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V.4:1 Behold, you are beautiful, my love, behold, you are beautiful! Your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead.
2 Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes that have come up from the washing, all of which bear twins, and not one among them has lost its young.
3Your lips are like a scarlet thread, and your mouth is lovely. Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind your veil.
4 Your neck is like the tower of David, built in rows of stone; on it hang a thousand shields, all of them shields of warriors.
5 Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle, that graze among the lilies.
6 Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, I will go away to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense.
7 You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.
8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride; come with me from Lebanon. Depart from the peak of Amana, from the peak of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of lions, from the mountains of leopards.
9 You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride; you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace.
10 How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!
11 Your lips drip nectar, my bride; honey and milk are under your tongue; the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
12 A garden locked is my sister, my bride, a spring locked, a fountain sealed.
13 Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates with all choicest fruits,
henna with nard,
14 nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all choice spices—
15a garden fountain, a well of living water, and flowing streams from Lebanon.
16Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind! Blow upon my garden, let its spices flow.
Together in the Garden of Love
She
Let my beloved come to his garden, and eat its choicest fruits.
OVERVIEW - The Beloved describes His Bride in detail, reassuring her that His love has not diminished one degree because of her sin. The Beloved declares that her love for Him overwhelms His heart. After that, He begins to describe her as a garden possessing different kinds of fruits and spices. She prays that He will come into the garden of her life and enjoy the fruits and spices for Himself. Her Beloved Bridegroom first takes for Himself what He desires from this garden and then shares it with others.
The Beloved romances His Bride and invites her to the bridal partnership as He commanded her to come with Him to the mountains” (V.2:10). She responded in V.4:6 with the intent to obey. He reveals His passion for her and how He enjoys and desires her (V.4:9-10) and affirms her as a flourishing garden, which speaks of her godly life and her fruitful ministry (V.4:11-15). Finally, she prays for His intervention (V.4:16).
The Beloved shows the Bride how she can be equipped to do His will (go to the mountain of Myrrh and the hill of frankincense) - these are principles we must grasp as we desire to follow Jesus and go the way of the Cross.
As we step out into His purposes (mountains and hills), the lions and leopards will be out to get us! Lions and leopards are devouring enemies and speak of enemies' powers and principalities (See 1 Peter 5:8 - also Spirit of Antichrist - See Revelaton13:2).
These mountains speak of the place of overcoming intense spiritual opposition due to being in the midst of His purposes. They will lead you into His permanent call on your life, a place where you are to be a light of the world, consecrated to Him with a pure heart.
Seeing the ravished heart of God (V.4:9-10) - Earlier, we saw how the Bride had been overwhelmed by the love of the man. Now, however, we see the Groom's ravished heart! 'To Ravish' means 'to seize and take away by violence; to overcome with emotions of joy or delight; pleasing or striking.' The Bride has captured His heart, filling it with ecstasy and delight. One look from her eyes and one glimpse of her necklace had seized His heart and carried it away. Even though we're not mature, when we show a desire to follow Jesus, no matter what the cost, we ravish the heart of Jesus!
These are 8-character traits that the Beloved Jesus wants to come forth in His Bride. The symbolism used here is developed throughout the Bible.
1. Dove's eyes - Eyes of faith and revelation
2. Hair like goats - dedication to God and spiritual covering and submission
3. Teeth like shorn sheep - chewing the food of long and loving meditation on the meat of the Word.
4. Lips like scarlet - verbal communication that is influenced by redemption.
5. Kisses of the mouth - intimacy with God.
6. Veiled temples - cheeks or emotions impacted by the grace of God.
7. Neck like David’s tower - the free will.
8. Breasts like fawns - the power to edify and nurture others
**
V.4:1 Your eyes are doves behind your veil." Her locks or veil conceal a portion of her face. Some things the Beloved shares with you are only meant for you and Him alone! The world will see a changed life but it is unable to appreciate, in any way,
" Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead.”
V4:1a – “Behold, you are beautiful, my love, behold, you are beautiful!”
A. The foundational revelation for the young Bride's maturity.
A."Behold, you are beautiful" - He is speaking to her for the first time since the season of discipline in V.3:1-5. He uses the words two times to emphasize His feelings for her after discipline. It is important to the Beloved that we understand His heart. The Holy Spirit blasts the Divine trumpet before us, “Behold! you are beautiful and you are His love.”
1. What a fantastic way to break the discipline. We need to have our hearts tenderized by this. This is a statement of tremendous importance to God.
B. It is written twice because it is often difficult to believe it the first time. He sees us as His bride, His one and only love. We see ourselves as a failure. He sees this as a growing, perfecting time to serve Him better.
C. This affirmation has been repeated many times throughout the book (V.1:8,15,16; 2:10,13,14; 4:1,7,10; 6:4,10; 7:1).
D. There are 4 reasons why we are beautiful and lovely to God in the midst of our spiritual immaturity.
1. The gift of righteousness through the finished work of the Cross. She saw her loveliness comprised in possessing the gift of righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). We are lovely in His sight because of His work, not because of what we did. He wrapped us in the robes of righteousness as a gift. One of the most dramatic declarations imaginable is God declaring that broken, weak people are beautiful by the fragrant garments of righteousness that are upon them. He has wrapped us in the same beautiful garments as Jesus possesses.
2. He has given us a willing spirit at the new birth. The work of the Holy Spirit to produce a "Yes!" in our spirit appears as beautiful to God. A willing spirit is the “yes” in our spirit to God, before we have ever changed anything outwardly. Man sees the willing spirit, and if it is not
complete with deeds, he calls you a hypocrite. Many underestimate how powerful this is to Jesus. The movement of our hearts to God is the work of the Holy Spirit. It is called a willing spirit. When David sinned with Bathsheba, he prayed, “Restore unto me a willing spirit” (Psalm 51:7).
3. The nature of God’s personality - The passions and pleasures of God’s heart determine how God feels toward us. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. It is because of the heart of the Beholder, that we are beautiful to God. Our beauty is related to God’s emotional makeup. If He were an angry God, then we would not be beautiful by virtue of a willing spirit. It The way He views people flows out of what is in God’s heart. This is what constitutes us as beautiful. If it were someone else looking at the exact same set of information, they would not call us beautiful. He views things differently than man does.
4. Her destiny before God as the future bride of the Beloved. The absolute certainty of the finality of our destiny as an adorned, embraced, and enthroned Bride with the Beloved is a substantial reality of our beauty
D. The revelation of His affection of the young Bride in her weakness.
E. "My love" There is nothing more vital to our future maturity, security, encouragement, and comfort, than the revelation of God’s affection.
1. The dividing issue between people who grow rapidly in the spirit and those who do not is the knowledge of God’s affection in times of weakness. It is with this knowledge that we run to Him, instead of running from Him.
V.4:1b - Your eyes are doves behind your veil."
A. Her locks or veil conceal a portion of her face. Some things the Beloved shares with you are only meant for you and Him alone! The world will see a changed life, but it is unable to appreciate, in any way,
B. "Eyes" speak of "seeing", thus referring to faith and revelation. Spiritual eyes speak of discernment, understanding, and wisdom. Paul spoke of the eyes of our spiritual understanding.
“the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know…what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18)
C. She can see redemptive truth, such as the work of the Cross, the passion of God’s heart, and the value of radical obedience.
“In that day a man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will have respect for the Holy One of Israel.” (Isaiah 17:7)
D. "Dove's" speaks of purity, innocence, and loyalty. The Holy Spirit is pictured as a pure and innocent dove. The Beloved also referred to her dove's eyes in V.1:15. She has the eyes of revelation, the eyes of the Holy Spirit.
1. He did not call her a deceitful snake in her immaturity. He is endeared with her dove-like sincerity, innocence, and purity.
2. A dove never mates again when their partner dies. Thus, they are unique in their loyalty.
3. Dove's eyes cannot focus on two things. This speaks of singleness of mind. Single-minded instead of having security in one moment and then condemnation in the next. He alone is her source.
4. The Holy Spirit was pictured like the dove instead of another kind of animal or bird. A dove has no peripheral vision. She is also single-minded in devotion to Jesus. Her eyes are fixed upon Him. Her focus is upon Him instead of focusing upon deceitful lusts or upon her failures or successes.
"The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. "But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matthew 6:21-23)
E. "Behind your veil"— she purposefully "hides" or holds back aspects of her revelation behind her veil. This acts as her covering of humility before God.
1. God helped Paul to have humility in context to "seeing" an abundance of prophetic revelation. Her veil acts as a covering of humility before God. This speaks of her secret life in God. It is our life behind a veil.
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure…He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:7-9)
a. Paul had a great prophetic revelation. However, Paul had a tendency to exalt himself even as a mature apostle.
V.4:1d - "Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead"
A. The second character trait is that her hair speaks of consecration and dedication. A Nazarite's hair spoke of their consecration and dedication (Numbers 6). One who took the vow of the Nazarite was not permitted to cut their hair. When Samson cut his hair, he broke the vow. He compromised his dedication to the Lord and lost his power. The cutting of the hair spoke of breaking vows of dedication.
B. Hair also speaks of the beauty of spiritual covering and submission. This speaks of her dedication. In 1 Corinthians, hair speaks of a woman’s glory and, thus, dedication. Hair is a part of a woman's beauty. It outwardly adorns her. Beautiful hair is used to picture being inwardly adorned with good works (1 Timothy 2:9-10; 1 Peter 3:3-5).
But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head…For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered. But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is
given to her for a covering. (1 Corinthians 11:5,6,15)
C. "Is like a flock of goats" Proverbs teaches us that goats are majestic and stately in their walk. A flock of goats walk in stately order
“There are three things which are majestic in pace, yes, four which are stately in walk…a male goat” (Proverbs 30:29-31)
1. Her dedication as a flock of goats speaks of her dedication to God as flowing from godly wisdom with dignity and divine order. Dedication that lacks fleshly zeal is rare (like her earlier experiences in V.1:5-7).
2. There is a certain stateliness about the way the young Bride walks out her dedication. We want our dedication to be stately and majestic.
3. Her dedication is abundant.
D. “leaping down the slopes of Gilead”
1. Mount Gilead was a fertile area with bountiful places where goats were known to eat abundantly.
2. Her dedication is abundant since she is well-fed on the love of God.
a. We want our dedication fed abundantly on the Word of God. This is the most effective diet that strengthens our dedication.
V.4:2 – “Your teeth”
A. The third character trait described is her teeth. We have a four-part description of her teeth from an agricultural perspective, which is the background from which the Shulamite maiden came. Her teeth are strong, abundant, and effective. The Beloved speaks to her in language that she understood from her agricultural experience tending goats and keeping vineyards. He uses agricultural metaphors throughout the song.
B. Teeth provide a channel of nourishment to the physical body. Teeth are used to chew heavy foods that nourish the physical life and speak of the ability to the meat of God’s Word spiritually. Infants have no teeth to chew meat.
1. Paul says that the babes in Christ cannot take the meat of the Word and cannot chew or digest it. The Corinthians could only handle the milk of the Word
…I…could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to…babes in Christ. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it…” (1 Corinthians 3:1-2)
2. The way God's Word nourishes our spiritual life is through long and loving meditation on the Word (John 5:39-40).
3. This cleanliness of teeth speaks of her commitment to meditate on the word of God.
V.4:2a -"Are like a flock of shorn ewes"
A. Sheep are designated as clean animals in the Old Testament.
B. Shorn sheep have wool of uniform length. The wool of an unshaven sheep grows unevenly (unbalanced).
C. The priests of Zadok were priests who ministered near God. They had to wear linen and were forbidden to wear wool. Because wool made them sweat. Wool spoke spiritually of fleshly zeal. This priesthood had to be at rest. There is spiritual balance, the wool is gone. The Brides fleshly zeal is under control, and she is growing in Divine zeal.
"…the Levites, the sons of Zadok…shall come near Me to minister to Me…whenever they enter the gates of the inner court, they shall put on linen garments; no wool shall come upon them while they minister within the gates of the inner court…they shall not clothe themselves with anything that causes sweat (Ezekiel 44:15-18)
V.4:2b - "That have come up from the washing"
A. The ‘washing’ speaks of being cleansed from the mud by receiving the Word with wisdom and balance. White and pure without a mixture of fleshly motives due to their life in God's word.
“that He might…cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, (Ephesians 5:26)
Jesus said to him, "…you are clean, but not all of you." (John 13:10)
B. She has ‘come up’ through the Word to enter the ascended life of spiritual depth.
Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. (James 1:21)
C. The Word of God brings discernment of good and evil. She refuses to esteem what the Beloved hates. She does not confuse good and evil.
He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God. (Luke 16:15)
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20)
For though by this time you ought to be teachers…and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (Hebrews 5:12-14)
1. She is becoming less self-absorbed in the process
2. As Paul ate the Word of God his teeth were like the sheep that came up from the washing. The Word cleansed his motives, and he walked free from the wool of fleshly zeal.
D. This verse speaks of loving meditation on the Word that results in lives that are clean, as sheep just emerging from the washing.
V.4:2c - " all of which bear twins"
A. "Bears twins" - speaks of abundant fruitfulness. The sheep that bears twins is a double blessing to their owner.
V.4:2d - " and not one among them has lost its young”
A. This speaks of a fruitful impact on others.
B. Her life is not only pure and clean but abundantly fruitful with freedom from fleshly zeal and making an impact on others (1 Timothy 4:6-16).
V.4:3a - "Your lips are like a scarlet thread"
A. The fourth character trait speaks of her lips or her verbal communication.
B. Scarlet speaks of the blood of redemption.
1. In the Old Testament, the scarlet thead pictured of the coming redemption from the blood of the Messiah. When the spies came to Jericho, Rahab placed the scarlet ribbon in her window in order to receive redemption for her house.
“And she bound the scarlet cord in the window. (Joshua 2:21)
2. Moses took the blood of calves and goats with water, scarlet, wool, and hyssop and sprinkled both the books of the law and the people with it.
…Moses…took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled…the people, (Hebrews 9:19)
C. Your lips are under the impact of the redemption of the Messiah. In other words, that scarlet thread impacts her lips.
1. Edifying speech that releases grace is the idea (Col. 4:6). When our lips are purified, then our lives are mature (James 2:3).
2. Wholesome speech is an indication of the grace of God on our lives (Ephesians 4:29).
3. Our words in prayer and worship as well as our encouragement to others are pleasing to God. In Song 2:14, He said, "Your voice is sweet, your face is lovely." The reason our voice is sweet (2:14) is because the scarlet blood of Jesus covers us and causes our words to be accepted in the sight of God, as the fragrance of Christ to God (2 Corinthians 2:15).
D. The grace of God is seen on her lips through the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit anoints our lips, then our words are sweet to people in ministry and to God in prayer and worship.
V.4:3b -"Your mouth is lovely"
A. The fifth character trait described is her mouth, which is not synonymous with her lips.
1. Lips, throughout the Song of Solomon, speaks of speech.
2. The mouth speaks of her communion with the Beloved.
3. Throughout the Song, whenever the word mouth is referred to, it goes back to the initial theme and vision statement of her whole life. “Let me know the kisses of your mouth.” This is the first way in which the mouth is introduced in this love Song, with the kisses of the mouth.
4. The lips refer to speech; however, her mouth is related to kisses. This spoke of intimacy, the deepest things of God.
a. She prayed from the very beginning, “Let me know the kisses of your mouth.”
b. He says, “your kisses are lovely to Me. When we give our heart to the Beloved, it may seem weak. But God says, “It is lovely to His heart, even in our immaturity. She wanted the kisses of His mouth. He wanted communion with her. The mouth of His Bride was lovely to the Beloved, and He loves intimate communion with His Brides.
c. Many Christians cannot comprehend somebody relating to them in this kind of way. The love of God is so deep and vast that “who can know it?”
B. God is delighted with her communion with Him, with the giving of her heart.
V.4:3c - "Your cheeks”
A. The sixth character trait speaks of her cheeks, which describe her countenance and reveal her emotions.
B. The word ‘cheeks’ speaks of her emotions.
1. Our emotions are most easily expressed on our cheeks. Unless a person guards their emotions, we can see anger, joy, gladness, and sadness on the cheeks. A person's countenance is reflected on their cheeks. They are the windows of a person’s emotions. Countenance is the Hebrew word for cheeks.
C. Her emotions were sweet to God.
V4:3d - " are like halves of a pomegranate"
A. This was a common fruit, and it is mentioned a number of times in the Old Testament. It is on the gown of the high priest or the Ephod. The pomegranate was a very sweet fruit, and when you cut it open, it was red. Her emotions are sweet, but her countenance is red.
1. Red speaks of her modesty, her propensity for blushing in the presence of shameful things. The prostitute has no sense of shame or blushing in sin. Her countenance is red for blushing and is sweet to God. Her red countenance is sensitive to shameful things (red from blushing).
2. Her godly emotions were like a piece of sweet and redeemed pomegranate.
3. Her hidden life of modesty and tenderness is genuine and not just a show before people.
V.4:3c -"Behind your veil"
A. It speaks of her hidden life before God.
B. There is a hidden life of modesty and tenderness. It is genuine. It is not just a show before people.
D. Her emotions are godly and are sweet to God but not entirely when He sees the negative and the positive. He defines us more by the positive than the negative. We define ourselves more by the negative than the positive.
V.4:4a - "Your neck"
A. The seventh character trait is her neck, which speaks of her free will.
1. The neck speaks of free will throughout Scripture. The neck can either be stiff, meaning resistance, or it can be submissive.
a. For example, when a conquering king defeated another nation, he put his foot on the neck of the conquered nation's king as a symbol of total submission.
b. The foot on the neck of a defeated foe meant that he was totally submitted. This spoke of submission or resistance of the will.
V.4:4b - "Is like the tower of David"
A. A tower is strong, upright, and stately. She was resolute.
B. Her submission, or righteous choices, were strong, upright, and stately like the tower of David.
C. The Bride's will is like the heart of David (Psalm 57:6). This is in contrast to being a depressed, double-minded Christian.
V.4:4c - "Built in rows of stone"
A. An armory stores up the weapons for war. A resolute will to obey God is like a storehouse of mighty offensive weapons against the enemy's kingdom. Nehemiah 3:19, 25 speaks of the armory that is next to the king's tower.
B. Her resolute decision to obey God is like a storehouse of mighty weapons that can be used to attack the enemy's kingdom. There was a long-term or a stored-up resolution to obey the will of God. In her prayer life she said, “Beloved, I’m going to be yours.” She wasn’t new to this issue.
V. 4:4d - "On it hang a thousand shields"
A. One thousand speaks of abundant defense and protection against the enemy.
B. Her will was like a skilled warrior.
V.4:4e - "All of them shields of warriors"
A. The shields of skilled warriors are ones that are tried and proven in battle. This refers to the shield of faith, which is used to protect us.
“above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. (Ephesians 6:16)
B. This resolution is the very key to spiritual victory. There is no substitute for exercising our free will to say ‘yes’ to God. The Beloved will not violate His own boundary lines of redemption by forcing you to say ‘yes’
C. The glory of redemption is voluntary love, and our ‘yes’ has power over the enemy, who cannot bring us into addiction whenever he wants to. Our will must cooperate with the Beloved. Our will is a very powerful issue of our spiritual defense.
D. There is a setting of the heart in the midst of temptation. When the dark moods begin, and there are no feelings, our confession in the presence of temptation is that our heart is set to seek the Beloved.
V.4:5a - "Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle"
A. The eighth character trait speaks of her ability to edify and nurture others. A mother nourishes her babies with milk from her breasts.
C. She is like two fawns twins of a gazelle, which are youthful, faithful, and pure, able to nurture with milk energetically.
1. This speaks of a double portion, or a double ability to nurture in giving the milk of the Word to others. This is in contrast to Song 8:8, where the immature Christian is pictured as not being equipped to nurture and edify others.
V.4:5c - “Which graze among the lilies"
A. These fawns are fruitful because they feed among the lilies, which speak of purity and innocence. The pure, white innocence of the lily speaks of the glory of God.
B. In V.2:1, she refers to herself as the lily of the valley.
C. The Beloved affirms that she is skilled in her ability to nurture other people. He promised to make her an ornament of silver as an able minister of the covenant (V.1:10).
V.4:6a – “Until the day breathes”
A. The affirmation of the Beloved as she steps out in faith gives her confidence
B. "Until the day breathes" speaks of a time of victory by living in greater light with no shadows.
1. Morning light brings a new day or a new season of breakthrough after struggling through the night. This speaks of the time when there is fullness of light. It speaks of either the day of eternity when we live in the presence of the full day, or it speaks of a time of victory where we live in greater light on the Earth. In either case, she is saying that until more light comes, she is going to continue to embrace the mountain of myrrh while praying for help on the hill of frankincense.
C. “and the shadows flee.” Shadows speak of the grey areas of weakness or compromise. These shadows or little foxes (V.2:15) were still present in her life. She is committed to continuing on the mountain of myrrh until all the shadows (areas of weakness) are exposed and dealt with.
V.4:6b - "I will go away”
A. The phrase “go away” is vital. God calls each person on their tailor-made journey. You cannot go the way your friend goes. You must go your unique way to the mountain of myrrh,
1. This speaks of her full resolution to embrace everything that the Beloved puts before her in order to walk in full partnership with Him. In other words, there is nothing that will keep her from being 100% obedient.
“…that I may know Him and…the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Philippians 3:10)
B. She finally embraces the great commission from V.2:10-13. In V.4:6, she repeats the prayer from V.2:17, which signifies that perseverance in prayer is part of the Biblical pattern.
1. She commits to continue until all compromise is gone.
V.46:c “to the mountain of myrrh”
A. Mountain refers to obstacles that hinder her faith and obedience. The Beloved has revealed Himself to her as the "Lord of all" who was ‘skipping’ effortlessly conquering all opposing mountains (V.2:8-9).
B. It is a mountain of Myrrh, which is a burial spice that speaks of the death of Jesus and the message of the Cross. It is too costly in the flesh for her to radically obey God.
1. Myrrh is used in preparing a body for burial (fruit of meekness), and frankincense, which does not give forth its fragrance until it is burned (fruit of faithfulness) - both were given to Jesus at His birth. These gifts spoke prophetically of His suffering and death on the Cross. Here, the Bride is speaking figuratively of the message of the Cross and the death of her Beloved.
a. There are two parts to the message of the Cross.
1. The first part of the message is what the Beloved did for us.
2. The second part of the message is denying ourselves as we take up our Cross to follow Him (Luke 9:26).
C. The Bride is willing to go this way because she has a vision of the DAWN when the shadow of death will flee away ('until the day breaks and the shadows flee away')
1. This speaks of the Second coming of Jesus to receive the spotless bride to Himself.
D. The life of total commitment is foundational for all.
V.4:6d - "and the hill of frankincense"
A. Frankincense is incense that spiritually speaks of her prayer life and is in the Temple in Heaven The incense of the throne of God reflects the prayers of the saints. Our prayer life empowers our soul to embrace the cross in self-denial
1. David said, “Let my prayer be set before You as incense” (Psalm 141:2)
2. The 24 elders fell before Jesus, each having a golden bowl full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints
“…the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (Revelation 5:8)
B. She embraces the mountain of self-denial, but only through a life of prayer.
1. Jesus exhorted Peter to pray because he was about to enter into temptation to yield to the flesh (Matthew 26:40).
C. The hill of frankincense is much smaller than the mountain of myrrh. Even a small amount of prayer prepares us to embrace the large obstacles. The Beloved hears our prayers because our voices are sweet to him. We need the hill of frankincense which speaks of prayer and fasting in seeking the Beloved.
D. The mountain of myrrh is too high without living on the smaller hill of frankincense. The hill is smaller than the mountain. The significance of this is that we don’t have to pray night and day for every temptation. A little bit of communion with the Beloved does make an impact.
1. A little bit goes a long way. God enlarges our prayers. We don’t need 24-hour prayer vigils for everything that we do. The Beloved taught us that prayer helps us to overcome temptations (Matthew 26:41).
2. The commitment to ascend to the "mountain of myrrh" will never be effective without living in prayer on the "hill of incense"
V.4:7a - " Behold, you are beautiful, my love!"
A. The Beloved releases a fresh word of affirmation.
B. He calls her "beautiful" 13 times throughout the SONG and eight times up to this point in the SONG.
V.4:7b - "there is no flaw in you."
A. We are not to conclude that she has no sin. She has yet to embrace the ultimate 2-fold test of V.5:2-8. He sees her willingness to embrace the Cross. The Beloved is defining her in terms of her willing spirit, not in terms of her weak flesh. She is not yet fully mature. Jesus esteems her desire to walk in all the light she has.
B. She is lovely to Jesus
“Do not let your adornment be merely outward-- arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-- rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands” (1 Peter 3:3-5).
V.4:8a,b – “Come with me from Lebanon, my bride; come with me from Lebanon. Depart from the peak of Amana, from the peak of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of lions, from the mountains of leopards.”
C. For the first time, the Beloved calls her "My Bride." In the SONG, the Beloved usually couples the twin titles: “My sister, My spouse, however, on this occasion, He does not add His usual title ‘My sister.’ She is no longer just an immature maiden. She is now beginning to function as a Bride.
1. For the next four chapters, we see the development of the mature Bride. After she said, “I will go,” He said, “You’re altogether lovely.” It is maturity that makes the bride. This great inheritance is an eternal companion that is an affection-filled Bride that will be equally yoked to Him in love. This Bride is going to have the same intensity of love for Jesus that Jesus has for her.
2. The dominant cry and the defining confession of the body of Christ in the final hour will be a Bridal cry. Hosea looked 2,700 years ahead into the future, declaring, there will be a day when they will say to the Beloved, "my Husband" (Hosea 2:16). The Spirit and the Bride will come to an experiential unity unprecedented in history (Revelation 22:17). It will be a Bridal cry. It is the Spirit and the Bride that will be the dominant cry of the people of God in the final generation.
2. The Cross is not an end in itself because it provides the Beloved with His eternal Bride and gives the Father His eternal family. The great wedding Day described in Revelation 19 is the guiding principle for everything that God the Father has done in creation.
V.4:8a - "Come with Me"
A. This speaks of coming to Him in intimacy and partnership to Lebanon's mountain peaks, where there are lions and leopards (spiritual warfare). She is obeying the original challenge given to her in V.2:10,13.
V.4:8b - "From Lebanon" - Lebanon's mountains were dangerous but were noted for their beauty and being filled with strong cedar trees. Lebanon is a large mountain range in the northern part or Israel or Palestine. It is large for Israel, but not compared to other mountain ranges.
A. Jesus' countenance is like Lebanon (V.5:15). Lebanon is also filled with fragrant flowers (V.4:11; Hosea 14:6). The glory of Lebanon is mentioned in Isaiah 35:2.
B. Moses longed to see Lebanon (Deuteronomy 3:25). Moses was pleading with the Lord to allow him to see the present mountains that were in Lebanon.
C. Solomon built a summer house in the forests of Lebanon and is referred to by the name Lebanon. He built this house for his bride.
V.4:8c - “Depart from the peak of Amana.”
A. These are two high mountain peaks of Lebanon. They speak of being seated in heavenly places with Him. Both mountain peaks were fertile and fruitful and are on the east side of the Jordan River. They are high and give a view of the promised land on the west side of the Jordan River.
1. They gave a view of the Promised Land when they looked west from those mountain peaks. Standing upon the very high peaks of the mountains of Lebanon, it was possible to look south and west across the Jordan River and view the Promised Land.
V.4:8d - “from the peak of Senir and Hermon.”
A. "Senir and Hermon" - One mountain with two names. Senir and Hermon are actually two different names for the same mountain. Mt. Hermon, which is on the east side of the Jordan River, was also called Mt. Senir by the Amorites (Deuteronomy 3:8-9).
B. When Israel conquered the Ammonites on the east side, they climbed to the top of this mountain to see the land of Canaan on the west side before they actually crossed the Jordan River to possess it.
1. Israel defeated two kings of the Amorites (Deuteronomy 3:1-11) – Og, the king of Bashan, and Sihon, king of Heshbon. The Amorite kings had to be conquered before Israel could climb this mountain. This was a picture of conquering the flesh.
V.4:8e,f - "From the dens of lions, from the mountains of the leopards”
A. The enemy makes a noise like a roaring lion who seeks to devour (1 Peter 5:8). The Bride wars against the lions and leopards who also devour their prey. They speak of demonic powers and principalities (Ephesians 6:10-12).
1. This is a picture of spiritual warfare. She is taking her place in God’s purpose as a lover of God, but also as a warrior in partnership. She is the worshiping warrior. In one sentence, the bride is a lover, a servant, a partner with Him against the enemies, and a worshiping warrior. She is taking her place in God's purposes as a voluntary lover of God, yet also as a warrior in partnership with Him.
B. Psalm 76:4 calls these mountains the "mountains of prey" because of the wild animals that would stalk and try to make prey for the people of Israel. The lion's den is found in the mountains.
C. Habakuk 2:17 speaks of plundering the beasts on the mountains of Lebanon that made the children of Israel afraid.
D. In Psalm 57:4, David speaks of his enemies as men who are like lions set on fire to do violence against him. They sought to destroy him. These men were as cruel and ravenous as beasts, having animal like hearts that were bent on destroying the servants of God.
V.4:9a - "You have Captivated (Ravished) My Heart"
A. The Beloved reveals how lovely she is to Him. This is a statement of His personality and the basis of how He defines beauty and loveliness. He evaluates our lives with such kindness because of His ravished heart.
B. Another one, not as kind as Jesus, would not see the loveliness in us. We will be beautiful forever. Our beauty will never fade.
C. The Beloved is captivated/ravished by her heart and not her accomplishments.
1. He can define beauty because He is the author of it.
V.4:9b-c -"My sister, My bride"
A. The bride speaks of the affectionate partnership. The first time she is called a sister or bride is in V.4:8. Jesus calls us by a new name, His Bride. Being named His Bride speaks of His affectionate partnership for us. His heart is captured only for His Bride.
B. “My sister” speaks of Jesus’ human nature. To call us His sister means that we are in the same family. He could not call us “My sister” before the incarnation. He was not our brother, until He took upon Himself the form of a man. He relates in the brother-sister relationship because He partook of humanity.
“He is not ashamed to call them brethren…have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same…For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God…” (Hebrews 2:11-17).
1. Jesus endured indescribable humiliation to partake of human nature in the incarnation. It was necessary that He might be like His brethren in all things (Hebrews 2:17). For us to be His sister, He must impart to us a new nature that results in such exaltation for the redeemed. He had to descend so far down, and we must ascend so high to meet Him as His sister with the same nature.
2. He was not ashamed to fully identify with us and to endorse us before the Father. We cannot understand how significant this is because we do not know the position from which He stepped down. We need to fully understand who He is in context to His throne, surrounded by Divine beauty and splendor, as Angels worship him. He is not ashamed to be called our Brother (Hebrews 2:11). Jesus does more than endorse us; He set aside the form of God and took our sins upon Himself to make us His co-heirs for eternity.
3. He is claiming a full family relationship with those joined to Him. He has given us a family position. Jesus called His disciples His brothers and sisters (Matthew 12:49-50).
4. He gives us an indescribable quality of aid that is filled with infinite sympathy. From eternity, Jesus is our Divine Lord. However, in the incarnation, He became our human brother. He can ‘aid’ us because He became like us.
“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but at all points was tempted as we are yet without sin…He Himself suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who
are tempted" (Hebrews 2:15,18).
e. He honors every glance of devotion to Him.
V.4:9d - "you have captivated my heart with one glance look of your eyes"
A. He counts every move of our hearts towards Him. We struggle to understand this because we don't count every move of somebody’s heart towards us. Every glance of our devotion touches Him.
B. The Beloved cannot resist one look from the eye of any downcast Christian who is sincere in obeying Him.
1. This is His response to the Redeemed, who were once the foolish, weak, base, and despised people of the world (1 Corinthians 1:26-29). No one loves as God loves. He is ravished over the foolish, weak, base, despised people of the world. Nobody picks a bride from those ranks except God because He looks at life so differently than we do. His definition of beauty is so different than ours. Isn’t that wonderful?
“For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the…and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised…that no flesh should glory in His presence.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).
2. The Beloved includes the despised and weak people of the Earth as His eternal bride. This testimony portrays the beauty that He sees in such people as the beggar Lazarus, who was rejected by others but gladly received into the highest position in the created order.
"But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, "desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. "So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.” (Luke 16:20-22)
a. Lazarus was a poor man who had sores, and the dogs licked them. It is not the language of a parable. It is a true story. Jesus feels so much for Him.
b. This reveals the unique personality of Jesus, who cannot resist even one look from the eye of such downcast ones whom His blood has redeemed. Even poor Lazarus's weak eyes captured the heart of Jesus.
c. If one glance moves His heart, what will a fixed gaze do to Him?
V.4:9e - "With one jewel of your necklace."
A. This is the chain made by the Beloved to adorn her neck in 1:11. She gladly displays it around her neck so that all might know to whom she belongs, loves, and obeys.
B. Her neck speaks of her submitted will, which refers to her sincere desire to submit to His authority (see 1:10). The neck speaks of the exercise of her will throughout the book. The necklace around the neck spoke of the will.
C. Every individual response of sincerity is one link of this golden chain, as described in V.1:10. It is not the whole necklace, but merely one link. However, every link of her dedication moves His heart. He remembers every movement of our hearts towards Him. His heart is ravished by even one link, each new area of dedication.
1. Jesus is so easily conquered by His weak people who have a willing spirit. Even the most immature heart that possesses sincerity to obey impacts Him because He knows this sincerity will eventually grow and dominate the heart of His Bride-to-be. He cannot separate who she will be in full glory from who she is in her present weakness.
2. God will not overlook even one act of obedience.
3. He has not changed and still loves for us to spiritually walk with Him, hand in hand, along the pathway planned for each of us before the world ever existed (Psalm 139:16).
4. This excites Him because our willingness to go demonstrates our deep trust in Him and full love for Him, and the very same heart of His which was broken and pierced for His bride’s sin is now totally taken with her ("captivated / ravished") in overwhelming love in what she has become! It is as if she totally steals His attention so that He can think of nothing else because she is the Beloved's new creation! Jesus sees in her His beauty of holiness that is beginning to rise from His surrendered blood-bought Bride.
V.4:10a - "How beautiful is your love”
A. This is the same idea as V.4:3, “Your mouth is lovely.” He says, “How beautiful is your love.” This love beautifies the bride of Christ. He declares to the redeemed human race, “You are all that I want. How beautiful is your love to Me, which causes the Bride to delight in Him and to pray for grace to be more pleasing to Him.
B. He desires our love even more than our work.
“For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name” (Hebrews 6:10)
C. He will remember seemingly insignificant acts of devotion, even a cup of cold water. God remembers every single decision we make. This is a marvelous way to live.
"And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward." (Matthew 10:42)
D. The beauty of our love in the sight of God
1. This is the same idea as 4:3, “Your mouth is lovely.” He says, “How beautiful is your love.” This love beautifies the bride of Christ. He declares to the redeemed human race, “You are all that I want. How
beautiful is your love to Me. This love causes the Bride to delight in Him and to pray for grace to be more pleasing to Him.
2. He desires our love even more than our work.
"Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.” (Revelation 2:4)
3. He desires love more than sacrifice (Hosea 6:7). If we were to give our bodies to be burned in great sacrifice to God but did not love Him, it would avail nothing (1 Corinthians 13:3).
4. We are His divine treasure. We are His treasure, and His heart is with us.
"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)
G. Reinforcing His twofold relationship with her
V.4:10b -"My Sister, My Bride"
A. The Beloved wants to reinforce this double revelation. Therefore, He repeats this seven times (4:8a, 9b, 10b, 11a, 12b; 5:1b, 2d).
B. He repeats for emphasis, for she must see the double revelation of being His sister and His spouse. These two titles are very significant in terms of her identity as a person.
V.4:10c - "How much better is your love than wine"
A. He turns around her statement in V.1:2b.
“Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth - for your love is better than wine.” (V.1:2)
B. The young Bride said earlier that Jesus' love was better to her than all the wine of this world. The wine speaks of the greatest things the world has to offer. Wine is very positive in this sense. He looks at all the vast splendor of God in creation, and he says, “Your love is more beautiful to me than everything that my hands have created.” I would rather have your heart moving towards Me than all of the worlds put under My authority. Your love is better to Me than everything that can be celebrated.” He turns the statement around. We need the Beloved to write this on our hearts!
C. The Beloved’s heart is filled with delight over her response of obedience. All she has said is, V.6, “I will go to the mountain of myrrh. This love is much more powerful than the wine of this world, more powerful than all the works of His hands. This love causes her to long after Him, to delight in Him, and to pray for grace to even be more pleasing to Him.
"...how much better is your love than wine..." Wine represents joy. (Judges 9:13; Psalm 104:15)
V.4:10d – “and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!”
A. The Beloved commends and affirms her thoughts, words, and deeds. Her thought life has the fragrance of Divine revelation.
B. "The fragrance" is a divine aroma that is released from her to God (2 Corinthians 2:14-16). It is the very fragrance of Christ. Paul spoke this to the carnal Christians in Corinth!
C. "Your oils" This is a fragrance that is invisible yet can express the inner quality of a certain wood or plant. Her thought life is represented here by her fragrance. It is what is on the inside of her that can't be seen, but it can be discerned by Him. Her sincere thoughts and intentions to obey, her prayers for help, and even her weak worship are represented here by her fragrance. The scent of your perfumes is better than all the spices that emanate in heaven.”
V.4:10e. "Than any spice"
A. Spices were rare and expensive. They were used as delightful gifts that were exchanged between royalty. The queen of Sheba gave spices to King Solomon (2 Kings 10:2). The wise men brought spices to Jesus because they believed He was a king (Matthew 2:11). Spices were used in the priestly sacrifices and offerings (Exodus 30:23-24).
V.4:11a -"Your lips drip nectar, my bride”
A. Her lips bring the Beloved great happiness. He once again takes note of the joy the lips of His bride bring to His heart!
B. "Your lips" refers to her speech as in V.4:3. Her words to God and to others are sweet as honey.
C. "Drip nectar" Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. Our words are sweet before God (V.2:14).
1. "Drip" in contrast to gushing. The right amount is as opposed to excessive speech. This speaks of balanced, unexaggerated, prudent speech. The tongue of the wise use’s knowledge rightly, but the mouth of the fool pours forth foolishness (Proverbs 15:2). Grace on her speech (Colossians 4:6).
D. “My bride" Jesus notices every word that is spoken from the lips of His bride. This is part of loving someone. Jesus will reward the words spoken by His bride (Hebrews 6:10). In contrast, every idle word spoken by the wicked will be used against them on the last day (Matthew 12:36-37).
V.4:11b - "Honey and milk"
A. These two elements feed the baby. The recurring theme of living for the good of others and feeding them is prominent in the SONG pattern of a life of holy passion. These were the two elements that described the prosperity in Canaan. It flowed with milk and honey to feed and nourish the young ones.
1. "Honey" The production of honey requires much time and hard work from the bees. Honey is like that which delights the heart and is sweet to the taste.
2. "Milk" strengthens new babies in Christ (1 Peter 2:1).
V.4:11c "Are under your tongue"
A. Speaks of agreement between the words and her heart.
B. The phrase "under his tongue" refers to the private thoughts. However, the bride ponders the truth "under her tongue" before she speaks, genuinely displaying full agreement between what she thinks in her heart and what is spoken as milk and honey. The evil has sweet words of honey but a poisonous heart (Rom. 3:13). Jesus is aware that what the bride thinks inwardly and speaks outwardly are in unity as she seeks to please God.
V.4:11d – “the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.”
A. The “fragrance" is a sweet-smelling divine aroma that is pleasing to God because of the Bride’s deeds.
V.4:11e - “your garments”
A. "Your garments" covering the Bride speaks of acts of righteousness that kept her from the shame of nakedness (Revelation 19:8). Jesus warns that we must "keep our garments" lest we become naked. Others see the shame of a life that contains no works of service for God (Revelation 16:15).
1. Garments always speak of Acts of service in the symbolism. Jesus counseled the Laodicean church to buy "white garments" from Him so they would be clothed and the shame of their nakedness would not be exposed (Revelation 3:18).
2. Garments (Revelation 16:15;3:18;19:6-8). Jesus overlooks no small acts of obedience done from our hearts and rewards us greatly from the divine treasure of His heart.
V.4:11f - "Like the fragrance"
A. Mt. Lebanon was filled with fragrant cedar trees and flowers. Her deeds and her garments were like the fragrance of Lebanon. This is in contrast to a life where people spend all their time and money on themselves, which is rottenness. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for such a lifestyle in Matthew 23:25-28. He said their lives were full of extortion, hypocrisy, lawlessness, and self-indulgence because they never included service to others from a pure heart in order to be pleasing to the Lord.
B. Paul spoke of receiving financial service from the Philippian church as a sweet-smelling aroma that was pleasing to God.
1. The Beloved sees even small acts of service as the cup of cold water given in the name of Jesus (Matthew 10:42). This is like the cup of water obtained for King David by his mighty men poured out before the Beloved (2 Samuel 23:16).
2. Jesus is the ultimate sensitive Bridegroom who overlooks nothing. No matter how small the act of service, it is recognized, appreciated, and rewarded out of His infinite heart and divine treasury. This aspect of His personality may surprise us in Heaven when we see how He remembers and extravagantly rewards the smallest acts of obedience (Mark 12:41-44).
V4:11g - “of Lebanon"
A. Lebanon was filled with fragrant cedar trees and flowers. Her deeds and her garments were like its fragrance. This is in contrast to a life where people spend all their time and money on themselves, which is rottenness. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for such a lifestyle in Matthew 23:25-28. He said their lives were full of extortion, hypocrisy, lawlessness, and self-indulgence because they never included service to others from a pure heart in order to be pleasing to the Beloved.
V.4:12a-b – “A garden locked is my sister, my bride”
A. The Beloved compares her to a “garden locked.”
B. The purpose of a King's Garden is to provide a private, enclosed place of pleasure, solitude, and rest. That is usually a distance from the palace. He would visit there for a time of enjoyment. The purpose was not to grow crops and raise livestock. It was costly and took much work to cultivate. Its fragrances made him very proud. His garden was something he showed to his friends with great joy and delight.
1. He would erect a fence around his garden in the form of a stone wall to prevent strangers from stealing from it, and this fence would keep beasts from polluting it.
2. It took many servants and much work to cultivate. He would bring other kings from other nations to the Garden. It was a very unique thing that typically only kings or high people in positions of power have.
C. This description of the Bride’s heart portrays her character and ministry. He just has now affirmed her thoughts, words, and deeds. He’s going to describe her heart and her ministry. She is described as a garden from which fruitful and diverse ministry comes forth. This deeper life and ministry flow out of the spiritual warfare that comes after she leaves her comfort zone.
1. She is keeping herself enclosed in 2 ways:
a. She is enclosed in the sense of keeping herself enclosed. This speaks of her spirit of watchfulness (Acts 20:28). She guards her heart from the spirit of the world instead of being open to all the defilement of the
world.
b. Also, she is an enclosed garden in the sense that the Beloved is protecting her. She was an enclosed garden that was a private place of special pleasure for the king. She ravished Him as an enclosed garden when she said, “I will go to the mountain of myrrh.”.
D. There is nothing more powerful that God could speak over a person to affirm their dedication than to call them “an enclosed garden.” He says, “You are a place of refreshment for me, and you have a locked
heart. You are not giving it to the spirit of the world.”
1. Job made a covenant with his eyes so that he would not gaze on anything that would bring immorality to his heart (Job 31:1). Job's heart was like an enclosed garden. Job's life was protected by a "hedge of the Lord".
E. The body of Christ has been set apart as God's Garden (1 Corinthians 3:6-9). God has cultivated this garden at great personal cost. It is the garden of His delight. It is not a crop; it is a garden. The Garden of the Beloved speaks of His corporate Church and the individual Christians that are spread throughout the world but remain separate from the world. He feeds the individual Christians in the midst of His church or garden
(V.6:2,3; V.2:16).
V.4:12c - "A spring locked"
A. "A spring" The water supply was abundant to water this "holy garden." In a warm country like Israel, springs of water were rare and precious. They provided an extra water source to make a garden grow abundantly. In Isaiah 58:11, He promised to make His church a "well-watered garden" whose springs would not fail if she would pursue a life of full obedience with Him.
B. “Locked” Enclosed and sealed are always the same idea; they are protected from defilement. It is the heart that is kept from defilement. The ‘spring’ and the ‘fountain’ talk of different ways that our hearts are impacted and influenced by the Holy Spirit.
1. Springs were rare and valuable, so they were sealed or protected so as not to be polluted by the beasts. This speaks of her not wanting to be polluted by the spirit of the world.
a. Her pure emotions - 'Spring,' 'Fountain,' and 'Living Waters' all talk of the infilling of the Holy Spirit (See John 4:10-14; 7:38) - this infilling is to be used only for the pleasure of the King - not for our glory!
C. Her life is a source of pleasure to Jesus
V.4:12d -"A fountain sealed"
A. "A fountain" husbands are told to drink from their own cistern, which speaks of enjoying their wife (Prov. 5:15). Jesus drinks from His own cistern, which is His bride. He wants a pure cistern to drink from.
1. In Proverbs 5, a fountain speaks of the emotions of a man or a woman. He says “Let Me bless your emotions by keeping your emotions for Me.”
2. We are a very holy and sacred fountain reserved exclusively for Jesus. In V.2:1, we are called the lily of the valley, the only thing pure that exists in a fallen world that delights His heart. An enclosed fountain is the same thing.
B. "Sealed" Public fountains having an open water supply without a covering were considered defiled (Numbers 19:15).
1. The bride is watching over her heart in great care to be holy to the Beloved.
V.4:13-14 - Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates with all choicest fruits, henna with nard,
nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all choice spices”
A. The church is described as a “divine orchard” filled with diverse plants.
1. This is in contrast to the sparse greenery in a desert land. The Beloved looks at her and says, “Your life is like orchards with all this diversity of trees and chief spices, etc. This speaks of a fruitful ministry with great abundance and diversity.
2. The Christian has many experiences and manifestations of the grace of God, such as an orchard that has many types of trees and plants (Galatians 5:22-23). The variety, quantity, and quality of the grace of God are captured in the phrase "the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10).
3. Nine fruits are mentioned here and may refer to the nine fruits of the Spirit. Love is the fruit of the Spirit, and indeed, all the other fruits can be seen as an aspect and manifestation of love (within the garden of love), from which all others emanate.
V.4:13a - " Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates”
A. This fruit (when broken) is red yet very sweet. In other words, her ministry is sweet to God
V.4:13b - "With all choicest fruits"
A. This speaks of a pleasant impact on others as the fruit of her life (John 15:8).
V.4:13c - "henna with nard"
A. This speaks of the precious and costly work of God in her life.
V.4:14a - "nard and saffron "
A. Saffron is used in cooking for flavoring and coloring. It is obtained by drying the stigmas and parts of the styles of the autumn crocus. Approximately 4000 flowers yield about one ounce of saffron. Much time was required to produce the saffron. Perseverance (James 1:12) is needed in extracting the saffron. As with us, much time is needed to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ..." (2 Peter 3:18).
V.4:14b – “calamus and cinnamon”
A. This speaks of the diverse graces seen in her life and ministry. The root word for "calamus" means "to stand upright." The calamus is referred to as sweet cane in Isaiah 43:24 and in Jeremiah 6:20. In Exodus 30:23, it is called "sweet calamus." 4000 flowers are needed for one ounce of saffron.
B. And as the bride yields thousands of moments of her will to the will and direction of the Beloved, a sweetness appears in her manner of living and in her relationship with others.
C. When its leaves are crushed, it gives forth a fragrance like that of ginger. It was used in the making of the holy anointing oil (Exodus 30:23). So sacred was this oil to the Beloved that He warned in Exodus 30:32,33 that the precise proportions of the mixture were not to be duplicated by another Hebrew. It was to be used for Him alone! So serious was the secrecy of the mix of the anointing oil that if violated, the offending person would be cut off from his people! Interestingly, three of the four ingredients to be used in making the holy anointing oil are found here in the garden of her heart!
1. In Greek, 'be filled' in Ephesians 5:18 is in the continual present tense, and it is a passive voice, meaning that it must be done to you.
D. “Cinnamon” is an evergreen tree from which it is extracted, and this is accomplished by cutting away the bark of the lower branches. With the cinnamon applied, she now stands upright in the power of the Holy Spirit by trusting faith that displays the glory of God in her life!
V.4:14d - "With all trees of frankincense"
A. This speaks of a ministry of prayer.
V.4:14e - "Myrrh and aloes"
A. This speaks of the ross and death to self.
V.4:14f - "With all choice spices"
A. This speaks of grace flowing from this garden, her inner life (2 Corinthians 2:14-16).
V.4:15a – “A garden fountain”
A. A garden fountain is enjoyable to look at and listen to. It has a refreshing sound that can cause one to relax. Out of her garden is the flowing of rivers of living waters. She is Spirit-filled to overflowing! The word "living" is the Hebrew word for "fresh".
1. A fountain is a hidden water that is below the surface coming up. It speaks of the Beloved in you as a hidden fountain of fresh spring of water as the source of irrigation for the garden. This speaks of an inward source of supply - the indwelling Jesus (Colossians 1:27).
2. The gardens are plural in contrast to the enclosed garden of 4:12 is in the singular. "Gardens" in this verse is in the plural, speaking of the anointing of God that brings blessing to others. She has an overflow in her life calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense..."
V.4:15b - "A well of living waters"
A. A well speaks of the capacity to store water so as to draw on when needed. This well supplies us in dry times. It speaks of our history with God. We can draw on our history. Welled water is water that is stored up. There is an abundant supply as we look back on our history with God. Our history in God gives us mature faith to draw on from our past experiences in God. This speaks of a past stored-up source of supply.
V.4:15c -"And flowing streams from Lebanon"
A. Streams speak of an outward flow of water, which is available for all to come and drink. A stream is both above and below the ground. Streams bubble forth water, which speaks of an energetic outward flow of the water of life! They speak of an abundance of grace. It is not a creek or a little brook but a flowing stream from the high places of Lebanon. It speaks of the Holy Spirit coming from the high place.
1. This presents a beautiful picture of what it means to be a Spirit-filled, fruit-bearing Christian. The snow from Lebanon's mountains melts in the spring and flows downward, replenishing the land below not only with water but also with minerals needed to grow healthy crops. Keep in mind that these waters flow without effort!
B. Lebanon is a high mountain. This water supply comes "from on High." The grace which makes the Church fruitful comes upon us from Jesus and not from ourselves.
1. This speaks to an outward source of supply. The Holy Spirit came upon people when Peter and John laid hands on them (Acts 8:18).
2. Fully devoted followers of the Beloved are described as a tree planted by rivers of water in Psalm 1:3. A hardened heart is pictured as a heart that has no water (Isaiah 1:30). Jesus promises to be as a well of living water in John 7:38; 4:14.
3. There is the water that dwells in us; that is, the fountains. Then there is the well, which is our stored-up history in God. It is like a stream of life to us. Then, the streams coming from the high places, such as the mountains of Lebanon, are described.
V.4:16a – “Awake, O north wind, and come”
A. The Bride now gladly wants for the "north wind" to blow upon her garden. North winds in Israel were cold, bitter, and harsh, but they were necessary in order to develop the taste of fruit and the fragrances of spices fully. Farmers do not harvest the oranges or grapefruit until after the first cold snap so that their taste reaches maximum sweetness.
B. James 1:2 teaches, concerning the blowing of the "north wind" here, to "...count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations." When difficulties to come into Your life, the Holy Spirit, who is the wind (John 3:8) can be used by God to minister to someone else through you who is going through the same hurt you had previously experienced (2 Corinthians 1:1-4)!
C. The Beloved moves to three different sources of water that He sees in His church.
1. The cold, bitter wind of winter = painful testing of the Holy Spirit.
V.4:16b – “O south wind! Blow upon my garden, let its spices flow.
A. “South Wind” = Warm, refreshing wind of summer = comforting/refreshing of the Holy Spirit
B. The Bride asks that the "south winds" be allowed to blow upon her garden. These are the gentle, warm south winds of special revelation (John 14:21; 15:15; 16:13) of God Himself and the powerful presence falling upon us in prayer and study of His Word. These are the caring winds reaching out to the lost (Matthew 25:34-40) and the winds of our heart of worship and adoration for Him in the Holy of Holies (our private, intimate time with Him)!
D. First comes the "north winds," but you will always end with the "south winds" if you are entirely surrendered to the Holy Spirit and the Word of God!
V.4:16c – “Together in the Garden of Love
She
Let my beloved come to his garden, and eat its choicest fruits.”
A. The Bride is thrilled that so much has been produced in her garden. Her Beloved is pleased that she wants Him to come and receive and be filled with joy.
SUMMARY - The lover of her soul reveals that her garden is producing the finest of spices. Spices are added to various foods to make what tastes good taste great. One never ingests spices by themselves. Each spice is to be used with care in order to enhance a particular food. So it is with us, members individually in the body of Christ, that your life is to touch others, to enhance and make their walk beautiful. This bride's heart has been made ready to fellowship with other lilies. Prior to this, she only wanted to be alone with Him.
All of the above fruits and spices in her garden are interspersed with the trees of frankincense (holiness and the separated walk. All that her Beloved sees in the garden of her heart is pure and righteous. He loves purity, for He is purity itself! Frankincense was used in the tabernacle worship, and it was one of the gifts of the wise men who were worshiping the child Jesus. Purity must be in the heart for worship to be acceptable to the Beloved. It is accomplished by heartfelt confession (1 John 1:9) when we do sin, along with continual surrender and submission to His heart found in His Word.
She knew that her Beloved loved to be with other lilies (V.2:16). Now her garden is ready to bless Him and His lilies. He will take from her spiritually exquisite garden and share it with them (V.5:1). Each of us has been given by the Holy Spirit gifts and talents to be used for the good of others in the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:15-16).
As we totally surrender our will to Him, all the right spiritual spices will be applied to each daily circumstance. The Holy Spirit will be at work in each situation, and most of the time, we will be unaware of it. He will make sure that there will be the right word given to renew, a loving touch for compassion, a peaceful look to encourage, a kind deed to show someone in need that God does care, a thoughtful telephone call to lift the spirit; a note of thankfulness to show an appreciative heart; a word of loving correction to one going astray.
As the Beloved lavishes His love upon her, the Bride cries out for the Winds of the Holy Spirit (See Acts 2:2) to blow on her and release her fragrance to bless the world outside her garden ('that its spices may flow out'). The cry is also that her Beloved may come to the garden and partake of its fruit (i.e., come into every area of her life and eat with pleasure the fruit of her life and ministry).
When He finally partakes of her fruit (5:1a), the cry is for others to be blessed also (5:1b - 'Eat, O friends. Drink, yes, drink deeply'). In the same way, as we let Jesus come and partake of every area of our life, we will bless others in those areas also.
