I Am His & He is Mine – Song of Solomon 2:16-17

The bride speaks of her union with the Bridegroom and then pleads for a fresh visitation from Him. Blessed picture of the union of Christ with His ransomed church and the church’s longing for His presence.

The Song of Solomon can said to be the second part of John 4:14 “Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.”

Review of last lesson: The Groom admonishes his bride to beware of little foxes (Vs. 15)

The bride now responds with words of assurance concerning the security of her union with her Bridegroom. She then pleads for His speedy return at the end of the night season. In these verses she both speaks of Him (Vs. 16) and to Him (Vs. 17)

There are several precious lessons we can learn from the bride’s words in these verses:

Our Security in Christ (Vs. 16a)

He is mine – “My beloved is mine”

1. Rev. 21:3 “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”
2. Rev. 21:7 “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.”
3. What a precious possession! Col. 1:27 “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:”
4. Remember that this Lord Jesus is the one who is equal with the Father, God manifest in the flesh, the one who created the universe and holds it together by the Word of His power; the one before whom angels bow and worship; the one whose Name is above every name; the one who is King of kings and Lord of lords.
5. We often speak of possessing eternal life. In actual fact, eternal life is simply a by-product of possessing Christ. 1 John 5:12 “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”
6. Note: It is interesting to note how the bride’s love progresses and matures throughout the Book. In this verse, she mentions her possession of the Bridegroom before His possession of her. In 6:3 the order is reversed and then in 7:10 she makes mention only of the fact that she belongs to Him and that she is the object of His affection. The cry of the new born child of God is “Jesus is mine!” and it is a precious truth. But as we mature in our understanding of the magnitude of salvation, our focus becomes more Christ-centred and our heart cry becomes, “I am His.”

I am His – “and I am his”

Drawn by His love – I am His

1. Deut. 7:7-8 “The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you,”
2. Jer. 31:3 “…I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore, with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”
3. 1 John 4:10 “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
4. Revelation 1:5 “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,”
5. Loved with everlasting love, lead by grace that love to know, Spirit breathing from above thou hast taught me it is so, oh what full and perfect peace, oh what transport oh divine, in a love that cannot cease, I am His and He is mine.

Purchased by His blood – I am His

1. 1 Peter 1:18-19 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”
2. Col. 1:14 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:”
3. Rev 5:9 “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.”
4. Redemption = to buy at the market place. Means to set someone free by the payment of a ransom. In the ancient world, the word was used to describe the ransoming of prisoners of war and the manumission (liberation) of slaves.” (Hiebert)
5. Illustration: Hosea’s redemption of his unfaithful wife – Hosea 3:2-3 “So I bought her to me for fifteen pieces of silver, and for an homer of barley, and an half homer of barley: And I said unto her, Thou shalt abide for me many days; thou shalt not play the harlot, and thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee.”
6. Illustration: Scarred hands settled the issueAn orphaned boy was living with his grandmother when their house caught fire. The grandmother, trying to get upstairs to rescue the boy, perished in the flames. The boy’s cries for help were finally answered by a man who climbed an iron drainpipe and came back down with the boy hanging tightly to his neck.Several weeks later, a public hearing was held to determine who would receive custody of the child. A farmer, a teacher, and the town’s wealthiest citizen all gave the reasons they felt they should be chosen to give the boy a home. But as they talked, the lad’s eyes remained focused on the floor. Then a stranger walked to the front and slowly took his hands from his pockets, revealing severe scars on them. As the crowd gasped, the boy cried out in recognition. This was the man who had saved his life. His hands had been burned when he climbed the hot pipe. With a leap the boy threw his arms around the man’s neck and held on for dear life. The other men silently walked away, leaving the boy and his rescuer alone. Those scarred hands had settled the issue.

Sealed by His Spirit – I am His

1. Eph 1:13-14 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”
2. ‘sealed’ = mark of ownership. When I believe on Jesus, I become God’s possession. The Holy Spirit is the seal of this possession. This is like when a king seals something with his personal stamp.
3. ‘earnest’ = the down payment, the guarantee of the believer’s eternal salvation. It is like a man who gives a down payment for some land. The down payment is his promise to pay the rest.

Challenge: How differently would we live each day we lived with this truth before our eyes – “I am His” 1 Cor. 6:19-20 “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Challenge: We are to testify before a lost world of our union with Christ.

Our Sustaining from Christ (Vs. 16b)

The picture of the Shepherd – “he feedeth”

1. ‘feedeth’ = to tend a flock. Root word translated ‘shepherd’ numerous times in the O.T. Christ is pictured as a Shepherd feeding His flock.
2. Christ is the Good Shepherd (His Person): John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” (Also Vs. 14)
3. Christ is the Great Shepherd (His Power): Hebrews 13:20 “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep…”
4. Christ is the Chief Shepherd (His Position): 1 Peter 5:4 “And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.”
5. Psalm 23:1-3 “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

The place of the Shepherd – “among the lilies”

1. The lily pictures Christ in His beauty and purity (2:1)
2. The lily pictures the believer (2:2). We are precious in His sight in a world full of depravity and sin. She grows as a beautiful flower in an environment of ugliness (James B. Currie)
3. Principle: The pasture that Christ leads us to is a place of spiritual beauty and tranquillity (Luke 12:27). How much better than feeding in the dry and dusty plains of this world with its temporary, superficial joys.
4. Principle: Christ’s nurturing and shepherding ministry is experienced in the midst of His blood-washed, purified people – it is “among the lilies”.
   1. Compare 1:7-8 where the bride is counselled on where to locate her Shepherd-lover. He is found amongst the flock and with His under shepherds. The Lord ministers in a special way to His people as they assemble together.
   2. Matt. 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”
   3. Illustration: Thomas missed an encounter with the risen Christ when he skipped church on Sunday evening (John 20:19-24)

Our Seeking after Christ (Vs. 17)

The season – night (Vs. 17a)

1. She anticipates the dawning of a new day when the shadows of night will flee away. The shadows of night produce in her a longing for His presence.
2. This is a picture of the Christian’s life. We journey through this life with many shadows cast upon our pathway (e.g. trials, persecutions, hardships) but we anticipate the dawning of that eternal day when we will dwell in Christ’s eternal light.
3. Though she is secure in His undying love, at the same time she experiences a sense of distance from Him at certain points. “mountains of Bether” has the idea of “mountains of separation”, ‘Bether’ meaning crevice or ravine.
4. Note: The Song of Solomon brings out this twofold experience of the believer. On the one hand, a conscious enjoyment of His presence. Christ dwells in us, closer than the breath we breathe by the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, at times, we have a sense of distance and a yearning to see him face to face.

The supplication – nearness (Vs. 17b)

1. ‘turn’ = to turn oneself around
2. “a roe or a young hart” = She has already experienced His speedy coming to her, overcoming the mountains that separate her from His presence (2:8-9)
3. Principle: The bride longs for a fresh visitation from her Groom, like she has experienced in the past. This is the heart cry of the church as she journeys through the dark shadows of this evil world.
   1. Isaiah 64:1 “Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,”
   2. Psalm 85:6 “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?”
4. Principle: The bride longs for her Beloved’s speedy return. In like manner, we long for the return of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Rev. 22:20 “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

Conclusion

1. Do you belong to Christ? Are you saved? Can you truly testify, “I am His and He is mine”?
2. Are we testifying to a lost world of our union with Christ? Do we seek the fellowship of Christ in the midst of His people? Are we pursuing His presence and blessing in our lives?

Sermon 12 of 22 in Song of Solomon Series

Sermon Audio Id: 825181758161