Song of Solomon 6:13–8:4

The Hebrew word translated here as Shulamite is the feminine form of the name Solomon. It means peaceful. Israel not only welcomes the Lord but also becomes the earthly bride. "For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is His name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth He is called" (Isaiah 54:5).

They call her by a new name, "Return, return, O Shulamite," which is the feminine form of Solomon. This is significant. Union is accomplished. The long broken relationships are re-established. Grace has done a perfect work in her. Blessed be the name of the Lord! He can now make Himself fully known to her, and she truly reflects the beams of His glory.

The scene opens with the daughters of Jerusalem calling on the bride to return. They had already heard from her lips the glowing description of the Bridegroom, which awakened desires after Him in their own hearts. Then, it seems, she left them to join her Beloved in the garden of spices, and now they plead with her to return. Possibly the secret of their plea is the desire to learn more of the Bridegroom — and who is better fitted to bear witness of the Bridegroom than the bride? For now they recognise she is in relation with the King. For the first time they speak of her as the Shulamite.

She may be a wonder to herself, she may take a place unworthy of any notice (v. 13), but the Lord and angels rejoice over her. As we know from the Gospels, the ninety-nine righteous ones can be left for the one lost son. The angels in heaven rejoice. The house makes merry. The friends of the beloved celebrate over the returned Shulamite. She is like Jacob when he returned: Mahanaim, the hosts of God, salute them both.

The text may be translated, "As it were the dance of Mahanaim." The reference is probably to the day when Jacob left Mesopotamia for the promised land. He travelled with his wives, his children, his servants and all his goods. On the way "the angels of God met him; and when Jacob saw them he said, This is God's camp! So he called the name of that place Mahanaim" (that is, two hosts or camps). There the host of heaven and the host of earth met. Here the Bridegroom and the bride have met in the garden of the King. The daughters say, in picture language, "We would see the effect of this meeting." How good when others can see the effect of our having been "with Jesus."

Some have thought that the company of two armies seen in the bride represents the old life and the new at constant war with each other in the Christian. We think this a mistake. Here it does not appear to refer to conflict at all, but rather to peace, unity, and glory. Does it not express the reunion of the long-divided house of Jacob under the Prince of Peace? Judah and Israel are no longer two nations warring with each other, but are joined in one. This union opens the way to the millennium — the reign of peace. The twelve tribes are restored, the nations are brought under their rule, and all is peace.

"Why should you look upon the Shulammite?" Let us not forget that the world has its eyes on us. What do they see in us? Do they see us working in that unity and joy before the Lord, which is the fruit of peace?

It is hard to say whether the daughters of Jerusalem or the Bridegroom speak the first five verses of this chapter to the bride... In chapter 4, when He speaks of her qualities, He begins with the head. In chapter 5, when the bride gives a full portrait of her Beloved, she also begins with the head. But here it is different: the description begins with the feet and ends with the head. Here she seems to be seen from earth's point of view, as if her walk first drew the daughters of Jerusalem.

The daughters of Jerusalem thus celebrate the beauty of the bride. In the past her words gave bright witness to the King. Now she herself is a witness to all the beauty the King had put on her. It is the witness of life rather than lips, of ways rather than words. She had been with the Beloved in the garden of spices and she comes forth from His presence with the beauty of the King upon her. They greet her as the daughter of the Prince. The stamp of royalty is on her, and the grace and majesty of the King's presence goes with her as she walks.

The King's bride is looked over closely again, and given a new title: "O prince's daughter." Her connection with royalty is now acknowledged. The King has brought her into the closest relationship with Himself. Everyone can see it... When He comes and takes the throne of His father David, everything in Israel changes.

She is addressed as a prince's daughter, a child of royal birth. So are we children of the great King. Think for a moment what dignity is yours and mine, dear fellow believer, as the child of the great King of the universe. Should we ever be downcast, or be ashamed of our royal birth? Or choose for our closest friends and companions the children of the realms of darkness? Surely we should always be careful that our walk is in keeping with our royal birth.

Her heart knew Him by the glory of the head. He begins with her at the lowest point instead: "How beautiful are your feet in sandals, O noble daughter!" This is grace — grace whose first care is the part of us that touches a defiling world. Service is sweet to love. He thinks first of our feet, and at last His eye rests on our lips.

Consider your shoes a moment. They are made of leather, the skin of some animal that had to die so that you might have shoes. We are poor sinners who could not stand before God at all on our own merits. This reminds us at once that Christ has made us acceptable to Him. We stand before God clothed in all the merits of Christ's sacrificial death for us... Wearing these shoes — brought near to God through the death of Christ — how beautiful our footsteps should be!

She has been in the hands of "a master workman" and she wears the jewels his hands had made. The beauty of the King is upon her... By nature "from the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and festering sores"; but seen as spiritual and heavenly in origin — as a prince's daughter — we are all beautiful from the sole of the foot to the head.

It is not easy to say whether the first five verses of this chapter are addressed to the bride by the daughters of Jerusalem, or by the Bridegroom. In chapter 4 He begins with the head. And in chapter 5, where the bride gives a full-length portrait of her Beloved, she also begins with the head. But here it is different: the description begins with the feet and ends with the head. She appears to be looked at here from earth's point of view, as if the daughters of Jerusalem were first attracted by her walk.

The daughters of Jerusalem describe the bride in language similar to that used by the Bridegroom. He views her from above, so He begins with her eyes. The daughters view her from earth, so they speak first of her footsteps and end with the hair of her head. By nature, "from the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and festering sores." Yet seen as of spiritual and heavenly origin — as a prince's daughter — we are all fair from the sole of the foot to the head.

The part of the body spoken of here is where the bowels are located. In Scripture this expresses deep and tender affection, compassion and pity (see Genesis 43:30; Jeremiah 31:20; Philippians 1:8; 1 John 3:17). "Wine, which cheers God and man" (Judges 9:13) is often used as the symbol of joy, and a goblet that does not lack mixed wine would signify an unfailing source of joy. Wheat would speak of essential food, and a heap of wheat of an abundance of this food; but Christ is that food which sustains the soul. He is the grain of wheat that fell into the ground and died (John 12:24). He is also the Bread of Life (John 6:32-35, 48-51). The lilies speak of purity and lowly fragrant grace.

"A round goblet which does not lack wine … a heap of wheat set about with lilies" denote an abundance of what cheers and sustains. And yet grace and humility surround them. A fence of lilies forbids no one to come and share in the King's generosity. It invites them, in the words of wisdom: "Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine that I have mixed." Such will be the fullness and character of earthly blessing under the peaceful reign of the true King Solomon. What an idea these beautiful and significant symbols give of millennial blessing! An overflowing abundance with true lowliness of mind.

What a joy it will be to the Lord to behold Israel as the peaceful Shulamite (see 6:13), the bride of the great King, at the head of the nations! She will be a constant source of joy to the whole earth, as she, moved with deep compassion, lowly and pure as the lilies, ministers Christ abundantly to all nations.

Formerly her words had borne bright witness to the King, but now she herself is a witness to all the comeliness the King had put upon her. It is the witness of life rather than lips, of ways rather than words. She had been with the Beloved in the garden of spices, and she comes out from His presence with the beauty of the King upon her.

It is hard to say whether the daughters of Jerusalem or the Bridegroom speak the first five verses of this chapter to the bride... In chapter 4, when He speaks of her qualities, He begins with the head... But here it is different: the description begins with the feet and ends with the head. Here she appears as earth sees her, as if the daughters of Jerusalem were first drawn by her walk... The portrait here is not so much her own faultless beauty, which the Bridegroom admires and loves to dwell on, as the setting and marks of royalty... But we must keep in mind that the bride stands for great glory and blessing for all Israel.

Once her words had been a bright witness to the King. Now she herself is a witness to all the loveliness the King had put on her. It is the witness of life rather than lips, of ways rather than words. She had been with her Beloved in the garden of spices, and she comes out from His presence with the beauty of the King on her. She is greeted as the daughter of the Prince.

The breasts speak of maturity and especially of the mother's capacity to nourish and cherish her babies. So her affections have grown mature and Christ-like, and she can now cherish and nourish the young, feeding them with the pure milk of the Word.

The breasts stand for the affections. Proverbs 5:19 uses the same picture of the deer to show what is pleasant. The word "young" adds what is fresh. Christ sees in His people a love that is pleasant and that will never grow old.

The twin deer may point to the unity, harmony, and strong family likeness that will then mark the people of the land. Speaking of their blessing under the new covenant in a future day, the word says, "I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you... And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes."

When believers meet, their life together should bring joy and give a chance to minister Christ to one another, for their comfort and building up... For this our hearts must be filled with Christ and constrained by His love, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Why is Christ so little spoken of by believers when they are together? The answer is simple: they have given Him such a little place in their own heart's affections. Their breasts are not like young deer; they have not developed love and affections in Christ. Only as we feed on Christ do we find Him the source of life and strength to our souls. Then we can speak of Him to others as a living reality to our hearts and a constant source of joy and strength.

It is hard to say who speaks the first five verses of this chapter to the bride — the daughters of Jerusalem, or the Bridegroom... In Song 4, when speaking of her qualities, He begins with the head. And in Song 5, where the bride gives a full-length portrait of her Beloved, she also begins with the head. But here it is different: the description begins with the feet and ends with the head. Here the view of her seems to come from earth, as if her walk first attracted the daughters of Jerusalem.

The daughters of Jerusalem describe the bride in language similar to that used by the Bridegroom, only, viewing her from above, he begins his description with her eyes, whereas the daughters, viewing her from earth, speak first of her footsteps and end with the hair of her head.

Formerly her words had borne bright witness to the King, but now she herself is a witness to all the comeliness the King had put upon her. It is the witness of life rather than lips, of ways rather than words. She had been with the Beloved in the garden of spices and she comes forth from His presence with the beauty of the King upon her.

In the past, Israel has been a stiff-necked people. They refused to bow their neck under the yoke of the Lord, but stubbornly chose their own way. What a contrast redeemed Israel will be in the coming age. Her neck will be as a tower of ivory — purity and holiness will characterise her... Ivory is the great tusk of the elephant, and men get it only at the cost of the animal's suffering and even death. The elephant dies so that man may have the ivory. So the neck of ivory would speak of holiness and righteousness — the fruit of Christ's sufferings unto death for us.

The pools always have their face turned upward and so reflect the heavens that are above them. The quiet pools of water would convey the idea of peace and quietness... The believer should be in contrast to the wicked as a quiet, still pool reflecting in its depths the serenity of heaven above. The root meaning of the Hebrew word Heshbon is intelligence. The secret of true peace and true intelligence is to have the eyes turned upward... Bath-rabbim means "daughter of abundance." Whoever keeps his eyes always turned upward to Christ will be rich in peace and spiritual understanding.

The "tower" (watchtower) would speak of vigilance. It "looked toward Damascus." Damascus was the city where Israel's enemy, the Syrians, lived. The Christian should stay alert for those spiritual enemies who invade the land of our possession.

"A tower of Lebanon, which looks toward Damascus" suggests the idea of strength, security, supremacy. The Jews were once persecuted as a people scattered over the earth, and often invaded as a nation, above all by the Syrians. Now they can look out on Syria, and on all the surrounding nations, in tower-like strength.

Force cannot produce true whole-hearted obedience. A person may obey outwardly out of fear, but the heart is never in it. Only the sense of Christ's great love in giving His life a ransom for us will produce whole-hearted obedience.

It is hard to say who speaks the first five verses of this chapter to the bride — the daughters of Jerusalem, or the Bridegroom... Here it is different: the description begins with the feet and ends with the head. In this passage she seems to be viewed from earth's point of view... Besides, the portrait given here is not so much her own faultless beauty, which the Bridegroom admires and loves to dwell on, as the setting and associations of royalty. Or perhaps it is national glory more than personal beauty. But we must keep in mind as we go along that the bride stands for great glory and blessing for all Israel.

"Carmel," in scripture, is the type of fruitfulness. It was famous for its vineyards, gardens, and rich pasture. The words "your head upon you" seem to point to an ornament on the head, not to the head itself. They may refer to a crown, or a wreath of laurels, showing "the excellency of Carmel" and picturing the land's fruitfulness — national abundance. Israel is crowned with goodness.

They are blessed with every earthly blessing in Emmanuel's land. That will be glorious, and glorious it shall be. Yet it is only the contrast, drawn by God Himself, to the church's blessings, even while she travels through this world as a pilgrim.

Carmel means "fruitful field." The head is the seat of intelligence and knowledge. A person may hold a great store of knowledge, but what good is it if it bears no fruit in our lives? ... All divine knowledge is meant to reach the heart and conscience, and so bear fruit in the life. Spiritual light that is not put into practice will only harden the heart and deaden the conscience.

Hair is the adornment of the head and the symbol of submission, and purple is the royal colour... But what will mark her above all when she uses royal power at the head of the nations? In a word, whole-hearted submission to the will of the Lord. She will not use her royal power to enforce a will of her own, but only to carry out the will of God... This submission to His will delights the heart of Christ. It holds Him captive, so to speak: "The king is fettered by your ringlets."

"Purple" is the emblem of royalty. The eye rises from the beautiful shoes to the bridal crown and finds everything perfect. The fair spouse of the king is faultless... The king is overcome by her attractions. He is bound, as it were, by her beauty — beauty which He has put on her... He cannot leave His royal bride. Wondrous love! Wondrous grace!

In the past her words had given bright witness to the King. Now she herself is a witness to all the beauty the King had put on her. It is the witness of life rather than lips, of ways rather than words. She had been with her Beloved in the garden of spices, and she comes out from His presence with the beauty of the King upon her. The stamp of royalty is on her, and the grace and majesty of the King's presence surround her wherever she goes.

"How fair and how pleasant you are, O love, for delights!" This, we have no doubt, is the Bridegroom's voice. We sense more depth of feeling and interest in this verse than in the previous five. Others may admire her, but He delights in her. His patient grace has formed in her a moral likeness to Himself. This He now sees and delights in. The more fully Christ sees His own likeness in us, the more He will delight in us.

The daughters of Jerusalem can look on the bride as someone to admire. But the King does not only admire. He makes the bride His own and finds in her a source of personal delight. As they look at her, the daughters exclaim, "How beautiful!" The King says "How fair!" — and He adds, "How pleasant you are, O love, for delights." … The world will admire and praise, but He will delight in His earthly bride.

Here it is the love that takes pleasure in its object. He is rejoicing over His bride, and He speaks of her beauty and her loveliness. But how can He find in us anything that can delight Him? He does find that which is the joy and rejoicing of His heart, though not because of what we are in ourselves. It is all the result of what He Himself has invested us with.

What satisfaction it will be for His own heart to see that beauty! It is the result of His sacrifice on the cross and of His own work of grace in her heart by His Spirit. She had yielded herself fully to Him so that He might mould and fashion her after His own heart. That is the only way anyone gains spiritual beauty. Self-improvement and self-effort can never produce spiritual grace and beauty. It comes only by the power of the Spirit of God, as we yield to His power working in us.

A strictly upright man can find no delight in someone crooked in his ways. An honest man can find no pleasure in one who is dishonest. … So the blessed Lord can find His delight only in what resembles His own moral perfections. O my soul, what a needed, practical lesson you may learn from this! In what way, let me ask, and in what measure, is your moral likeness to Christ?

That day of glory and great joy will come. But what we find here is more wonderful than what that day will show. Here we learn that even now He finds in the Church what delights His heart. We are still treading the sand of the desert, on our way to the glory that awaits the bride and Bridegroom. … Do we believe it, beloved, that we are a joy to Him?

This is the Bridegroom rejoicing over the bride, as Isaiah had anticipated long before this day of Zephaniah (see Isa. 62:5). It is as if the Lord were stepping into the place that the joyful song of the King of Israel gives Him.

We may take the "palm tree" and the "clusters" as the emblems of victory and maturity — of uprightness and fruitfulness. Look at its natural form. Its stem is slim but graceful, straight and tall — the very type of uprightness. "They are upright as the palm tree." Press it down, or tie it down for a time, and it still refuses to grow crooked. It soon recovers its upright form. This is a wonderful illustration of the long pressure that has been on the Jews, and of the way they will yet lift up their heads.

"This your stature is like a palm tree, and your breasts like clusters of grapes" — or "like its clusters," as the Revised Version has it, that is, the clusters of the palm tree. The words "of grapes" are printed in italics in the Authorized Version, which shows that the translators added them. The clusters here are more than likely clusters of dates. The fruit of the date palm grows in clusters at the top of the tree.

So many Christians are eating the bitter fruit of defeat... It may be they have never learned the real secret of victory. The date palm is not only the symbol of victory but also reveals its secret. The date palm will only flourish near the water of an oasis in the desert. There it has constant sunshine and a supply of water that never fails. This is the twofold secret of victory. We must always stay in the sunshine of the Lord's presence. We must keep drinking the water of His Word, so that we have victory in our lives.

We also have frequent reference in Scripture to the branches of the palm tree as the emblem of victory. They were the sign of the feast of tabernacles to the Jews, a time of great rejoicing in Israel... The countless multitude which John saw in vision, before the throne and before the Lamb, were "clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands."

The fair spouse of the king has now reached her moral maturity. Blessed truth! Grace has triumphed! She is perfect in His sight — the delight of His heart — the reflection of Himself... She waves her palm of victory — her joy is full. Lifted up and upright as the palm, with its rich crown, and living waters welling up and flowing out from its roots. Lowly, weak and dependent, like the feeble vine, yet clinging to the Mighty One and bearing much fruit to His glory... "For when I am weak, then am I strong."

The daughters of Jerusalem can look at the bride as someone to admire. But the King does more than admire. He makes the bride His own, and finds in her a source of personal delight... Seeing her in all her beauty, He compares her to the graceful, tall palm. Seeing her as an object of delight, He compares her to its clusters. The King takes and enjoys the delights that others only gaze at and admire... The world will admire and praise, but He will delight in His earthly bride.

The Lord is working in His grace through the various gifts He has given to His church. His aim is that we all "attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). There is no limit to the Christian's growth, and no measure lower than "the fullness of the stature of Christ."

It is the expression of His delight in the bride. What a change grace works in the Jew who once despised Christ! Everything He counts good and fragrant comes from Him, whether now or in that day.

The "palm tree" and the "clusters of grapes" can stand for victory and maturity — for uprightness and fruitfulness… Its stem is slim but graceful, upright and tall. It is the picture of uprightness. "They are upright as the palm tree." Though pressed, or tied down for a time, it refuses to grow crooked. It soon straightens up again… Some kinds grow very tall. Then the fruit is hard to reach, since the stem has no branches. This may be what the next verse refers to. The fruits of the Spirit are never beyond the Lord's reach. He gathers and values the fruits of grace in His people.

The Lord pauses in His description to speak of gathering the sweet fruit of victory from the palm tree for His own joy. Date palms have no branches, only a crown of palm leaves around the top. The dates grow in clusters in the centre of this crown of leaves. To gather the fruit you must climb the bare trunk. Then you take hold of the boughs with one hand to hold yourself, and you gather the dates with the other. That is the picture here. You are His date palm, dear fellow believer. Can He gather from you the sweet fruit of victory that He so much desires?

The daughters of Jerusalem can look at the bride as someone to admire. The King does more than admire. The bride is His, and He finds in her a source of personal delight… Seeing her in all her beauty, He likens her to the graceful and tall palm; seeing her as an object of delight, He likens her to "clusters of grapes."… The King takes and enjoys the delights that others only gaze at and admire.

Here we have the clusters of grapes. The vine stands in sharp contrast to the tall and stately palm. The vine has no power in itself to lift itself off the ground unless it has a strong support outside itself to cling to. This is true of us too. We always find ourselves trailing in the dust. We have no power to stand upright like the palm tree, except as we in our weakness cling to Christ and depend on Him to hold us up. Only vines that cling to a support bear fruit. Is this not the real secret of much of our weakness and fruitlessness?

In chapter 2, verse 3, the Song likens Christ to the apple tree. If we are feeding on apples — on the good things Christ has for us — it will give us a sweet fragrance of Christ. Many know defeat instead of victory for one great reason: they are eating garlic and onions instead of apples. They feed on newspapers, worldly books, novels, picture shows and the like. They do not feed on Christ and the good things He has prepared for us in His Word.

From Song 7:9 it seems that the Bridegroom now rests in the charms of His bride. His heart is at rest. Wonderful truth! He sees in her the fruit of the anguish of His soul and is satisfied. The desires of His love are answered. What love! What grace! What blessing! Happy bride! Happy Israel! Perfectly and for ever restored; the Lord your God rests in you. He is revived, refreshed, and cheered by "the best wine," which you have prepared for your Beloved.

As in the last chapter from verse 4, the Bridegroom is again the speaker here — except from the latter part of verse 9 to the end.

A French version, well known to some of our readers, gives a striking meaning to this verse by dividing it after the words, "the best wine," and making the rest the language of the Shulamite.

He had just said that the scent of her mouth was like the best wine. Wine is the symbol of the joy of communion. The best of all joys is the joy of communion with the Lord, and she had been drinking freely of that best wine. But communion always has two sides, for there must be two for communion. The Lord has His own part and joy as well as we, when we are in communion with Him. We usually think only of our feelings and our own joy. She is thinking of Him instead. So when He mentions the best wine, she says at once, "for my beloved."

The bride hears the Bridegroom expressing His delight in her, and she cannot stay silent. If the Bridegroom likens the joy He has found in her to the best wine, she at once adds, "That goes down smoothly for my Beloved." Once she had slept on her bed. She was overcome with laziness and could not answer the voice of her Beloved. But all the beauty His love has put upon her has awakened her affections and called out her delight in Him. The best wine has caused the lips of the once sleeping bride to speak.

When someone has been drinking a good deal of wine, it makes him sleepy and talkative. It is the same in spiritual things. Communion gives rest, of which sleep is a picture, and it makes the lips speak of Christ. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

This is the secret of all ability to testify of Christ. First, knowing Him. Second, a heart filled with Himself — with the sense of His love, His grace, and His perfection. This is the best wine "that goes down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak."

The "best wine" here stands for the joy born from the sense of the Lord's delight in His bride. When the soul knows this joy, it wakes up and is moved to speak, in answer to such love beyond words. This is the secret of all praise and adoration. When thinking on His love fills the heart, it must overflow in worship.

The hearts of the Lord's people are so often stirred up or troubled, and their lips speak so little of Him. The chief reason is that they are not drinking enough of this "best wine" of communion with Him.

We may begin, and often do, like the bride in the Song. In her new-found joy she sang, "My Beloved is mine, and I am His." But if we grow in the knowledge of the Lord, we will soon change our song, as she did. Then we will rejoice with a greater joy to sing, "I am my Beloved's, and His desire is towards me." The first is a half truth, in which self is given a prominent place. The last is the whole truth, in which Christ is all.

Now she arrives at a settled sense of love — the possession of His love. There is no need to say "He is mine." He has made it perfectly plain, by all these expressions of His affection and by all the beauty that He finds in me.

She tells others what the Bridegroom is in her sight, but He tells the bride what she is in His sight. In secret He pours into her ear all the delight that she is to Him. He would have her know, not only how beautiful she is in His sight, but how precious she is to His heart.

What a happy state — to be able to say, "He knows me thoroughly. He knows what I am in myself, and what I am in Him. Yet even so, He not only loves me; He delights in me." There is nothing beyond this.

This is knowing that we belong to Christ, and that His affections rest on us. It is knowing that we are the objects of His own affections and delight. This is the deepest and most perfect joy.

This, we may truly say, is the highest note in the Song of Songs. And yet, we may as truly say, it is the lowest. Now the soul is done with itself, and entirely occupied with Christ. His desire is toward me — He delights in me. So the soul loses sight of itself. Grace has done its perfect work, and the soul is established in grace. So long as a soul is under law, it never reaches this place of confidence, rest, peace, and joy. It never strikes so high a note.

Compare verse 10 with Song 2:16 and Song 6:3. You can see the fruit of the godly remnant's growth in the knowledge of Messiah's love. They, as ourselves, as all that are genuine, must begin with "My Beloved is mine, and I am His." It is the true order of grace. He looked on the bride and chose to become hers, as she is His. Now at last she wakes up to the infinite love that she once refused, blindly and proudly, to her own ruin. Now she knows that He is the King, that He loves her in spite of everything, that He is hers and she is His.

The work is done; she understands and accepts association now. "I am my Beloved's, and His desire is toward me." No longer "He is mine." All is on His side, and self is forgotten. No longer does He have to say, "Rise up, My fair one, come away;" she invites Him. "Come, my Beloved, let us go forth into the field."

Now her heart is fully at rest in the knowledge that she is his and that his desire is toward her. She is no longer thinking of herself and of her love for him, however much or little it is. She thinks only of him, and of one great fact: He has chosen her to be His very own and has set His heart's affection upon her. She is the object of his unchanging love. Here the heart finds rest. Freed now from thoughts of herself, she becomes deeply interested in the state of his vineyard.

There are many who are very zealous and active in their work for the Lord who are entirely too self-reliant. We would be glad to see even more zeal. But the need is not so much that one works for the Lord as that one works with the Lord — to be a co-worker with Him. It is His work, not ours; He works and we are to work with Him. We must leave all the planning and direction in His hand, for the work is His, not ours… While we are busy with work for the Lord, we tend to do most of the planning and to keep a record of what we do. We also often become discouraged, because the work does not bear the fruit we expected. But when we work with the Lord we leave the results with Him whose work it is.

She is intensely interested and full of energy. However, she would not venture to go without him, she would not go forth in her own strength. She knows that if her efforts are to bear fruit she must have him with her.

The bride now addresses the Bridegroom, in the full communion and happy enjoyment of His love. Notice the change in the tone and character of her address. It is far beyond anything we have heard from her before. She speaks only of the things she knows please Him. There is oneness of mind and heart. Her faith has reached the measure of His thoughts and affections toward her… This is the true ground of communion. In Christ, the believer has it fully and perfectly displayed now. His communion should have the same character — oneness of mind and heart with Christ.

In the past he had said to her, "Come away," and she was slow to respond. Now she takes up his word and says, "Come, my Beloved." She says, "Let us go out," "Let us lodge," "Let us go out early," and "Let us see." Never again would she be parted from him. Wherever they go, wherever they dwell, whatever they do, whatever they see, it must be together. And she says, "I will give you my loves." In times past other things may have drawn her affections away. But now they are wholly for the King.

Yes, that after all is the only true way of giving Him our love. How can we show it otherwise? Note it does not simply say love but loves. It is to be ever repeating itself, a continual activity. That is what brings real results as the next verse shows.

Her heart is overflowing. There is now, so to speak, an excess of love. So she uses the plural "loves." Exceeding, abundant, excellent love. Our love can never be too fervent, or too abundant, when Christ is the object.

The fields and the villages are outside the city. Jerusalem and the cities of Judah form the earthly centre of Messiah's glory, and will no doubt be filled with it first. From that centre it will spread out to the right hand and to the left, until the whole earth is full of His glory. And the special sweetness of this truth is that the Jews share this wide-spreading glory with their Messiah. They visit and survey, in happy fellowship, the wide and varied fields of millennial glory.

In due time Israel's mission will follow, renewed and humble, with heart going out for the blessing of others… But this cannot happen until the unfaithful one owns her sins and receives the beloved, saying with a true heart, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord."

The happy bride now finds that her heart holds an abundance of precious fruits for the Son of David — such as love, gratitude, praise, and devotion. Indeed, every kind of precious fruit, new and old. There is much depth and beauty in the closing words of her speech, "which I have laid up for you, O my beloved." A completely new kind of feeling has awakened in her soul for the Lord Himself. Such as she has never had, and never could have for anyone else. Her heart, so long desolate and barren, is now filled and fruitful with her own Messiah's love. He has created affections that belong to Him alone. These affections lay stored up, as it were, all through her wanderings, kept for the Lord alone.

There is not only some fruit, but all kinds of fruit. Notice also the motive that drove her activity. It shows in these words: "for you, O my beloved" — "which I have laid up for you, O my beloved." It was all for Him. There was no thought of self-interest. Her whole thought was on Him, that He might have as much as possible. This sustained her. It kept urging her on through the long and often tiring hours of work that must always come before the harvest.

We may win a great name among others for zeal, energy and devotion. We may work hard in every branch of the work. We may come across as great travellers, great preachers, earnest workers in the vineyard, great philanthropists and moral reformers. We may spend a huge fortune on every great Christian cause — and all the while not produce a single cluster of fruit that pleases the Father's heart… God cannot count anything as fruit unless it comes directly from abiding in Christ.

What is needed is not so much that one works for the Lord as that one works with the Lord — to be a fellow worker with Him. It is His work, not ours; He works and we are to work with Him. We must leave all the planning and direction in His hand, because it is His work, not ours… When we are busy with work for the Lord, we tend to do most of the planning ourselves. We keep a record of what we do. And we often become discouraged, because the work does not bear the fruit we expected. But when we work with the Lord we leave the results with Him whose work it is.

In the last verses of chapter seven we have a prophecy of Israel as the bride of Christ on earth. She is busy with Him in His vineyard, which is the nations. There she gathers in much fruit for Him. It is a millennial scene.

In due time Israel's mission will follow, renewed and humble, with her heart going out for the blessing of others. What joy for all families of the earth when the ancient promise to the fathers of the faithful comes true, word for word and in its full extent!

Love, or desire towards another, takes different forms in the heart. There is the love of pity, the love of gratitude, and the love of admiration... But in addition to this, there is the love of kindred. It has its foundation in nature, and so it is called "natural affection." And this love of kindred has a glory all its own. It allows the deepest closeness. There is full ease in going out and coming in. No one thinks expressions of love intrusive; they are welcomed as right and fitting. The heart knows its right to indulge itself over its object, without check or shame... The love of kindred, the love of those who live in one house, whom nature or the hand of God has bound together, feels its right to please itself, and is not afraid of being rebuked. See, for instance, Song of Songs 8:1.

These verses clearly take us back, not forward, in the position and experience of the bride... here we are led back to the foundation of everything she has passed through to reach this point: the deep desire of her heart for unhindered, unrestrained communion with Messiah, the King. She desires the full liberty of kindred affection. "Oh that you were as my brother!" This answers to the beginning of the book: "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine."

Here the bride expresses the love that she had expressed from the first. Here again is a proof that the marriage had not yet taken place, because there would be nothing to be ashamed of when it did.

The bride is not content with the secret expression of her love for the Bridegroom. She desires that all might know her love to the King. Oh that you were as my brother, she says, then indeed I could show my love in front of everyone, and nothing would be out of place... To express our love to Christ in a world that has rejected Him will call down the hatred of the world; but the time is coming when without hindrance we can publicly witness our love to Christ without being despised.

Song of Songs 8:1 gives us a passage which may express the state of mind dealt with in the book... Still, the Spirit of God wants to assure the heart of the remnant of the Saviour's love. So the heart's expressed desire to have its Beloved does not stop until it has gained its object. The heart assures itself as the Spirit of prophecy works in it. For in fact Christ is for the remnant, and the remnant is for Him. The whole is based on this.

Her affections are aroused, her desire goes out to Him, but she holds back for fear she would be despised... She has not in the past walked as one who knew Him; her conduct has not shown that she was His. How often believers fail to show in their daily walk that they belong to Christ. It is a good thing when they come to see this. They have forfeited all right to expect others to believe they have a relationship with Him. They begin to realise how much they have lost by their neglect, and their desire for more intimate relationship with Him is deepened.

These verses clearly take us back, not forward, in the bride's position and experience. At the close of chapter 7 we left her among the ripening scenes of the glory of the last days, happy in her Beloved's company. They were together… But here these verses take us back to the very foundation of everything she went through to reach this point. It is the deep desire of her heart for unhindered, unrestrained communion with Messiah, the King.

She would bring Him into her mother's house. The remnant will receive Christ at Jerusalem. Our mother is Jerusalem above: "But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother" (Gal. 4:26). Jerusalem above stands for that system of free grace. It is set against that system of law that Israel came under at Mount Sinai, which "bears children for slavery."

As born from above we are children of pure grace… This alone sets the heart free and gives true liberty: not liberty to sin or do as one pleases… but deliverance from sin's harsh yoke, so that we can walk free from its power.

"Who would instruct me," or, as some translate it, "He would instruct me." But whether it is the mother (grace) or Christ who instructs, the results are the same. "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age" (Titus 2:11-12).

Lowth, in his Notes on Isaiah, gives it as his opinion that even Song 8:2 means wine, made intoxicating by the mixture of more powerful ingredients.

Taught by His grace, she would serve His pleasure and rest in His love… The pomegranate is the symbol of the fruit of the Spirit. When someone is truly taught by grace, the fruit of the Spirit shows itself in the life. This is a spiced wine that gives joy to the Lord. But the works of the flesh, when seen in His redeemed ones, are a great grief to His heart.

Now she knows that He once drank the bitter cup of God's wrath for her sins. So she longs to present to Him a cup of choice wine, which her gratitude and devotedness have mixed for Him alone. Like the prodigal son coming home, her Beloved embraces her at once, and she rests in His arms.

The previous song closed with the bride's desire to show her love for the Bridegroom before all the world, with no one despising her. In this song she gets her desire. She comes out of the wilderness leaning on the arm of her Beloved, and the daughters of Jerusalem ask, "Who is this?"… Her wilderness wanderings are behind her, and the glory shines before her.

The deep desires of the spouse, as expressed here by the Spirit of prophecy, are at once and fully satisfied. She desires full possession of Christ, and to have the opportunity of causing Him to drink of the spiced wine of her pomegranates. Now she knows that once He drank the bitter cup of God's wrath for her sins. So she longs to present to Him a cup of choice wine, which her gratitude and devotedness have mixed for Him alone. Like the prodigal son coming home, she is embraced at once, and rests in the arms of her Beloved.

"His left hand is under my head." The heart is on the left side. The left hand is the hand nearest His heart. She pillows her weary head in His left hand, soothed by the tender affectionate touch of that hand that was pierced for her. Again we say, what a blessed place of rest. And then, "His right hand embraces me." The right hand is the hand we do things with. It is the symbol of power. "Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy" (Ex. 15:6). "My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me" (Ps. 63:8). He throws His mighty right arm around her to hold her up and draw her closer to Himself. And what a protection this is! With His powerful arm around her, no enemy can trouble her, no harm can reach her.

This is real rest. Our head is pillowed on His loving hand, the hand pierced for us. His mighty right hand embraces us, draws us close to Himself and shields us from all alarm. Is not this the real desire of every born-again soul? But sadly we must confess that it is often, as here, more the desire of our hearts than the real experience in our lives. How can it become more of a reality? Verse 5 of the Song gives a clue. "Who is that coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved?" Ah, that is the secret — leaning upon the Beloved, leaning hard, leaning all the time. This is indeed a wilderness scene. How often believers battle their circumstances in their own strength, leaning on their own wisdom! No wonder disappointment and grief result.

"The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deut. 33:27). "And lifting up his hands he blessed them" (Luke 24:50). "His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me." His everlasting arms are underneath us, around us and over us. There we may rest in peace and quietness of soul, however the nations rage or the conditions around us change. Let us never forget this. If you are worried and fearful, it is because you are losing sight of the Lord; you are not trusting His everlasting arms.

"His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me. I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases." (Older translations read "until he pleases"; or, until she pleases. It seems that the bride is the one resting in her bridegroom's embrace, while He watches in love that nothing disturbs her.)

This charge occurs several times in the song. I think it is the perfect answer to those who suppose the song is just many little songs put together with no particular order. Not so. There is perfect order, and not only continuity but progress. You will find this charge three times: in chapter 2, in chapter 3, and again in the last chapter, chapter 8. So the order is clearly designed.

We looked at this charge in our meditations on Song 2:7. The same charge occurs in Song 8:4. Each time it appears, the coming of the Lord follows at once. In chapter 2:7 it is the revelation of Himself... In Song 3:5 it is the Messiah coming in royal procession, as the true Solomon, crowned King of Israel by the heart of the nation... In chapter 8:4 we see the bride leaving the wilderness united to Him. This is marked progress.

Here, in chapters 3:5 and 8:4, the word is not the one used in verse 2 and elsewhere, but ha-havah (the love). If it were ray-ah (love, or companion), the word would have to be "she". But the feminine form of the verb depends on ahavah, so the sense must decide the question. I am disposed to think the English version right. The beloved One rests in His love.

Or it could read "until she pleases". It seems more likely that the spouse is the one resting in peace in her bridegroom's embrace, while He watches in love so that nothing disturbs her.

She draws attention to her desire that nothing should disturb Him — that He should rest in that love which He designed for her. It is a sweet and wonderful thought that the Lord means to rest in His love for Jerusalem... And about whom does He use that expression? Not about us, but about Jerusalem. You will find this clearly enough in Zephaniah 3.

Chapter 8 stands by itself, and seems to me to sum up the principles of the whole book. ... The loved one shows her deep affection, and the Beloved wants her to rest in His love and enjoy it as long as she will, with nothing to disturb her.

After a final charge to the daughters of Jerusalem, there is a fresh vision of the bride coming up out of the wilderness leaning upon her beloved. Long ago the people came up out of it too, and God showed wonders of goodness and power. But it was all in vain. They did not lean on Jehovah or His Christ, but on self and law. For sinful people — and that is what they were — self and law can only mean death and condemnation. Far different will it be when the generation to come emerges from it leaning upon the beloved.

The roes and the hinds are the most easily startled creatures in the field. Their hearing is so sharp that a distant sound of danger will alarm them. We should all be that sensitive to the faintest approach of anything that would interfere with our walk and communion with the Lord. We should be just as alert to anything that would turn us aside from practical holiness and complete devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ.