Cânticos 1

Cânticos 1

Spurgeon reminds us that "Behold is a word of wonder; it is intended to excite admiration. Wherever you see it hung out in Scripture, it is like an ancient sign-board, signifying that there are rich wares within, or like the hands which solid readers have observed in the margin of the older Puritanic books, drawing attention to something particularly worthy of observation." I would add, behold is like a divine highlighter, a divine underlining of an especially striking or important text. It says in effect "Listen up, all ye who would be wise in the ways of Jehovah!" Today in the Word - Song 1:15 - In the movie Shrek, Fiona is a princess who has been the victim of an evil spell that removes her beauty at sunset and turns her into an ogre. When the sun goes down, she loses her slim figure and attractive face and is transformed into a monster. Only when she finds true love is the curse finally broken and she turns into . . . an ogre? Permanently? This twist on a traditional fairy tale suggests that Fiona wanted to be loved not merely for her beautiful exterior but for the beauty she possessed within. In our text today the man speaks to the woman, this young field worker whose skin is darkened from a life of toil. To him, she is beautiful, and his words must have been thrilling to her heart. Here is someone who adored her, inside and out. He uses vivid metaphors, word pictures, to describe her beauty in detail, “I liken you, my darling, to . . .” (v. 9). While modern readers may find it unappealing to be compared to a “mare” (v. 9) or doves (v. 15), these were compliments of beauty for that day. The greater point is that the man takes time and care to describe his beloved in such detail. He sees her completely and loves every part of her: “How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful!” (v. 15). She responds likewise, “How handsome you are, my beloved! Oh, how charming!” (v. 16). The beginnings of love are filled with words of adoration. While the Song of Songs describes a love affair between two people, for centuries many interpreters have seen reminders of God’s love for His people. He sees us completely and finds us each uniquely beautiful. With God, we are fully known and fully loved. Apply the Word - Look in a mirror. Do you love what you see? Few of us feel completely enamored with our appearance. Yet what you see is God’s unique creation. Listen today to the way you speak about yourself. Be careful not to mock or put down your own looks. After all, you are wonderfully and beautifully made by God. And you are fully and completely loved. Song 2:2 Like a Shulammite (or young woman) speaks... Song 1:16 "How handsome you are, my beloved, and so pleasant! Indeed, our couch is luxuriant! KJV Song of Solomon 1:16 Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green. NKJ Song of Solomon 1:16 THE SHULAMITE Behold, you are handsome, my beloved! Yes, pleasant! Also our bed is green. NET Song of Solomon 1:16 Oh, how handsome you are, my lover! Oh, how delightful you are! The lush foliage is our canopied bed; BGT Song of Solomon 1:16 ἰδοὺ εἶ καλός ὁ ἀδελφιδός μου καί γε ὡραῖος πρὸς κλίνη ἡμῶν σύσκιος LXE Song of Solomon 1:16 Behold, thou art fair, my kinsman, yea, beautiful, overshadowing our bed. CSB Song of Solomon 1:16 How handsome you are, my love. How delightful! Our bed is lush with foliage; ESV Song of Solomon 1:16 Behold, you are beautiful, my beloved, truly delightful. Our couch is green; NIV Song of Solomon 1:16 How handsome you are, my lover! Oh, how charming! And our bed is verdant. NLT Song of Solomon 1:16 You are so handsome, my love, pleasing beyond words! The soft grass is our bed; YLT Song of Solomon 1:16 Lo, thou art fair, my love, yea, pleasant, Yea, our couch is green, NJB Song of Solomon 1:16 -How beautiful you are, my love, and how you delight me! Our bed is the greensward. NRS Song of Solomon 1:16 Ah, you are beautiful, my beloved, truly lovely. Our couch is green; RSV Song of Solomon 1:16 Behold, you are beautiful, my beloved, truly lovely. Our couch is green; NAB Song of Solomon 1:16 B Ah, you are beautiful, my lover-- yes, you are lovely. Our couch, too, is verdant; GWN Song of Solomon 1:16 Look at you! You are handsome, my beloved, so pleasing to me! The leaf-scattered ground will be our couch. BBE Song of Solomon 1:16 See, you are fair, my loved one, and a pleasure; our bed is green. How handsome your are - Once again the NASB fails to translate the important interjection "Behold" (hinneh). ESV has "Behold, you are beautiful." Same Hebrew phrase as Song 15, but translated "handsome" since it is speaking of Solomon. Note the list of 14 uses below -- all the other uses refer to the Shulammite. My beloved - specific phrase "my beloved" occurs 24x in 23v - Song 1:13, 14, 16; 2:3, 8, 9, 10, 16, 17; 4:16; 5:2, 4, 5, 6 (twice), Song 5:8, 10, 16; 6:2, 3; 7:9, 11, 13; 8:14. (There are only 2 other uses in the entire OT - Isaiah 5:1, Jeremiah 11:15). Our couch is luxuriant - Our divan is verdant, new, prosperous, flourishing. This speaks of an intimate location. Note that they are not indoors but outdoors with a bed of grass that is surrounded by trees (Song 1:17). It is as private as if they were in a house. Note the rapid fire exchange between the lovers (Solomon - Song 1:15 "beautiful", Shulamite - Song 1:16-17 "handsome", 2:1; Solomon - Song 2:2; Shulamite - 2:3-7) as their expressions of love take on a increasing intensity. Bob Utley -​​​​​​​ This refers to either the grandeur of the royal travelling pavilion or the secret meeting place in the woods of the two hometown lovers Handsome (03303) (yapheh - see more complete definition) is an adjective and is the same Hebrew word translated beautiful (yapheh), except that here it is the masculine form. Dear husband. Dear wife. Can we not learn something from their interchange? Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder and real beauty is an inner beauty. What would happen to our marriages if husbands and wives told each other (not in a patronizing way but with sincerity of heart) more often they were beautiful or handsome?! This adjective yapeh is used more in Song of Solomon than any other book... Song 1:8 -"If you yourself do not know, Most beautiful among women, Go forth on the trail of the flock And pasture your young goats By the tents of the shepherds. Song 1:15 -"How beautiful you are, my darling, How beautiful you are! Your eyes are like doves ." Song 1:16 - "How handsome you are, my beloved, And so pleasant! Indeed, our couch is luxuriant! Song 2:10 - "My beloved responded and said to me, 'Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, And come along. Song 2:13 - 'The fig tree has ripened its figs, And the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance. Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, And come along!'" Song 4:1 - "How beautiful you are, my darling, How beautiful you are! Your eyes are like doves behind your veil; Your hair is like a flock of goats That have descended from Mount Gilead. Song 4:7 - "You are altogether beautiful, my darling, And there is no blemish in you. Song 5:9 - "What kind of beloved is your beloved, O most beautiful among women? What kind of beloved is your beloved, That thus you adjure us?" Song 6:1 - "Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Where has your beloved turned, That we may seek him with you?" Song 6:4 -"You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling, As lovely as Jerusalem, As awesome as an army with banners. Song 6:10 -'Who is this that grows like the dawn, As beautiful as the full moon, As pure as the sun, As awesome as an army with banners?' Yapheh is a Hebrew word that pertains to being acceptable and favorable is used of persons who are pleasing and a joy to be around. Solomon had a charming manner about him. This same word is used to describe David... Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse declares, And the man who was raised on high declares, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet (yapheh) psalmist of Israel (2Sa 23:1+) My beloved - This specific phrase is found 24x in 23v in the Song of Solomon - Song 1:13, 14, 16; 2:3, 8, 9, 10, 16, 17; 4:16; 5:2, 4, 5, 6 (twice), Song 5:8, 10, 16; 6:2, 3; 7:9, 11, 13; 8:14. (There are only 2 other uses in the OT - Isaiah 5:1, Jeremiah 11:15). Beloved (01730) (dod) means beloved, loved one. 32 of 53 OT uses are found in the Song of Solomon. Dod conveys three thoughts (1) the name or address given by one lover to another (Song 5:4, 6:3, 7:9); (2) Love, where it speaks of the adulteress (Pr 7:18) and in a positive sense of the love between Solomon and the Shulammite (Song 1:2, 4:10). Love is used symbolically of Jerusalem reaching the "age for love" (Ezek 16:8). Dod speaks of the adultery of Jerusalem in Ezek 23:17. (3) Dod in some contexts means "uncle" (Lev 10:4, 1Sa 10:14-16, Esther 2:15). It is interesting that the writer did not use the more common Hebrew word mishkab (04904 - מִשְׁכָּב) which is the word for bed as in a bedroom (but it is used in Song 3:1) and in some contexts speaks of intimacy (sexual contact - Jdg 21:12 = "had not known [yada] a man by lying with him [mishkab]", cp Ge 49:4, Lev 15:24). The point is that they are in the courting stage and while clearly drawn to each other are restraining themselves from having intimate relations, thus presenting the Biblical pattern for preparation for marriage! This distinction between eres and mishkab is only relative however because eres is used by the harlot in Pr 7:16. POSB on handsome...and so pleasant - The Shulamite commented on both the king’s appearance and his demeanor. He was not only handsome—pleasing to the eyes—but also pleasant or charming—pleasing to be with. It is easy to imagine a surprised smile from Solomon as he received this unexpected departure from the pattern of their banter. Her distinction also highlights a key difference in men and women: men are primarily stimulated by what they see, while women are stimulated more by what they feel. Apparently, the young woman treasured the memory of their dates. This scene took place on one of their early dates, enjoyed outdoors in the beauty of nature, before the king moved his darling to the palace. The reference to the bed’s being green refers not merely to the color, but to that which is lush and flourishing, commonly used to describe rich vegetation. The early seeds of their love grew in the house of nature. The young woman’s choice of ‘eres (bed) expresses a specific metaphor. This word was used of a bed or couch that was covered by an arched canopy. These two fell in love while enjoying nature together, walking along, then sitting on a sofa of thick, lush grass, arched by the native junipers and the majestic cedars of Lebanon. The scents that wafted from these fragrant trees freshened the air of their house out in nature. (The Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible – Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon) Couch (06210 - עֶרֶשׂ) (eres) usually implies some sort of fancy or elaborate bed, probably canopied or screened, and decorated with carved panels, not just the simple peasant pallet. The Lxx translated eres in Song 1:16 with the noun kline which means a bed or couch for resting or dining (Lk 17:34). Eres - 9v - Usage: bed(1), bed*(1), bedstead(2), couch(4), couches(1), sickbed*(1). Deuteronomy 3:11 (For only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaim. Behold, his bedstead was an iron bedstead; it is in Rabbah of the sons of Ammon. Its length was nine cubits and its width four cubits by ordinary cubit.) Job 7:13 "If I say, 'My bed will comfort me, My couch (mishkab - place of lying) will ease my complaint,' Psalm 6:6 I am weary with my sighing; Every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears. Psalm 41:3 The LORD will sustain him upon his sickbed; In his illness, You restore him to health. Psalm 132:3 "Surely I will not enter my house, Nor lie on my bed; Proverbs 7:16 "I have spread my couch with coverings, With colored linens of Egypt. Song of Solomon 1:16 "How handsome you are, my beloved, And so pleasant! Indeed, our couch is luxuriant! Amos 3:12 Thus says the LORD, "Just as the shepherd snatches from the lion's mouth a couple of legs or a piece of an ear, So will the sons of Israel dwelling in Samaria be snatched away-- With the corner of a bed and the cover of a couch! Amos 6:4 Those who recline on beds of ivory And sprawl on their couches, And eat lambs from the flock And calves from the midst of the stall, Carr - This bed is described as green (verdant, NIV, luxuriant, NAS), but the word is not so much used of the color proper, but of a tree that is alive and in leaf. The NEB "shaded with branches" is a good paraphrase—the canopy of their love-bed is the leafy branches of the trees of the garden." (Borrow Solomon Commentary) NET Notes NET = Oh, how handsome you are, my lover!64 Oh,65 how delightful66 you are! The lush foliage67 is our canopied bed;68 64 sn The statement הִנָּךְ יָפָה רַעְיָתִי (hinnakh yafah ra’yati, “How beautiful you are, my darling”) in 1:15 is virtually mirrored by the Beloved’s statement in 1:16, הִנְּךְ יָפֶה דוֹדִי (hinnékh yafeh dodi, “How handsome you are, my lover”). 65 tn The term אַף (’af, “how”) is used to: (1) introduce additional information; (2) to emphasize a point; (3) to enhance a statement; (4) to create an antithesis (HALOT 76 s.v. אַף). The usage here is to enhance “how pleasant” or “certainly pleasant” (HALOT 76). The particle אַף is often used in Hebrew poetry to emphatically introduce a thought in the second colon which is a step beyond what was asserted in the first colon (e.g., Deut 33:3, 20, 28; 1 Sam 2:7; Pss 16:6, 7, 9; 18:49; 65:14; 68:9, 17; 74:16; 89:28; 93:1; Prov 22:19; 23:28) (BDB 64 s.v. b.1). Sometimes, אַף is used to introduce a surprise or something unexpected (e.g., Job 14:3; 15:4) (BDB 65 s.v. a.1). The particle אַף (“Oh!”), which introduces this line, is often used in Hebrew poetry to emphatically introduce a new thought and indicates that this is an addition to the previous statement; it is something far greater. 66 tn The term נָעִים (na’im, “pleasant, delightful”) can refer to physical attractiveness or to personal character (BDB 653 I נָעֵם; HALOT 705 s.v. I נעם). Some suggest that it refers to the pleasantness of his character and personality; however, it is better to take this as a reference to his handsome physical appearance for several reasons: (1) The terms יָפֶה (yafeh, “handsome”) and נָעִים (“delightful”) are probably used in synonymous rather than synthetic parallelism. (2) The emphasis in 1:15–16 is on physical beauty as the repetition of the term “beautiful, handsome” (יָפֶה) suggests. (3) The related verb נָּעַמְתְּ (na’amté, “to be delightful”) is used in Song 7:7 in synonymous parallelism with יָפָת (yafat, “to be beautiful”) in the description of the Beloved’s physical beauty. (4) Hebrew lexicographers classify this usage of נָעִים in Song 1:16 in terms of physical beauty rather than personal character (BDB 653 s.v. 2). 67 tn The term רַעֲנָנָה (ra’ananah, “lush, verdant”) refers to the color “green” and is often used in reference to luxuriant foliage or trees (Pss 37:35; 52:8; Jer 11:16; Hos 14:8). The impression 1:16c–17 gives is that the young man and young woman are lying down together on the grass in the woods enjoying the delights of their caresses. They liken the grass below and the green leaves above to a marriage couch or canopied bed. 68 tn Or “The lush foliage is our marriage couch.” The term עֶרֶשׂ (’eres, “bed”) describes a canopied bed (Pss 6:7; 41:4; 132:2; Prov 7:16) or marriage couch (Song 1:16) (BDB 793 s.v. עֶרֶשׂ). Shulammite (or young woman) speaks... Song 1:17 "The beams of our houses are cedars, Our rafters, cypresses. KJV Song of Solomon 1:17 The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir. NKJ Song of Solomon 1:17 The beams of our houses are cedar, And our rafters of fir. NET Song of Solomon 1:17 the cedars are the beams of our bedroom chamber; the pines are the rafters of our bedroom. BGT Song of Solomon 1:17 δοκοὶ οἴκων ἡμῶν κέδροι φατνώματα ἡμῶν κυπάρισσοι LXE Song of Solomon 1:17 The beams of our house are cedars, our ceilings are of cypress. CSB Song of Solomon 1:17 the beams of our house are cedars, and our rafters are cypresses. ESV Song of Solomon 1:17 the beams of our house are cedar; our rafters are pine. NIV Song of Solomon 1:17 The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are firs. NLT Song of Solomon 1:17 fragrant cedar branches are the beams of our house, and pleasant smelling firs are the rafters. Young Woman YLT Song of Solomon 1:17 The beams of our houses are cedars, Our rafters are firs, I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys! NJB Song of Solomon 1:17 -The beams of our house are cedar trees, its panelling the cypress. NRS Song of Solomon 1:17 the beams of our house are cedar, our rafters are pine. RSV Song of Solomon 1:17 the beams of our house are cedar, our rafters are pine. NAB Song of Solomon 1:17 the beams of our house are cedars, our rafters, cypresses. GWN Song of Solomon 1:17 The cedars will be the walls of our house. The cypress trees will be our rafters. BBE Song of Solomon 1:17 Cedar-trees are the pillars of our house; and our boards are made of fir-trees. Cedars...cypresses - The identity of these trees is not clear cut as shown by NET rendering of pines instead of cypresses. Bob Utley -​​​​​​​ The UBS' Helps for Translators, Fauna and Flora of the Bible, says, "there is great confusion in all versions, ancient and modern, over the identity of evergreens in the Bible" (p. 116). Beams of our houses are cedars - The NIV note says this is spoken by Solomon but more likely it is a continuation of the Shulammite's discourse. Most commentators interpret verses 16-17 as referring to an outdoor, natural venue, a romantic setting that is pastoral not palatial. TODAY IN THE WORD: In his book The Five Love Languages, Gary Chapman explains that every person uses a favorite “language” when expressing love to another person. Some people may use physical touch, in the form of a hug or a kiss. Others communicate love through action, by performing acts of service for others. To some a gift is the best way to show love, while others simply prefer to spend time with someone they love. In today’s passage the bride and groom use words to express their love for one another. The groom speaks first and compliments the appearance of his bride. In particular, he singles out her eyes. The point of comparing them to doves is not entirely clear. Some have suggested that the comparison reflects an Egyptian custom of painting eyes in the shape that resembled a bird. Others believe it was the beauty of the dove, or even the fact that doves are often found in pairs, that prompted the comparison. Similarly, the bride compliments the groom’s appearance. He is handsome and “charming.” This latter term could refer to his physical appearance or to his manner. The Hebrew word is used elsewhere in the Old Testament to refer to both goodness and charm. The mutuality of their love is reflected in the fact that both the groom and the bride use the same language to refer to one another. The groom declares that the bride is “beautiful.” The bride uses a masculine form of the same word when she declares that the groom is “handsome.” It is the same word used in the Old Testament to characterize Joseph and David. One of the keys to keeping the romance kindled in a relationship is to express love to one another. The couple in today’s passage made an effort to express love to one another verbally. The groom used an additional love language by taking steps to create a romantic atmosphere. Song 2:2 Like a Joe Guglielmo sermon notes - Now in this first part of verse 4 we see the Shulamite woman asking Solomon to take her away, for she has been swept off her feet by his love for her. In our relationship with the Lord we should be swept away, blown away by His unconditional love for us! Some say that this is still the Shulamite woman speaking. The problem for me is that it says, “We will run after you.” That doesn’t make sense since it is speaking of more than this Shulamite woman. I think these are the words of the daughters of Jerusalem and they too see this man and how wonderful he is and they too will run after him with her and see how this love relationship plays out. Now let’s look at this through a Christian perspective. As we live out our faith do others see the love we have of Christ and are they drawn to Him by what we say of Him? That truly should be the case. That they would desire to have what we have. Now will all desire this relationship? No, but as we live out our faith may they see the love we have for Jesus. Paul put it like this, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” I Corinthians 11:1. If we do they will see that love! As some read this, that she has been taken into the Kings chambers, they feel that Solomon and this Shulamite woman had sexual relations before they were married. Think about that for a minute. Would this book be in the Bible and would it be called the “song of songs” or “the most exquisite song” or “the loveliest of songs”? Of course not, God calls sex outside of marriage fornication and thus, He would not put it in the “song of songs.” Yes we see sex outside of marriage in the Scriptures, but never in a positive context! Many times today as people are dating they say, “I love you!” which is a phrase meaning “I want to go to bed with you!” This is not what is going on here. I believe that they were married before they had any intimate relationship with each other. There was a commitment before God, a covenant before God towards each other and thus, their love was rich and it was deep because it was based in the Lord. Others see this as not a physical room but that Solomon has welcomed her into the secrets of his heart, to be part of his life. This is also possible. The point we need to understand is that they did not have sexual relations prior to marriage. Today people have superficial relationships that are based upon sex and because of that those relationships don’t last. And we see that played out in our society today! In regards to our relationship with Jesus we cannot have that intimate relationship with Him apart from first making a pledge to Him, a commitment, that He is our Lord and Savior. In Psalm 63:1-8 we read, “O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.” As we have that hunger for God, as we thirst for Him, Jesus will fill us as He said in John 7:37-38, “. . . ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” May we have that kind of love, passion for our Lord! Song 1:4d-e The daughters of Jerusalem, these virgin women, are rejoicing for the love their friend has found, and they will always remember the love he showed towards her. Their love for each other was open, it was beautiful, it was real, and others saw it and desired to have that kind of relationship. Do others see that in your relationship with your spouse? They should! Do others see that in your relationship with the Lord? They should! Song 1:4f Song 2:2 Like a - Song 2:2 Like a The Shulamite is speaking to the daughters of Jerusalem, these virgins and she understands why these virgins love Solomon, but she is his! I believe the song moves to a period of time prior to their meeting and goes into their dating, and-so-on. What we know of this woman is as follows. Her father was probably dead. She had a mother, a sister, at least 2 brothers or step-brothers and these brothers did not treat her too kindly. She was living, most likely, in an area of Ephraim, caring for a vineyard, and she also was a shepherdess. And one day she has an encounter with this handsome stranger, and she is embarrassed. Why is she so embarrassed? Because her skin was dark, she was tanned and back then, if you were suntan that meant you worked out in the fields. Please understand that this is not saying she was black, it is saying that she was tanned. God has created us with a vast difference in colors and because of sin we differentiate that by what we call “races” and that is wrong. There is only one race and it is called the HUMAN RACE! No one is more important or less important, we are all on the same playing field and the problem comes when we try to put people into categories, and like I said, there is only one, the human race!The pigment of the skin is of no importance whatsoever. The condition of the heart is the important matter. So that is not the issue here. This issue here, like I have said, is that she was tanned. You see, only those who were living in luxury had light skin or pale skin because they did not work out in the fields. In that culture tanned skin was not thought of as beautiful. Today people go to tanning salons to get tanned, go figure! In Song 1:5 when it speaks of the “tents of Kedar” keep in mind that the people of Kedar were Nomads whose tents were dark black, and Solomon’s curtains were white. This truly gives us a picture of what we are like as Christians. Outwardly we blow it, fail, we sin. But inwardly we are clean, pure; we are white by the righteousness of God imputed to us by Christ. That is why we need to crucify the flesh, less of us and more of Jesus that is seen in our lives! And make no mistake about it, she was not lazy. She worked hard and her brothers or step-brothers forced her to work even harder. She worked so hard she couldn’t even take care of herself. She is a farm girl who is going to encounter royalty! I guess you can call this a Cinderella story as she was forced to work by her cruel relatives. Also, I think we can get so busy in our day-to-day life that we don’t have the time or we don’t take the time to cultivate in us those things that really matter, that intimate relationship with God, that inward beauty that God desires us to have! And because of that what flows from our lives is the works of the flesh instead of the fruit of the Spirit. Spend time with God, you can’t afford not to because it will affect your life in a negative way if you don’t! Her desire is to be with him, she is in love with him and thus, she wants to know where he will be. She does not want to go around looking like a prostitute, veiling herself and wandering around. Glickman (Solomon's Song of Love - Let a Song of Songs Inspire Your Own Romantic Story) Song 2:2 Like a sums it up for us like this, “In their culture this term, ‘a veiled woman,’ referred to a loose girl, likely a prostitute. If she were going to see the king, she wanted it to be at the proper time and place – say, for example, when he was free in the middle of the day. She didn’t want to go wandering around looking for him, appearing to be an aggressive and available prostitute to everyone else.” Today we see many women who really don’t care how others think of them. They flaunt themselves around and they are not looking for a loving relationship, but for fornication. For this Shulamite woman, she understood that when it comes to sexual attraction and reputation, what others think does matter. And most of all, what does God think of your behavior, that should be the most important thing because if you get that right, you are in good shape! One more point here and that is our relationship with the Lord. Are we satisfied in Him? Are we longing for that deep personal relationship with Him? Do we desire Him and we have come to that place where we are not going to let anyone else get in our way of spending time with Him? David said, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”Psalm 23:1. May we learn to be satisfied in Him! Song 1: 8-10 He welcomes her presence and companionship, and is happy to have her with him. And he tells her that if you want to find out where he is, just follow the footsteps of the flock, they will lead you to me! Think about that for a minute. Where is the shepherd to be found? With His sheep of course! What does that mean to us? I think that too often Christian’s play the “Lone Ranger” and they are out there on their own. The old “Lone Ranger” not the new one! And the problem for us with being out there on our own is it is wrong. God desires us to come together as a body of believers. Hebrews 10:25 says, and this is from The Amplified Bible, “Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching.” What Satan does is try to draw or divide the body apart, making people small, isolated islands, left in the open for the storms of life to come sweeping by. Don’t allow a wedge to be placed between you and the body of Christ. The fellowship of the brethren is important! Follow the flock; let the little goats eat upon God’s Word because that is where the shepherd is! Remember how this Shulamite woman was insecure about her looks, well we see here that Solomon takes away that fear by telling her she is beautiful, that her beauty radiates. And we will see that throughout this song. Solomon speaks of her beauty and that has to bless her, encourage her. Men, I realize that this is hard for many of you, but your wife needs to hear you say those words, not necessarily that she is as beautiful as a filly but you know what I mean. Encourage them, bless them, tell them that they are beautiful! And we see that God does the very same thing with us. You see, we know we are sinners. We know that there is no good in us, no beauty in us. But God does not see us as we are but what we will be. In Isaiah 1:18 we read, “‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.’” Also, in Ephesians 1:4-8 we read, “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence.” Jesus has made us beautiful, never forget that! These are the words from the daughters of Jerusalem and they want to bless this Shulamite woman with ornaments of gold and studs of silver. Why did they want to do this? I think that they just responded to the example that was set by Solomon, the beloved. The way that he treated her caused them to honor this Shulamite woman. Men, it is so important that you treat your wife with respect, with honor not only in the home but in public. That is so important because how you treat her in public others will also respond accordingly. Now let’s look at the picture that is being painted for us here. Gold is the metal of kingship, of glory. Silver is the metal of redemption. In other words, all the riches we have, all that God has given to us, is supported by what Christ has done. Paul, in Ephesians 1:3 said, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Also, remember all that Christ has done for us, our King has redeemed us, gave His life for us. Paul said in Ephesians 5:25-27, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” He redeemed us and we will stand before God with the righteousness of Christ that has been imputed into our lives by faith, “. . . not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” There they are together at the banquet table and her spikenard permeated the room. This fragrance was costly and yet she was willing to sell all to be a sweet smelling fragrance to her lover. She was a poor farm girl brought into the King’s palace! In a sense it speaks of the worship of God, it should cost us something, our lives! Then she speaks of Myrrh, and let me start out with this so you have a picture of what is going on here. When she says in verse 13, “A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me, That lies all night between my breasts” she is referring to a custom from that period of time. You see, they would wear a small bag of myrrh, a perfumed ointment, around their neck all night. Then, the next day that fragrance would linger about her. That is how she sees her lover, her beloved! And her beloved was an “En-Gedi” to her and I think Glickman (Ref) Song 2:2 Like a sums it up nicely what this means. He wrote, “The king was En-Gedi to this girl, an oasis of life in a desert of monotony, and like a weary traveler she found refreshment with him.” Notice the beauty he sees in her and he is not afraid to tell her. How important it is to tell our wives how we feel about them, that they are beautiful. It gives them security, comfort, peace. I do realize today that many of us feel ugly, not beautiful, not worthy, we are nothing! If you are in Christ you are wrong! As you read the Scriptures you will see that you are beautiful in God’s eyes. Now some may say, “He has to feel that way!” No He doesn’t. And let me say this, did He not form you in the womb? Of course He did! Do you think He made a mistake, ran out of material? Maybe that is why I am short? Of course that is not true, He didn’t run out of material, you are the person He wants you to be and He loves you and He thinks you are beautiful. Is there anything else that is needed? I don’t think so and yet He gives to us so much more! Notice how she responds to the compliments from her beloved! She was attracted to his appearance, but keep in mind that it was not just his outward good looks, he had an inward beauty that she was drawn to. Remember back in Song of Solomon 1:3, “Because of the fragrance of your good ointments, Your name is ointment poured forth; Therefore the virgins love you.” True love is based on outward appearance; you should be attracted to your spouse. But if that is all your relationship is based upon you are going to be in trouble. Outward beauty fades over time. I am not the same person I was when I met Julie; I have grown a lot, but not in height but in circumference! And yet Julie loves me, hopefully because of the inward beauty that is then manifested outwardly and because of that she does not see what age has done to me! That is true love, it needs to be inward and that will take care of the outward appearance! And the description of their bed being green and the beams of their houses are cedar, the rafters of fir, could be speaking of them out on a walk in the country and seeing the beauty and relating it to their love! Song of Solomon)