Intro
• So far in Song of Songs we have seen a beautiful love story between a man and his bride.
• We have seen their joy for one another as they begin their love.
• We have seen that even though that they had a desire for one another that their love for one another waited to the appropriate time to be expressed physically.
• Also, we have seen that these two have moved from a couple in love to now husband and wife; their true love for each other was then expressed physically for one another.
• The last section we looked at has brought us half way through the book and it was also the high mark of the book.
• If it has not been apparent so far, one can definitely tell from the next few chapters that this husband and wife truly have a deep love for one another
• It is a love that sees no one else in this world but their spouse.
• If you remember in chapter two, the groom referred to his bride as a “lily among thorns” and the bride referred to her groom as “the apricot tree among the trees of the forest.” (2:2-3)
• As we continue our study of Song of Songs, this week we will look at her True Love for Him and next week we will look at his True Love for Her.
• As I have said before, I want us to beware of wrong thinking. If we are not careful, we could conclude that love is only a physical action between a man and a woman. But love is much more than this.
• Today we will see that love truly is much more than just physical, it is also emotional. We will see this and understand it a little more as we see the bride wrestle with her own emotions after the couple’s honeymoon.
• By becoming his wife, she has given her all to her husband.
• By doing so, she has expressed her true love for him.
• Today we will see that the bride’s true love for her groom was expressed through #1 Her Sacrifice, #2 Her Adoration and #3 Her Commitment.
• Prayer
#1 Her Sacrifice
• Song of Songs 5:2-8
• When looking at this scripture, you have to also look at Song of Songs 3:1-5 because it calls back to this imagery.
• This imagery also has a double meaning that doesn’t leave much to the imagination; I will do my best to leave it to your imagination as well.
• If you remember, Song of Songs 3:1-5 describe her anxiety as she approached her wedding night; this is the same imagery but it is in reflection of her wedding night.
• In chap. 3:1 she laid awake thinking of their meeting at the window and their desire for one another.
• Here in chap. 5:2 he was knocking at the door – appeals to her to let him into the house.
• He is likened to someone standing outside of a house in the pouring rain and wanting her to allow him to come into the house.
• In verse 3 she states that she has “taken off her clothing” and “washed” her feet. In other words, she was not going anywhere – on her wedding night, she had arrived at the “point of no return.”
• Because of this, we see in verse 4 that her groom open the door and entered the house – her feelings stirred for him; continues into v5
• In chapter 3:2, the bride searched the city for her groom but could not find him – her desire for him. In 5:6 he is obviously present however she feels alone and abandoned emotionally.
• In 3:3 the guards (symbol of virginity) ignored her request to help find her groom but here in 5:7 the guards beat her (symbolize the loss of virginity)
• Because of this, she cries out to the Jerusalem girls, that if they see her lover, tell him she needs him.
• She cries out to the girls because she needs their emotional support as she deals with this experience and the loss of her virginity.
• In losing her virginity, she has opened herself up to emotional hurt: perhaps isolation and depression.
• She may even ask why she did this at all.
• If you will remember from our previous studies, a woman had to prove her virginity on her wedding night.
• If she could not prove that she was a virgin, she was executed.
• Think about it, all her life she had protected her virginity and now as a married woman, she freely gave it away knowing that she could never get that back. – She made a huge sacrifice for her husband.
• Today, this seems so abnormal in our society that encourages you to lose your virginity as early as possible.
• Girls, realize that the one of greatest gifts you can give your husband is your virginity.
#2 Her Adoration
• Song of Songs 5:9-16
• The Jerusalem girls ask her two questions about her husband – one here in v9 and the other in in 6:1
• She will answer both of these questions and by doing so she will be reminded why she gave herself to him in the first place.
• Here in v9, the Jerusalem girls ask the bride “What is so special about this man?” - She spends the next 7 verses answering this question.
• Here she speaks about how she admires him similar to chap. 1 & 2.
• V10 – fit and strong; he is healthy and full of life.
• Notable among ten thousand – He is the best man of them all!
• V11 – face is “purest gold” – tan and valuable to her.
• His hair is “wavy and black” – full of youth
• V12 – Eyes are like “doves” – pure and innocent; surrounded by the pure white of the eyes; precious as jewels.
• V13 - Cheeks and lips – “spice, perfume, myrrh” – not referring to their appearance but their effect on her; kissing in mind.
• V14 – arm – gold and topaz; body – ivory covered with sapphires
• The man did not truly look like this however it is a description of her estimation of his value in her eyes.
• V15 – Legs – alabaster pillars; pedestals of gold. Again this speaks to his strength and it is a description of her estimation of his value in her eyes.
• Also, his presence is “majestic” - Cedars of Lebanon were often used as symbols for majesty and beauty.
• V16 – Mouth – Sweet and desirable; refers to words and kisses.
• As we saw earlier in chapters one and two, the bride here paints a spectacular picture of what she thinks about her groom.
• Remember, the Jerusalem girls asked her “What is so special about this man?” – Here she gives them a vivid description.
• In this we see exactly how she feels about her groom; in fact, it is plain that she adores her husband.
• By the time that we read verses 9-16, it might be easy to forget why she was describing him in the first place.
• Remember, she seem to be very emotional and troubled at the loss of her virginity and the Jerusalem girls were reminding her of why she gave herself to him to begin with.
• I wonder if we all here today were to write a description of our spouse, what would it look like? Would it be positive? Negative?
• We should all adore our spouse in the same manner as this bride did.
#3 Her Commitment
• Song of Songs 6:1-3
• If you remember, the Jerusalem girls had two questions for the bride to remind her of her love for her husband.
• The second question is found here in 6:1. – Where is he?
• Now the truth of the matter is that the man is not lost nor does the Jerusalem girls have to form a search party to find him.
• To answer their question of “where is he?” in v1 the bride states in v2 that he has “gone down to his garden.”
• This imagery refers to him coming to her and making love to her.
• In v3, she reaffirms the fact that they belong with each other; they exclusively belong to each other; they are committed.
• Even though she may be emotional and troubled at the loss of her virginity, the Jerusalem girls help her to realize that she loves him more than anyone else and she is committed to him and him only.
• True love is found in a committed, exclusive relationship.
• Likewise, she should always be reminded that once we are married, we are promised to our spouse for life.
Conclusion
• Today we have seen that the bride’s true love for her groom was expressed through #1 Her Sacrifice, #2 Her Adoration and #3 Her Commitment.
• Challenge
o Marriage is about sacrifices – in this case it was her virginity, but in marriage we should be willing to sacrifice anything except for our relationship with Jesus Christ for our spouse.
o We should always adore our spouse – If you get to the point where all you see is the negatives and annoyances then you need to ask God to let you see your spouse with the eyes you saw them with at first.
o Always be committed to God first in your marriage and each other second. No other gods, no other love interests.
o Commit to Jesus today.
