Song Of Solomon - Chapter 3 – The Bride's Dream Series

V.3:1 On my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but found him not.

2 I will rise now and go about the city, in the streets and in the squares; I will seek him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but found him not.

3 The watchmen found me as they went about in the city. “Have you seen him whom my soul loves?”

4 Scarcely had I passed them when I found him whom my soul loves. 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 who conceived me.

5 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or the does of the field, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases.

Solomon Arrives for the Wedding

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.

11 Go out, O daughters of Zion, and look upon King Solomon, with the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding, on the day of the gladness of his heart.

V. 3:1 – “On my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but found him not.”

A. The young Bride experiences Divine discipline. The Beloved withholds His presence from her because He wants her to discover that the only safe place in all the world is in rising up in partnership with Him. He holds out until we come to Him in obedience.

1. This was a new experience for her to seek Him without finding Him. She was disobedient to the Beloved in refusing to rise up to function the way that He told her (V.2:10-13).

2. She stays behind the wall of isolation and continues to pray on her bed, under the shade tree, eating grapes and raisin cakes instead of leaving her comfort zone (V.2:8,17). The Beloved refuses to come to her until she obeys because He loves her too much to leave her in a position of disobedience.

B. She has gone back to her bed and is wallowing in self-pity. We can do this when the Beloved is testing her about the concern for possession of Him. This is a 'night' (dark) time in her life where she seeks Him but doesn't find Him. This is true in our lives, where we wallow in self-pity but seem to be cut off from His presence. The reason is that He wants to draw us outside the boundaries we have confined ourselves in.

The 'bed' represents the place of spiritual slumber (here, the Hebrew word has the emphasis on 'sleep' - with the Beloved but can represent His intimate presence, but He has withdrawn Himself. We can seek Him in such a state but will not find Him, as we must first arise from our state of spiritual lethargy and take positive steps to find His intimate presence once again.

1. There is a breach in their relationship. He is absent. She is alone, without Him, on her own bed. Being on her bed is also in contrast to her rising up to go with Him (V.2:10,13).

2. Spiritual disciplines are no substitute for obedience. Her spiritual discipline did not solve her problem. Prayer is never a substitute for obedience. It is not an issue of coming to Jesus to feed our spirit. Jesus likes the prayer, ‘catch the foxes,’ when you are stumbling and failing.

3. The familiar spiritual disciplines in which we found God in one season do not automatically work in the next season if He requires a specific response of obedience.

C. The Beloved is getting her attention, and she is making the connection between her V.2:17 compromise and her inability to enjoy His Presence.

1. When we struggle to experience the Beloved’s presence using the disciplines of former days, then we should consider if He wants a specific response.

D. The young Bride seeks the Beloved without obedience, and her sincere heart of love for Him is affirmed.

1. People who understand the message of God’s affection for them in their weakness are drawn into the deep pursuit of God. This understanding doesn’t give us the liberty to live in more sin. When this powerful truth is understood, it will drive us to Him, not from Him. The true message of the love of God will never lead us from Him.