Longing for the Beloved’s Return – Song of Solomon 8:8-14

Communion meditation from the Song. In these final words, the bride expresses her longing for her Beloved’s speedy return. She expresses the cry of the believer which is “even so, come Lord Jesus.”

The chapter divides into two main parts. In Vs. 1-7 the Bride the longings of her heart towards her Beloved. But her longings do not come from a spirit of hopelessness. Rather, they are the confident pursuit of one who is secure in the Groom’s love and one desiring a deepening of fellowship. Then from that position of security in her Beloved’s love, she is able to serve her Lord and others with a confident expectation of His return (Vs. 8-14).

In this message, we will briefly review what we covered in the first half of the chapter and then go on to an overview of the second section.

The Passion of Loving Communion (Vs. 1-4)

She longs for:

1. Uninhibited Communion (Vs. 1-2)
2. Uninterrupted Communion (Vs. 3-4)

The Posture of Loving Communion (Vs. 5)

1. She Leans upon His Love (Vs. 5a)
2. She Learns of His Love (Vs. 5b)

The Permanence of Loving Communion (Vs. 6-7)

His love for her is…

1. Unbreakable (Vs. 6)
2. Unquenchable (Vs. 7a)
3. Unmerited (Vs. 7b)

The Perspectives from Loving Communion (Vs. 8- 13)

From this position of security in her Beloved’s love, she is able to serve her Lord and others with a confident expectation of His return. We note she has…

A Concern for Fledgling Believers (Vs. 8-10)

1. The Immaturity of the Younger Sister (Vs. 8)
   1. “We have a little sister” = observe that the Bride does not see herself as working separate from her Beloved. She will only work in concert with Him. We need to remember that we are “laborers together with God” (1 Cor. 3:9).
   2. Hudson Taylor writes, “She will not now make her own plans about her little sister, and ask His acquiescence in them; she will rather learn what his thoughts are, and have fellowship with Him in His plans. How much anxiety and care the children of God would be spared if they learned to act in this way! Is it not too common to make the best plans that we can, and to carry them out as best we may, feeling all the while a great burden of responsibility, and earnestly asking the LORD to help us? Whereas if we always let Him be our Instructor in service, and left the responsibility with Him, our strength would not be exhausted with worry and anxiety, but would all be at His disposal, and accomplish His ends.”
   3. “little sister” = a reference to one who is a part of the family and yet still immature and under developed.
   4. “she hath no breasts” = the breasts are instruments of nurture and nourishment and speak of the capacity of the bride to minister the milk of the Word to those in need. The immature sister does not have this ability and that is of concern to the bride.
   5. Watchman Nee: “This desire of the spouse for less developed believers was not at all motivated by any selfish interest, nor was it the exercise of a condescending spirit; but rather it was the pure expression of what was the united desire of both her Beloved and herself.”
   6. Note: A true mark of spirituality and maturity is whether you are not only able to nurture your own spiritual life but also be a channel of blessing to the lives of others. Do you see your church as a place to attend or a place to serve?
2. The Remedy of the Beloved (Vs. 9)
   1. “we will build” = observe the Beloved also recognizes His oneness with His Bride and will work with her. “He will not carry out His purposes of grace irrespective of His bride, but will work with and through her.” (Hudson Taylor)
   2. “a wall” = speaks of separation
   3. “a palace of silver” = the younger sister will be beautified and matured through the work of the Bridegroom through His Bride.
   4. “a door” = an entrance. Perhaps this speaks of the Christian’s role to lead the unbeliever to Christ who is the door to eternal life.
3. The Maturity of the Bride (Vs. 10)
   1. These are not the words of prideful conceit but the quiet assurance of her standing before the Lord. Her capacity to nurture infants in the Lord was pleasing to Him.
   2. Challenge: Are you growing into maturity in your Christian life? Do you have any concern to help younger believers develop in the things of Christ? If there is little or no desire to help nurture the young in Christ, then that is a sad commentary on your own maturity, no matter how long you have been a Christian for.

A Concern for Fruitfulness (Vs. 11-12)

1. The Beloved’s Vineyard (Vs. 11)
   1. Solomon entrusts this vineyard to keepers who are responsible to oversee its welfare and productivity.
   2. They were to render to Solomon the proceeds of the vineyard (a thousand pieces of silver). The Bride’s primary concern is that her Beloved receives the fruit that is due Him from these vineyards.
2. The Bride’s Vineyard (Vs. 12)
   1. This vineyard is said to belong to her and yet she views it as existing to produce for her Beloved – “thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand”.
   2. “She wants to give the groom the same rent as his tenants. She will deduct only the fair wages of her own vineyard tenders, and everything she produces will be for him” (Masters)
   3. “Each ordinary keeper was under bond to turn in that increase to Solomon which was represented by the thousand pieces. Out of pure affection this maiden also met the claim. Her service was one of love, rather than just a conviction of duty.” (Nee)
   4. Those who labour in the vineyard also enjoy the rewards of faithful service – “those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred.” Those who are faithful to serve the Lord are truly blessed.
   5. The central thought in both verses is the bride’s passion for fruitfulness. In John 15 Christ is likened to the vine, believers to the branches and the Father to the husbandman. Our desire should be that our Heavenly Father produces in our lives the fruit He desires by the power of the life of Christ.

A Concern for Fellowship (Vs. 13)

1. She longs to hear the voice of her Beloved in fellowship with her. The plural ‘gardens’ reveals that the Lord does not dwell exclusively in her garden. He dwells in many gardens since He is Lord in the hearts of all His people. (Nee)
2. This should be the plea upon our hearts when we come to read the Word of God or sit under the preaching of God’s Word.

The Plea of Loving Communion (Vs. 14)

A Longing for His Return (Vs. 14a)

1. There are four descriptions of mountains in the Song:
   1. The mountains of Bether (2:17).
   2. The mountain of myrrh (4:6) which is representative of Calvary with the sweet bitterness of His sufferings.
   3. The mountains of the leopards (4:8) where she is protected from danger.
   4. The mountains of spices (8:14) symbolic of the new millennial world of fragrance and beauty we anticipate.
2. This is the posture of the bride. She is eagerly awaiting the return of her Beloved. It reminds us of the closing words of the Bible in Revelation 22:20 “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
3. Titus 2:13 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”
4. Jude 1:21 “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”

A Longing for His Reign (Vs. 14b)

Conclusion

Are you looking and longing for Christ’s return?

Sermon 22 of 22 in Song of Solomon Series

Sermon Audio Id: 52821655566287