Yearning for Christ’s Love – Song of Solomon 1:1-4

The Song of Solomon presents the spiritual love relationship between Christ and His people. This sermon explores the first four verses of chapter one, looking at the following 3 lessons: 1. The Bridegroom’s Love Desired (Vs. 2); 2. The Bridegroom’s Name Exalted (Vs. 3); 3. The Bridegroom’s Fellowship Pursued (Vs. 4)

Introduction: Vs. 1

1. The Title – Song of songs
   1. Similar expressions in Scripture: “King of kings”; “Lord of lords”; “Holy of holies”
   2. Speaks of surpassing excellence and therefore of Christ.
2. The Author – Solomon
   1. One of his 1,005 songs (I. Kings 4:32)
   2. One of his 3 inspired Books in Scripture (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes & Song)
3. The Interpretation
   1. The 3 main schools of thought
      1. Literal – Marital love/ideal marriage.
      2. Allegorical – No historical facts but a poetic composition to picture Christ’s relationship to His people.
      3. Typical – Recognises the historical setting (Real places & real people) and understands it as pointing to Christ and the church.
   2. Key verses on marriage as a picture of Christ and the church
      1. Eph. 5:32 “This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”
      2. 2 Cor 11:2 “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.”
   3. Key principles for unlocking the message of the Song
      1. Seek to discern the main themes: To what does the passage point? Similar to parables, an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Not all points demand equal attention.
      2. Identify the speaker: Solomon and the Shulamite maiden. The bridegroom addresses her as “my love”; the bride addresses Him as “my beloved”. Look for the masculine and feminine pronouns (he, him, she, her)
4. The Character of the Book
   1. Communion more than salvation.
   2. Devotion more than doctrine.
   3. Experience more than position.

Exposition: Vs. 2-4

The Bridegroom’s Love Desired (Vs. 2)

The Expression of her desire (2a)

1. ‘kiss’ – personal demonstration and affirmation of love
2. ‘kisses’ – repeated, frequent demonstrations of love
3. “of his mouth” – the highest and most intimate expression

The Estimation of His love (2b)

1. ‘wine’ – symbolic of the best of earthly pleasures and enjoyments. Speaks of temporary satisfaction.
2. “thy love” – the all-surpassing, incomparable love of Christ.
   1. I. John 4:10 – “Herein is love…”
   2. John 15:9 – “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you:”
   3. Hymn: The Love of GodThe love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell; It goes beyond the highest star. And reaches to the lowest hell; The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win; His erring child He reconciled and pardoned from his sin.Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made; Were every stalk on earth a quill, and every man a scribe by trade; To write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry; nor could the scroll contain the whole, tho’ stretched from sky to sky.
   4. Hymn: Here is LoveHere is love vast as the ocean, loving kindness like the flood, when the Prince of life my ransom, shed for us His precious blood. Who his love will not remember? Who can cease to sing His praise? He can never be forgotten throughout heav’n’s eternal days.On the Mount of crucifixion, fountains opened deep and wide; through the floodgates of God’s mercy flowed a vast and gracious tide. Grace and love, like mighty rivers, poured incessant from above, and heav’n’s peace and perfect justice kissed a guilty world in love.

      Let me all thy love accepting, love thee ever all my days; let me seek thy kingdom only and my life be to thy praise; Thou alone shalt be my glory, nothing in the world I see. Thou hast cleansed and sanctified me; Thou thyself hast set me free.

      In thy truth thou dost direct me, by Thy Spirit through thy Word; and thy grace my need is meeting, as I trust in Thee my Lord. Of thy fullness thou art pouring Thy great love and power on me, without measure full and boundless, drawing out my heart to Thee.

The Bridegroom’s Name Exalted (Vs. 3)

The Fragrance of His Attributes (3a)

1. ‘savour’ – smell, scent
2. ‘good’ – precious, sweet
3. ‘ointments’ – anointing oil, perfume (E.g. the anointing oil described in Ex. 30:22-25)
   1. Christ is the Messiah, the One anointed of the Holy Spirit.
   2. Christ’s Divine graces are like sweet perfume to the believer (e.g. His holiness, purity, love, power, mercy, grace)

The Fragrance of His Name (3b)

1. The picture – perfume poured out. Illustration: Mary’s anointing of Christ’s feet. Jn 12:3 “…the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.”
2. The Names of Christ: Lord, the sovereign Ruler and King; Jesus, the Saviour; Christ, the Anointed One and promised Messiah; Emmanuel, God revealed in human flesh; Servant, the humble and lowly One; Advocate, interceding for us before the throne; Bread of Life, satisfying our spiritual hunger; Rose of Sharon, shining forth the beauty of all the Divine attributes; Door, opening up our entrance to heaven and eternal life; Shepherd, watching over our lives with love and care; High Priest, bearing our names before the throne; Lamb, bearing our transgressions and our sins; Prince of Peace, reconciling us to God; Redeemer, purchasing us from sin’s slavery; True Vine, releasing His life and freshness within us; Word, revealing God’s mind and heart to us. His Name is as ointment poured forth!

The Character of His Admirers (3c)

1. ‘virgins’ – symbolic of purity. Only those who have been made clean by Christ’s blood can fully appreciate the beauty of His Person.
2. ‘love’ – the response of our hearts to the Revelation of His Person.

The Bridegroom’s Fellowship Pursued (Vs. 4)

The Plea/Prayer (4a)

1. To be drawn to more intimate and close communion
   1. Drawn to salvation (Jn. 6:44; 12:32)
      Hosea 11:1-4 “When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. As they called them, so they went from them: they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burned incense to graven images. I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them. I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws, and I laid meat unto them.”
   2. Drawn in fellowship
2. To pursue and follow after Christ
   1. Our pursuit of him is dependent upon, and in proportion to His gracious wooing.
   2. Psalm 42:1-2 “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?”
   3. Psalm 63:8 “My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.”
   4. A.W. Tozer Pursuit of God (Pg. 15-17)
      Christian theology teaches the doctrine of prevenient grace, which, briefly stated, means that before a man can seek God, God must first have sought the man. Before a sinful man can think a right thought of God, there must have been a work of enlightenment done within him. Imperfect it may be, but a true work nonetheless and the secret cause of all desiring and seeking and praying which may follow. We pursue God because, and only because, He has first put an urge within us that spurs us to the pursuit…The impulse to pursue God originates with God, but the outworking of that impulse is our following hard after Him. All the time we are pursuing Him we are already in His hand: ‘Thy right hand upholdeth me.’ In this divine ‘upholding’ and human ‘following’ there is no contradiction. All is of God…In practice, however, man must pursue God. On our part there must be positive reciprocation if this secret drawing of God is to eventuate in identifiable experience of the Divine.The continuous and unembarrassed interchange of love and thought between God and the soul of the redeemed man is the throbbing heart of New Testament religion.
   5. The grand activity and focus of the Christian. Illustration: Mary sitting at Christ’s feet.

The Answer (4b)

1. “the king” – recognition of His authority and position. Submission to His rule is a vital pre-requisite to intimate, living fellowship.
2. ‘chambers’ – the secret place (Psalm 91:1); the private rooms of the King in the Royal palace; the place of close communion and fellowship.
3. N.T. Invitation – Heb 10:19-22
   “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”

The Activities (4c)

1. Rejoicing – the outflow of our relationship with Christ.
2. Reflection – His love captivates our minds. N.T. Ordinance of the Lord’s Table

The Affirmation (4d)

1. The upright (righteous) desire this intimacy. The world finds no attraction in our Pure, Holy Bridegroom.
2. See also ‘virgins’ of Verse 2

Conclusion

1. To the unsaved: Have you experienced His saving love, the kiss of salvation?
2. To the Individual: Are you pursuing a life of intimacy with Christ? What is the quality of your devotional life? Is Christ the object of your first love and affection?
3. To the church: Are we Christ-centred? What is our attitude to the services? Is the throb of our hearts to pursue Him and love Him?

Sermon 1 of 22 in Song of Solomon Series

Sermon Audio Id: 11016628553