. As we will see, the earthly love that we know pales in comparison to the love Christ has for the church, his bride. The author identifies himself by the name Solomon. In his day, he was considered to be the wisest man that ever lived. Yet, Jesus identifies himself in Luke 11:31 as 'someone greater than Solomon.' We will see as we journey through this book that it does not refer to the wise man and the earthly king, but rather the author is the King of Kings, our Lord himself. This is His song that he sings about the church and about you and me. Do you sing the same song about Him?

 

[king'sbloomingrose]

(Just getting this thread caught up to the current verse

"Let Him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for your love is better than wine." (SOS 1:2)

In Bible times, a kiss signified peace between two parties. With a kiss, the Father invites us into an intimate relationship with himself. The picture set before us is that of a Bridegroom's relationship to his Bride, the church. Jesus not only made peace between us and God when He died on the cross but He wants there to be peace in your life. How many Christians struggle with Him, wanting to control their own lives. My friend, that's not peace. Since He is made peace for us, may I take it a step further and say that His name is peace (Isaiah 6:9). You can never know peace in your heart and life apart from having Jesus. The solution for all the violence in today's world is not found in guns or treaties; it's found in Jesus. When the disciples boat was storm-tossed upon the Sea of Galilee, and that sea refused to still, they didn't need the storm to stop; they needed Jesus.

The Bride's response is to that peace is that of joy. So many people equate wine with happiness and joy today. Psalm 16:11 says that 'there is fullness of joy' in his presence. Worshiping Jesus was never meant to become a chore, ritual, or routine. There's far too many people that are just playing at church. Frankly, God doesn't want that kind of worship from you. Being in Jesus presence is better than getting drunk on Friday night because you're left with a hangover Saturday morning. Spending time with Him should be delightful and bring joy to your heart. Are you finding your joy and peace in Him alone?

 

[Kenny64]

Thank you for the wonderful message. reach Pray for delight and joy in everyone's heart as they communicate with GOD almighty.

 

[king'sbloomingrose]

Your anointing oils are fragrant, Your name is oil poured out therefore virgins love you. (SOS 1:3)

We will be introduced to this girl, the speaker, in a few verses, but I'm struck with how deeply she loves her Bridegroom. She doesn't introduce herself immediately, rather she wants us to meet her love first. It is clear how much He means to her. Christ’s ‘anointing oils’ refers to Psalm 45:8 which says that His “robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.” Myrrh represents the sacrifice of Jesus’ life and death; aloes signify healing. Whenever I get a cut or a burn, I apply aloe to heal the damaged skin faster. When you are hurting, He wants to apply healing to your broken heart and life if you let Him. Cassia speaks of His humility and servant-hood. He went willingly to the cross for us.

Even the sound of Jesus name is lovely. He is precious to those that believe in Him. There is tremendous power in His name, my friend. Just like oil poured from a bottle, so He willingly poured out His life for us on the cross to bring us healing. Our only response can be that of love and adoration. It reminds me of the lyrics of this worship song:

So what can I say
And what can I do
But offer this heart O God
Completely to You.

 

[king'sbloomingrose]

“Draw me, we will run after you: the king has brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in you, we will remember your love more than wine: the upright love you.” (SOS 1:4)

Here we see the bride’s plea to “draw me.” John 6:44 and Matthew 6:21 make it clear that you may be willing to follow Christ, but your flesh is weak. It is impossible for you to fight against the world, the flesh, and the devil in your own power. Jesus is a gentleman. He will never force you to do something that is against your will. If you long for deliverance from sin or yourself, you must ask Him to draw you to Himself.

The bride’s response is a promise to eagerly pursue her Lord. ‘Run’ is a strong word but she is willing to do whatever it takes. What do you cling to that keeps you from running after Him? Every time God called a man, He asked him to leave something behind. Abraham, for example, left his family and his homeland to follow the Lord by faith. Oh my friend, He is worth it. He is worth any sacrifice that you make for Him in this life. This uninhibited pursuit of the Lord, ends as He brings her “into his chambers.”

The chambers are a place of intimacy and heart to heart communion. Once here, the bride does not waste time with complaints or petty wishes. Instead we see her on her knees in a position of joyful surrender to her Lord. Seeking the Lord is satisfying and worthwhile. Are you willing to let go of the things you hold most dear so that, like the Apostle Paul, 'you might know Him and the power of His resurrection?' (Philippians 3:10).

 

[king'sbloomingrose]

“I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.” (SOS 1:5).

Here we finally get our first look at the girl the King loves. I do not believe that black refers to the girl’s race, but rather her family made her work hard out in their vineyard as the next verse explains. She’s like the modern-day Cinderella. The Hebrew word is literally translated as ‘dark.’ She compares her darkness to the “tents of Kedar.” Kedar was a descendent tribe from Abraham’s other son, Ishmael. If you will remember, God rejected Ishmael in favor of giving Isaac the covenant blessings. Kedar opposed God and his law as David found out when he hid there from his enemies. (Psalm 120:5) When we stand before the holiness of God, we are all dark with sin. We belonged once to the enemy Satan and served his kingdom.

On the other hand, this girl compares her comeliness to ‘the curtains of Solomon.’ Solomon, as the king of Israel, would not have been on speaking terms with his rival, Kedar. It is as if she is covered by the presence and acceptance of her beloved, just as the righteousness of Christ covers the believer today. We can almost see this scene, as the royal son approaches his father with a girl beside him. He says, “Father I found a girl to be my bride.” They both look at the girl standing before them in peasant clothes. Her dark appearance gives away her origins immediately. Her fingers are calloused from hard work. The father protests, saying “she’s from the enemy tribe, Son. I can’t let her into my family the way she is.” The son takes off his outer robe and lays it over her careworn shoulders. He says, “she’s wearing my robe. I identified her with me. She belongs in this house now, to me.” This is what Jesus has done for us. If there is beauty, it is because His presence changed us from a pauper to his beloved. From an enemy to the Son’s bride.

 

[king'sbloomingrose]

"Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept." (SOS 1:6)

Not only did this girl belong to a peasant family, but they were vineyard keepers. She's been forced to work long and hard hours to support her family, toiling underneath the hot sun. She's spent all her time working for others, tending to their needs, and putting them above her own self. She hasn't had time to go to the beauty parlor. This girl's beauty comes from within her, rather than from her outward appearance. I find that so often we get hung up on external appearances. We don't want to talk to this person because they look tough or that person because of their sexual orientation. The Lord looks on the heart of a man (1 Samuel 16:7). He came to save the lost. Some of us, may be sunburned by circumstances; maybe you feel that life has treated you unfairly. The Lord sees your heart. He knows what you are going through. The King is enchanted by your beauty (Psalm 45:11). His hearts cry, as revealed in the Song of Solomon is to have a closer relationship with you.

 

[mattfivefour]

Beautiful. And true. He calls us to Him just as we are.

 

[king'sbloomingrose]

"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?" (SOS 1:8)

This girl wants to know where her beloved's sheep are. After all, it seems strange that she cannot see the flock of sheep that He cares for. Jesus is our Great Shepherd. He's got a lot of sheep that we cannot see or may not know that they are His sheep (John 10:14). It is very interesting that she mentions His companion's sheep. There are a lot of caretakers of the flock such as Pastors, but there is only one true Shepherd.

May I suggest that Jesus alone knows who His sheep are. A lot of people make up individual churches, but He alone leads the true believers. We hear a lot of talk today about the 'invisible church.' My friend, you are very visible to Him; He will never lose you between here and Heaven. He wants our focus not to be on all the other people around us and what they do, but rather to be fixed upon Him.

 

[king'sbloomingrose]

"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." (SOS 1:8)

Jesus calls this woman beautiful. You know, he says the same to each and every one of us today. You're beautiful to Him, my friend. Jesus wants us to follow Him in the same path of service that He willingly accepted. After Peter denied Christ, He appeared to him, with these simple words: "If you love me, feed my sheep." It's not a command. It's a plea. If you love Him, you will desire to feed His sheep. He lay down His life for them. The least we can do in return is to invest our lives into caring for His people. He would make you into a finder of men's souls, just as Andrew the disciple brought his brother to Jesus so long ago. If we follow Him, he promises to make our lives count in eternity for Him (Matthew 4:19).

 

[mattfivefour]

This study is wonderful! Thank you for it, little sister. I hope a lot of members take advantage of it: it will bless them. It is blessing ME.

 

[king'sbloomingrose]

"I compare you, my love, to a mare among Pharaoh's chariots." (SOS 1:9)

This one was a hard one to write and even harder to understand. In fact, I know I've been out from this for some time. God's been working on me. I've had to realize some things in my life and understood that I'd been talking all this time about running after God but I wasn't really doing it. Maybe this illustration will help. In the middle of washing my car, I found small black rust spots that wouldn't come off. I immediately began planning out all the ways that I would correct it but then I stopped when I heard the Lord remind me, "Lay not up for yourself treasures on earth where moths and rust corrupt and where thieves break through and steal." Our true treasure should be in Heaven. All the stuff that we have here won't matter in eternity. Only that cup of cold water, the lives that we touched, and all the things done for Him will last. Solomon compares the bride to a mare. A horse runs at its master and rider's bidding. Yet, a good rider cares for his horse sometimes at the expense of his own life. Paul compares the Christian life to a race of faith. Like horses, we get tired and worn out and just plain lazy sometimes. God, like a rider, encourages you towards an unseen goal. He understands each stumble and falter and yet through all your mistakes, He wants you to keep going, to keep running the race with Him by your side.

 

[mattfivefour]

"I compare you, my love, to a mare among Pharaoh's chariots." (SOS 1:9)

This one was a hard one to write and even harder to understand. In fact, I know I've been out from this for some time. God's been working on me. I've had to realize some things in my life and understood that I'd been talking all this time about running after God but I wasn't really doing it. Maybe this illustration will help. In the middle of washing my car, I found small black rust spots that wouldn't come off. I immediately began planning out all the ways that I would correct it but then I stopped when I heard the Lord remind me, "Lay not up for yourself treasures on earth where moths and rust corrupt and where thieves break through and steal." Our true treasure should be in Heaven. All the stuff that we have here won't matter in eternity. Only that cup of cold water, the lives that we touched, and all the things done for Him will last. Solomon compares the bride to a mare. A horse runs at its master and rider's bidding. Yet, a good rider cares for his horse sometimes at the expense of his own life. Paul compares the Christian life to a race of faith. Like horses, we get tired and worn out and just plain lazy sometimes. God, like a rider, encourages you towards an unseen goal. He understands each stumble and falter and yet through all your mistakes, He wants you to keep going, to keep running the race with Him by your side.

Awesome!!! How you are growing, little sister!

 

[king'sbloomingrose]

"Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments, your neck with strings of jewels." (SOS 1:10)

Have you ever had one of those moments where you turn to your boyfriend or girlfriend and ask, 'honey, why do you love me?' Well, here it as if the king turns to the peasant girl who had fallen in love with him and proceeds to tell her why she's beautiful to him. This is how the King of all Creation sees us as incredibly precious in His sight. He loved us when there was nothing loveable about us and lay down His life for his Bride. May I say that He made you and "is intimately acquainted with all your ways." (Psalm 139:3) Many of us suffer from feelings of worthlessness, loneliness, and insignificance. If only we could see ourselves as He sees us - His dearly beloved. Such a perspective would rid us of much mental anguish and in turn reveal the needs of those that we come in contact with every day. When you choose to let go of your fears and insecurities, God can use you to touch the lives of those around you in ways that you cannot imagine. Please allow me to share a beautiful story that illustrates this principle.

"I sat in a crowded terminal waiting on my plane, when the stewardess wheeled an elderly man through the crowd to my row. Humped over in a wheelchair, he was skin and bones, dressed in clothes that obviously fit when he was at least twenty pounds heavier. His knees protruded from his trousers, and his shoulders looked like the coat hanger was still in his shirt. His hands looked like tangled masses of veins and bones. The strangest part of him was his hair and nails. Stringy gray hair hung well over his shoulders and down part of his back. His fingernails were long, clean but strangely out of place on an old man.

I could feel God working on my spirit and I started arguing with God in my mind. "Oh, no, God, please, no." I looked up at the ceiling as if I could stare straight through it into heaven and said, "Don't make me witness to this man. Not now. I'll do it on the plane." Then I heard God say, "I don't want you to witness to him. I want you to brush his hair." I argued with the Lord, but finally, I looked up at God and quipped, "I don't have a hairbrush. It's in my suitcase on the plane. How am I supposed to brush his hair without a hairbrush?" God was so insistent that I almost involuntarily began to walk toward him as these thoughts came to me from God's word: "I will thoroughly furnish you unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:17) I knelt down in front of the man and asked," Sir, may I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?" He looked back at me and said, "What did you say?" "May I have the pleasure of brushing your hair?" To which he responded in volume ten, "Little lady, if you expect me to hear you, you're going to have to talk louder than that." At this point, I took a deep breath and blurted out, "SIR, MAY I HAVE THE PLEASURE OF BRUSHING YOUR HAIR?" At which point every eye in the place stared at me.

The old man had absolute shock on his face, and said, "If you really want to." Are you kidding? Of course I didn't want to. But God didn't seem interested in my personal preference right about then. He pressed on my heart until I could utter the words, "Yes, sir, I would be pleased. But I have one little problem. I don't have a hairbrush." "I have one in my bag," he responded. I went around to the back of that wheelchair, and I got on my hands and knees and unzipped the stranger's old carry-on, hardly believing what I was doing. I stood up and started brushing the old man's hair. It was perfectly clean, but it was tangled and matted. I don't do many things well, but I must admit I've had notable experience untangling knotted hair mothering two little girls. Like I'd done with either Amanda or Melissa in such a condition, I began brushing at the very bottom of the strands, remembering to take my time not to pull.

When I finished, I slipped the brush back in the bag, went around the chair to face him. I got back down on my knees, put my hands on his knees, and said, "Sir, do you know my Jesus?" He said, "Yes, I do." Well, that figures, I thought. He explained, "I've known Him since I married my bride. She wouldn't marry me until I got to know the Savior." He said, "You see, the problem is, I haven't seen my bride in months. I've had open-heart surgery, and she's been too ill to come see me. I was sitting here thinking to myself, what a mess I must be for my bride." It was a God moment, and I'll never forget it.

Our time came to board, and we were not on the same plane. I was deeply ashamed of how I'd acted earlier and would have been so proud to have accompanied him on that aircraft. I still had a few minutes, and as I gathered my things to board, the airline hostess returned from the corridor, tears streaming down her cheeks. She said, "That old man's sitting on the plane, sobbing. Why did you do that? What made you do that?" I said, "Do you know Jesus? He can be the bossiest thing!"

Yes He is. What a humbling thought that the God of Creation knows your name and need tonight. He will meet you right where you're at, where you sit, if you but wait upon Him.

 

[mattfivefour]

What an awesome message, Holly. Thank you.

 

[king'sbloomingrose]

"We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver." (SOS 1:11)

In the Bible, gold and silver often depict redemption and purification of the believer. Contrast this picture in Song of Solomon with that of the Laodicean church in Revelation 3:14. The false believers of that church thought they were alright with God because they lacked nothing of this world's treasures. However, Jesus counseled them to "buy from [Him] gold refined by fire."

The 'borders of gold' and "studs of silver" speak of the witness of a true believer's life. Jesus, the "refiner's fire," purifies and tests our faith in Him to prove its genuineness. (Malachi 3:1-18; 1 Peter 1:7). I wonder what it must look like to see gold melted to scalding temperatures to burn away the impurities therein.

Too many of us want an easy life. We reject the pain this life brings. So often we say, 'Lord, make me comfortable,' all the way to glory never realizing that that is not His way. God doesn't have anything against comfort, but if you are comfortable all the time He can never build character in you. Even Jesus had to walk beneath the cross before He received His throne. The purpose of trials and testing are not to hurt you. Rather, trials strip you of yourself so that God can burn off the dross and impurities until you are as pure gold, conformed to His likeness. Let Him comfort you during this process; lean solely on Him for solace, rejecting the flimsy supports that you cling to so tightly. They can be things like your job, your health, a loved one or even a spouse. Delight yourself in Him even in the hard times, even when it hurts too much to go on. He is so faithful. In the end, as the old gospel song says, it will be worth it all when you see Jesus.

 

[mattfivefour]

Excellent teaching, Holly. This series of yours is blessing me. And today's post is also in alignment with something I was led to post just a day or two ago. I think God is giving a message to members here and others who visit to read.

(I'm giving you the link because I think you will find it useful yourself: http://www.raptureforums.com/forum/...n-about-god-raised-movie-4.html#post842117053)

 

[LivnForChrist]

Great post Holly!

 

[king'sbloomingrose]

While the king sits at his table, my spikenard sends forth its fragrance. (SOS 1:12)

The next several verses speak of the sweet communion between Christ and his church. Do you remember the parable Jesus told about the wedding supper? Many were invited yet few came until the groom told his servants to go out into the highways and byways and compel the blind and crippled to come to the wedding feast. We too have been blinded and crippled by sin. But God saved us and invited us to sit at His table of fellowship with Him. We too will attend His wedding feast one day. Notice though, only the redeemed can come to this table. It's a humbling thought that we have access to the King of all creation and to the throne of His grace. He wants you to come boldly and tell Him what is on your heart and mind. (Hebrews 4:16)

Spikenard literally means genuine and purity. Mary poured her precious bottle of spikenard over Jesus feet in adoration in John 12:3. Our worship should be genuine mixed with purity. A lot of us don't take time with the Lord. We have our own agenda in mind and spending time with Him becomes just another chore. Our prayers and acts of service are as incense rising up to the throne of God. You may feel as if no one cares what you do or what sacrifices you make. The King notices. To Jesus those deeds are like sweet smelling perfume. A very beautiful song contains the following words:

"I'll bring you more than a song,
for a song in itself
is not what you have required.
I'm coming back to the heart of worship
Where it's all about you, Jesus.
I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it
When it's all about me."

Have you entered fully into the heart of worshiping God?

 

[king'sbloomingrose]

My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh that lies between my breasts. (SOS 1:13)

We see just how precious the Lord is to His bride. When she lies in bed at night she wakes and thinks of Him. She holds him close to her heart, nearer and dearer than all else in this world. The psalmist David cried out to God in the Psalms during the darkest times in his life. During the good and the bad. He was not a 'fairweather' Christian like a lot of us are today. How can we keep ourselves from falling into this trap?

Jesus is referred to as a 'bundle of myrrh.' Myrrh symbolizes Christ's servant form made in the likeness of man. (Philippians 2:7) Jesus used action words such as humbled and fashioned. His journey thru our world took effort. I don't mean to be irreverent, but Jesus did not live His life like most of us live ours. We get up, and spend most of our day living for ourselves with only a few minutes set aside for reading a few verses or a hastily uttered prayer. Our lives can only be transformed into His likeness as we study and follow His example. There is a danger in not applying the light that we have been given. Proverbs says that a "young man cleanses his way by taking heed" to God's word. It's work my friend. If you put on your spiritual glasses, you will see that we are in a war. You are to be Christ's soldier, his messenger, a man striving to win a race towards glory. I have a feeling that far too many of us would rather sit in our recliners with the TV remote in hand than attend to these matters that take our effort and attention.

The bride here holds Christ close so she might be of the same mind as Christ - to literally see things the way He sees them. (Philippians 2:5) How can you keep from giving into temptation? Hold Him close. How can you keep yourself from the cares of this life? You must mind the Lord. When you mind the things of this world, you lose focus on Christ. This is why Jesus says not to worry about food and raiment but to seek His kingdom and righteousness first before those other things. Oh my friend, please mind the Lord.