Love’s Fervent Praise – Song of Solomon 1:15-17

Devotional series through the Song of Solomon. This series interprets the Song as picturing the relationship between Christ and the church.

Interpretation: Key N.T. Verses (Eph 5:32; 2 Cor. 11:2)

Theme: The Song presents the language of spiritual intimacy. It speaks to us of the affections of the heart. On a natural level, it teaches us something of the sacredness and specialness of the marriage union. On a spiritual level, it teaches us of the blessed relationship between Christ and His church, between Christ and the believer.

This Lesson: The chapter reaches a beautiful crescendo with the Bride and Bridegroom seeking to outdo each other in their passionate expressions of love.

Tozer: “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.”

The Bridegroom’s Praise (Vs. 15)

The beauty of her appearance (15a)

He describes her as ‘fair’

1. Ezekiel 16:14 “And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord God.”
2. Revelation 19:7-8 “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.”
3. Psalm 149:4 “For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.”

He designates her “my love”

1. Jeremiah 31:3 “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.”
2. 1 John 3:1 “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God…”
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.”

The beauty of her eyes (15b)

The emblem of the dove in Scripture

1. 3 times the Bridegroom refers to her in the song as “my dove” (2:14, 5:2, 6:9)
2. Symbol of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32)
3. Symbol of peace (Gen. 8:8-12)
4. Symbol of redemption (Gen 15:9, Lev. 5:7, 12:6, Luke 2:24)

The meaning of “doves eyes”

1. Pure Eyes: She has eyes for Him and Him alone. Ezekiel 6:9 “And they that escape of you shall remember me among the nations whither they shall be carried captives, because I am broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from me, and with their eyes, which go a whoring after their idols: and they shall lothe themselves for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.”
2. Pardoned Eyes: She has been made fit for His presence through His provision of grace.
3. Peaceful Eyes: There is no enmity in her eyes. They are filled with love for Him. A dove is a gentle, peaceful creature.
4. Perceptive Eyes:
   1. Immediate context: The bride has just expressed her estimation of the Bridegroom in Vs. 13-14. She likens Him to ‘myrrh’ and ‘camphire’
   2. Application: Christ’s heart is moved when our eyes are consumed with His attributes. This is truly attractive to Him.

The Bride’s Praise (Vs. 16-17)

The praise of His Person (Vs. 16a-b)

He is beautiful (16a)

1. Christ is the Lamb without spot or blemish: 1 Peter 1:19 “…a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
2. Christ is sinless: 1 John 3:5 “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.”
3. Christ is Holy: Revelation 4:8 “And the four beasts had each of them six sings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”

He is delightful (16b)

1. ‘pleasant’ = delightful, sweet. Lovely & agreeable.
2. Same word used in Psalm 133:1 – “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”
3. Websters 1828: ‘pleasant’ means pleasing, agreeable; grateful to the mind or the senses. Illustrations: Light is pleasant to the eye, an orange is pleasant to the taste, harmony is pleasant to the ear, a rose is pleasant to the smell.
4. Christ is pleasant to the heart and soul. He truly satisfies the longings of our spirit.
5. Psalm 34:8 “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
6. M’Cheyne: Excerpt from sermon on Song 2:2-3
   “Some people think there is no joy in religion, – it is a gloomy thing. When a young person becomes a Christian, they would say, Alas! he must bid farewell to pleasure, – farewell to the joys of youth, farewell to a merry heart. He must exchange these pleasures for reading of the Bible and dry sermon books, – for a life of gravity and preciseness. This is what the world says. What does the Bible say? “I sat down under His shadow with great delight.” Ah! let God be true, and every man a liar. Yet no one can believe this except those who have tried it. Ah! be not deceived, my young friends; the world has many sensual and many sinful delights, – the delights of eating and drinking, and wearing gay clothes, – the delights of revelry and the dance. No man of wisdom will deny that these things are delightful to the natural heart; but on, they perish in the using, and they end in an eternal hell! But to sit down under the shadow of Christ, wearied with God’s burning anger, wearied with seeking after vain saviours, at last to find rest under the shadow of Christ, ah! this is great delight. Lord, evermore may I sit under this shadow! Lord, evermore may I be filled with this joy!”

The praise of His Provision (16c-17)

Provision of rest & fellowship (16c)

1. ‘bed’ = couch
2. ‘green’ = speaks of growth & fresh life (2:13)
3. 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.”

Provision of a place of abode (16b)

1. Beams of Cedar: Cedar is mentioned 51 times in Scripture. Apart from its frequent use in construction (e.g. Solomon’s temple), it was associated with at least two O.T. rites of purification. 1. Associated with the laws of cleansing from leprosy (Lev. 14) 2. One of the ingredients of water of separation (burnt with red heifer) to cleanse from defilement (Num 19)
2. Rafters of Fir: Also used much in O.T. construction (e.g. Solomon’s temple). This could be a reference to Solomon’s house in the forest of Lebanon described in 1 Kings 7:2-7. It had beams of cedar.
3. Applications: We shelter under our Saviour’s provision of redemption. He has made His abode with us through the Spirit (John 14:23). Christ is preparing a place for us in glory ( John 14). We share the riches of Christ. They are ‘ours’.

Conclusion

Do you know the satisfaction of salvation through Christ? Are your eyes faithful to Christ or are they lusting after worldly things? Do you praise your Saviour for His glorious attributes and for the redemption He has provided?

Sermon 6 of 22 in Song of Solomon Series

Sermon Audio Id: 103016618126