The Journey

To Intimate Authority

A Meditation on the Song of Solomon









Gary Wiens















Copyright 2008 by
BHM Publishing
10017 133
rd
St. NW
Gig Harbor, Washington 98329
Chapter One:
Rooted and Grounded In Love

The faint aroma of a grand fairy tale touches our senses as we encounter the
Song Of Solomon. The introductory sentence lets us know that the song is from the
Kings heart, and though there are many characters and voices throughout the song, it
is from his lovesick memory that the words pour out.
The theme is an ancient onethe King has fallen in love. But the object of his
affection is not what we would expect. There is no political or economic consideration
here. The King has become enamored with a shepherd girl, a commoner, and there is no
motivation for this relationship other than love.
It is a perfect picture of the love of Jesus for His Bride, the Church. He has chosen
us from before time began to be His own, and the love that is in His heart transcends
any merely human emotion. It is a passionate love to be sure, but the kind of love Jesus
has for His people is the fully other-focused love that is found only in God.

The Kisses of His Mouth
The Song Of Solomon flows like a ballad sung by a minstrel. It is a story-song
that pours out of the Kings heart as he ponders the wonder of his love for this girl. I
imagine that in their initial encounter he spoke to her of her beauty, and of his
intentions to pursue her in an ardent way. The words he spoke were like kisses,
awakening something in the Shulamites heart that she was not even aware of. Like the
touch of the Holy Spirit when He begins to impress on our hearts the truth of Gods
emotions concerning us, the Kings words of affirmation aroused deep responses in the
Shulamites soul. Physical kisses between human lovers are the picture of the deep
impact Gods words of love have on our hearts. When we meditate on His Word its
like lingering over a lovers kiss that stirs life and passion deep inside. For example,
verses thirteen through seventeen of Psalm 139 speak to us in a powerful way about
Gods affections:
You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mothers womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.
My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!

The one who loves God meditates on passages like this one, spending time with
it as a lover would take the time to contemplate the words of his beloved. My wife
Marie and I enjoy giving one another cards that speak of our love for each other. We do
this, not just on the special days when a card is expected, but during the normal course
of life. Marie has kept every card that Ive ever given her, and once in awhile she takes
them out and slowly reads over the words of love, letting them sink into her soul. As
lovers of Jesus do this with the words of Scripture, the Holy Spirit begins to touch our
hearts with the reality of how He feels about us, and little bit by little bit we begin to
believe it.
The Shulamite does this right at the beginning, saying that the Kings words are
like kisses, and that his love is better than wine. We were meant to be addicted, but not
to lesser lovers like alcohol or drugs, food or sex. Getting addicted to those things only
ruins your life. We were created to be addicted to the love of God, filling ourselves with
His presence and His Word in such a way that our hearts are thrilled by what He says
and how He relates to us day by day.
God has placed something deep down inside each one of us, a knowledge that
we ought to be loved supremely, that we ought to have significance now, that we ought
to have a wonderful destiny, and that we ought to be enjoying the process of
experiencing it all come to its fullness. When the Holy Spirit speaks to us from the Word
of God, He touches our hearts with truth concerning God and truth concerning
ourselves. We begin to realize that all these longings deep inside of us can be realized as
we live in a close relationship with Jesus, listening to Him and obeying His voice. In
that way we begin to understand who we are, why we are here, and what our destiny
will be in His kingdom.
The wonderful thing is that this understanding is not merely head knowledge.
What Im talking about is not just doctrinal truth, but the deep experience of Gods love
that is greater than anything we can know apart from Him. The Holy Spirit has the
ability to touch you deeply in such a way that every longing of your heart is met, and
He loves to do it! When He touches your heart with the truth of Gods love for you, it is
the greatest experience of joy we can know until we see Jesus face to face. John the
Baptist, who was one of the most rugged men in the whole Bible, speaks in this way of
his own experience: The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears Him, rejoices greatly
because of the bridegrooms voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. (John 3:29)
During the fall of 2006, Marie and I were in Germany ministering at a church in
Duisburg. During the early morning hours of the first night we were there, the Holy
Spirit woke Marie with a profound sense of the presence of the Lord in the room. I
woke at the same time, seeing and hearing nothing, but overwhelmed with the
awareness that God was encountering my wife. She reported the vision in which she
was caught up, and taken to the parking lot of the International House of Prayer in
Kansas City. In the strange reality of spiritual encounter, the Lord Jesus was walking
arm in arm with her between the entrance to the prayer room and the doorway to the
coffee shop, and He was speaking these words: Stay close to me, and Ill give you the
desires of your heart. We were both overcome with the sweetness of His presence, and
with the depth of the love and hope that was being imparted into our hearts. The Lord
spoke several things to Marie during that encounter, but the point here is that she was
deeply strengthened and encouraged just by hearing His voice. Much fruit has been
borne out of that encounter, and we continue to see things emerge in our experience
that we can trace back to those few moments in the German nighttime.
For most of us, this knowledge will come in the subjective world of our own
spiritual experience. However, once in a while God releases a more tangible touch to
encourage the heart of His beloved ones. Marie has a friend whose father died when she
was very young. For many years, she had called out to God for a concrete, undeniable
indication of His love for her. Because her relationship with her father had been
interrupted, the essential groundwork for understanding the Fathers love had not been
established, and so her hearts cry was for a real understanding, a real token of Gods
love. During a discipleship training school she fasted and prayed for several days
crying out to the Lord to show His love to her as a Father. One night this cry was
particularly strong, and she raised her voice to the Lord for several hours, yearning for
this touch. The next morning she awoke with a solid gold tooth. This token unlocked
her heart in an overwhelming experience of Gods love, and it has remained constant to
this day.

His Name is Ointment Poured Forth
Like anyone who has ever fallen in love, the Shulamite is not only smitten by the
Kings words, but also by his name. His name has a fragrance all its own, like perfume
poured out in such a way that the aroma of it fills the room. One of the best ways to
learn to know someone is to consider the names that people call them. If someone
moves into your neighborhood and you discover that his name is Killer, you might
hesitate to knock on his door to welcome him into the community!
However, if you find that someone is interested in you, in fact captivated by you,
and you hear the reports that this person has names like Healer, Wonderful Counselor,
Savior, King of kings, Provider, Protector, Deliverer, Nurturer, Wisdom, Defender,
Righteous King well, you might want to respond to his initiatives! He sounds like
someone worth knowing!
The Shulamite responds to the Kings initiatives by meditating on his name, and
in the process falls more and more deeply in love. She begins to speak of this man to her
friends, the virgins or handmaidens that are involved with her throughout the Song.
Also called the daughters of Jerusalem, these girls represent the Body of Christ in our
role as servants to one another. We must understand that as followers of Jesus we stand
in two roles. We are first seen as handmaidens to the Lord (also see the story of Esther
as an example of this), or servants to the Father (as in the story of the prodigal son
found in Luke 15). In that role we serve the Lord by tending to His people in a caring
way, carrying out His wishes in the tenderness of love that characterizes His heart.
This role is best exemplified in the Gospels by the teenager Mary, who becomes
the mother of Jesus. Her first response to the Lord is that she is His handmaiden, ready
to obey and serve the Lord no matter what He asks of her. But imagine her surprise
when the angel informs her that she will be overshadowed by the Spirit of God, and
become the mother of Gods Son! First she stands as a ready servant, and then is taken
to a second reality, a much more intimate place by Gods own choice. She is empowered
by God, overshadowed by the Holy Spirit to carry the presence of Jesus in a very literal
way. The servant-girl becomes the Bride, bringing the physical presence of the eternal
Lord into the world.
In the same way, the Holy Spirit comes to us who stand as servants of the Lord,
and invites us to deeper intimacy, to a level of communion where the presence of Jesus
can be formed in us. Jesus desires to walk the streets of our world in us and as us!
Learning to receive His kissesthe touch of His Word upon our heartsis the
beginning of the transformation from being servants of the King to being His Bride. He
speaks His name to us, and we begin to fall in love with this beautiful man.

Draw Me Away
The yearning to be with the King and hear him speak of love again and again
grows in the Shulamites heart. She has begun to speak of Him to the handmaidens, but
her desire is not to merely speak of Him, but to be with Him. She utters a phrase that
focuses her longing: Draw me away, and let us run together.
She gets the priorities of this relationship correct right from the start. If they are
going to run together, they must first draw away. In other words, any activity that
is going to arise out of their romance must be based in their intimacy together. The
Shulamite wants to be drawn away, to come into the secret places of intimate
communion with the King so that the work they do will emerge from their deep
experience of love.
One of the troublesome issues of the contemporary church in the Western world
is our preoccupation with activity. It actually borders on an addiction! The mantra that
flows from many church mission statements is find a need and fill it. In other words,
the prescription for healthy Christianity in the modern church is to get busy with
activity, do something for God, stay committed to the task so that the ministry can be
built and multiplied. Because we love God and want to be pleasing to Him, and because
most of us have wounded hearts in the arena of pleasing our earthly fathers, we give
ourselves to these tasks with vigor, hoping to please Him and hoping to find some
sense of significance and identity in the process.
Unfortunately, what happens to us is that we become weary in the task, and
begin to feel unappreciated and burned out. We begin to find that busyness does not
satisfy the internal longings of our hearts, nor does it help us deal with places of
brokenness and sin that we wrestle with every day. We find ourselves looking for
emotional and spiritual fulfillment in other places, and moving further away from God
rather than closer to Him. All we have to do is look at the public record of burnout and
even moral failure on the part of those who are leaders in the modern church, and we
realize that we have a great problem facing us.
The Shulamites cry is not first of all Give me something to do! Her first cry is
Draw me away, and then I will run with You. In other words, draw me into the place
of intimate communion where I might worship You and gaze on Your beauty (this
means to meditate on His divine attributes lived out in the person of Jesus). I long to
hear words from Your heart that will inflame my own weak will with desire to love You
and strength to walk with You day by day. Each of us has this most fundamental
needto be drawn away into the presence of Jesus, to learn to see Him, to hear Him,
and to become settled in His affection and passion for us.
The primary reward of the lover is the presence and demonstrated affection of
the Beloved. The lover is not rewarded mainly by activity, but mainly by the personal
presence of the one who is loved. When the Holy Spirit draws us away into secret and
quiet times with the Lord it is because the same thing is true for Him as for usHis
chief desire is to have time with us, to love us and to receive our love. This is the great
mystery of the Gospelthe Son of God is in love with weak and broken human beings,
and His great reward is the loving attention of His Bride.

Dark But Lovely Broken Yet Beautiful
The Shulamite is taken to the Kings chambers, where the two of them can begin
the process of relationship with one another. He speaks words of love to her there,
affirmations of who she is in His heart, and the effect is that her heart begins to
overflow with delight and gladness. She has an experience of exhilaration that is better
than wineshe can actually remember it!
During a ministry trip to Albuquerque, New Mexico, Marie and I met a woman
in her late 30s who had been severely and demonically abused as a little child.
Unspeakable things had been done to her, and she had been plagued and tormented
with nightmares and depression for her entire life. As we prayed over her, we sensed
the Holy Spirit leading us to the pathway of deliverance for her. We felt that He had
something for her from Psalm 34:
I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the LORD;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together.
I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed.
This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.

We instructed her to meditate on this Psalm by singing the words of these verses
as a prophetic declaration over herself that night before she went to bed. There is
something about singing the Word of God to ourselves as a prophetic declaration of His
love and promise to us. The act of singing opens the human spirit, and the entrance of
Gods Word gives light to the soul. He really does restore us, and these songs really do
become songs of deliverance.
The next morning, Kathy came to the session with a completely different
expression on her face. She had slept without nightmares for the first time in her
memory, and the overwhelming sense of fear that plagued her night and day was gone.
She truly had a deliverance by the voice of the Lord! That morning she got up in front
of the entire conference crowd and sang the words of Psalm 34 as a declaration of hope
fulfilled. It was a powerful time for her, and many were helped and released through
the testimony of what God did for her.
In Pauls letter to the Ephesians we are instructed that we are not to be drunk
with wine, because there is dissipation involved with that kind of inebriation. The love
of our Bridegroom King is not like that. His love is better than any other high, and His
beloved ones actually gain strength from the memory of encounters with Him. Loving
Jesus and being exhilarated in His affections is the right kind of ecstasy.

An Important Understanding: We Are Loved In Our Immaturity
The Shulamites heart is captured at the very beginning of their relationship by a
basic truth that is so difficult for most of us to accept. She utters this phrase: I am dark
but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon. In
this sentence the shepherd girl is voicing a foundational need that all of us haveto
know that in our immaturity and weakness we are still pleasing and beautiful to God.
She is wrestling with the demon of condemnation that comes to us all, that sometimes
whispers and sometimes shouts at us that we are too broken and stupid to be loved,
that we will never amount to anything, and that at best we will be servants in the
Kingdom of God with no hope of any fulfillment or destiny.
In response to that demonic voice the Kings words come to us: I have loved you
with an everlasting love. I will never leave you nor forsake you. I have called you by name, you
are mine.
1
When we read words like these in the Scripture, we are invited into the
Kings chambers to allow the Holy Spirit to touch our hearts with the deep truth of
Gods affections. It is not enough to merely believe the theology of Gods love; we must
be captured in the experience of it in order to stand in the face of lesser lovers that
would come to us from the enemy of our souls.
This truth is a challenge to our self-perceptions, which have been formed over
the years by the opinions of the broken people who surround us. The Shulamite sees
herself as dark, but the King sees her as lovely. She considers herself to be like a
goatskin flap in a shepherds tent, but the King considers her to be like a tapestry in his
palace. In other words, she sees herself as rough and unrefined, with nothing about her
that would make her appealing to a King. But the King sees her in a completely
different way. He sees her in the beauty of what she will become as she basks in His
love, and He relates to her on that basis from the beginning of their relationship. He
knows who she truly is, and welcomes her into the process of growing into that image.
The one thing that is necessary for her at this early stage of their relationship is to begin
to agree with the Kings opinion concerning her, for in a kingdom only one opinion
mattersthe opinion of the King. If he says she is lovely then it is so. Our loveliness
and worth is defined in reality by the Lord Jesus, who created us according to His own
pleasure and purpose. His Word is filled with affirmations of His love for His people,
and it is essential that we form our self-image by what God thinks and says concerning
us.
This is a difficult task for most of us, because by nature and by training we have
learned to form our self-image from the circumstances and people that surround us.
The fatal mistake that Adam and Eve made in the Garden of Eden was to turn their eyes
away from God just long enough to listen to the serpent. God had seen them before the
creation of the world, hidden deep within the personality of His Son.
2
He had chosen

11
See Jeremiah 31:3; Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5; Isaiah 43:1
2
See Ephesians 1:3-4
them as objects of His affection, and as such He would speak to them about their lives,
their value to Him, and their destiny as perfect partners for Jesus. He alone would
define them, and they would live by His Word alone. But when they listened to the
opinions and strategies of the evil one, they became bent away from the Father and
toward the enemy. They became defined by the cruel and distorted opinions of the one
who hates them, rather than by the perfect and affirming opinions of the One who loves
them, and who knows the good and prosperous plans He has for them.
Every human being finds themselves in this dilemma until they begin to
encounter the voice of Jesus speaking to them out of His Word. Only the Kings voice is
able to define you now, and it is exhilarating to begin to comprehend that even in your
weakness you are delightful to Him. While you are in the process of becoming mature,
God delights in you, for He sees you in the fullness of your destiny. He knows the end
from the beginning, and is confident in the power of His love and mercy to bring you to
the fullness for which He created you. When Jesus looked at those immature and
foolish young fishermen that followed Him, He saw mature and wise apostles, and
knew that His own love and mercy was the vehicle to bring them from one condition to
the other.
The same is true for you. Jesus knows what was in the Fathers mind when He
conceived you, when He chose you in Christ before the worlds were made. He has the
only true definition of you that exists, and He is willing to speak that definition to
anyone who will listen.
Chapter Two:
Burned Out in Other People s Vineyards

As we move forward in this consideration of the Song Of Solomon, it is
important to briefly review the central points of the previous chapter. The Shulamite
girl, who is a prophetic picture of the Body of Christ, has been captured in love for the
King, who points to the person of Jesus Christ, who is our King and our beloved
Bridegroom. He has spoken to her of His love for her, even in her current condition of
weakness and immaturity. His words touch the deep places of her heart, for she was
created to live by the power of His voice, and when He speaks to her, something is
awakened deep inside her spirit. She knows that He speaks the truth, that His love is
what she has longed for all her life.
Because the things He says to her are so wonderful, the Shulamite makes it a
priority to respond to Him, to implore Him to draw her away into times of deepened
intimacy and communion. She knows instinctively that the ministry of her life will only
be effective if it can happen in a relationship of intimacy with Him. She is drawn away
from the activities of life to pursue intimacy with the King in response to His invitation,
knowing that this will be the well-spring of life for her. No one has ever spoken to her
like this Man, and she knows she must be with Him at all costs. This passion calls to
mind the words of Peter in John 6:68 when he acknowledged that Jesus has the words of
eternal life, and there is no other one to whom they can go for this life.
The foundational need in our lives is to hear the voice of the Bridegroom Jesus as
He speaks to us of His love for us, and of our identity and the destiny that is ours in
relationship with Him. We can never grow past this need, for our life was created to be
sustained by His Word. Jesus Himself was the Word of God in the flesh, and His life
was sustained from moment to moment by the voice of the Father speaking to Him of
His life and ministry. If Jesus required this place of intimacy with His Father, how much
more do we as His children require His Word to sustain us?
For many of us, the words of the King are in marked contrast to the words
spoken by those around us, even if we find ourselves in a religious setting. In verse six
of the first chapter, the Shulamite tells how she has been scorched by the hot sun, by the
sharp and angry words of her brothers who have demanded that she work in their
vineyards, even to the neglect of her own vineyard. This analogy speaks to us of the
agenda that many leaders have for those who are part of their ministry vision or
business plan. The focus of many leaders is not on the cultivation of deep intimacy
between people and the Lord Jesus, but upon the function of ministry or business, the
work involved in fulfilling the vision laid out by the leader. Unfortunate as this is, the
equally sad thing is that many people come into that setting looking to the church or to
some particular leader as the means of affirming their personal value and identity, and
so it seems goodat least in the short termto attach themselves to the compelling
vision of an inspiring leader. However, all too often this is merely a setup for burnout
and disillusionment. All too often individuals end up feeling like a mere cog in the
machinery, a functionary who can be used until they burn out, and then can be replaced
by a fresh recruit.
In the activity-addicted Church of the Western culture, people are often seen as
the resource pool, existing solely to help the leaders attain the goals for growth and
success as measured by that culture. Rather than looking upon the individual as the
Beloved of the King, some leaders see people as tithing units, someone to fill a slot in
the machine that will evidence the success of the ministry. In that kind of setting, people
get burned out and used up, weary in soul and spirit, with no sense of growth in the
love of Jesus.

Learning to Tend our own Vineyard
As the Shulamite encounters the King, she has a different experience. He speaks
words of life to her, words that refresh her own soul, and she begins to realize the
importance of tending to her own vineyard. That is, she sees that cultivating an intimate
relationship of love with the King must become her highest priority, that everything
that matters will flow from intimacy with Him. She desires to hear His voice, to allow
His words to impact her heart in such a way that her understanding of His beauty and
passion would increase. Her longing is expressed through verse seven in a cry that
comes to His ears:
Tell me, O You whom I love, where You feed Your flock,
Where You make it rest at noon.
For why should I be as one who veils herself
By the flocks of Your companions?

The Shulamite is saying here that she no longer is satisfied with the second-hand
revelation that comes from those that are close to the King. She has heard His voice in a
personal way now, and her desire is that she might draw near enough to hear Him all
the time, to receive directly from Him. You see, the human heart has been created to
thrive in response to the voice of the Beloved. It is the sound of the Bridegrooms voice
that thrills us, and causes our joy to be full.
1
In the journey toward intimacy with Jesus,
there comes a point at which it is no longer sufficient to merely receive teaching from
servants of the Lord, or to try to find fulfillment through the affirmations of other
humans; it becomes necessary to hear His voice ourselves. His voice brings life and
refreshment to our souls, causing us to be thrilled with joy and passion, delighting us
with His affections. His Word also corrects us and calls us to alignment with His
character and will, but it does so in such a way that we know we are loved and valued
enough to be disciplined.
This is not to imply that listening to the teaching of those who are gifted by the
Holy Spirit to teach the Scripture should be discounted or ignored. Neither are we
saying that the wisdom of elders who walk with the Lord should be set aside in favor of
our own personal agenda. Rather, what we are being drawn to is the cultivation of our
own place of intimacy with Jesus, hearing His voice for ourselves so that the teaching
and wisdom we receive from others is confirming and strengthening that which we are
receiving personally.
This longing for deeper and more intimate revelation is expressed in the
Shulamites desire to no longer wear her veil in the Kings presence. The type of veil
mentioned here was most often worn by prostitutes who followed the shepherds
around the countryside. These veiled women were willing to trade their dignity and
self-respect for a fleeting encounter, hoping it would provide a sense of significance,
and that it would meet their physical needs for the day. The veil was a covering that
was associated with shame and separation, and the Shulamite is saying that she no
longer wants to have that hindrance in her relationship to the King. She yearns to see
Him face to face, to gaze upon Him and feel His gaze upon her, to have direct and
intimate communion with the One she loves. The same longing is in the heart of every

1
See John 3:29
lover of Jesus, and the promise of fulfillment is expressed in Pauls second letter to the
Corinthian believers:
Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is
the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with
unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being
transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the
Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:16-18)

Like all the truths of Scripture, this is not merely to be a theological
understanding, but an experiential reality. The liberty we long for, the intimacy we
crave will actually be realized as we gaze upon the person of Jesus, considering His
beauty and attributes, and becoming conformed to His likeness as we give ourselves to
this activity. As the Shulamites journey continues, we will discover that the King has a
plan for her, a specific agenda to answer the cry of her heart. But in immediate response
to her question He seems to point her to the very thing she does not want to do any
longer. He answers her in verse eight:
If you do not know, O fairest among women, follow in the footsteps of the flock,
And feed your little goats beside the shepherds tents.

In other words, the King is instructing her to do the things that those have done
who have gone deep in intimacy with Jesus. There is a pathway to intimacy that has
been forged and followed by many through history, and the Bride is urged to trace their
steps, to learn from their teachings but mostly from their example. The journey to
intimate authority has been traveled by many; if the Bride will follow their footsteps,
the Spirit of the King will accompany her and lead her to the desired place. And oh, yes,
by the wayfeed your little goats beside the shepherds tents. In other words, take
the things you are learning and share them with the people in your circle of influence.
No matter how large or small your influence is, as you speak of the things of God, those
truths will expand in your heart and mind. Understanding will come as you share, and
the reality will deepen in your own experience.
It is interesting to note that the King seems to be telling the Shulamite to do the
very things that she wants to be free from. She says I need a deeper and personal
interaction with Your voice, Lord, and He instructs her to focus on the teachings of
those around her and repeat those teachings to those with whom she has influence. The
difference is that she has heard His voice now in the secret place, and she will not be
satisfied unless she hears the sound of His voice in the words that are spoken by others.
She is no longer seeking after the approval of other leaders as an end in itself; rather,
she is after the sound of the Kings voice. As she follows in the pathways of those who
have gone before, she will discover how to hear His voice through the teachings of
others. As she responds to Him, He will take her deeper into the revelation of His heart
at a more personal level. In this way, she honors those who have gone before without
making them the focus of her affections. She is committed to the King only, and He is
showing her the way into the deepest levels of relationship with Him.
Marie and I were teaching these things at a conference in Detroit early in 2007,
and a Bible teacher from the area was in attendance. Suddenly, as understanding began
to explode in her heart and mind, she began to sob uncontrollably. The Holy Spirit was
revolutionizing her understanding of what it means to know Jesus, and it was a
sobering yet joyous thing to observe this encounter. As we spoke with her in the
minutes following the meeting, we urged her to incorporate these realities into her
teaching. She was already thinking this, and we know that as she does so, her own
experience with Jesus will deepen and solidify.

The First-Fruits of Intimacy and Identity
Even as the King invites the Shulamite to engage the journey to the revelation of
His beauty and her place of intimate authority, He fuels her fire with words of
passionate affirmation. From verse nine of chapter one through chapter two verse
seven, the two lovers begin to exchange statements of affection. I will attempt to give a
minimal interpretations of the poetic phrases so that the reader will not be lost in the
language of the passage.
2

The Shulamite:
While the king is at his table, (this table represents all that Jesus has done for us)
My spikenard sends forth its fragrance. (her life is like a fragrant perfume to Him)
A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me, (this speaks of Jesus sufferings for us)
That lies all night between my breasts. (she is meditating on His sacrifice by night)
My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blooms (His love is sweet and fragrant)
In the vineyards of En Gedi. (the most intensely fragrant blooms imaginable)


2
These interpretations are based on Mike Bickles exposition of the Song Of Solomon.
The Beloved:
Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair!
You have doves eyes. (He speaks of her single focus; no distractions in her pursuit)

The Shulamite:
Behold, you are handsome, my beloved!
Yes, pleasant! Also our bed is green. (she feels restful and secure in His love)
The beams of our houses are cedar,
And our rafters of fir. (the structure of their love is strong, secure, and permanent)
I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. (the Shulamites self-perception
is being formed by the Kings love. She sees herself as beautiful and desirable to Him)

The Beloved:
Like a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. (He affirms her as
being by far the most beautiful of all His works, the most desirable of all His creation)

The Shulamite:
Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods,
So is my beloved among the sons. (He is the fairest, the sweetest One of all)
I sat down in his shade with great delight, (she is at rest in His covering of love)
And his fruit was sweet to my taste. (the fruit of trusting Jesus is sweet and
delightful)
He brought me to the banqueting house, (literally the House of Wine, its the place of
betrothal)
And his banner over me was love. (all His dealings with her are focused on developing
the fullest understanding of His love for her)
Sustain me with cakes of raisins, refresh me with apples,
For I am lovesick. (she craves continual refreshment with the tokens of His love, for her
desire is insatiable)

It is essential that the Shulamite experiences the reality of the Kings emotions
early in their journey together. His desire and love for her are far greater than she can
imagine, and she cannot begin to comprehend the destiny that awaits her as she grows
in the knowledge of His love. There are stages of development that she will face on the
road to revelation, and she must be rooted and grounded in the experience of His love,
not merely in the theory of it. For so many in the Body of Christ in our day, there is a
theoretical knowledge of Jesus love for us, but the thought that the Holy Spirit would
come upon us in an experiential way is foreign at best, and most likely
incomprehensible.
The way forward for us is the same as for the Shulamite. We must take the words
of the King and meditate upon them, lingering over the phrases as any lover would
over the words of their beloved. The Word of God tells us that His Word is living and
active, sharper than any two-edged sword.
3
Not only is Gods Word sharp and
penetrating, but the entrance of (His) words gives light.
4
Therefore, if we will
consider these words of the King in loving meditation, singing them to ourselves
5
and
eliminating every thought that disagrees with His opinions,
6
it will not be long before
the power of Gods Word begins to transform our hearts. This is precisely what
happened with the Shulamite. The more she meditated on the Kings words, the more
she began to experience His love and see herself as He defined her.
The experience of Jesus love as our Bridegroom King is what Paul is referring to
in New Testament passages such as Ephesians 1:17-19. He prays that God will give to
the Ephesians a Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that the believers will come to
know God better, and comprehend what they mean to God as well as what He has in
store for them as the objects of His affections. Then, in chapter three verses 14-21 of the
same book, Paul prays that his readers will be rooted and grounded in (the Fathers)
love to the degree that they can comprehend the incomprehensible reality of the love
of Christ. The end of this process is the mind-blowing phrase so that we might be filled
with all the fullness of God.
Beloved, this is the destiny that awaits the Shulamite, and it is waiting for each
one of us as well. God has unimaginable things in store for us as the Bride of His Son
Jesus, and He fully intends for us to grow in the experiential knowledge of that love so
that we can endure the journey that will prepare us to inherit this destiny.

Theres No Hurry To This Process
As we close our consideration of this first phase of the journey, we need to reflect
on a little phrase that the King speaks to the servant girls surrounding His beloved.
7
He
says to them in chapter two verse seven:
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the hinds of the
field, that you will not arouse or awaken my love, until she pleases.


3
See Hebrews 4:12
4
See Psalm 119:130
5
See Ephesians 5:18-19; also see Colossians 3:16
6
See 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
7
This reflects the NAS translation, which I feel is the best way to understand this.
In other words, He is saying that it is very important that the Shulamite be
undisturbed during this season of being established in His love, and that she be given
all the time she needs for this season. He has an agenda for her, and will call her into the
next season when He is ready to do so. To interrupt her at this foundational stage by
trying to move her focus to other kinds of activity will only prolong the process and
make it more difficult. She has been drawn away by the King; He will let her know
when it is time to run together with Him.
As the Holy Spirit begins to draw you into a deeper knowledge of His love for
you, do not be surprised if others do not understand, or if they try to move you into
activity that makes more sense in the framework of the average ministry or business
structure. Time spent cultivating personal intimacy with Jesus is not yet highly valued
among Gods people, and we must be careful to ensure that this phase is undisturbed,
given all the time it needs. There will plenty of time later for fruitful ministry, for
fruitfulness is absolutely dependent on the foundations of intimacy laid in these early
days. Again, the cultivation of intimacy simply involves time in worship before the
Lord, singing to Him and meditating on the passages of Scripture that speak of His love
and power. It involves telling Him who we really are, and waiting in His presence until
we begin to recognize that still small voice that comes from His heart to ours. The Holy
Spirit will escort you in this process, for He loves to make known to you the love that is
in the heart of Jesus.
8

In the next chapter, we will look at the second phase of the journey as the King
summons His young beloved to a higher place of adventure, revelation, and
understanding.

8
We urge you to pray from Ephesians 1:17-19 on a daily basis, asking for the spirit of wisdom and revelation to
make these things known to you.
CHAPTER THREE:
SUMMONED TO HIGHER GROUND

As the Shulamite is rooted and grounded in the knowledge of the Kings love for
her, the time eventually comes when she will be summoned out of the bridal chamber
into an expanding experience of what it means to be His Bride. We must remember that
the Kings purpose in loving this girl is not merely to get her out of her poverty-stricken
existence in the fields of His kingdom. The King intends to have a partner for Himself, a
helper suitable to stand alongside Him in the business of governing His kingdom. He
has designs on her, to give her a future and a hope, and to release to her a level of
authority and power that she cannot even comprehend in the early stages of their love
affair.
Most believers today have very little awareness of the desire in Gods heart to
share His authority and power with His people. We think that He saved us merely out
of pity, to get us out of hell, and to be occupied with life as we wait for Him to come
and deliver us out of this earthly mess and take us to heaven. But what God has in mind
for His people is far greater than we can imaginea life lived on the earth in the same
dynamic of power and authority that Jesus knew. He desires that we live in the reality
of moment-by-moment intimacy, hearing His voice and releasing His kingdom on the
earth even as it is in heaven. And these promises are not made to people who stand in a
distant relationship of servanthood, but to those who draw near, who know the love of
Christ poured out in their hearts.
In order to further prepare the Bride for His greater purposes, there comes a time
when the King summons her to a higher level of trust and risk than she has ever known
before. This call to arise and leave the comfort of the bridal chamber is recorded in
chapter two of the Song:
Listen! My beloved! Behold, he is coming, climbing on the mountains, leaping
on the hills! My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, he is standing
behind our wall, He is looking through the windows, He is peering through the
lattice.

My beloved responded and said to me, Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and
come along. For behold, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers
have already appeared in the land; the time has arrived for pruning the vines,
and the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land. 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!

O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret place of the steep pathway, let
me see your form, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your form
is lovely. (Song Of Solomon 2:8-14)

Even as the King had many facets to His personality that the Shulamite was not
aware of early in their relationship, so our Bridegroom Jesus possesses dimensions of
character that are beyond what we are able to comprehend. In the first section of this
passage, the King is pictured as one who leaps on mountains and skips over hills,
displaying effortless authority over the barriers of life that stymie us and keep us
imprisoned in the business-as-usual boredom of our daily lives. Mountains and hills
represent places of fear in our lives, obstacles that can only be moved through the
exercise of vibrant and unhindered faith. Most of us look at these obstacles with fear,
focused on the past failures of our lives, intimidated by our inability to overcome even
the smallest issue that blockades our journey and keeps us in fear or condemnation. The
last thing that we expect from this tender-hearted King is that He will summon His
Bride to leave the comfort of the bridal chamber to come to the mountains and tramp
over the tops of them filled with love instead of fear. We think it is enough that He can
dance upon things that frighten us. As long as He can overcome fearsome things, we
can take comfort in a safe religion that trusts a champion to do what we cannot do, one
that makes no demands upon us.
But the plan in the Kings heart is not merely that He will be victorious on behalf
of His Bride. He certainly is that, but He also has in mind that she will come to a place
of experiencing authority over the elements just in the way He has it. Jesus tells us that
those who believe in Him will do the things that He did while on the earth, and even
greater things than He did, because He ascended to the Fathers presence and sent the
Holy Spirit to dwell in us.
1
But in order to do these works of power, to move into the
level of authority He has for us, we must be willing to leave the comfort zone of our
own intimacy with Jesus and take the first steps toward the authority He longs to give
us. Each of us has issues that cause us fear or hesitation, and this second phase of the

1
See John 14:12
Shulamites journey helps us to focus these issues and begin to deal with them in the
grace of God.
The most important thing to see here is that it is the King who summons the
Shulamite out of the bridal chamber into the season of risky adventure. The Lord Jesus
has a perfect sense of timing, and when He begins to draw us out, we can be certain of
two things: the old safe place will no longer be satisfying for us, and the new risky
placethough frightening in some wayswill be the place of deeper encounter and
fresh revelation.

Healing Our Fearful Hearts
As I said earlier, the mountains and the hills of verse eight speak of barriers in
our lives, fearful things that have spelled defeat for us in earlier days. These defeats
come because for whatever reason, we are not able to appropriate the grace of God that
is available to us in every situation. We fall short somehow, or a relationship goes sour,
or our best attempt at obedience gets us in trouble. Perhaps some circumstance from
our history rises up to stare us in the face, and we pull back in fear, terrified that the
same pain that we experienced in the past will strike at us once again.
When Marie and I were first married, we found ourselves facing the normal
situations that arise in the closeness of the marriage relationship.
2
Because of painful
disappointments that had been part of our past lives, we found ourselves experiencing
deep trepidation and anxiety as we faced the issues. Again and again we were tempted
to protect ourselves from the risk of additional pain by withdrawing from
confrontational situations. But again and again, as we stayed in the moment and called
out to the Lord Jesus to help us, He released to us the grace to develop new patterns of
relating until healing could come to us.
Perhaps for you there has been some relational situation at work, or in the
context of ministry, or in a marriage or romantic situation that has simply gone wrong.
Whatever the reasonpersonal failure, spiritual warfare, accidental circumstancethe
pain of that failure has paralyzed you, and youve never been able to risk it again. The
Holy Spirit has drawn you back into a close relationship with Jesus, and it has felt real

2
Our stories are told in greater detail in our book Reaching Your Power Potential: Authority on Earth as it is in
Heaven, 2006, BHM Publishing.
good to just stay there and not worry about the implications of dealing with people or
challenging situations.
Then, out of the blue, the Spirit of God begins wooing you, giving you this sense
that its time to risk it again, time to face the painful things that stopped you in your
tracks in previous situations. You know its the voice of the Lord, and in His tender way
He sings of turtledoves, fruitfulness, and fragrant vines. Rise up, my love! Come away
with me into this new season of your life. He calls you to come out of the intimate comfort
of the secret place, that its a new day, and that He longs to see your face and hear your
voice in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff. Youve longed for that new
season, and the thought that there might be yet one more opportunity to move on with
God, to experience more of your destiny is so appealing and hopeful.
It feels enticing and frightening all at the same time, and though you feel drawn
to follow Him, theres a hint of danger, a nagging awareness that something could go
wrong again, and the result would be more agony for you. That one little phrase in the
Kings invitation feels just a bit ominous, the phrase about the cleft of the rock. Those
who have meditated on the Song Of Solomon over the centuries have agreed that this is
a poetic and prophetic reference to the wounded side of Jesus, and that He is indeed
giving the Shulamite an initial invitation into the communion of His sufferings.

Stepping Through Fear Into Destiny
The question immediately comes to us: why does suffering have to be part of this
romance? Why cant our relationship with Jesus remove from us the possibility of pain
and sorrow? After all, didnt He bear our sorrows on the cross? Wasnt He wounded for
our transgressions? Why does the specter of pain have to come up again?
There are two things at play here that must be understood. If the Shulamite is
willing to accept this invitation and follow hard after her Beloved, there is a revelation
awaiting her, a depth of understanding of His love for her that is beyond what she can
experience in the bridal chamber alone. His desire is to demonstrate His love by
revealing to her the cost of her redemptionwhat it costs the King to win her heart.
You see, when the King decides to fall in love with a shepherd girl, all the cost of
bringing her to Himself is laid upon Him. She has no means of getting from the pasture
to the palace, and if that transition is going to be made it is going to be at His expense.
The revelation of the depth of His love is waiting for her if she will make the choice to
leave the comfort zone and follow after Him.
The second thing at play is the destiny He has in mind for her, and the process of
qualification that she will have to undergo to step into that destiny. This Shulamite is
not just an object of pity; the King has not rescued her merely to have her as window
dressing in His harem. She is the one He has chosen to stand alongside Himself as a
joint-heir of the throne of His Father, exercising all the rights and authority that He
carries as the King. She must be proven in the crucible of circumstance, and the
willingness to follow Him into the mountains and hills is an essential step in the process
of qualification.
Notice how even as the King invites the Shulamite into an intimidating
adventure, He also affirms His affection for her by restating His opinion of her beauty
and her appeal: Let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your
face is lovely. The wondrous thing about the love of Jesus for His Bride is that He never
motivates her by pressure or by the fear of rejection. He knows that if she has hesitation,
it is because of immaturity and fear, not because of rebellion. And so He woos her with
words of love and affirmation, building in her the confidence that she is pleasing and
delightful to Him, even before she demonstrates maturity and faithfulness.
It is such an important thing for us to comprehend that Jesus is delighted with us
and considers us lovely even while we are in the process of growing into His image.
Many believers have the perception that God is mostly sad concerning them, or even
mad at them, and therefore their motivation about moving forward in spiritual matters
is rooted in fear and the specter of rejection. But the truth is that God sees us as we will
be when the process is complete. He has absolute confidence in the power of His love to
keep us, and in His ability to finish the work He began with us. He has placed the Spirit
of His Son deep within us, giving us the hope of glory, and this hope does not
disappoint us, but will certainly bring forth the result that God desires. Therefore, He
can confidently woo us with affection, knowing that His love for us will never waver,
and that at the end of the day He will have His way with us.

The Distraction of the Brothers
Just as the Shulamite is in the throes of this difficult decision, another distracting
factor is added to the equation. Her brothers, in whose vineyards she had labored to the
point of burn-out, come once again to appeal to her, asking that she return to her labors
lest the harvest of grapes be lost to the little foxes.
3
They are suggesting that her little
romance has become a distraction to the real work of the harvest, and that it is perhaps
time for her to come to her senses lest the fruit of the vineyard be compromised.
There is a parallel reality in the Body of Christ in our day. So many times we
have seen those who are pursuing a life of intimacy with Jesus, only to be interrupted
by others who are concerned that this pursuit will have a negative effect on the true
work of ministry in the Church. Again and again our activity addiction comes to the
forefront, and we find ourselves under pressure to give ourselves to the work of
ministry, even though that work has burned us out and used us up.
The issue here is not whether the true work of Christian ministry needs to be
done. It most certainly does. But Gods best intention was never that people should
work for Him as slaves, getting as much done as possible in the strength of their own
zeal or ingenuity, devising strategies and ministry plans to build something that looks
successful within the human framework. This was the painful reality experienced by
the older brother in the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. Instead of working with his
father as a son, he slaved for his father as a servant, and missed out on all the joy of the
labor. Rather, what God has had in mind from the beginning is an intimate partnership,
a relational work rooted and grounded in communion between the Father and His
children on the earth. This intimate partnership was demonstrated by Jesus when He
was here, and is to be our pattern as well. Gods plan is to form a people who will love
Him first, and then who will do His will by the power of the Holy Spirit released in the
context of intimate friendship. Ministry that is devoid of intimacy with God is not the
ministry of the Kingdom of God, but rather mere human endeavor, so much wood, hay,
and stubble.
It is imperative that the Shulamite resist the pressure of the brothers to
prematurely come back to work in their vineyards. The day will come when she will
work, but her work will be done with power in the context of love. If she will stay
focused on loving this King, He will empower her to do His will in the right time, and
much more will be accomplished by this lovesick Bride than by the efforts of multiplied
workers laboring from a sense of religious duty. The work of Gods Kingdom is by

3
Im following the interpretive lead of the editors of the Nelson edition of the New King James Version here.
definition supernatural, and can only be done by one who is connected with the Father
in the same way that Jesus is. His life is the normal human life, and we must give
ourselves to the kind of relationship He had with His Father if we are to walk as He
walked on the earth.
The Shulamite is facing two choices as chapter two of the Song draws to a close.
She is being wooed by the King to come to deeper places of intimacy and preparation,
and she is being pressed by her brothers to come back to work in the fields, lest the crop
be lost while she is dallying with her Beloved. She responds rightly to the brothers:
My Beloved is mine, and I am His.
He feeds His flock among the lilies. (verse 16)

She knows that she cannot go back to the old ways. She has tasted of love, and
the work in the fields will never again be satisfying to her unless the Bridegroom is
present with her in the labor. She makes her choice for the Beloved, and the brothers are
turned away by her deaf ear.
But then she shows her immaturity and her fear by turning to the King and
answering Him with words tinged with compromise and trepidation:
Until the day breaks, and the shadows flee away,
Turn, my Beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag
Upon the mountains of Bether.

She is basically saying to the King that until she has more clarity, and feels better
about the decision He is calling her to make, she will stay where she is. It is wonderful
to her that the King possesses all the qualities of strength, vitality, and courage that are
necessary for what He is inviting her to do, but she is not ready to go there yet, at least
not in her own mind. So she urges Him to go forward in His adventure on the
mountains of Bether, which literally means the mountains of separation. She doesnt
believe that she has what it takes to follow Him, and so she opts to stay behind in
compromise and fear.
What the Shulamite does not realize is the very important truth that when the
King speaks, there is grace upon His words, and therefore the ability to do what she is
being invited to do is inherent in the command itself. She only has the ability to see her
strength as inadequate for the task before her. She cannot comprehend that He will give
her the strength she needs to do what He is asking her to do.
A magnificent example of this reality is given to us in the Gospel of Matthew
chapter fourteen, where Jesus walks on the stormy sea and exhibits His authority over
the elements. What we often miss in this story is that Jesus is demonstrating the
authority that is the inheritance of all human beings who will put their trust in Him.
Jesus lived as a man filled with the Holy Spirit, and did all that He did by the power of
the Spirit working through His earthly flesh. He initiated a whole new race of human
beings, and when Peter saw Jesus walking on the water, it suddenly occurred to him
that if Jesus could do that, then perhaps he could as well. Heres the key: Peter was wise
enough to ask Jesus to tell him to come out of the boat. Peter knew that he needed an
empowering word to do the will of his Master, and when Jesus said Come! that was
all that was required. The word of the King carries inherent power to obey, and when
the King invited the Shulamite to come and dance on the mountains, He was offering
her the grace she needed to deal with these areas of fear in her life. In her immaturity
and weakness, she could not comprehend the gracious power made available to her.
She could only see the size of the mountains and hills, and her own inadequacy to do
what was being asked of her.
It is so important for us to understand that when Jesus invites us to a new place
in our walk with Him, He is also offering us the ability to do that new thing in the
context of intimate friendship with Him. What a gracious promise it is! He says, If you
will simply listen to my voice, and obey what I ask you to do, you will experience the
empowering grace necessary to do my will and live in my desire for you. Dont be afraid; just
trust me, and obey my word. To refuse His invitation is initially not fatal for us, for He
knows and understands our weakness and fear. But there is a blessing in trusting the
voice of the Lord, and in stepping out in obedient faith.
I was part of the Vineyard Ministries movement for about ten years, and during
that time from 1983 through 1992 I learned many things about hearing and obeying the
voice of the Lord. Heres the point: John Wimber, the Vineyard leader in those days,
always said faith is spelled R-I-S-K. That is really true. As we desire to go deeper in
our love relationship with Jesus, there will come times when He invites us to a higher
place, to take risks in areas that are fearful to us. He wants us to experience His power
and the sufficiency of His love in the arenas of life that challenge us, so that we might
grow in the confidence and in the knowledge of His deep love for us.
In our story, the Shulamite was not willing to take that risk at that point. It is her
first crisis of faith, and she fails the test. In the next chapter, we will examine how she
responds to her own weakness, and how the King does not reject her, but reveals
Himself in such a way that she will develop courage and strength to face whatever
comes her way.

CHAPTER FOUR:
SEARCHING FOR THE BELOVED

When we last considered the Shulamites situation, she was considering the
invitation of the King to come out of the bridal chamber and join Him in His dance
upon the mountain-tops of life. Remember that the mountains referred to in Song Of
Solomon chapter two speak of the barriers to our growth in faith, the fears and
hindrances that have kept us from greater maturity and victory in our life with Jesus.
Even though these mountains block our pathway, the King shows His strength and
authority by running and leaping on the mountains, demonstrating that He is not
hindered at all by the things that intimidate and defeat us. He is the ultimate
overcomer, and is inviting us to join Him in His victory over the issues that block us
from further growth and maturity.
The Shulamite has fallen deeply in love with the King, and is delighted with Him
in His chamber. This speaks of our times of personal intimacy with Jesus in prayer and
worship, times when we listen to His voice and receive the words of love and
affirmation that He speaks to us by His Holy Spirit. Each of us were created to thrive on
His words, to have our joy made full by hearing His voice. That early season of
communion, characterized by withdrawing from all other pursuits, is so pleasant and
refreshing that the Shulamite is hesitant to leave it, even at the invitation of the King.
She had been burned out by the labor in the vineyards of her brothers (see Song Of
Solomon 1:6), who had pressured her to work in their fields of endeavor to the neglect
of her own field. In our interpretation of this, the Shulamite had submitted to the
agendas of other leaders, and had become weary because her own field, the garden of
her own heart had gone unattended.
In her weariness the King had spoken tender words to her, had called her into a
season of receiving His love. She was to be undisturbed in this season, soaking and
basking in the atmosphere of romance with the King of kings. Nothing was to disturb
her; she was not to be awakened before the proper time. Rather, she was to immerse
herself in the Kings presence, becoming rooted and grounded in the experiential
knowledge of His love for her.
But then He Himself had summoned her out of this season into an adventure in
overcoming fear. The King had called her name, wooing her into the mountains where
she might learn to express her love for Him even in the face of fear and difficulty. Like
Jesus inviting the disciples into the Garden to pray with Him, the King is calling the
Shulamite to come with Him into the cleft of the rock, to fellowship with Him in the
hour of trial and overcoming faith. It is one thing to express love for Jesus when we are
in the peaceful surroundings of an intimate setting. It is quite another thing to fix our
gaze upon Him and sing our love songs to Him in the context of pain and fear. As I was
writing this chapter, I was in Seoul, Korea interacting with a group of Korean pastors
and church leaders. At that time, there was a group of Korean missionaries who were
being held captive by the Taliban terrorists in Afghanistan, who had already murdered
two of the missionaries in an attempt to gain the release of Taliban prisoners held by the
Afghan government. As we prayed for these precious saints in their time of terror, we
focused on asking the Holy Spirit to give them the grace to love Jesus in this time of
great stress and fear. That kind of thing is precious to the Lord, and He invites us to
come to Him in the mountains, to meet Him in the cleft of the rock (a metaphor for
joining Him in the place of suffering), and to lift our voices in loving adoration even in
the midst of pain. It is a holy invitation, and one that sobers us.
In her immaturity, the Shulamite cannot make the decision. She is still separated
from Him by the wall, which speaks of sin and compromise in the life of the immature
believer. She is fearful of the cost of dealing with those issues, of fully coming out into
the light of the new season. She also feels pulled by her brothers who are urging her to
come back to work in their vineyards lest the little foxes spoil the harvest. But even
though the strength of the King is thrilling to her, and though His voice is appealing,
she cannot make the decision to leave the place of initial intimacy. It is just too
comfortable there, and she cannot see herself with the strength to follow the King.
Therefore, like the disciples sleeping in the Garden while Jesus prays, she finds herself
in the grip of weakness and compromise, the first crisis of her faith.

Overcoming Fear Through Love
At the beginning of Song Of Solomon chapter three we find the Shulamite in the
bridal chamber, where she has decided to stay instead of responding to the Kings
invitation to come and dance with Him upon the mountains of fear. She is now alone,
yearning for the presence of her Beloved. She made the decision to stay in the safety
zone, the place of her first encounters with Him, but she is now realizing that the reason
she loved that place was because the King was there with her. Now that He has
withdrawn from her and is making His way through the mountains, she begins to
realize that she misses Him! It was not the bridal chamber that she loved; it was His
presence in the bridal chamber. Now that He has gone from her for a short season, she
is gripped by longing and the desire to be with Him again. Night after night she yearns
for Him to be with her, but He does not come.
The Shulamite is facing a dilemma now. Will she succumb to the fears that the
King has abandoned her, or will she interpret His withdrawal as a romantic wooing, an
invitation to come find Him, to experience Him in a deeper way in more difficult
circumstances? Perhaps she calls to her mind what He said to her in the House of Wine,
that His banner over her life is love. In other words, that all of His dealings with her are
motivated by His passionate desire for her to step into her destiny of full partnership
with Him in ruling His kingdom.
This is a question that I receive often as I teach on the bridal paradigm. The
question goes something like this: Why is it that I experience an initial sense of the
Lords presence for awhile, and then it seems like He goes away, and I cant find Him
anymore? I believe that this section of Song Of Solomon gives us the answer to this
issue. The King is inviting the Shulamite into a deeper revelation of His power and
beauty, and He makes use of the power of His love to draw us farther than we would
prefer to go. A lover whose heart is sick with longing for the Beloved will pursue the
Beloved at all costs, doing things that an ordinary person would not do, and going
places that would ordinarily cause someone to back off in fear. We must accept the
truth that the King is not rejecting us, that He has not grown weary of us and
abandoned us for someone else. Rather, He is wooing us to come further into the
revelation of His love, and if we will accept that and respond by going after Him, we
will discover deeper dimensions of Jesus love than we ever knew before.
So, the Shulamite rises up out of the bridal chamber and begins to pursue the
King through the streets of the city. She cannot find Him immediately, but she
continues the search. Perhaps the reason that she cannot find Him is that He had
summoned her to the mountains, and she is trying to find Him in the city. She is still
hesitant to face her fears directly, but at least she is up and pursuing Him. As the
Shulamite searches for the King, she encounters the watchmen in the streets of the city,
and asks them if they have seen the one she loves. The watchmen, in my interpretation
of this story, are the overseers of the faithful, the ones who are given the assignment of
protecting and leading the people of the city. They are representative of individuals in
leadership, those who mentor and give direction to Gods people. They are pictured in
chapter one by the teachers who give initial instruction to the Shulamite, whose input
forms her in the early days of her encounters with the Beloved. They are the faithful in
whose footsteps she is challenged to follow. Here, however, they have no input for her,
either positive or negative. Their silence speaks of a lack of understanding of her
pursuit. Perhaps they perceive that she is on a detour from reality, pursuing this
romance when she should be busy at work in her brothers vineyards. They offer no
resistance, nor do they give her any help in her search. The watchmen will play a key
role, however, in a later phase of her journey into intimate authority.
Immediately after passing by the watchmen, her search is rewarded. She finds
the Beloved, who has returned to her from His venture into the mountains. She will
soon reflect on the powerful event of His return, but her immediate response is to grasp
Him, to cling to Him, and to bring Him to her mothers house. The mothers house here
is representative of the Church, the mother institution that births us into faith and
provides the initial nurture of our spiritual lives. When we encounter Jesus in His love
for us, it is a natural desire to speak about Him and present Him to those who are our
spiritual and natural families. Here the Shulamite yearns to present her Beloved to her
family, that they might see His beauty and share her love for Him.

A Deeper Revelation of Love
In Song Of Solomon chapter three, verses six to eleven, we have a beautiful
revelation of the glory of the King. He is pictured as coming for the Shulamite in
preparation for their wedding, and the procession that she observes is a powerful event
to consider. One thing to keep in mind is that when a King chooses a shepherd girl for
His Bride, He must assume all the costs of bringing her to the palace. The King is
captured by the Shulamites beauty, but she has no resources that would enable her to
make the transition from her current dwelling in the country to His home in the city. He
must make all the arrangements, and He must bear the cost of bringing her to Himself.
So the entourage of the King proceeds from the palace, His focus fixed on His Beloved.
It is the day of His wedding, the day of the gladness of His heart.
At first glance this passage seems to be all joy and merriment, with the glory of
the King being revealed for all to see. He is surrounded by soldiers in their finest array,
being carried along in a royal palanquin of His own making. It has been covered with
royal colors, inlaid with silver and gold. The King is accompanied by the daughters of
Jerusalem, loyal women whose hearts are glad because the King has found and won the
love of His life. He wears His glorious crown, given to Him by His mother on this day
of His full joy. In such fashion He comes to claim His Bride.
There is a key, however, in verse six of this segment that gives us some deeper
insight. The King is anointed with fragrant spices, the most costly of which are myrrh
and frankincense. These are the traditional burial spices of that culture, and here they
speak to us of the cost involved in the Kings venture. As already stated, it is costly for
the King to bring the shepherd girl to His home. He must condescend to her and make
all the arrangements for her transition into royalty. She brings nothing of worth to the
arrangement except herself, and because of her surpassing value to the King, He is glad
to do what is necessary to win her heart.
In this picture, I believe we must discern the presence of suffering on the part of
the King. There are a number of elements to this passage which speak to us of the cross
of Christ, and as we see these elements, we experience the revelation of the depths of
the Kings love for this maiden. Lets examine these elements briefly.
The first thing the Shulamite sees in the pillar of smoke arising from the
wilderness. Remember, the King has been to the mountain of myrrh, and she is about to
experience the revelation of what He endured on that mountain to win her heart. The
smoke speaks to us of the sin offering. Paul tells us that Jesus Christ was made to be the
sin offering, or the burnt offering, on our behalf.
1
As she sees the smoke rising in the
distance, the weight of His suffering begins to be revealed to her.
The Shulamite then comes to understand that the King is perfumed with myrrh
and frankincense, the spices that were used to prepare a body for burial. We read of this
in John 12:3 and Matthew 26:7 and 12, where the fragrant oil was to prepare Jesus for

1
See 2 Corinthians 5:21
His death. His venture into the mountains has cost Him everything, but because the
Shulamite was the reward for His labors, He embraced the suffering with gladness.
The soldiers, armed with swords against the dangers of the night, speak of the
Roman soldiers who arrested Jesus and accompanied Him to the cross, as spoken of in
Matthew 27:27. The wooden palanquin, or sedan chair fashioned by the Kings own
hand as the place of His enthronement speaks of the cross itself. The tree was created by
Jesus, and yet He was nailed to that tree and declared to be the King of the Jews.
2

The next element of the suffering of Jesus is the pillars of silver, which speak of
the cost of our redemption and the price of betrayal.
3
We are told in Luke 23:27 how
Jesus was accompanied by faithful women on His way to the hill of Golgotha. These
women are represented as the daughters of Jerusalem, who paved His path with tears
and overflowing love.
Jesus was crowned by His mother Israel
4
with the crown of thorns
5
on the day of
the gladness of His heart. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross,
6
embracing
His Bride in the fullness of her brokenness and sin. Jesus was condemned in our place,
and on that day He truly became one with sinful man. He took on humanity at His
birth, but He became completely one with us on the cross, bearing our sin and shame,
and identifying with us to the point of the most shameful death. This marriage will
culminate in the marriage supper of the Lamb, which will occur when Jesus returns to
the earth in final triumph to call His Bride to Himself forever.

Overcome By Love
The Shulamite is overwhelmed by the spectacle she is witnessing. The thought
that the King would endure the cost of winning her, gladly paying the price of
redemption in order to claim her as His prize is staggering to her. She is the object of
His extravagant love, His profligate expenditure put forth with joy for the sake of
having her with Him forever.

2
See John 19:17-19
3
See Zechariah 11:12-13; Matthew 26:15; 27:9-10
4
See Luke 23:23-25
5
See Matthew 27:29
6
See Hebrews 12:1-3
But then the King goes even further. From the posture of His suffering, He
begins to speak of His love for the Shulamite. The first fifteen verses of Song Of
Solomon chapter four express the overflowing passion of the Bridegrooms heart in
fullness. We have had glimpses into His love through the first sections of the Song, but
here His wounded heart pours forth His love with a matchless fervor that stuns us with
its length, its depth, its width, and its height.
We will examine the particular elements of the Kings love song in the next
chapter, but the effect of His statements is profound, causing the Shulamite to have a
total change in the posture of her heart. There is positive effect in any case when
someone declares their love for another, but when that declaration of love comes at a
costly price, the effect upon the object of love is deepened in proportion to the price
paid. True love is costly love, and here the Bridegroom is demonstrating the ultimate
love of laying down His life for the Bride. As she responds to Him in the aftermath of
His declarations, we see the profound effect that His suffering love has had upon her.
The Scripture is clear that there is a strength that comes to us, a power that is
released in us as we consider the sufferings of Jesus. Hebrews 12:1-3 instructs us that we
are to fix our eyes on Him as the author and finisher of our faith. In contemplating the
sufferings of Jesus, how He was subjected to the evil deeds of wicked men, we find
strength to sustain us in the hour of our own difficulties. You see, the human spirit and
soul has been created to respond to the initiative of love. We are creatures whose hearts
are moved by evidence of sacrificial love willingly given. When Jesus demonstrated this
kind of love for us, His desire was to stimulate the same kind of love in our hearts
toward Him and toward one another.
In the spring of 2004, one of the most powerful films ever made was released
around the world. Directed by Mel Gibson, The Passion of the Christ was a stunning
revelation of what Jesus endured to win the hearts of the people He loves. I believe that
our generation was blessed of God to be able to witness such a film that accurately
depicted the suffering that Jesus endured to accomplish redemption for us. One of the
scenes that deeply impacted my own heart occurred when Jesus was carrying His cross
through the streets of Jerusalem, staggered by the intensity of the scourging He
endured and by the weight of the cross itself. Its a gruesome scene, and the viewer
wants to do anything to have the scene be finished. As Jesus stumbles through the
streets, His mother Mary is visible, following Him at the periphery of the crowd. She
longs to be near Him, to comfort and strengthen Him, but the horror is too great, and
she cannot find the courage to draw near.
Suddenly, Jesus stumbles and falls. In slow motion, the film reveals every
dimension of His agony as His torn flesh hits the cobblestone streets. The cross lands on
top of Him, further bruising the body so wounded already. As Jesus falls, His mother is
suddenly caught in a vision of her son as a child, falling and skinning his knee. In her
minds eye, she sees herself running to comfort Him. Mary finds herself bursting
through the crowd to Jesus side, wiping His face and assuring Him of her presence and
love. In that moment Jesus turns to her and through blood-encrusted lips utters these
words: See MotherI make all things new. As I watched that scene and heard those
words, my own heart broke with sobbing and tears. I wanted nothing so much as to
love Him back, to give myself to Him without reservation, to be willing to endure
anything for the sake of the One who would dare to love me like that.
This is the power of this section of the Song Of Solomon. The King has revealed
to the Shulamite what it cost Him to win her heart, to accomplish what was necessary
for them to have a relationship of intimacy and love. He then speaks to her a series of
statements revealing to her how He sees her, and the value that He places on her. It is a
holy encounter for her as she hears the passion of His heart for her in the midst of His
suffering. The revelation has its desired effect, and the section ends with the Shulamite
making statements of commitment to the King that will radically change the focus of
her heart and life.
In the next chapter we will consider more specifically the phrases that the King
speaks to her, how He sees her as lovely even in the early stages of her journey into
maturity. My hope is that you will pause here and give much time to meditating upon
the wonder and agony of the cross, and allow the sacrificial love of Jesus to do to you
what He intendedto win your heart with the wondrous expression of His love.
Chapter Five:
The Power Of Suffering Love

In the previous chapter, we considered the good choice of the Shulamite to take a
risky step, to leave her comfort zone and go out into the streets to find her Beloved. As
she ventured out into this deeply personal journey, she passed by the watchmen who
observed her but gave her no assistance in her quest. However, the longing of her heart
was met as the King came to her, and she was given the profound revelation of the
lengths to which He would go to win her heart.
There is such power in contemplating the suffering love of Jesus. When we
consider what He endured to capture our hearts for Himself, we are strengthened and
equipped for the journey into maturity that awaits each one of us. It is so important to
embrace that journey, and the only way we can go forward into the fullness of our
identity and destiny as the Bride of Christ is to say yes! to this step of faith. The
journey into maturity requires much courage and faith, for the pathway is filled with all
sorts of surprising twists and turns, most of them unexpected, and many of them
difficult. The knowledge that we are precious to Jesus, that He gladly endured the pains
that were inflicted upon Him for our sake, strengthens us so that we can embrace and
overcome the things that we face on the way to becoming like Jesus.
In Song Of Solomon 4:1-5, there are eight affirmations of the love of the King for
the Shulamite that are spoken to her as he embraces the cost of bringing her to Himself.
These affirmations express the Kings perspective of the emerging character of the
Shulamite, and they serve to inspire us on our journey into Christs image. Because they
are given to us by the Holy Spirit in the lines of this song, we can take each one into our
own hearts in a personal way. We can hear the voice of Jesus speaking to us in the same
way that the King speaks to the Shulamite, and as we pray over these phrases, and
meditate on how Jesus sees us in our emerging maturity, the character qualities
mentioned here actually get strengthened in our lives and we find ourselves moving
into the reality of His perception of us.
Lets consider the Kings words phrase by phrase. Chapter Four begins with a
general affirmation of the Shulamites beauty and character, the King declaring to her
Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair! The word translated fair simply
means beautiful, and it touches something deep within our souls. One of the great
longings of the human heart is to be considered desirable and beautiful by someone
whose opinions we value. The Shulamite is greatly strengthened by the Kings words,
for she desires to be seen as lovely and desirable to her Beloved. The powerful thing for
us is that these words can strike our hearts with the same force if we will simply linger
over them in prayer, giving the Holy Spirit an opportunity to do what He loves to do
touch the human heart with the truth of Gods affections. When we take the time to
pray over phrases like this in the Word of God, meditating on them and singing them to
ourselves, the reality of Gods love begins to flood our experience, renewing our souls
and giving us the courage to continue our journey into His likeness.
Again, it is essential that we remember the setting in which these words are
being spoken. The King is demonstrating his love for the Shulamite by paying the entire
cost of her transition from the poverty of her life into the awesome liberty of being the
Kings Bride. This cost, overwhelming as it may be, is gladly paid by the King because
of his great love, and his words of delight are stunning to our hearts as we receive them
in the light of his suffering. The power of suffering love begins to transform the
Shulamites heart, drawing her to the place of complete trust and full submission to his
will.
In the next phrase, the King begins to speak specific affirmations of the
Shulamites emerging character. Again, these phrases are directly applicable to each of
our hearts as well, for we stand in the same relationship of love to our King, Jesus. The
Kings tender words for the Shulamite are an echo of the heart of Jesus for each of us as
His Beloved, and the joy of the Holy Spirit is to transform our hearts in the same way.
Here are the specific phrases that will touch her so deeply:
You have doves eyes behind your veil. The King longs to have a Bride whose
heart is wholly given to loving him. He sees within the heart of the Shulamite that very
desire, to love him completely, without any compromise. Even though she is still
immature, he defines her by the desires of her heart, and declares to her that her desires
match his. He declares that her gaze is not haughty, it is humble. He tells her that she is
not focused on things too lofty for her; rather, like a dove which feeds on the ground,
she has taken a humble posture and looks up to the King with simple and vulnerable
trust. She sees him alone, and has set her heart upon him. However, the veil here speaks
of immaturity, of the weakness of her commitment that still clouds her vision. She does
not yet see clearly, but the King speaks to her as though her vision is mature! By
relating to her as though she is already mature, the King draws her onward in the
process. His affirmations increase her desire, and feed the hope in her heart that she is
and will be pleasing to him.
In this phrase the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts as well. Jesus sees the desire in
our hearts to love Him exclusively and purely. Even though we still have areas of
weakness and compromise, He interprets our desire through the grid of His own
perfect love, and counts our love to be the same as His. Jesus knows and trusts the
transforming power of His love, and is confident that if we will simply stay close to
Him, He will give us all that our hearts desire. We will be transformed into His likeness
by the power of His love.
The reason Jesus is so confident of this has several dimensions. First, He has
given us the gift of righteousness through His finished work on the cross. In His death,
Jesus put to death our old nature as well, and clothed us in the garments of Jesus
righteousness. Second, He infused into us a willing spirit, the desire to cooperate with
Gods will. Paul said It is God who works in you, both to will and to do for His good
pleasure. (Philippians 2:13) Therefore, when Jesus sees us, He views us in the light of
what He has already done, and counts it complete. The third dimension of Jesus
confidence is that God sees with eyes of love. If He were an angry God, then He would
view our weak commitment with disdain or with impatience. But God is love itself, and
all the patience and tenderness that characterizes love is how He views us.
1
Finally, God
has declared that His Sons Bride will be glorious and without spot or wrinkle.
2
Because
of this, He sees us in the purity of His own vision, and declares it to be so even before it
comes to be. We are beautiful to Him, and that makes it so.
Here is the second phrase of affirmation that the King speaks:
Your hair is like a flock of goats, going down from Mount Gilead. Perhaps you
look at a phrase like this and your response is that it surely doesnt sound very
romantic! What girl would want to have her Beloved tell her that her hair looks like a

1
See 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 to consider this more
2
See Ephesians 5:27
flock of goats? However, when we consider the symbolism of what the King is saying, it
is a strong word of affirmation and delight.
In the Scriptures, hair often is associated with a persons devotion and single-
minded loyalty. In the Book of Numbers chapter six, God gives directions to Moses
concerning those who would be dedicated to the Lord under the vow of the Nazirites.
Part of that vow included the commitment to not cut ones hair. This was demonstrated
in the life of Samson in the Book of Judges, where in order to retain his strength and
anointing, he was required not to cut his hair. It was only when his hair was uncut that
Samson was empowered to do what God had called him to do. Similarly, the New
Testament speaks of the hair as being an adornment of beauty for the woman. Paul
speaks of the womans long hair as a glory to her (1 Corinthians 11:15), and the
picture there is that her hair is part of the beauty of the woman that adorns her for the
pleasure of her husband.
In addition to this, the Book of Proverbs tells us that a male goat is one of four
things that are majestic in pace and stately in their walk.
3
So, when we apply these
definitions to the Kings description of the Shulamite, he is telling her that he sees how
she is adorned with the beauty of her dedication to him, and that she is regal and stately
in the way she carries herself in life. Further, he sees these qualities in abundance, like a
whole flock of these stately creatures. These flocks are feeding on Mount Gilead, which
was known to have fertile and abundant fields of grass for the grazing animals. This
speaks to us of the abundance of spiritual food that God makes available to those who
desire to grow deeper in love, and so the King is confident that the Shulamite is being
well-fed in the matter of her spiritual growth. Once again the Kings vision exceeds the
Shulamites current reality, but as he calls forth these character traits, he is confident
that she will come into maturity because of the power of the life that he has placed
within her. The traits the King desires are growing in her, she is feeding in the right
places, and therefore her growth into maturity is inevitable.
The power of these statements for us is that as we meditate upon them, lingering
over the phrases and asking the Holy Spirit to touch our hearts with these truths,
something begins to change inside our hearts. We begin to perceive ourselves according
to the truth of Jesus perspective, and we begin to come to freedom. The more we give

3
See Proverbs 30:29-31
ourselves to meditating on these things, the more our self-esteem becomes rooted and
grounded in the love of God, and we become unshakeable, unresponsive to the contrary
and negative strategies of the evil one.
The third affirmation from the Kings lips carries additional encouragement for
the Shulamite and for us. He says to her, Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep,
which have come up from the washing, every one of which bears twins, and none is
barren among them. Once again, at first glance, we may be mystified by the meaning of
this symbolic and poetic language. Lets look at this affirmation phrase by phrase.
The teeth speak of the Shulamites growing ability to meditate on the Word of
God in such a way that her spirit and soul receive nourishment. The teeth are used to
chew the food, and their presence indicates an emerging maturity in the Shulamite.
Newborn babies have no ability to eat solid food. They must be fed the milk of the
Word,
4
and need to grow into the ability to handle deeper truths that will stabilize their
life in God. The King is telling the Shulamite that he sees in her the emerging ability to
handle more substantial truths in the Word of God. For her and for us, it is the practice
of long and loving meditation on Gods Word that empowers us to grow into maturity.
We are nourished in this way, and it is essential that we grow in this ability.
The phrase about the flock of shorn sheep is also important for us to grasp. Sheep
that have been shorn have had all the wool cut away from them, and their coat is
uniform and even. In the Old Testament, the priests of God were commanded not to
wear wool as they served the Lord, because wool would cause them to sweat. This
speaks symbolically of the efforts of the flesh to please the Lord, and God intends His
people to be restful and unstressed in our walk with Him. The shorn flock has no excess
wool, no striving or fleshly zeal that would adversely affect the work of the Holy Spirit
to bring growth.
These words are followed by the image that the sheep have come up from the
washing. They have been cleansed by the rivers of water, which corresponds to the
New Testament idea of being washed in the water of the Word.
5
In simple language, the
Shulamite has begun to allow the words of the King to affect her self-image. She is
beginning to embrace what he says about her, and therefore is coming to a quiet and

4
See 1 Corinthians 3:1-2
5
See Ephesians 5:26
restful place in her mind and soul. She no longer feels that she must strive for his
affections, but is beginning to believe that he truly loves her. This is the power of
suffering lovewhen the Bride hears the words of affirmation coming from the Kings
lips in the context of His pain, there is a profound effect in the heart of the Bride. He
truly loves her, and is backing up his words with selfless action. Her heart is moved and
transformed by this, and any doubt that she has concerning his love is driven away by
his display of suffering love. This is why it is so important for us to meditate on the
sufferings of Jesus and accept what He has done as an act of love on our behalf.
Something changes in our hearts, and we are made steadfast as a result of
contemplating His suffering love.
As a result of all this, there is the promise of abundant fruitfulness in the
Shulamites life. Her meditations on the Kings words, like fertile sheep bearing twins,
are producing multiplied fruit in her life, and also in the lives of those around her. This
is pleasing to the King, and encourages her as well, for during this stage of her
development, she is beginning to desire that her life be pleasing to him as much as he is
delightful to her. Again, the fruit of contemplating the suffering love of Jesus is that we
begin to yearn to live for His pleasure, not just our own. We begin to have confidence
that He will do anything and everything to bring blessing and fullness to us, and
therefore we can abandon ourselves to live for His sake.
In the fourth affirmation, the King gives the Shulamite a very encouraging word.
He says to her, Your lips are like a strand of scarlet This phrase speaks of the
communications that are coming from her lips, and tells her that the King sees that her
speech is being influenced by the work of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, the
color scarlet was a prophetic picture of the blood of Jesus, by which we would be
redeemed. Moses used scarlet wool in the sacrificial rites,
6
and a scarlet cord was used
by Rahab the harlot to receive redemption for her household as the Israelites conquered
Jericho.
7

What is being pictured here is that the speech patterns of the Bride are taking on
the character of redemption and grace. As she communicates her love to the King, he
recognizes the language of his own heart. She speaks to him out of the overflow of his

6
See Hebrews 9:19
7
See Joshua 2:21
love being poured into her, and her words to him reflect his love. But this speech is not
merely rhetoric with religious overtones. Rather, she is becoming consistent in all her
conversations. When she communicates with people, she speaks in edifying terms,
encouraging those around her with words that carry a heavenly impact. This is a
further indication of her emerging maturity, because she no longer needs to use her
words to defend herself or make herself seem more than she is. The Shulamite is
growing in confidence that she is lovely and delightful to the King, and therefore she
can begin to speak to others in a way that honors and strengthens them.
As we grow in the experiential knowledge of the love of Christ, it is inevitably
reflected in our speech patterns. God declares to us that our voice is lovely to Him
8

because He sees us through the finished work of Christ. But then, there must be the
actual emergence of maturity as we relate to others around us, and our communications
to others become the fragrance of Christ to God.
9

Once again, we must see the importance of meditating on the suffering love of
Jesus for us. All these character qualities emerge more strongly in the Shulamite as she
receives the Kings affirmations in the light of the cost of her redemption. There is
power in the contemplation of what it cost Jesus to win our hearts, and something
changes in our hearts as we consider this. We were created to respond to this kind of
love, and by coming to earth as a man, by living a life of love in the flesh, and by giving
Himself to death on a cross, Jesus demonstrates this love like no other ever has or ever
will.
I urge you to give yourself to the contemplation of the life, death, and
resurrection of Jesus from this perspective. He did all this for you, and in the pain of it
all, He reminds us that He did it for love.
The King speaks to the Shulamite in the second phrase of chapter four verse
three that your mouth is lovely. This phrase refers to a different affirmation than the
statement about her lips. In the Song Of Solomon the lips speak of speech, while the
mouth consistently refers to the kiss of intimate communion. The kisses of His mouth
at the beginning of the book speak of the touch of intimacy that occurs when the Holy
Spirit takes the truth of Gods Word concerning His affections and imprints it upon our

8
See Song Of Solomon 2:4
9
See 2 Corinthians 2:15
hearts. Similarly, the Kings statement about the loveliness of her mouth lets us
understand that her statements of love to Him are a precious treasure in His own heart.
There is something profound that touches us when we realize that our words of
affection move the heart of Jesus, especially in the context of His suffering. My own
heart is deeply impacted when I understand that the heart of God is moved by our
devotion, and that He takes great pleasure in the kisses of worship and adoration that
proceed from our mouths to His ears. The mouth of the Shulamiteher heartfelt
expression of worship and adorationis lovely to Him, and part of the inheritance that
He receives in relationship with His Bride.
The next affirmation that the King speaks to the Shulamite is that your temples
behind your veil are like a piece of pomegranate (4:3c,d). Several translations of the
Bible use the word cheeks here instead of temples, and it speaks of the emotional
makeup of the Shulamite. The temples, or cheeks, are a window into the emotional soul
of the Bride, and unless she is hiding her emotions because of fear or pain, her
countenance reflects the inner beauty of her heart. In her cheeks the King can see the
reflection of her emotions of gladness and joy, or sorrow and pain.
The fruit of the pomegranate is red and very sweet. It speaks of her emotions
being freely expressed and tender, beautiful and sweet to the Lord. An innocent and
modest person blushes freely when the heart is touched, or when she is in the presence
of shameful things. This innocence and modesty is pleasing to Jesus, and touches His
heart. He desires a Bride whose heart is pure and innocent, not knowledgeable in the
carnal ways of the world. Her heart has been given to Him, and her cheeks reflect the
beauty and purity of His presence with her. She is lovely in her emotional life, and this
is very pleasing to the King.
This affirmation is particularly touching to the Shulamite, because she is still
wearing the veil that separates her from complete intimacy and knowledge. That veil is
associated with shame, and even though it is still present, the King sees beyond it to the
emerging purity and innocence in her heart. This speaks powerfully to those who have
a shame-filled history, that as we give ourselves to loving this King, He restores our
souls to the innocence that He loves and requires.
The seventh affirmation in this series of blessing statements from the King
concerns the emerging maturity of her free will. The King speaks to the Shulamite that
Your neck is like the tower of David, built for an armory, on which hang a thousand
bucklers, all shields of mighty men (4:4). Throughout the Scripture the neck speaks of
the free will of people in response to God. When the neck is stiff, it signals resistance
and a lack of submission to the ways and will of God. In the cultures of the day, when a
king conquered a foe, he would often force the enemy to lie on the ground, and then the
victorious king would place his foot on the neck of his enemy, indicating his victory and
superiority. The enemy was forced to submit to the kings authority.
In this passage, the Shulamites neck is like the tower of David, which means that
she is strong and resolute in her commitments to the King, but that her heart is pure
and tender like the heart of David. She is not depressed or double-minded, but her will
is set on the truth and on the pursuit of intimacy with the King. He sees this resolute
decision that she has made, and blesses her for it, even though she is still in the process
of becoming mature. The determined nature of her will is like an armory, a storehouse
of powerful weapons against the work of the enemy. When the will is established in an
attitude of obedience to God, it is as though we are given many weapons that are
effective in resisting temptation and sin. A buckler is a small shield fastened to the
arm of the warrior, and is useful in close, personal combat. The Shulamites determined
will is like a thousand of those shields of faith, guarding her against every close attack
by the enemy. Coupled with her loving devotion and whole-hearted affection for the
King, the Shulamite is becoming mature and forceful in her life of faithful obedience.
It is important to be reminded here that the King is calling the Shulamite forward
to emerge into these character traits in full maturity. This is the way that He draws her
into her full potentialnot by criticism or pushing her forward, but by pouring out His
life for her, and then lovingly and passionately declaring who she is in His eyes. Jesus
draws you and me forward in the same way. He reveals to us the depths of His love,
and then speaks to us of how He sees us in the fullness of our destiny. Jesus says to you
and me, I see your devotion, and how you have determined to follow after me, no matter what
the cost. You are closing the door to sin, and you have decided not to give the enemy any
opportunity to attract you. Your will is becoming conformed to mine, and it pleases me greatly!
Statements like these from the heart of Jesus fill us with courage and hope, and
empower us to move forward in our lives of discipleship. The key is that we respond to
Him, that we cultivate and exercise the skill of hearing His voice, and give Him
opportunity to speak to us every day, so that we might be strengthened and encouraged
in His love.
The eighth and final affirmation in this section concerns the Shulamites ability to
nurture others who are less mature than she. The King says of her: Your two breasts
are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle, which feed among the lilies. This poetic phrase
is speaking of the Shulamites emerging but still immature ability to nurture and feed
others on the milk of Gods Word. The image of twin fawns speaks of the double
portion that is being given to her, the anointing that she will have to declare the Word
of God with power and authority, with the ability to bring other young believers to
maturity. This picture is in contrast with Song Of Solomon 8:8, where the younger sister
is described as having no breastsin other words, the younger one is still too immature
and unequipped to help others grow in the knowledge of God.
The twin fawns are pictured as feeding among the lilies. In other words, they are
strengthening themselves on the beauty and holiness of God. His glory is what sustains
them, and they are therefore able to feed and strengthen others because of the
nourishment that is flowing into their own lives. Our ability to encourage and
strengthen one another in our journey with God emerges out of our own continuing
growth in intimacy and love. We are not intended to feed one another with the old, dry
food of past experiences and doctrinal principles. Those things are valuable, but only in
the context of an ongoing and vibrant relationship. Doctrine comes alive when there is a
current, lively experience of the truth, but if our current experience is dry, we cannot
communicate to others with passion and liberty. We must continue to feed among the
lilies ourselves, so that what flows through us is alive and fresh, with the ability to
nourish others along the way.
This was the dynamic of Jesus life as a teacher and rabbi. He was the
embodiment of the truth that He spoke, and the life of God flowed into Him and
through Him fresh every day. Jesus lived in a vibrant, moment-by-moment intimacy
with His Father that gave life to His words, so that His disciples would exclaim You
have the words of eternal life! (John 6:68). Jesus declared the same reality over us
when He said that those who believe in Him would have rivers of living water
flowing out of their hearts, or their innermost beings.
10
Our ability to strengthen one
another, to nurture our families and friends comes directly out of our fresh experience
of the grace of God, empowering our words with His life.

10
See John 7:38

Going to the Mountain of Myrrh
Song Of Solomon 4:6 is a captivating verse, because there are differing opinions
about who speaks it. In the phrase itself, the mountain of myrrh speaks of suffering,
since myrrh was known to be a bitter spice used in burial ceremonies. Frankincense, on
the other hand, is a sweet spice, and speaks of the beauty and anticipation that is in the
heart of the speaker. Incense is also a representation of intercession in the Scriptures.
Some suggest that it is the King who speaks this verse, declaring to His Beloved that He
will wait for her in the place of intercession and longing until the day breaks, until the
shadows flee away. In other words, He will wait for her in the sweet sorrow of loving
intercession until all that hinders her is past, and all the uncertainty and immaturity is
dealt with. Then He will meet with her in the beauty of holiness, with the work
completed and the joy of their love fully realized.
However, if we understand verse six to be a brief response from the Shulamite to
the Kings affirmations, there is a flood of insight that comes to us concerning the things
that are emerging in her heart. We will take this approach to this verse in this study,
and so lets examine the meanings of the phrases that are presented here.
Until the day breaks, and the shadows flee away . . . This introductory line to
the Shulamites response is significant, because she is beginning to make a shift in her
level of commitment to the King. Through the first part of her journey, the Shulamite
has been focused almost entirely on the benefits that come to her because of this
relationship. She has desired the kisses of His mouth because they are sweeter than any
other pleasurable thing to her (1:2). She has longed for His words to come to her
without hindrance, so that she might come into agreement with His assessment of her
life (1:7). She has delighted in His embrace, and has reveled in the outpouring of the
raisin cakes and apples, the little indicators of love that deepen her affections and keep
them fresh (2:5). There is nothing wrong with this self-centered focus; it is simply a
reality of her immaturity, and the King has no concerns about it. He knows that as she is
exposed to the depths of His love, she will be drawn to deeper places, to the release of
mature, Christ-like love in her own life.
But now the Shulamite is being captured by the suffering love of the King as she
considers what it cost Him to win her heart and bring her to the palace. She is receiving
His words of affirmation in the context of His suffering love, and her heart is being
moved to respond to His love with the same kind of commitment. She begins to
recognize that this present life is merely shadows, a night journey toward the dawning
of a new day. There is a time coming when all compromise and uncertainty will end,
and we will be with our Beloved face to face. We will know as we are known, and will
enter in to the full reward of our walk of love and faith. The Shulamite realizes that in
order for her to fully experience His life, she must join Him in His journey and embrace
the suffering love that characterizes the Kings commitment to her.
I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh . . . The Shulamite now sees that
there is a journey into the mountain of suffering and death that she must embrace. The
King had invited her to this place in chapter two, when He called her to come away
with Him and meet with Him on the mountains, in the cleft of the rock. She had been
afraid and unwilling to go at that point, but in His patience and tenderness He had not
coerced her. Rather, the King simply demonstrated His own love for her in His
sufferings, and through that demonstration captured her heart. Now she sees that the
depth of love He has for her compels her to respond in the same way. So she agrees to
the process: I will go my way . . . She will take the journey that has been marked out for
her, embracing her cross while keeping her gaze fixed on Him.
11
It must be her journey,
the one laid out for her, for it is only possible to find grace for the journey God has
prepared for us. We cannot go forward on the strength of another persons
commitment. We must find our way, receiving the grace that God has made available to
us so that we might respond to His love with wholehearted passion and desire.
The Shulamite realizes that this costly love is a mountain of myrrh before her. In
other words, it is a fearsome journey that involves a measure of suffering and death for
her. Radical love is costly, too costly for us without the help of God Himself. But Jesus
says to us that we must love Him as He loves us, and then He pledges the help of His
own Holy Spirit to produce in us the love that He requires.
I will go my way . . . to the hill of frankincense. The second part of this
statement of commitment involves the Shulamites embracing of a life of prayer and
loving devotion to the King. Throughout the Scripture incense speaks of the prayers of
the saints, which are a sweet-smelling aroma to the Lord.
12
The Shulamite is saying here

11
See Luke 9:26
12
See Psalm 141:2; Revelation 5:8
that she will embrace this life of prayer as the key to conquering the mountain that is
before her. Notice that while the costly love that she faces is a mountain of myrrh, the
prayer life that empowers her love is only a hill of frankincense. In other words,
prayer is powerful, and only a relatively small amount of prayer greatly affects our
ability to stand in our love commitments.
When Jesus spoke to Peter about his desire to follow Jesus to the death, Jesus
called him to the place of prayer, saying Watch and pray, lest you enter into
temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41). Peter
was facing the greatest struggle of his young life, and all Jesus was asking of him was
that he pray for one hour! Just a little prayer would have empowered him to stand in
the trial without giving in to temptation, but he could not do it, and therefore he failed
that test. In the same way, we are called to give ourselves to the practice of prayer so
that we might find the strength and power to love Jesus as He loves us. Prayer is the
key to the life of Jesus, and it is the key to our lives as well. The mountain of myrrh is
too high and frightening unless we establish a dwelling place on the hill of
frankincense.
Jesus, I thank You for the revelation of Your unfailing love. You walked this path alone,
with perfect commitment and unwavering passion, and You call me to follow after You. When I
consider what Your commitment cost You, I am overwhelmed, for I have never known such a
love as Yours. Then to hear Your voice telling me that Your desire is for meI am amazed
beyond words, and drawn to respond with ever-greater devotion.
I will go my way, Lord Jesus, to the place of prayer and to the place of sacrificial love. You
went there first, for me, and You convinced me that I am worth it to You. I will follow after You
in the same way, as Your Spirit gives me strength. I love You, Jesus, and I long for the day when
the shadows have cleared, and the night is over that I may see You face to face.

Chapter Six:
The Shulamite s Whole- hearted Response

We find ourselves now at the center point of the Song Of Solomon, where the
Shulamite is responding to the suffering love of the King. This is an amazing section of
this love song, because in the words of affirmation that come from the Kings heart, the
Shulamite finds the strength to make life-long commitments that are empowered by His
love.
This is the most compelling reality of this book: we are empowered to love God
by the experience of His great love for us. When God pours out His love into our hearts,
the natural response is to give ourselves to Him without reservation, even though this
commitment requires deep and profound change in our inner being. As the reality of
Jesus love grips our hearts, we find confidence that He will be faithful to us throughout
the journey, and that He will give us the strength we need to follow through, to remain
faithful to the end of the journey.
This is because His love contains the power of transformation. In relationship
with this Beloved Jesus, we are not left to our own resources, somehow finding a way to
manufacture the strength to be faithful. Rather, we are infused with the Spirit of Jesus
Himself, the Holy Spirit who invades our hearts and releases His nature within us. As a
result, we have the strength to respond to Him, to come to Him daily and find grace to
walk out the commitments we have made. A wholehearted lover makes extravagant
commitments, promises that are too great to keep unless the power of the Holy Spirit is
loosed to enable us to fulfill what we have pledged. But that is the beauty of
wholehearted love! We can make great promises to God, and then be confident that the
Holy Spirit will empower us to keep those promises! We can draw upon the resources
of love that God Himself places within us, because love is His very nature! We never
need to be afraid to make commitments to God, because His gracious love will provide
the necessary resources for us to fulfill what we have promised.
In Song Of Solomon chapter four, verse seven and following, the King continues
to speak over the Shulamite with words of love and affirmation. He draws her into a life
of intercession and spiritual warfare, and promises her that in the course of her
obedience, their love will grow ever deeper. Lets consider the words He speaks, so that
our hearts may be encouraged by these things as well.

You are all fair, my Love, and there is no spot in you. (Song Of Solomon 4:7)
With these words, which mean altogether lovely or beautiful, the King releases
into the Shulamites heart the answer to one of the deepest longings that we have as
human beings. We deeply desire to be considered beautiful to someone whose opinions
we value highly. The women who read this book will easily identify with that longing,
but sometimes it is more difficult for us men to connect with that. But this desire to be
considered beautiful is just as strong in us men as it is in women. We simply use
different words for it. We might say that we want to be appreciated for our strength, or
our good sense in business, or our athletic prowess. Whatever the arena of endeavor
may be, we long to have someone significant look at us and tell us that we are
appealing and desirable to them.
The longing in the heart of a woman is to be told that she is lovely, that she is
beautiful and appealing to the one to whom she is giving herself. Since the one speaking
these words is the King, Jesus Himself, there can be no deceit in them, no false flattery
or manipulation. He is true, and He is loving, and therefore His words touch us and
transform us in the deepest parts of our heart. With these words comes the power to
respond, to be drawn forward into the vibrant life of full commitment and obedience to
Him.
When the King declares that there is no spot, no flaw within the Shulamite, He is
not suggesting that she is without sin. Rather, He assesses her on the basis of her willing
spirit, and sees her from the perspective of the end of the journey, the coming day when
she will be fully clothed in holiness, the pure garments of the righteous acts of the
saints.
1
Because the King is so confident in the power of His love to transform her, He
can see her as she will be when the journey is complete. This is the power of the true
prophetic word. True prophecy hears and sees from the Fathers perspective, and since
He sees the end from the beginning, He constantly relates to us on the basis of what we
shall be, not on the basis of where we are at the moment. Even His disciplines are
motivated by His knowledge of who we really are, and are designed to draw us up into

1
See Revelation 19:8
the fullness of our identity and destiny. The King sees the Shulamite as flawless, and
His affirmation infuses into her the power to walk in holiness and full commitment.
This is why hearing His voice is so essential to our daily experience. We cannot walk in
the truth of our identity without the empowering grace of the Lord coming to us on a
daily basis, and the only way empowering grace comes is by the Word of the Lord
spoken to us.
2


The Call To Spiritual Warfare Come with Me from Lebanon, My Spouse
For the first time in the Song, the King addresses the Shulamite as His Bride. She
is beginning to step into her true identity, the turning point being her willingness to go
to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense. He is now inviting her to
participate in His ministry, to see things from His perspective (Look from the top . . .),
and to stand with Him in His ministry of intercession and spiritual warfare. As the
people of God, we are positionally seated with Christ in heavenly places,
3
and we are
called to join Him there in the activity of spiritual battle.
We are told in Ephesians 6:12 that we wage war in heavenly places, so being
called by Him to the high places involves the invitation to join Him in the warfare of
heaven. The Scriptures tell us that Satan prowls like a roaring lion to devour
unsuspecting people,
4
and so the Shulamite is called to stand by the lions den; in other
words, to invade the territory of the enemy and defeat him in the realm of spiritual
battle.
This is such an exhilarating call to the Shulamite, because the King is inviting her
into His ministry. He says, Come with Me, and that statement sets the spiritual battle
in the context of intimacy. We are not only loved to an unimaginable degree, but we are
invited into the ultimate life of ministrythe ministry of Jesus Himself. Since He ever
lives to make intercession,
5
that is the chief ministry that is available to us. Out of that
ministry of intercession proceeds everything else, for it is in intercession that the Holy
Spirit gives revelation, allowing us to hear the voice of the Beloved. As we hear Him,
we are then empowered to live as He lived, walking out our lives in intimate

2
See Psalm 45:2; James 1:21
3
See Ephesians 1:20; 2:6
4
See 1 Peter 5:8; see also Psalm 22:13; Proverbs 28:15; Ezekiel 22:25
5
See Hebrews 7:25
communion with the One who can do all things. No other expression of Jesus life can
come out of us without this foundational work of prayer.

The Kings Ravished Heart You have ravished my heart, my sister, my Bride.
The verses from Song Of Solomon 4:9-15 comprise one of the most beautiful
sections in all of Scripture, revealing the heart of Jesus for His Bride who joins Him in
the life of intimate ministry for which she was created. This is once again so
encouraging to us, because the work of our lives is to be squarely set in the context of
intimacy and wholehearted love. By contrast, so much of our work, including the work
of Christian ministry, is done outside the context of intimacy, and the result is burnout,
discouragement, and even bitterness. Like the older brother of Luke 15, many believers
perceive that their work is to be done apart from the Fathers presence, and find
themselves laboring for the Father instead of with the Lord. The long-term result of this
approach to work is weariness and disappointment, even a slave mentality. We were
never intended to work for God or apart from His presence; we were intended to come
into a vibrant and intimate relationship with Jesus, and to work with Him even as He
does what He sees the Father doing.
6
When this is the reality of our lives, then we can
hear His voice of love and affirmation even in the midst of ministry situations, or in the
context of our daily lives, wherever that may be.
The statements of the King in this section take us to an even deeper experience of
intimacy and love. We are told here that not only does the King love the Shulamite, but
her love has ravished His heart! The King is undone by her love, by the simplest glance of
affection and adoration. The term ravished here means that He has become un-
hearted. If we synthesize the Hebrew definitions for this word with the English
interpretations, we can summarize the meaning with this phrase: to be ravished
means to be overwhelmed with emotions of delight because of one who is unusually
beautiful, attractive, pleasing, or striking. In other words, the heart of Jesus is
completely ruined by the knowledge of your love for Him, by the slightest glance in
worship, the most basic expression of the grace of the Holy Spirit released in your life.
He has no heart for anything else; it has been poured out in love for His people.

6
See John 5:19-20
Once again, let me underscore how important it is for us to individually take
time and allow the Holy Spirit to imprint these truths upon our hearts and minds. It is
not enough to believe these things at a theoretical level. We can assent to a doctrinal
trutheven the amazing truth of the love of Christand still not live in the ongoing
encounter with Jesus that sustains us from day to day. Our hearts require the daily
washing of the water of the Word, cleansing us and empowering us through the words
of love that come from the heart of Jesus. We are to take His words, like the words here
in Song Of Solomon 4:9, and meditate upon them as personal words to us. We are to
allow these words to roll around in our minds, chewing on them day after day so that
the undiminished love of the heart of Jesus can pour into us again and again.
This is how the strongholds of the enemy are broken in our lives. The Apostle
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 that strongholds are systems of thought by which
the enemy can control our perceptions about ourselves or about any other person or
situation. The key to victory in spiritual battle is to bring our minds and hearts into
agreement with Gods opinions concerning ourselves, and not give room to the
thoughts that argue against the knowledge of Gods truth. When we meditate on these
phrases that tell us of the ravished heart of God, we renew our minds and hearts
according to the truth, and the strongholds of the enemy are torn down. This is an
essential element of spiritual growth and power, because confidence in the love that
Jesus has for us releases us into the faith that is necessary to see His power move in our
lives.
In these phrases in Song Of Solomon 4:9-15, the Kings heart is undone because
His chosen one has agreed to go with Him to the mountain of myrrh. She has not yet
taken the journey; she has only agreed to go, and the simple fact that she has set her
heart on obedience and selfless love has captured His affections. His heart is ravished,
not by what she has accomplished in ministry, or how much money she has given to the
program, but by the fact that she has set her heart on the journey. Then, by the power of
the Holy Spirit coming through meditation upon His words, the Shulamites heart is
strengthened and encouraged to fulfill the commitment she has made.

Two Important Titles for the Shulamite My Sister, My Spouse
When the King gives the names sister and spouse to the Shulamite, it is a
massive statement of commitment on the part of the King, and of transformation for the
Shulamite. The King is telling her that He considers her to be of the same family as He
is, and that He is committing Himself to be one with her forever. It is an unimaginable
statement of humility for the King to descend to her level to embrace her as His own
sister. The Shulamite was so far below His class and station that there was no way for
her to initiate the relationship. In comparison with His glory, she had none. And yet the
King chose to love her, to set His affections on her, and to lift her up into the identity of
His own family line. By doing this, the King completely rewrites her genealogy, lifting
her out of her fallen and destitute family line, and taking her up into the family of the
Most High.
This is precisely what happens when we place our trust in Jesus Christ, receiving
Him as our Kinsman-Redeemer. When we receive Jesus, we are taken out of our old
identity, and raised up into the family of God. In John 1:12-13 we read the following:

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of
God, to those who believe in His Name; who were born, not of blood, nor of the
will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

The impact and implications of this passage for our lives cannot be overstated.
By simply receiving Jesus as the Son of God, and as the Savior of our lives, the Holy
Spirit rewrites our personal history, adopts us into the circle of relationship that is the
eternal Trinity, and removes from us the stain of our fallen nature. We are no longer
limited by our natural heritage. We are no longer victimized by our earthly parentage,
nor are we defined by the opinions of the people in our past. Rather, we are now part of
the heavenly Family, defined by the Word of the Father, and made fit to stand with
Him forever as joint-heirs of the Kingdom of God.
But the King takes the statement beyond the first step of family relationship. He
then calls the Shulamite His spouse, or His Bride. It is the first time in the Song Of
Solomon that she is designated as the Kings Bride, and again, this statement has vast
implications for us. The King is declaring that His intention is to become one flesh with
the Shulamite forever. She is not being invited into second-class citizenship in heaven,
but to become the suitable partner, the completion of the King Himself. We are told in
Ephesians 1:23 that as the Bride of Christ, we become His very own Body, the fullness
of Him who fills all in all.
Once again, it is impossible to overstate the implications of these statements for
our lives. Jesus takes us into Himself, calls us His own Body, and sets us to be the
eternal recipients of His own inheritance. The kingdoms of the earth belong to Him, and
He gladly shares that authority with His Bride. The riches of the world are His, and He
welcomes you and me to be his joint-heirs. But all this pales in comparison with the
most majestic promise in all of Scripture: we will be one with the Father even as Jesus is
one with the Father, knowing His love and power in the same way that Jesus knows it.
7

These are the heights and depths of the promise of God, that He Himself will be our
inheritance.
The King goes on to make a series of statements that further reveal His
passionate love for the Shulamite, and that serve to strengthen her heart for the journey
that is still before her. He tells her that one glance from her eyes ravishes His heart, that
even the smallest motion of her heart in worship ruins Him again for any other loves.
The smallest link on her necklace is captivating to Him, which refers to the individual
responses of sincere obedience and faithfulness. The neck speaks of her free will, and
the necklace is the adornment of righteous choices she is making in response to His
love. Every time we set our heart in a new way to follow after Him, to be wholehearted
and responsive to His Spirit, the heart of Jesus is ravished afresh.
He declares to her How fair is your love! Once again, the word fair means
beautiful and precious, communicating to her that when she gives her love to Him
in a wholehearted way, it is the most desirable thing to Him. As the Beloved of God, we
are dignified to such a degree that the motions of love in our hearts actually move the
heart of God! In fact, the King intensifies His statement by declaring that the love of the
Shulamite is much better than wine . . .! In other words, nothing else moves the heart
of Jesus like the love of His Bride. Though He will inherit all authority and power,
though the worlds belong to Him, there is nothing that He desires more than the love of
the Brides heart. It is her love that ravishes Him, that is the goal of all His activity. Jesus
has all authority and power, He commands all respect and obedience, and yet the one
thing He desires more than anything else is the voluntary love of weak human beings.
The message to us is this: God is a lover, and you are the object of His affections!

7
See John 17:6-26
He speaks to her of the scent of (her) perfumes, which speaks of the fragrance
of her developing character. The thoughts of her mind, the decisions she makes under
pressure, the movements of worship in her heartall these are a fragrant aroma to
Him, and are more desirable to Him than any other fragrance. What is communicated
to us here is that Jesus takes note of the little movements of our hearts, the thought
processes that we go through in secret, and the decisions we make for faithfulness when
no one is watching. The fact is that He is watching and taking note, and as we choose
Him in the secret times, His heart is thrilled and delighted with the pleasing aroma of
our secret life. We sometimes wonder if those little decisions matter, but they really do,
because the Beloved is aware and filled with pleasure as we move our hearts toward
Him.
In verse eleven, the King tells the Shulamite how delighted He is in the beauty of
her speech, the fruit of her lips that is sweet and nourishing to others. He affirms her
identity as His Bride, and comments on the honey and milk under her tongue. These
terms speak of the nurture that flows from her words to those who are less mature than
she. The Bride is growing in her ability to teach and counsel others, and her speech
patterns reflect the wisdom and tenderness of His own words.
In addition to the beauty and effectiveness of her speech, her righteousness is
beginning to be expressed in a beautiful way. The fragrance of (her) garments is like
the fragrance of Lebanon. In the Scripture, garments often refer to the righteous acts
of believers. Her love for the King is not merely an emotional condition of her heart.
The Shulamite is beginning to express her love for Him in the way that she relates to
those around her.
Jesus is clear in the Gospels that the way we relate to one another in
righteousness is a reflection of our love for Him. In Matthew 10:42 and in Matthew
12:41-44 He instructs us that even the smallest act of kindnessa cup of cold water
given in His Nameindicates the truth of love that is growing in our hearts. These
deeds are fragrant to Jesus, like perfumed garments that remind Him of His love for His
Bride.

The Final AffirmationA garden enclosed is My sister, My spouse, a spring sealed
up, a fountain sealed.
This supremely beautiful series of affirmations concludes with a wonderful
assessment of the condition of the Brides heart. Her garden (or her vineyard in 1:6) is
her heart, and the King now sees that she has sealed her heart for Him alone. Only He
can have access to the deep places of affection; no one else can claim ownership any
longer. Although the process of maturity is not yet complete in her, and although she
still has significant encounters that must be endured with faith and love, she has set her
heart on this pilgrimage, and nothing will deter her. All other affections have been
made secondary, and none of them has a claim on her deepest love. Having seen the
suffering love of the King, and having heard His words of affirmation from the place of
His sorrows, she has responded with wholehearted love. The King sees this, and blesses
her for it.
He finishes His affirmations by commenting on the emerging graces of her life
the sweetness of her ministry before the Lord, her intercession, her self-sacrificing love,
the fact that she is becoming a resting place for Him. She is becoming His garden, a
place where He can rest, a Bride with whom He no longer needs to struggle to express
His ways and His will. This is the deep desire of the Lord, to have a resting place in the
hearts of His people. Jesus desires to dwell in the secret, enclosed garden of the human
heart, a place where no other influence has control, a heart from which He can express
His life and love to the world around.

Her ResponseWhatever It Takes!
The Shulamite responds to the affirmations of the King with a magnificent
statement of dedication and transition. Up to this point, her main concern has been for
her pleasure and fulfillment. She has legitimately desired the pleasure of His kisses, the
safety of His presence, the affirmation of His words. But now the Shulamite takes a
significant stepshe shifts her priority from her pleasure to His pleasure. This
transition is stated in verse 16:

Awake, O north wind, and come, O south! Blow upon my garden, that its spices
may flow out. Let my Beloved come to His garden, and eat its pleasant fruits.

With these words, the Shulamite articulates the main transition of her life. Her
desire is no longer that her comfort zone be maintained. Rather, her desire now is that
the King would receive maximum pleasure from the fragrance of her life. The spices
and fruits speak of the fragrant impact of her life, and she recognizes that in order for
that fragrance to be released to the fullest degree, both the north and south winds are
necessary.
The north winds speak of times of adversity, and the south winds speak of times
of comfort and pleasure. There are some spices, some fragrances of worship that can
only be released in the pressures of difficulty and trouble. When worship arises from a
soul that is troubled, it is a pleasing and fragrant aroma to God, and a sign of defeat for
the enemy. Without times of trouble, the fragrance of worship is not complete, nor is the
experience of intimacy made full. There is a communion of sorrows that is uniquely
precious, and only those who welcome the north winds can know that communion.
By the same token, there are spices, or fragrances of worship and love that can
only be expressed as thanksgiving for times of blessing. The point is that her desire is
not to be comfortable, but to give full expression of her love for the King, that His
pleasure might be full. She is living for Him now, and her preparation for her place of
intimate authority is nearly complete.
In the past days of her life, the changing winds would have been a source of
anxiety and fear for the Shulamite. But now she sees that she can command the winds
to produce and release fervent love in her own heart. So she prophesies to the winds,
commanding them to do their work of refining and releasing the pure fragrance of
adoring worship that the King desires. What a transition, and what a preparation for
glory!
In the next chapter, we will gaze into the final step of preparationthe
Shulamites journey into the dark night of her own sufferings.

Chapter Seven:
The Dark Night Of Communion In Suffering


In our previous two chapters, we saw how the King drew the Shulamite into a
greater experience of His love by revealing to her the depth of His passion for her. She
witnessed the processional that demonstrated His great condescension, His willingness
to go any lengths to win her heart and bring her to Himself. In the beautiful poetry at
the end of Song Of Solomon chapter three, we saw the magnificence of the King coming
to embrace His Bride on the day of His wedding, the day of the gladness of His heart.
In this passage, we saw eight veiled references to the sufferings of Christ, who
humbled Himself in ways beyond our understanding to bring us to life in Him. I urge
you to review this section of the Song from time to time, because it is in the
contemplation of Jesus sufferings and the statements of love that follow in chapter four
that our hearts are most powerfully awakened to the depths of His love for us. In the
midst of that revelation, the Shulamite responds with the commitment of her heart that
the King was waiting to hear. In chapter four verse six, she declares that she will go to
the mountains of myrrh, to the hill of frankincense. Since myrrh is a spice used to
anoint the dead for burial, the Shulamite is embracing the journey of sorrows, the
willingness to follow the King wherever He leads her, so that she might become the
suitable partner that He sees her to be. The reference to frankincense in this verse
affirms her willingness to embrace a life of prayer, from which she will find the strength
to endure what is coming to her.
In the subsequent verses, the King continues to speak to the Shulamite of His
love, and of His pleasure in receiving hers. Although she has not yet completed the
journey, the Shulamite has set her heart on this pilgrimage, and is ready to embrace the
next phase of her growth process. In order to stand with the King in the place of
partnership He has in mind for her, she must be fully qualified by experiencing the
crucible of suffering, even as He did. The New Testament letter to the Hebrews makes it
clear that Jesus was qualified through suffering to stand in His place as Savior and
Lord. Consider these words:

Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.
And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who
obey Him. (Hebrews 5:8-9)

Embracing the path of suffering is an essential step in being qualified for
authority and influence to be released in our lives. It was necessary for Jesus, and it is
also necessary for us in order that we may reign with Him as His Bride. Jesus was
required to demonstrate in the fires of suffering that He would trust the Father to fulfill
His Word. Even though He drank the full cup of the rage of Satan and the wrath of God
on sin, yet Jesus never wavered in His confidence in the Fathers love. Because of His
selfless love and perfect trust, Jesus was raised up by the Father to the place of highest
authority, and given the right to rule and reign over the Fathers creation forever. His
desire is to have a Bride of equal standing, one who will endure the same qualifying
process that He embraced, and be found worthy of His great love.

The Shulamites Wholehearted Response
Having the depths of the Kings love revealed to her captures the Shulamites
heart, and she responds in the only reasonable wayshe makes the commitment to
follow Him in every dimension of the journey, embracing the life of prayer and
whatever suffering is involved in being made ready to stand as His bridal partner. From
the power of this revelation of His love, the Shulamite cries out these words:

Awake, O north wind, and come, O south! Blow upon my garden, that its spices
may flow out. Let my Beloved come to His garden and eat its pleasant fruits.
(Song 4:16)

This is an amazing statement coming from the Shulamite! In previous
encounters, she has avoided the situations that would move her out of her comfort
zone. But contemplating the sufferings of the King has changed her heart. She now
summons the winds, commanding the circumstances to cooperate with Gods vision for
her life. The Shulamite is determined now to embrace whatever it takes to fulfill the
Kings desire for her, since His love for her was demonstrated as so profound. She is no
longer motivated to maintain her comfort zone; rather, she has decided that His
pleasure is the most important thing, and that whatever it takes for Him to have the full
reward of His suffering is what she will embrace. This is the major transition point of
the Song, and the decision that releases her into the full revelation of the Kings beauty
and of her place of authority and blessing at His side.
Several years ago, I had an opportunity to embrace a season of north winds
when my wife of 32 years was dying of breast cancer. As I made the choices to worship
God and delight in His goodness during that time, I had the clear sense that He was
pleased and delighted with the costly fragrance of worship that comes in such a season.
Since then, God has been pleased to bring me into another love relationship with my
wife Marie that has been such a season of south winds, of the blessings of the Lord
upon us. The worship and thanksgiving that arises out of seasons of blessing is precious
to God as well, and we learn to settle in our hearts that the most important thing is to
love and worship Him in all the seasons of our lives.
The King responds to the Shulamites cry with a wonderful statement of the
pleasure that He finds in her:

I have come to my garden, my sister, my spouse; I have gathered my myrrh with
my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine
with my milk.
(TO HIS FRIENDS)
Eat, O friends! Drink, yes, drink deeply, O beloved ones!
(Song 5:1)

I love the reality of the Kings response to her dedication. He tells her that He is
already deeply enjoying the sweetness and fragrance of her love. He has been
strengthened by it, and has taken great pleasure in her commitment to Him. Not only
has He enjoyed it HimselfHe has invited His friends to come and partake of the
overflow of the delights of her heart! In verse twelve of chapter four, the King had
praised the Shulamite because she had closed her heart off to anyone but Himself. She
was not interested in anyone else drinking from her fountain; only the King would have
access there. Her mind and heart were not focused on how many people were
responding to her ministry, how big the crowds were that were impressed with her. No,
her total focus was on the pleasure of the King in her life, that she would be a resting
place for Him alone. But when she makes that decision, the King decides to invite all
His friends to enjoy her life with Him! His pleasure in her dedication is so great that He
cannot keep it a secret. He must bring along with Him all those who are precious to
Him, that they might enjoy the bounty that is beginning to flow from her heart.
This is such an important reality for us. In our Western mindset, our perception
of value is almost inevitably tied to how many people are noticing our ministries and
following our leadership. We go to great lengths to make people comfortable in our
meetings, when in reality the only thing that matters is if the Lord Jesus has access to
our hearts as a resting place for His Spirit. When He finds such a place, He will bring
His friends to that place, and minister to them there through the fruits of our lives.
Im reminded of the time when Jesus cleansed the Temple from the influence of
the money-changers and merchants. The House of the Lord, intended to be a place of
prayer, had become a den of thieves, and Jesus was not happy about it. So, in His
righteous indignation at the pollution of His garden, Jesus drove those people out and
restored an atmosphere of holiness in the Temple in Jerusalem.
1
When He had
completed this cleansing task, Matthew tells us that the blind and the lame came to Him
in the Temple, and He healed them there. This is what Jesus intends to be the fruit of
our hearts. He desires that the Temple of our hearts be set aside for Him alone, a place
of communion to which He can come and rest from the striving that He faces so often
among His own people. When He finds such a place of rest in our hearts, He can bring
His friends to usthe broken and desperate people that He loves to heal.

The Shulamites Troubled Night
In this next section of the Song, we are invited to consider a most important
event in the Shulamites life. She has made the commitment to follow the King to the
place of suffering, and now the time has come for her to seek Him in this crucial night.
It is so important for us to see that it is the King who is drawing her into the painful
encounter that is about to happen, for the fact of His leadership is what gives us
confidence and hope in the face of difficult things that come our way. She has invited
the north winds to bring forth the fragrance of sacrificial praise, and so with great love
the King leads her into the situation that will give her the opportunity to release such
costly adoration. The encounter begins with the Shulamite in a restless night of longing
for the Kings presence:

1
See Matthew 21:12-14

I sleep, but my heart is awake. It is the voice of my beloved! He knocks, saying
Open for me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one; for my head is
covered with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. (Song 5:2)

The Shulamites heart is alive with longing, even though her body is weary and
sleeping. In the midst of her sleep, she hears the Kings voice summoning her into the
night, inviting her into the communion of His sorrows. The dew on His head speaks of
His own night of sorrows in the Garden of Gethsemane, as His commitment was tested
by the waters of adversity and trouble. Her response comes immediately and with great
passion.
She says that she has taken off her robe, the old clothing of her past
compromised life. She cannot go back to the old way of refusing Him out of fear.
Rather, she knows that she will follow His leadership. She states that her feet are clean,
her walk is holy, and she can no longer defile her steps by refusing to follow Him
wherever He leads her. As she responds, He touches the door latch with His hands, and
the longing of her heart for His presence increases as she hears the sound of His touch.
As she arises to open the door for Him, she notices that liquid myrrh is dripping from
her hands and fingers, indicating that she is embracing the pathway of suffering that is
coming to her now. The anointing to endure suffering has come to her in the moment
that she needs it, and she is now empowered by the grace of the Holy Spirit. She is now
equipped to embrace the trial that will lead to deeper revelation of the beauty of the
King, and that will qualify her for the place of authority that is her destiny.
It is significant to us that the anointing to endure the trial that is coming to her is
released as she takes the steps to enter that trial. She has not needed that anointing to
this point, but in the moment that it is needed, the Holy Spirit releases it to her.
Sometimes in our own journeys we feel concern that in a troublesome time we will not
have the grace to stand in our love for Jesus. However, that grace comes in the moment
when it is needed, and not before. If the Holy Spirit is inviting you to take a step
tomorrow, you do not need the anointing for it today. As you move to obey in the
Lords timing, He will release the power that you need in the precise time you need it.

The Kings Loving Leadership and the Resistance of the Watchmen
Again, it is so important for us to understand that it is the King who is leading
her into this encounter, and that His motivation is love. In the same way that Jesus led
Mary and Martha into the confusing and painful situation of their brothers sickness
and death because of His love for them,
2
so the King is drawing the Shulamite into a
confusing and painful night. The question that must be answered is whether the
Shulamite will trust His leadership, and respond to this difficulty with grace and love,
or whether she will become offended at His ways and lose her confidence in Him.
As she opens the door to find the King, He has once again withdrawn from her
presence. She knows from her first experience that seeking Him in the night leads to
greater revelation, and so she fearlessly moves into the streets after Him, her heart filled
with yearning and desire for His company. As she goes forth, she is encountered by the
watchmen, who through the story have represented spiritual leadership. The watchmen
are those who are responsible for the well-being of the city. They have been represented
in the first chapter as the under-shepherds of the Kings estate who would teach the
Shulamite the first things about His character and ways. She would learn much from
them, and would connect with His heart as she listened to their words concerning Him.
In her second encounter with the watchmen in chapter three, she is seeking the
King in her first nighttime journey, but they have no information for her. She simply
passes them by and continues in her search. This speaks to me that the Shulamite is
moving into her own seeking of the Lord, and they cannot give much direction to her.
She is seeking after His voice alone, and the watchmen have nothing to add to her
understanding.
Finally, in this third encounter, she experiences active resistance and even harm
from the watchmen, as they strike her, wound her, and take away her veil. It is such a
surprising and painful experience because the watchmen are those who are charged
with her well-being. However, instead of protecting and guiding her, they lash out at
her and wound her severely, tearing away the covering that she has had over her. The
question that immediately comes to us in the face of this is Why? Why does this
painful thing happen to her, and at the hands of those who should have been her
encouragers, her protectors?

2
See John 11, especially verse 5
I believe there are several answers that are important to our understanding of the
Shulamites journey, and also of our journey. The watchmen resist the Shulamite
because they do not comprehend her journey. They have no understanding of the
passion in her heart, and they do not know the powerful revelation of the Kings love
that drives her into such a pursuit of love. Because they do not understand, they resist
her, and the reason they do not understand is that they have been given no revelation of
the journey she is on. There comes a point in our pursuit of Jesus that we must follow
Him regardless of the opinions of any others, and we must do what He asks of us, even
if it means that we encounter the resistance of other believers. Jesus Himself walked this
path, and we must walk it as well if we are to be qualified to stand alongside Him as
His Bride.
The tearing away of the veil is of particular importance. In chapter one, the
Shulamite declared that she no longer wanted to be a veiled woman, one who was
separated from intimacy with the King for any reason. This type of veil was often used
by prostitutes who would follow the shepherds and ply their trade. Therefore, the veil
here is a picture of our shame issues, the things that separate us from an intimate
relationship and friendship with the Beloved. Paul writes to the Corinthians that a veil
separates unbelievers from the presence of Christ, but when the Holy Spirit invades the
life of a seeker, the veil is removed.
3

So, the Shulamites longing is that everything that separates her from the King
would be removed. Even through her journey of growth and maturity, the veil has
remained in place.
4
The yearning of her heart has been to have it removed, and in this
surprising and painful encounter, it is finally torn away. Perhaps she thought it would
be removed in a tender and intimate encounter with the King, but remember, she is
being called to follow in His steps so that she can be qualified to be alongside Him as
His Bride and suitable partner in ruling His Kingdom. Therefore, it is necessary to see
that Jesus Himself tore a veil as well, and in Hebrews 10:20 we are informed that the
veil that was torn was His own flesh! Jesus, too, was subjected to this humiliating and
painful process. As a result, the glory of God was revealed through Him as never

3
See 2 Corinthians 3:14-18
4
See Song Of Solomon 4:1
beforea God who embraces suffering so that His beloved ones might be redeemed
and brought to Him to fulfill His own desires.
As the Shulamite is resisted and wounded because of her commitment to pursue
intimacy and partnership with the King, the veil is torn away from her eyes and she
receives the most beautiful revelation of His beauty that is recorded anywhere in the
Scriptures. The key element in this revelation is that she comes through the experience
unoffended and lovesick, desiring only to find her Beloved and be held in His embrace.
For so many who experience the resistance of others in the Body of Christ, their
response is not unoffended lovesickness, but offense and bitterness. It is because we do
not understand the ways of the Lord in preparing us for intimacy and authority. If we
will see that His purposes for us are wonderful, and can be realized if we will simply
not be offended, then we can embrace such painful situations as gifts of love from Jesus,
even if in the moment they are painful and unpleasant. Remember, He endured much
more so that the Father could be revealed, and He is inviting us to share in His sorrows
that we might also share in His glory.
5

In a surprising and passionate cry, the Shulamite reveals the purity of her own
heart and calls out to her friends:
I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my Beloved, that you tell
Him I am lovesick! (Song 5:8)

The amazing thing here is that through the dark night, she has fixed her gaze on
Him alone, remembering that she herself summoned the winds to come, that every
possible fragrance might pour forth from her in worship and adoration. Though the
circumstance might have surprised and confused her, still she has maintained her
focused gaze, and therefore comes through the dark night with a heart filled with love.
She has no time for bitterness or offense; she cares about one thing alonethat she find
her Beloved and express her love to Him face to face.
The daughters of Jerusalem are stunned and shaken by her response. They speak
back to her, asking her what kind of Man this must be, that she would speak like this
after what she has endured. The lack of offense and the presence of passionate love in
her heart even through this dark night of suffering captures them, and they want to
know Him as well.

5
See Romans 8:17
The Shulamite responds to them with a song of adoration and worship that is
perhaps the most beautiful description of the attributes of Jesus in the entire Scripture.
In the next chapter, we will look at these attributes as they are presented to us, that our
hearts might be taken captive by this amazing Man that we call our Savior, Jesus Christ.
May you be blessed in His love as you consider these things.
Chapter Eight:
The Beauty Of The King

There is perhaps no more beautiful section of Scripture in the whole Bible than
the passage we are considering in this chapter. In Song Of Solomon chapter five, verses
ten through sixteen, we find the love song of the Shulamites heart as she speaks of her
adoration of her beloved King. She has come through the dark night of testing, and the
fiery ordeal that she endured has served only to intensify her love for the King. Even
though she is wounded and humiliated in the night encounter, she is not offended with
her lover for taking her through that experience. The Bride understands that it was
necessary to join her King in the communion of suffering so that she could present to
Him the matchless fragrance of worship that can only be released in the crushing
pressures of a dark night encounter.
As she emerges from this experience, still unable to find her Beloved, the
Shulamites heart overflows with joy that she has been found worthy to share in His
sufferings. She calls out to her friends with these words:
I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my Beloved, that you tell
Him I am lovesick! (Song 5:8)

Her cry is stunning to her companions, for they cannot comprehend that she
would endure such a night of sorrow, and still be overcome with love for the One who
led her there. She has no complaint, she is not bitter or offended; rather, she has seen the
experience as being orchestrated by her King for the purpose of preparing her for
authority. If she will trust His leadership even through something like that, then she
will become a safe leader for others who will follow her as she follows the King.
In response to her request, the daughters of Jerusalem ask her how she can speak
like that after what she has been through. What sort of man this is, this beloved One
whose love is so amazing that she will follow Him anywhere, down any path that He
chooses? They see the effect of His influence in her life, and they recognize the beauty of
character that has been established in her. Therefore, they want to know more about
who He is, that they might pursue Him as well. In response the Shulamite releases a
song of stunning beauty and depth, a hymn of praise to the attributes of her King.
I want to urge the readers to take much time over the next season of your life to
meditate on the character of Jesus that is revealed in this passage. We are told in 2
Corinthians 3:18 that if we will simply behold Him, considering His attributes,
meditating on the beauty of His character, that over time we will be transformed into
His likeness simply as a result of gazing at Him. Fix the eyes of your spirit upon the
person of Jesus. Consider Him, think about Him, and allow the Holy Spirit to change
you into His image. Since His glory is infinite, there is no end to the revelation that the
Holy Spirit will give us. We might ask why the Holy Spirit conceals the beauty of the
King in such poetic language that makes it difficult to comprehend what is being said. I
believe it is because these things are precious, and God loves to conceal precious things.
He does not reveal them to just anyone, but all who are hungry to know Him will set
their hearts to search out the mystery of His beauty. As you meditate on these verses,
the Holy Spirit will begin to lead you into understanding of what is being said. Your
heart will expand with love as you consider these things, and you will be drawn to
contemplate Him for the rest of your life.
Let us take the passage one phrase at a time, so that we might gain insight into
the overflow of the Shulamites heart.
My Beloved is white and ruddy, chief among ten thousand. (Song 5:10)

The words white and ruddy speak of the dual nature of Jesus, His divinity and
humanity. You could translate white as dazzling or excellent. He is brilliant as
He reveals the character of God. It refers to Jesus divinity that is in perfect balance with
His humanity. One of the great temptations of theologians through history is to
overemphasize either Jesus divinity or His humanity. We are called to live in the center
place of affirming both qualities, that Jesus is fully God, but also fully human. Jesus
came to reveal the Father to us, but He also came to reveal us to us! When we look at
Him, we see exactly what the Father is like. Hebrews 1:3 says that He is the exact
representation of the Fathers nature. Colossians 2:9 tells us that the fullness of the
Godhead dwells in this human body. In His character, in the way Jesus relates to
human beings day after day, He reveals the glory of God to us.
Jesus is called the Light of the world, and speaks of Himself in those terms.
The Scripture tells us of the light that proceeds out of His own character. Were told that
in the city of Gods Kingdom that is coming to earth at the end of the age, there will be
no need for a sun or moon to shine because the Lamb will be its light.
1
This speaks of
the perfect combination of Jesus divinity and humanity. The term Lamb speaks of
His humanity, the man that became the sacrifice for our sins. But this man shines with
the divine nature, and dwells in unapproachable light. He Himself is brilliant.
There was one time in Jesus life on the earth when God revealed the brilliance of
His Son.
2
Through all His days on earth, Jesus walked as a man filled with the Holy
Spirit. But on one day, He took three friends up onto a mountain. It was just before His
crucifixion, and the Father sent Moses and Elijah from heaven to commune with Jesus,
strengthening Him for the trial that was to come. He was transfigured before them, and
began to shine from the inside out with the light that was His own holy character. He
was revealed as glorious, not with the reflected glory of the Father, but with the
brightness of His own character, the God who became flesh. This is the one we love,
and as we meditate on His character and nature we see the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ.
The word ruddy on the other hand, means red in the face. It refers to the
color in a mans face that comes from the blood flowing through his body. Here is the
great wonder. The infinite God has become a man who has blood in His veins. This is
such a tension for those who attempt to comprehend Jesus with the mind alone: How
can one person be both God and man? But in Jesus we have that perfect combination.
Jesus was fully human, not just God in the form of man. He was truly a human being
who left behind Him all the privileges of His divinity.
3
Jesus lived His life as a man
filled with the Spirit of God. He did this to demonstrate to us what Gods intention is
for us as well. In His humanity, Jesus becomes the pattern for human existence. In the
same way that we meditate on Jesus divinity, we can meditate on His humanity and
see what we are becoming by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
What was it like for Jesus to be a man and constantly, perfectly respond to the
Fathers voice? How did Jesus listen to the Father? How was their intimacy cultivated?
As we meditate on these things, we will gain insight into our own walk of intimate
friendship with God, and find the strength to walk even as Jesus walked on the earth.
He is more than our example; He is the pattern of a whole new race of people, living in

1
See Revelation 21:23
2
See Matthew 17:2; Mark 9:2
3
See Philippians 2:5-11
the power of the Holy Spirit to become like Jesus at every level of our experience. The
same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, and His life is available to us
through that indwelling Spirit of God. The more we meditate on Jesus as the normal
human being, the more we will be able to step into the life of power that Jesus lived in.
She says that the King is the fairest among ten thousand. No one compares to
Him. He is the most beautiful one. He is fairer than all the sons of men. There is a
yearning in the human heart to consider and attach ourselves to those whom we
consider to be beautiful. Its why we identify with heroes in our lives. Perhaps its a
great Christian in history, or a sports figure, or an entertainment personalitythere is
something in us that wants to gaze on someone who is beautiful. We want to be like
that person. That yearning drives much about our lives, even our economic systems.
The fairest of them all is this Man Jesus. This yearning was created inside of us
that we might gaze upon Him and be fulfilled. He is the one who will never collapse
under the pressure of the spotlight. Every other hero will fall, even if they only fall
ultimately in their own physical death. But Jesus came out of the grave, and He is the
fairest of all. Fix your gaze on this man, and you will never be disappointed.
In verse eleven, she says this:
His head is like the finest gold.

In the Scriptures, the head speaks of leadership and authority. The word that is
used for finest gold refers to gold that has been refined in the hottest fires. It has been
purified again and again, seven times in the perfect process of refinement. This means
that Jesus leadership is perfect because it has been refined in the crucible of His human
experience. He is a perfect and safe leader for you and me, because He never asks us to
go through anything He Himself has not endured. As our perfect leader, He has walked
the journey that He requires of us. There is no other man who can lead us like that,
because in Jesus life on the earth, He embraced the lives of every other human being.
The Scripture calls Him the last Adam, and as such He carries each of us inside
Himself. When Jesus went to the cross, God laid upon Him the iniquity of all of us. He
bore our sorrows, and carried our infirmities and sicknesses.
4


4
See Isaiah 53:4-6
Here is the power of this: there is only one experience of life that I can have as an
individual. I can only live my life. I cannot know another persons experience. If I find
someone who has had similar experiences, we can have fellowship to the degree that
our experiences correspond.
However, because Jesus was the prototype of this new race of human beings, as
the Lamb of God the sicknesses and sin of every individual in the whole world were
placed upon Him. There is nothing that you have experienced that He does not
understand from His own experience. Therefore, He is able to sympathize with us in
our weakness. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that no temptation or testing has come to us,
but such as is common to man. The man that it became common to is Jesus Christ. He
walked through those experiences with perfect trust in the Father. Therefore, in His
great mercy and sympathy He comes to you and me and says, I know the deepest pain of
your lives. I know the pain of betrayal. I know the greatest joys that you have ever experienced. I
know the pressure of every temptation.
We ask how Jesus might know the pressure of temptation, but He knows it better
than we do. He never gave in to temptation, even though the enemy attacked Him with
every weapon at his disposal. Every time, in the face of every attack, Jesus resisted him.
His own testimony to the Pharisees was that they could not prove Him guilty of even
one sin. Therefore, He understands the pressure of our lives. The book of Hebrews says
that He responds to us with great compassion. He leads us with tender mercies because
His leadership has been refined in the fires of His own experience. Therefore He never
comes in an attitude of impatience, scolding us for our weakness and struggle. He
comes gently, mercifully interceding for us before the Father that there would be mercy
released to us in our time of need. He prays night and day to the Father with tender
compassion as He leads us through the things that will lead us to glory. There is no
experience in our lives that He cannot overcome.
One of the most healing things that can happen to us is when we acknowledge
that Jesus has led our lives perfectly. See the Shulamite coming out of that dark night.
She does not minimize the pain, but she acknowledges that He led her perfectly. We too
can come to this conclusion: Jesus has orchestrated the perfect pathway for us to reach
maximum glory in our lives.
The second part of verse eleven goes on to declare that
His locks are wavy, and black as a raven.

As we have mentioned before, the hair speaks to us of dedication to the purposes
of God, even as the vows of the Nazirites were demonstrated by their decision not to
cut their hair. In the case of the King, His locks of hair are pictured as black and wavy.
These words communicate several things. First, the blackness of His hair speaks to us of
the freshness of Jesus commitment to fulfill the purposes of God for our lives. This fact
is so encouraging to us, because our tendency is to get focused on our inability to live
up to Gods expectations of our lives. However, when we set our focus on who Jesus is
and what the Scriptures say about His dedication to this process, we can fully come to a
place of rest and trust in Him.
For example, in Isaiah 42 were told that in His determination to bring everything
into conformity with Gods desire and will, the Servant (Jesus) will not be discouraged,
and He will not fail to accomplish Gods purposes. When it says He will not be
discouraged, it means that there is no external influence, such as the strategies of Satan,
that will cause Him to fail in the task of bringing us to righteousness. There is no
external power that can defeat Him in His dedication to this task. Then, Isaiah goes on
to say that He will not fail. In other words, there is nothing internal, nothing in Jesus
personal makeup that will break down as He pursues the completion of His task. He is
totally dedicated to this task, and cannot be defeated in it.
This dedication to the task is new every day. The zeal of God is ever youthful,
ever new, and He never gets weary of the process. This was made clear to us during
Jesus life on the earth, especially as He set His will to complete the journey of suffering
and death for our sake. He would not be discouraged, and He did not fail in the task.
Therefore, there is nothing that can overcome His power and determination to bring us
to glory. He is holytotally dedicated to the Fathers purposesand therefore we shall
be holy as well, by the power of His life working in us.
The waviness of Jesus hair speaks to us of the complexity of His plans and
strategies for our lives. He fully comprehends the journey that we are on, and has made
provision for our blessing at every turn. His ways are beyond our comprehension, but it
comforts me to know that Jesus has already considered every possible circumstance in
my life, and has made provision for my blessing through those circumstances. He is a
brilliant leader, and is ablewithout violating my free willto orchestrate every
situation of my life so that I will fulfill the beautiful plan He has for me.
In verse twelve, the Shulamite sings these words:
His eyes are like doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk and fitly set.

One of the most beautiful aspects of the person of Jesus is the power and purity
of His gaze as He looks upon us in love. We were created to be enjoyed and delighted
in by someone whose love fills our hearts with peace and joy. When we are held in the
gaze of someone powerful and beautiful, we come to know our own worth and value in
a greater degree. The Shulamite has experienced the riveting gaze of her Beloved, and
the gaze of His eyes has brought healing and peace to her soul.
Doves are peaceful and gentle creatures who feed on the ground only in the most
peaceful of settings. This verse speaks of the peaceful and gentle gaze of the Lord, a
gaze that heals and restores us. His eyes are pure; He never looks upon us with wrong
desires or with a need to consume us for His own agenda. Rather, as Jesus holds us in
His gaze He infuses into us the sense of value and beauty that we long to have. He sees
us with perfect perspective, never misjudging our motives, but always interpreting our
lives from the best possible perspective. During the night of affliction that the Shulamite
has endured, she has focused her eyes on the face of the one she loves. The enemy longs
to accuse us during such seasons, to cause us to become self-centered and introspective.
Satan wants us to feel condemned, to believe that if we had done things right we would
not be in difficulty. But the Shulamite was in difficulty precisely because she followed
the Kings leadership, and as she fixed her eyes on Him, she received the affirmation
and blessing of His gaze. He communicated peace and faith to her spirit, and
communicated to her that He was delighted with her decisions of faith and obedience,
even when those decisions were costly to her.
But the healing gaze of the Lord does not only come to those who are faithful
and obedient. His healing gaze is also focused on those who are broken and in need of
cleansing and restoration. Because of this attribute, Jesus was able to look upon the
woman caught in adultery from a pure and healing perspective.
5
He chose to look upon
who she would become, rather than condemn her for her sinfulness up to that point.
Because He saw her as the loving worshipper she would become, Jesus gave her mercy
and grace in their encounter in the street. He did not look upon her to consume her with

5
See John 8:1-12
selfish lust. Neither did He look upon her with judgment that would eliminate her from
His presence. Rather, He saw her from the Fathers perspective, with love and
restoration, and chose to define her as a holy worshipper from that point on. His mercy
saved her, and she became what He saw her to be in the truth of Gods perspective.
As we become convinced that Jesus looks on us with pure and faith-filled eyes,
we will respond more and more easily to His invitations to intimacy. He longs to
encounter us, to meet our gaze with His, and to infuse into our hearts the truth of His
perspective. As we allow Him to do that, we will grow more and more into conformity
with His definition of our lives.
The next attribute that the Shulamite focuses for us is in verse thirteen:
His cheeks are like a bed of spices, banks of scented herbs.

Again, as we have seen before, the cheeks speak of the facial expressions that
reveal the emotional state of the heart. The emotions of Jesus are deep and rich, with
much variation in their nature and fragrance. As we merely touch the surface of these
issues, my prayer is that the reader will determine to probe more deeply into what the
Bible says about the attributes of Jesus that are found in this passage. There is so much
richness there that strengthens our hearts for the journey that He has prepared for us.
It is delightful to find in Scripture that Jesus is the happiest man in the universe.
We are told in Psalm 45 that because He loves righteousness and hates wickedness, the
Father has anointed Him with the oil of gladness above all His brothers. In other words,
the full range of joyful emotions has been poured out upon Jesus Christ because He has
set His heart on embracing the righteousness of the Kingdom of God with fullness and
dedication. He hates anything that distorts life and twists it from Gods perspective of
reality. He also loves every work of the Holy Spirit that brings our lives into conformity
with Gods perfect plan. Therefore, Jesus knows the full range of joy precisely because
of His love for Gods perspective and His hatred for anything that would distort Gods
definition of reality.
The implication for us is that we will come to know the fullness of joy as we align
ourselves with Gods perspective and purpose as brought to us by Jesus. Were told in
John 15:11 that Jesus intends for us to have His joy to the fullest degree. His words come
to us for the purpose of bringing joy to our experience. As we listen to His voice and
respond to it, we are brought into the same joy that He knows, and it is the greatest joy
known to human experience. Why would we refuse the counsel of the One who is the
happiest man in the universe?
On the other side of the issue, Jesus also knows the depths of the sorrows of
human experience. Because God laid the brokenness of the world upon His shoulders,
Jesus became the Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief.
6
This is also tremendously
encouraging for us, because we can have confidence that there is no emotional state that
we can touch that He does not understand. Jesus knows the full range of sorrow from
His own experience, and can therefore identify with us and sympathize with us in any
emotional condition we may encounter. He has known the depths of depression and
abandonment, the terror of unjust treatment, the anguish of persecution and betrayal,
and the horror of the most humiliating death. He conquered those things by trusting the
Fathers love, and was lifted up to the place of full joy as a result of His endurance.
Jesus also understands the power of wrath, and is fully aware that there will be a
day when His rage is poured out upon His enemies. Those who reject the revelation of
His love will face the consequences of that choiceto be without Him, and to live in the
active judgment that is deserved by those who willfully reject the wondrous salvation
that has been offered to them.
The beds of spices and banks of scented herbs speak to us of this full range
of emotional experience that God possesses. In Him we find the true reference point for
any emotional experience we may have, and can therefore rest in the confidence that we
are understood and loved at the deepest levels possible.

This Is Not Just Theoretical Information
As we continue in our meditation upon the attributes of Jesus found in Song Of
Solomon five, it is important to remember that we are not exploring theoretical and
philosophical ideas that we can hold at a distance and wrestle with at purely an
intellectual level. God is not an idea. He is a person with an infinitely beautiful and
staggeringly complex personality. His Son Jesus is not an abstract model of moral
principles that can be considered in a classroom and then forgotten. He is God, and He
is a manthe ultimate manwho loves us beyond our ability to comprehend. This
man Jesus has been qualified to have all authority on earth and in heaven, and He is

6
See Isaiah 53:3
preparing to return to the earth in His physical body to establish the real, material
Kingdom that we all long for. The purpose of this book is not to merely stimulate our
minds with new concepts to discuss, but to escort the readers into an encounter with
this God-man, the One whom we were created to love with all our hearts.
Jesus is intricately involved in the activities of your life, every day, in every
situation. The reason we contemplate and meditate upon His attributes is so that we can
come to a deeper experiential knowledge of this man. We want to know Him, to feel
His touch upon our lives, to experience His love, to trust His leadership, and to have
our hearts restored to wholeness in the warm glow of His gaze. As we complete this
consideration of the attributes of Jesus, my prayer is that you will continue to consider
these things prayerfully, meditating upon them, rolling them around in your minds and
hearts until His beauty and power captures you forever.
Lets continue. The second half of verse thirteen makes this statement:
His lips are lilies, dripping liquid myrrh.

The Scriptures declare that the power of life and death is in the tongue,
7
and that
the entire course of life can be set ablaze by the words of an influential person.
8
How
important it is, therefore, that the One with infinite power and influence have gracious
and gentle speech. In this phrase, the Shulamite speaks of the grace of the Kings spoken
words, and how we may receive maximum blessing from them.
In Psalm 45:2 we are told that the Kings lips are covered in grace, implying that
when Jesus says something to us, the words He speaks carry the power and anointing
we need to be obedient to His words, and to become what they declare us to be. This is
such a powerful reality to us, because through the words of Jesus we literally and
actually receive the power to become what He says, and to do what we are called to do.
This means that if we will simply set our hearts and wills to obey what He asks of us, in
the act of obeying the power to do what He says will be released to us, and we will step
into our true identity and destiny.
As I write this article in March of 2008, the Holy Spirit is commanding me to
come forward into a role of leadership that is beyond my capabilities. I dont perceive

7
See Proverbs 18:21
8
See James 3:6
myself as wired to do what I am being called to do, but the Word of the Lord is clear to
me, and I know that with that word comes the ability to obey and fulfill my destiny. It is
the nature of following Jesus to be led into impossible things, for we were created to
live in that dynamic. Jesus words strengthen us to become what He created us to be,
and to do what He has called us to do.
The liquid myrrh speaks of the fact that sometimes He calls us to obey in costly
ways. Remember, myrrh is the burial spice, and speaks of the anointing that is
necessary to embrace suffering. There are times when the Word of the Lord is costly to
us, involving fear and potential loss. In Philippians three the Apostle Paul declared that
he had suffered the loss of all things that were meaningful to him for the sake of
following Jesus. Paul had found one thing that was worth everything elsethe
upward call of God in Christ Jesus. In other words, God had spoken something to
Paul, calling him to something that was more valuable than any other earthly thing.
With that call came the grace to endure the loss of everything else, and to be joyful in
the face of that loss. Remember this: we are told in Hebrews 11:6 that God is a
rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. In other words, the payoff for following
the voice of the Lord will be great. In comparison with what God will give as we follow
the voice of Jesus, everything else is so much dirt. We will not be sorry that we obeyed
His voice.
Verse fourteen tells us:
His hands are rods of gold set with beryl.

It is the hands of the King that perform His will regarding everything that He is
concerned with. As the Shulamite declared in verse eleven, the Kings head is the finest
gold, speaking of the perfection of His leadership in our lives. That leadership has been
refined in the hot fires of His own human experience, and now the Kings perfectly
compassionate and precise leadership is worked out through the guidance of His
hands, outstretched to direct the details of our lives.
In her eye, his hands themselves were as gold rings (bars of gold Keil and Delitzsch);
all the instances of his power, the works of his hands, all the performances of his providence and
grace, are all rich, and pure, and precious, as gold. His hands, which are stretched forth both to
receive his people and to give to them, are thus rich and comely. (from Matthew Henry's
Commentary on the Whole Bible)
We are told in Psalm 8:6 that creation is the work of His hands, and in Job 26
that the creation is a small expression of Gods power, the mere edges of His ways.
How much strength is therefore communicated to us who are the objects of Jesus
affections? If He would put so much care and majesty into the perfection and beauty of
things that are of less importance to Him, how much more would Jesus care to direct
the lives of His precious people with the masterful touch of His hands?
From Isaiah 64:8 we discover that Jesus has the hands of a potter, and that we are
the holy vessels that He forms for His own delight and pleasure. He shapes each one
according to His desire, and because His character is always loving, filled with mercy
and grace, we can be confident that the Potters design for our lives is the best possible
one, bringing glory to Him and therefore to us as well. From His hands the entire
creation receives its sustenance,
9
and all living creatures find their satisfaction in the
provision that Jesus releases from His hands.
10

The beryl spoken of here is pictured as an artistic adornment on the fingernails of
the Kings hands. It speaks to us that He wears our lives on His fingers as evidence of
His grace, and that we are never separated from His tender touch.
The imagery of Jesus being adorned by precious stones continues in the second
half of verse 14.
His body is carved ivory, inlaid with sapphires.

This phrase pictures the sufferings of Jesus as a beautiful, rare work of art. The
carved ivory speaks of the wounds Jesus endured in the dark night of His own
suffering, when His body was ruined by the whippings and scourging administered by
the Roman soldiers. Since He was perfectly pure in His own life, Jesus sorrows were
made all the more intense because God the Father laid all the sins and brokenness of the
human race upon Him. He experienced the multiplied sorrows of every individuals
broken condition, plus the rage of Satan against humanity, plus the wrath of God upon
sinful man and upon sin itself.
Never before or since has one man suffered as Jesus did. Every other individual
can only know the pain of their own experience and sorrow, but Jesus was the sin-

9
See Psalm 104:27-28
10
See Psalm 145:16-17
bearer. He carried all our sorrows, and bore the punishment for all our sins. He was
given over to death, and though He was innocent, He was separated from the Father
who is His very life. No other man knows the depth of anguish that Jesus experienced
that night, when He became the Redeemer.
The sapphires that are embedded in the ivory speak of the lives of His people,
whose hearts are transformed by His suffering work. In Malachi 3:17 we read this
beautiful promise from the mouth of God:
"They shall be Mine," says the LORD of hosts, "On the day that I make them
My jewels. And I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him."

The word jewels could be translated special treasure, and I find no more
beautiful imagery of God securing His jewels than in the statement we are considering.
The sapphires that are embedded in His body of carved ivory are the people that are so
precious to Jesus that at His death He gathered us into Himself and made us one with
Him.
Sapphires are particularly beautiful when they are cut and broken. They are soft
stones, easily cut and shaped by the Masters hand, and they reflect light most
beautifully because they have flaws in them. Jesus takes these flawed but precious
stones, cuts and shapes them through the careful work of His own hands, and then
inserts them into Himself. The result is a work of art that is rare and most precious.
This particular picture became precious to me some years ago when my wife
Mary was in the final stages of her battle with breast cancer. It had become clear that
unless God did a miracle, she was not going to survive, and so I found myself seeking
refuge in the sufferings of Jesus by meditating on this verse. During that season, the
film The Passion of the Christ was released into the movie theaters. There was one
scene that gripped me and through which the Holy Spirit gave great comfort to me.
In this scene, Jesus had already endured the Roman scourging, and He was
sitting in a dungeon area, horribly wounded and awaiting crucifixion. His body was
carved open, and He was a mass of gaping wounds. As I watched, I imagined myself
coming close to Him, and climbing into one of the gashes that He had received in my
place. Jesus bore my sorrows that day. He took me, this soft and broken stone, and
inserted me into His torn body, and in that moment we shared the communion of
suffering. It was one of the most precious times of my life, and as I came to understand
the imagery of this verse, that experience has grown in its beauty and its power to heal
my heart.
Jesus did the same for you. He carried all your pain and sin that day, and made
you part of His body. As you come to Him with all your sorrows, He will commune
with you, sharing with you His understanding of what you have endured, and your
intimacy with Him will grow. Then, in the power of His resurrection, you will rejoice in
the finished work of the cross, and see the joy of His new life released in your
experience.
His legs are pillars of marble, set on bases of fine gold.

This first phrase of verse fifteen speaks to us of the firm foundations of Jesus
rule as the King of kings. The legs represent the power and strength that is displayed as
He fulfills the purposes of His kingdom. It is the administration of how He exercises
His sovereign will.
Pillars speak of strength, orderliness, and beauty, and marble is a lovely and
permanent building material that has been forged under the pressure of time. This
imagery speaks of Gods ways being strong, lovely, permanent, established and orderly
as He accomplishes His purposes.
The bases of fine gold are the foundations of His activity which again have been
refined in the hottest fires of testing. Psalm 89 tells us that righteousness and justice are
the foundations of His throne, and so these bases of fine gold represent the righteous
and just nature of Jesus kingdom. He will establish things as they were intended to be
when the Father created them in the first place. There is a day when all will be right,
when evil will be eliminated, and we will know the joy of His full presence and life in
our experience.
His countenance is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.

This reference to Jesus countenance pictures His face turned toward His people
to impart His character and nature to them. One of the chief blessings of Gods people is
that He would lift up His countenance upon them, and give them peace.
11
The
shining of Gods face upon us is the promise that He will intervene in our lives to bring

11
See Numbers 6:26
the fullness of His blessing and care. His favor is upon us, and it is excellent. The cedars
of Lebanon represent that which is glorious, stately, pleasing and honorable.
The cedars of Lebanon are high in the mountains of that country, and from their
location one can look over the cities and countryside with a broad and peaceful
perspective. The beauty of their situation speaks to me of the enduring strength and
peaceful perspective of the Lords gaze as He watches my life. When His countenance is
upon me, I draw strength from His gaze, from the knowledge that His eye is upon me,
and He is pleased.
His mouth is most sweet.

All through the Song of Solomon, the Kings mouth refers to the kisses of
intimacy and sweet communion with Him. His mouth is distinct from His lips, which
refer to the words He speaks to us, but the kisses of His mouth are the touches of
intimate affection that sustain us as we walk with Him.
As the Shulamite has endured the dark night of her own suffering, she has been
sustained by the memory of the kisses of His mouth. Though His presence was
withdrawn from her, and she could not find Him during that night of sorrows, yet the
memory of times of intimate communion was enough to uphold her courage as she
endured the night. We do well to follow her example during the times of our own
difficulties, and fix our minds and hearts on the joys of intimacy that will surely be
restored at the coming of the morning.
He is altogether lovely! This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend, O daughters
of Jerusalem.

Here is the Shulamites final statement concerning the beauty of her King. He is
absolutely and altogether lovely! All His attributes work together to form an amazing
whole. The daughters of Jerusalem asked her what she sees in this Man that would
cause her to not be offended at His leadership in her life. She responded by declaring to
them the beauty of His character, the magnificence of His person that is worthy to be
trusted and followed.
The world does not have this perspective of Jesus, and therefore they become
offended at Him when their circumstances do not please them. But the Bride is
captivated by the beauty of the King, and her love for Him grows even deeper in the
face of difficulty and testing. He is her lover, but He is also her friend. His love is
powerful and releases ecstatic joy to her, and yet He is with her in every circumstance
as her companion and leader. She has fixed her gaze upon Him, and He has been
faithful in the most difficult circumstances of her life.
In the next chapter, we will consider the response of the daughters of Jerusalem,
as well as the response of the King to the Shulamites victory in her dark night.

Chapter Nine:
The Bride s New Identity

As we have made our way through the Song Of Solomon, we have observed the
journey of the Shulamite as she embraces the process of receiving her true identity and
destiny. This process is so helpful to us as followers of Jesus because it is the normal
way that the Holy Spirit leads us into the mature relationship and authority that Jesus
has planned for us from the beginning of time.
We have seen the Shulamite become established in confidence that she is loved
and desirable to the King even while she is in the process of becoming mature. We have
observed that she is motivated by His strong love, expressed first through words of love
in the setting of intimate communion, and then through words of love spoken even as
she experiences the revelation of His own suffering and sacrifice. All the while, the King
has declared His love and affirmation to her, and as she meditates upon these phrases,
her heart is transformed as she becomes more and more settled in the truth of His love
for her.
We must always remember that Jesus desire for us as the Bride is to share His
authority with us as His Bridal partner. We were created to be a suitable helper for
Him, those who would stand alongside Him in the majesty and power of His Kingdom.
The Bride was meant to be fully conformed to His image, and fully endowed with
intimacy and authority so that she might reign with Him on the earth forever as His
Bride. This destiny demands a process of qualification, a journey of being proven to be
worthy of this high calling. Will the Bride respond to the situations of life even as Jesus
did? Will she humble herself under the disciplines of the Father, trusting Him to exalt
her in due time? This is the path that Jesus followed to receive all authority in heaven
and on earth, to be proven worthy of being lifted up as King of kings and Lord of lords.
If we desire to stand alongside Him as His Bridal partners, sharing His authority in the
context of perfect intimacy, then we must be proven as well through the same sort of
journey.

Understanding the Purpose of the Dark Night
As we approach this chapter, we find the Shulamite having just endured the
darkest time of her life, a night in which because of full obedience and trust, she has
been misunderstood, rejected, and wounded at the hands of spiritual leaders, those who
seemingly should know better. Surely our spiritual leaders should comprehend the
journey that we are on, and bring encouragement and assistance to us! But beloved
readers, this dark night comes because the purposes of God are being worked in us.
Jesus was placed in such a situation where He had to trust the Fathers loving plan
when all evidence of the Fathers love pointed in the opposite direction. He was
despised and rejected, but in that dark place He committed His Spirit into the hands of
the Father, trusting Him alone. Because of this trust, the glory of the Father was
revealed, and through the torn flesh of Jesus we gained entrance into the presence of the
Most High God.
In his brilliant satirical book The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis gives us a
profound insight into the strategies of God that are terrifying for Satan, but can be
confusing for us if we do not comprehend the purposes of God for our lives. Quoting
Screwtape, a senior demon who oversees the attempts of Wormwood, a junior demon,
to defeat a young follower of Jesus, Lewis says this:
He (God) wants them to learn to walk, and must therefore take away His hand; and if
only the will to walk is really there He is pleased even with their stumbles. Do not be
deceived, Wormwood. Our cause (the cause of Satan) is never more in danger than when
a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemys (Gods) will, looks
round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks
why he has been forsaken, and still obeys. (Lewis, The Screwtape Letters,
HarperCollins Edition 2001, p. 40)

This was the journey of Jesus, and it is the journey of the Bride as well. The
process that qualified Jesus to stand in authority is the same process that qualifies us to
stand with Him as His Bridal partners. We must endure these things even as Jesus did,
looking only to Him for strength and assurance during the time of testing. His promise
is that He will be faithful to us, and that if we endure to the end, we will share His
authority with Him in the context of eternal love.

Revealing the Kings Beauty to the Daughters of Jerusalem
Through the Shulamites dark night of trouble, she has received the most
beautiful understanding of the Kings character. Even as the tearing of Jesus flesh
revealed the Fathers beauty, so the tearing of the Brides flesh now reveals the beauty
of the King. At the beginning of Song Of Solomon chapter six, the Shulamites friends
ask her a question that reveals the awakened longing in their own hearts:
Where has your Beloved gone,
O fairest among women?
Where has your Beloved turned aside,
that we may seek Him with you?

There are three things that captivate us in this single verse. First of all, the
daughters of Jerusalem have become thoroughly enamored with the King through the
example and testimony of the Shulamite. She has come through this dark night without
offense, more deeply in love with Jesus than ever before, and enraptured by the
revelation of His beauty and character. She is lovesick and unoffended, having
experienced that His sacrificial love has strengthened and sustained her through her
time of trial. The more difficult the time has been, the more she has focused her
attention on the beauty of the King, and the wonders of His strategies in her life. She
has agreed with His processes, and as a result, her love has grown deep and full.
The effect on her friends is profound. They have watched her journey, and it has
caused them to want to seek Him as well. What sort of Man is this, who takes His
beloved ones through fiery testing, only to see them emerge with burning hearts of love
for Him? Who is this man, and where has He gone, because we want to follow Him
too.
This is the power of a lovesick Bride who has gone deep in love even during
times of severe testing. There is a jealousy that is spawned in the hearts of those who
observe, a yearning to know the One who infuses such love and strength. This will be
the dynamic of the Church at the end of the age, a global Bride whose passion for Jesus
will increase during times of difficulty and tribulation. Our love will be proven in the
fiery crucibles of trouble during the last days, and the Church will come forth victorious
in love, passionate for this Man Jesus. The daughters of Jerusalem, the nation of Israel,
will look upon such a Bride and become jealous for Jesus as they see the effect that His
love has upon His beloved ones.

The Shulamites Beauty Revealed
The second thing that catches our attention in this verse is that the daughters of
Jerusalem are impressed with the beauty of the Shulamite. They address her as the
fairest among women, acknowledging that her beauty has surpassed all others among
the subjects of the King. This is the wondrous effect of being captured with love for
Jesus. The deeper we go in love with Him, the more His character and nature are
reflected through our lives. We are told in Psalm 34:5 that those who look to Him are
radiant, and their faces are never covered with shame. There is a glory and light that shines
through the faces of those who give themselves to loving Jesus, gazing on His beauty
night and day. It is an amazing reality that the more we look to Him, the more we
become attractive to the people around us.
There is so much energy and effort in our cultures given to the pursuit of
personal beauty and attractiveness. We want to be seen as lovely, to be affirmed by the
voices of other human beings. But the truth of the matter is that the only way to become
truly beautiful and attractive to others is to set our gaze on the beauty of Jesus, and
allow His glory to shine through us as His Spirit does His work in our lives. All other
pursuits of beauty are simply vanity, doomed from the start to fade and wilt under the
harsh light of time. But those who look to Him are radiant, filled with light and
loveliness, captivating to those we meet. This is the glory of the lover of Jesusthat
people would see us and desire Him because of His beauty that shines in our faces. This
is the dynamic that Paul the apostle spoke of to the Corinthian believers when he wrote
these words:
. . . it is God . . . who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

Do you desire beauty that is seen and recognized by those around you? Turn
your eyes to this Man Jesus, and allow Him to lead you through the process of
becoming glorious. As you look to Him, the glory of God will be revealed in your face
just like it was in the face of Christ. As you entrust yourself to His ways, and set your
heart to love Him throughout the journey, you will surely become one of the fairest
ones!

We Must Seek Him With You
The final dimension of verse one that catches my eye is that the beauty of the
Shulamite now creates a desire in her friends to seek the King with her. She chose to go
her own way, to embrace the solitary journey of faithful love and obedience, and now
the effect of it is that many want to follow with her to seek the King as well. These are
the beginnings of fruitfulness in the Shulamites life, the emergence of people who are
drawn to the King because of her. The Shulamites vineyard is no longer neglected and
barren, but is beginning to bring forth the fruit that comes so naturally when the
branches are intimately connected with the vine. Jesus told His disciples that they were
like branches on the vine of His life.
1
If they would abide in Him, stay connected with
Him in a relationship of intimacy and love, there would be a natural fruit-bearing
process that would be plentiful and pleasing to the Father.
This kind of fruitful life is most enjoyable to the King, and He takes great delight
in sharing His life with His Bride in such a way that people will respond to us in the
same way that they would respond to Him. In the next verses, Song of Solomon 6:2-3,
the Shulamite responds to the inquiry of her friends in a startling way. Here is what she
says:
My Beloved has gone to His garden,
to the beds of spices,
To feed His flock in the gardens, and to gather lilies.
I am my Beloveds, and my Beloved is mine.
He feeds His flock among the lilies.

The daughters of Jerusalem have asked the Shulamite where they can find this
magnificent Man, to learn from Him and follow Him even as she has done. The
Shulamite responds with a wondrous statement that gives insight into the work that has
been accomplished in her heart. She declares that the King has gone to His garden. All
through the Song of Solomon, the garden has been the secret place of her heart, where
the King would bring life to her and bring forth the fruits that are pleasing to Him. The
Shulamite is declaring to her friends that the King is in fact present with them in her,
manifesting His truth and His love through her to them. She is saying to them, in effect:
Do you want to encounter the King? Then you have come to the right place! He is here,
with me, and is present with us speaking to you through me. I have become conformed to
His image through this journey, and now when you encounter me, when you hear what I
have to say, it is as though He were speaking to you.

1
See John 15:1-7

The Shulamite is saying the same thing to the daughters of Jerusalem that the
King spoke to her in chapter one verse eight: If you do not know, O fairest among
women, follow in the footsteps of the flock. The Shulamite has now become one of the
teachers, one of those who have taken the journey into intimacy and authority, and the
voice of the King now speaks through her to those who want to know Him and His
ways.
He is at home now in His garden, walking among and enjoying the fragrant
spices of her life, and feeding His flock there. This is such an amazing reality for us,
because as we embrace this journey, we can be confident that there will come a day
when the Lord Jesus will release His voice through us, and allow us to be His partners
in ministering the words of life to those He loves. The little flock, the Shulamites
friends who have observed her journey and her transformation, now encounter the
King as the interact with her. She has become one with Him in intimate love, and in the
communion of sufferings, and is now prepared to begin the most fruitful phase of her
life.

I Am My Beloveds
The Shulamites declaration of intimate partnership is summarized in chapter six
verse three:
I am my beloveds, and my beloved is mine.
He feeds His flock among the lilies.

In this little phrase, the Shulamite gives a beautiful synopsis of her journey. In
chapter one verses thirteen and fourteen, she declared two times my beloved is to me .
. . . This phrase lets us know that at the beginning, she was completely focused on her
benefits, on the blessings that she would receive out of this relationship. He would kiss
her with the kisses of His mouth, and would pour out His love upon her as the
foundations of intimacy were laid in her life. There is no criticism attached to this. Like
an infant whose life is entirely self-focused, confidence in the love of the King must be
established. If we are not fully confident in His love, then we will continue to seek our
own agenda, using situations and the people around us to meet our own needs. And so,
the King retains her in the secret place, rooting and grounding her in the reality of His
unconditional and perfect love.
In chapter two verse sixteen, we see the next phase of her growth summarized in
the words she speaks to her brothers who are attempting to draw her back into the
work of the vineyard. She tells them that she cannot come, because My beloved is
mine, and I am His. He feeds His flock among the lilies. The Shulamites priority is still
on the benefits she will receive out of this relationship, but she also acknowledges that
the King has ownership in her life. She is no longer her own, but has been captured by
the love of this Man, and she must be faithful to Him. The place of life for her is in His
presence, being with Him as He feeds His flock among the lilies. Even though she
compromises her commitment in the very next verse, the Shulamite is still very
conscious that there is a claim on her life, and she can no longer simply come and go
because of the will of another. She must be where He is, and give herself to Him.
As the Shulamite moves through the next phase of the journey, where His
suffering love is revealed and she is drawn through her own dark night of obedient
suffering, she makes this similar statement, but with a significant alteration: I am my
beloveds, and my beloved is mine. The priority has now switched to the pleasures and
will of the King. She has become so confident of His love, so certain that He will be
faithful to her, that she is able to place her own needs and desires in a secondary
position. She belongs to the King, and His pleasure and desire takes precedence over
hers. The Shulamite is still confident that there is great blessing to her in the
relationship, but her trust in His love is now so great that she can make His will the
priority over her own, knowing that His banner over her is love, and that He will do
everything that is in her best interests.
This is such a place of ease and rest for us as followers of Jesus! We can live
confidently, securely, knowing that our needs and desires will be met in Him because
He is faithful and true. Therefore we can give ourselves to His will, to His pleasure,
knowing that we will be cared for and provided for in love. This confidence allows us to
emerge into true libertyknowing that we can be abandoned to the Lord without
concern for our own welfare. We are loved by the King of the universe! The Lord of
Glory is our Father, and the King of kings is our beloved Bridegroom! We are absolutely
safe and secure in His love, and can therefore give ourselves to His will without fear.
There is no greater place of rest and confidence than this, and as we come to this place,
we find ourselves on the threshold of delightful and fruitful ministry in partnership
with the King.
In the next chapter, we will consider the Kings response to the Shulamites new
identity. May you be blessed as you consider these things!
Chapter Ten:
Stepping Into Authority As The King s Bride

In the previous chapter, we saw how the Shulamite had come into her new
identity as the result of enduring her dark night with a thankful spirit, having
maintained her focus on the beauty of the King all through her time of difficulty. This is
the point of these times of probing and testingto demonstrate that during a time of
deep darkness, the Bride will keep her gaze fixed on Him who is her strength and
leader. As she does so, there is a beauty revealed to her, in her, and through her that
affects everything in her life. The Shulamite is ever more deeply captivated by the
Kings glory, speaking and singing of His attributes to all who will listen. But she is also
transformed through this time into one who reflects the glory of the Lord, and who
takes on His character traits in her own life.
Her friends also observe the transformation in her, and recognize her as the
fairest among women, even as they desire to find the King for themselves. They realize
that this Man must be amazing and desirable, or else the beautiful Bride would not
have remained captivated by Him even through the difficulties she has endured. As
they inquire about His whereabouts, the Shulamite simply declares that He is present
with them, ministering to His friends in the garden of her heart. The Shulamite has
become one with her Beloved, and His voice now speaks through her. She is beginning
to touch her destiny as the Kings Bride, His partner in life and ministry through whom
He can move and speak and touch those He loves.
Such a wonderful change has occurred in the Shulamite, and she is so aware of
that change that her self-talk has been completely altered. She is no longer dark but
lovely, too frightened to leave the comfort zone of initial intimacy. Rather, through the
journey into intimate authority, she has become fully confident in the Kings love, and
now defines her life according to His opinion alone. She has become what He
envisioned from the beginning, and is now ready to step into her full authority as the
Kings Bride.

The Joy of the King
As the Shulamite joyfully and confidently speaks to her friends, the King Himself
begins to speak to her, affirming her glory and declaring His delight in her once again.
You see, Jesus sustains us in joy by the same strategy that He brings us to maturity in
the first place. He declares His delight over us, speaking to us of who we are to Him. In
this way, our hearts are continuously strengthened and refreshed to embrace whatever
journey is before us.
In Song of Solomon 6:4-5, the King makes a series of statements to the Shulamite
that reveal the depth of passion and delight in His own heart:
O my love, you are as beautiful as Tirzah,
Lovely as Jerusalem,
Awesome as an army with banners!
Turn your eyes away from me,
For they have overcome me.

Notice that the first words from the Kings lips express the depth of His affection
for the Shulamite. He says O, my love . . . . This is the foundational reality of our
identity and destinywe are the Beloved of God, the one He desires. We are the joy
that Jesus fixed His eyes on, giving Him the strength to endure the pain of His own
suffering and death. Now He is about to experience the reward of His labor. He is
seeing His Bride take her place, not just in prophetic vision and hope in the future, but
in the reality of her daily life and experience. She has become what He saw when He
created her, and He is filled with delight.
This declaration establishes us ever more securely in Jesus love for us. We are no
longer locked into the old identity of being forsaken and forgotten, powerless in our
striving for significance. Rather, we have been established as the Kings Beloved. Jesus
speaks His love for us in these words, and we are wise to take this phrase from His
heart and speak it to ourselves over and over again. I am the one He calls His love. I am
most beautiful and desirable to Him, and I will rejoice in His love. Because Jesus loves me
completely, I will walk worthy of His love, seeking to please Him and serve with Him through all
my days.
Phrases such as this through the Scripture are meant to be taken personally by us
as we seek to grow in our knowledge of the love of Jesus. The best way to do this is to
say these phrases aloud in an attitude of prayer. Even better, sing them out loud, as
though the Lord Himself was singing over you. The Scripture tells us in Zephaniah 3:17
that God rejoices over us with gladness and with singing. So, when we find passages in
His Word that speak of His emotions and affections, we can sing them to ourselves in
full confidence that we are agreeing with His opinion concerning us. As we do this, the
Holy Spirit causes our spirits to come alive with joy, and with the experience of the love
of Jesus poured out in our hearts.
The King then goes on to tell the Shulamite that she is as lovely as the two cities
of Tirzah and Jerusalem. These were the two most beautiful cities of the region during
Solomons reign, and were the places where the King had established palaces, places of
His residence. Tirzah was a capitol city of the Canaanite people, and was considered the
most beautiful city in the northern part of Palestine. Jerusalem was the most beautiful
city in the south. There were royal residences in each of these places, and so the King is
declaring over the Shulamite that she has become a worthy and beautiful dwelling
place for His presence.
One of the great promises that Jesus makes to His disciples is that if they will
keep His commandments (live the lifestyle of the Sermon on the Mount), that the Father
and the Son will come to them, and dwell with them, and reveal or manifest themselves
to those disciples.
1
This is an incredible promise: the Lord Himself will come and dwell
intimately and personally with those who walk in loving obedience, pressing through
the journey into intimacy and authority. This is so pleasing to the Lord, and its one of
the highest honors we can imagine! The Lord Jesus would come and dwell with us!
That He would establish His home in our hearts is one of the most wonderful promises
of Scripture.
It is the Lords desire to have a dwelling place where He does not have to strive
with us, but where He can be at peace. God desires a place of rest for Himself, not
because He is tired or weary, but because He knows the blessings and favor that will
flow toward those who offer Him no resistance. This is how Jesus lived. He was the
perfectly responsive Son to the Father, and therefore the Father could release the power
and authority of the Holy Spirit through Jesus without any hesitation. It is His desire to
do the same with us, and the encouraging thing in this Song of Solomon passage is that
we can be certain the day will come when His desire is met in us.


1
See John 14:21,23
The Battle Is Won
The next phrase that the King speaks to the Shulamite is that she is awesome as
an army with banners. This affirmation from the King is very precious to us, because
with it He communicates the high value He places on our process of growth into His
likeness. Jesus is so very aware of the journey we are on, and attends to us night and
day. He is continually holding us before the Father in loving intercession as we face the
situations that prepare us for the authority we will receive.
The sense of being forsaken and alone during the dark times of testing and
proving is one of the great issues we face as we move deeper into the image of Jesus.
The enemy of our soul would have us believe that our journey is insignificant, that it
matters to no one, and that Gods silence during the night season is proof that He
doesnt care about what we are experiencing. However, nothing could be further from
the truth. Jesus knows that if we are to fulfill His plan for us the burning desire of His
heart to have a Bride that is worthy of being His partner this testing of faith must
come. The battle to maintain faith in a dark season is severe, and Jesus knows that in a
deeply personal way. Because of what He endured, He makes constant intercession
over us in our journey, all the while knowing the joy that will be His and ours when the
morning comes.
Now that the Shulamite has in fact passed the test, the King lets her know that
He has been observing her struggle, and that she was awesome in the fight. The army
with banners is the army that is returning from the battle, having conquered the enemy
army. Even though the battle was severe, and there may be wounds and scars that must
be healed, the King sees that the battle was won, and the warrior is awesome in victory.
This is how Jesus sees each of us who wage the war of trust and faithfulness in
the face of what the enemy would throw at us every day. He stands at the head of the
great cloud of witnesses,
2
calling us forward in faith, interceding before the Father that
we would find the strength that He makes available through the Holy Spirit. As we
come through the battle, growing deeper in love and in understanding, growing in trust
and confidence in the Fathers love and provision, the heart of Jesus is filled with joy
and delight. He knows that His Bride is coming forth, and she is awesome in His sight.

2
See Hebrews 12:1
The Apostle Paul wrote that one of the most important things to him was to run
his race (his own journey of obedience and love) in such a way that he would win the
top prize.
3
The gold medal that awaits us is the pleasure of the King, and the
subsequent joy that Jesus releases to us as we experience His pleasure. When He speaks
to us that we are awesome in His sight, our hearts explode with the pleasure and joy
that we were created for. The reward of Jesus love and pleasure is what motivates us in
this journey, and the anticipation of standing alongside Him in a place of authority and
power draws us into persistent obedience when we would normally become
discouraged and withdraw from the contest.
This reality is our motivation for persistence and faith in the journey. The
experience of the pleasure of Jesus over our lives is the extreme joy that we were created
to live in. The greatest joy of my life comes in the times when I feel the touch of the
Holy Spirit as He speaks the heart of Jesus into my heart, telling me that He has been
pleased with my journey, that He has seen the battles that I wage in the secret place of
my own heart and mind. These battles matter greatly to Jesus, for they are the battles of
faith. The enemy desires that we would come to despair in those times, to mistrust the
love of God, to abandon the pursuit of His purposes for our lives. But when we stand
firm, believing the truth about God and about ourselves in the face of dark nights of
testing and resistance, we become awesome in His sight and posture ourselves to
receive His expressions of joy and delight.
This was the very battle that Jesus faced and that He won with such certainty
and finality. His trust was so unshakeable, His obedience so unwavering that He
plundered hell itself and rescued you and me. He was put to the most extreme test, one
planned by the Father as the ultimate test of faith. He was faithful in every way, never
wavering in His confidence in the Fathers love. He submitted Himself to the Fathers
plan, and committed Himself into the Fathers hands, all for the sake of redeeming a
Bride who would be His partner in intimate authority for all eternity. Because He did
this, Jesus was given the highest place of authority, and awarded the Name that is
above all other names. He was indeed awesome in the battle, and has lifted the banner
of victory over our lives. We are His trophy, and as we follow Him in this journey of

3
See 1 Corinthians 9:24f
qualification, we can stand confident that the Father will supply the same resource for
us that was given to Jesus.
You see, we were the point of His battle. For the joy set before Him, He endured
the cross, despising its shame. Everything Jesus went through, He endured for the sake
of having a Bride that would be like Him in character, in love, and in authority. Because
He endured such things as a man empowered by the Holy Spirit, Jesus knows what is
required of those who would follow Him in this journey. And He is glad to give it! He
made the initial investment of His own life-blood; what would He hold back from us as
we follow Him in the very plan that He laid out for us? As we embrace the journey and
come through it in a victorious way, He is thrilled, and is delighted to communicate His
joy to us. We are awesome in His sight, and the heart of Jesus is glad.

Turn Your Eyes Away
The King then makes a most beautiful and powerful statement to the Shulamite,
one that thrills her heart as she considers the implications of what He is saying. He says
to her:
Turn your eyes away from Me, for they have overcome Me. (Song 6:5a)

This is to me one of the most powerful little phrases in the whole of Scripture.
The Bride has succeeded where all the powers of hell have failed. She has overcome the
King, ravished His heart, and defeated Him with one glance of her eyes. He has given
her His heart, and she now has her way with Him. He must answer her prayers now,
for she has conquered Him with love.
Here is the glory of the people of God who embrace this journey with faith and
persistence. We are given a place of authority with God. Beloved, this is unimaginable!
The uncreated God, the unmoved Mover of all time, space, and history, is defeated by
the gaze of the one He loves. Without violating our free will, Jesus brings us to the place
of such conformity to His character, such agreement with His will, that we now desire
what He desires. He has found His dwelling place, the house of His rest in which He
finds no resistance. Without forcing His way in, Jesus has found one who would open
the door to intimacy and communion, through whom He can accomplish all His desires
on the earth. She knows Him and trusts Him. She wants what He wants, not because He
has coerced her, but because she has actually come into agreement with the desires of
heaven.
This is one of the truly amazing things about our Father and His Son Jesus
Christ. He longs to be conquered by those He loves, and who love Him in return. There
is something in the heart of a father that longs to see his son or daughter rise to such
strength and authority that they can defeat the father in a contest. When my son David
surpassed my skills as a musician, it was a great day for me, because I watched him
take his place in the purposes of God. As he pressed forward into his destiny, I did
everything in my power to enable his growth and development, because it is the joy of
my heart to see my son become great.
In the same way, our Father and our Bridegroom Jesus desire to see us come into
our glory as His children and as His Bride. This is why God wrestled with Jacob in the
wilderness, wounding his hip and changing his name to Israelone who struggles
with God and prevails.
4
It was Gods desire and delight to see Jacob come into his
inheritance, but it required a wrestling match with God. And the miracle is, God
allowed Himself to be defeated by this man whose desire was fixed on receiving his
inheritance!
Jesus spoke to His disciples in John 15, telling them that if they would abide in an
intimate communion with Jesus through His Word, and if they would obey the
commands of love they had been given, He would release to them such authority that
they could ask anything they wished and it would be done for them!
Beloved, this is what Jesus has in store for you and me. It is His deep passion to
give us authority and power in the Kingdom of God, and to set us in a place of
partnership with Himself as He gives leadership to His Kingdom. There is coming a
day in history when Jesus will break into time and space, invading planet Earth once
again with His glorious presence. He will establish a literal Kingdom, in which all
beauty and righteousness will reign supreme. And He will have a Bride, a people
whose hearts have been fully conformed to His desires, who agree with the agenda of
heaven, and who long to see this Kingdom established on Earth as it is in heaven.
We are that Bride, and to the degree that we embrace this journey in faithful and
loving obedience, we will stand with Him in His power. This is not only true in a

4
See Genesis 32:22-32
corporate sense, but each of us individually will be given a place of authority that
corresponds to our faithfulness here in this age. How we engage the journey here really
matters, for our place in the age to come will be defined by how we are faithful here
and now.
The Holy Spirit has spoken to us of His desire. He has shown us here what God
wants to do for us and with us. He wants to bring us to the place where He can no
longer resist our prayers, where He has to do what we ask Him to do. Jesus will give us
a taste of that authority in this life, but the real thing is coming to us when Jesus comes
for us. Therefore, let us embrace the journey with hope and joy, for the reward that is
promised is surely worth the struggle.

Chapter Eleven:
The Joy Of Intimate Authority

We have come to the place in the journey of the Shulamite that was the desire of
her heart from the beginning of her pilgrimage. The Bride has arrived at her goal the
full knowledge of the Kings love and delight for her. But it is not the end of the
journey, for the King also has a desire in this relationship, and that is that His Bride
would be His full partner in the work and ministry that He loves. She is about to be
released into her destiny as the Kings Bride.
There is something profoundly beautiful about a Bridegroom and a Bride
becoming truly unified in their life work. There is a power about it, a rare grace that
captures the attention of all who see it. The full range of gifts can be released, the
masculine and feminine personalities can complement one another, and the
commanded blessing of unity can flow over them and through them as they walk out
their mission together. This is what is now to be released through the Shulamite, and it
is what Jesus desires to release in each one of us as well.
The King has told the Shulamite that she has become a fit dwelling place for
Him, as lovely as His palaces in Jerusalem and Tirzah. She is mature in love and faith,
and has trusted the Kings leadership even when it was difficult and confusing to do so.
She has demonstrated that she is in full agreement with the will of the King, whose
desires and plans are perfect for her. Therefore, He has given to her the privilege of
moving His heart with her glance, of conquering Him through her prayers and
petitions. He cannot resist her now, for her heart, her mind, and her will are the same as
His.

The Shulamites Irresistible Attributes
So in Song Of Solomon chapter six verse five and following, the King speaks
again to her of her attributes that are now mature and complete. As you read this
section, you will notice that the King is using the same language that He used in chapter
four to describe the Shulamite. The difference is that in the first case He was speaking
prophetically over her, assuring her that He saw her in maturity and completeness even
while she was still in the process of becoming mature. Now He is rejoicing over her in
the completion of the process. She has attained a measure of maturity that is profound,
and He sings her praises. Her faithful dedication is praised as the King comments on
her hair. He speaks of the strength of her teeth, her mature ability to meditate on His
Word, gaining every benefit from that process. Her mature and lovely emotions are
praised as the King compares them to the beautiful redness of the pomegranate.
The King then begins to compare her to the Queens and concubines, the virgins
without number that are part of the Kings court. In these phrases, the Shulamite is
being exalted above the realm of the angels, in which there is a distinct hierarchy, levels
of authority that reflect their heavenly position. The Shulamite is above them all. She is
the Beloved One, the favorite one, and the angels respond to her and call her blessed.
Verse ten gives us a beautiful statement of pleasure from the King as He observes
His Bride. He asks the rhetorical question:
Who is she who looks forth as the morning,
Fair as the moon, clear as the sun,
Awesome as an army with banners?

There is wonder in the Kings voice as He observes the regal state of His Bride. I
picture her standing on a balcony of the bridal suite, looking over the city of Jerusalem
as dawn breaks. She has conquered the night, and is glorious in her personal victory.
She is as fair as the moon in other words, she perfectly reflects the glory of the Lord in
her personality, in her emotions, and in her will. But she is also clear as the sun. There is
a brilliance that proceeds out of her, for her own heart has become ignited with bright
righteousness. Jesus told His disciples that He is the light of the world, and there is a
dimension of our lives that is to reflect His light. But then He also told them that they
were the light of the world,
1
and that they would have a light that must be displayed for
all to see. The Shulamite has come to the place where her own light is beaming brightly,
and the King is amazed at the beauty of her shining.
He then re-states His comment that she is as awesome as an army with banners,
exulting once again in the victory she has gained over every strategy of the enemy. She
has won the battle, and is now ready to engage her destiny.

1
See Matthew 5:14
Take time to reflect on the fact that this is your story, written in advance to
encourage you in the process. Jesus speaks this over you today as a prophetic promise,
and there will come a day when He will speak this way about you, when the process is
complete and He releases you into your destiny in the same way as He does the
Shulamite. The promises are sure, and as you meditate on these phrases, you can be
confident that the Spirit of God is leading you into the same place as the Shulamite, for
she is indeed who you are. Embrace your own journey with joy and faith, for He will
surely lead you to the desired end.

First Steps Into Partnership And Anointing
It is at this point that the journey begins to come full circle. At the beginning of
her relationship with the King, the Shulamite had become weary and burned out in the
labor of the vineyard. She had been working for her brothers, and they were like slave-
masters to her. She had no joy in her labor, for the garden of her own heart had been
neglected and barren. When the brothers tried to coax her back into the work of the
vineyard, she had rightly rejected their appeal, and had stayed the course in following
the leading of the King.
Now the story is different. The Shulamites heart is full of love, and she now sees
the fruitful fields of the King as the arena of her own destiny. The fields no longer
represent slavery to her, but rather the context in which she will live out her
relationship with her Beloved. Having experienced the love of the King to such an
extravagant degree, she now wants to share that love with those around her, and she
wants to enjoy the bountiful blessings that the King has poured out on others. This is
the beauty of our relationships in the Body of Christ as we walk in mature love. When
we are secure and settled in the love of Jesus, we can freely move among Gods people,
pouring out upon them the love He has given us, and receiving from others the unique
blessings He has given them.
In the days of burn-out and barrenness, it is almost impossible to care for others
in a genuine way. We become consumers, using relationships to meet our own needs,
looking to those around us for satisfaction and nourishment. Even the service we give
in those times is mostly self-centered, for we are attempting to win affections and gain
identity through the work we do and the praise we receive for it. Everything revolves
around us, and our hearts cannot be moved by the situations of others.
With the Shulamite it is now completely different. Her heart is settled. She
knows she is loved, and that she has abundant and overflowing resources of emotional
fulfillment and delight. She is the Beloved of the King! Therefore, she can give herself
freely to others, pouring onto them from the rich reservoir of her own life with Jesus.
She can also freely receive from them, but not in the desperate and manipulative way of
the past. She no longer needs from them, for she has received from the King. However,
she is able to receive through them the affections of His heart, as her own emotions are
expanded by seeing how the King has poured His love on others she meets in her
journey.
In chapter six verse twelve, she makes this comment:
Before I was even aware, my soul had made me
As the chariots of my noble people.

Its an interesting statement, and its meaning is that she suddenly realizes that
her heart is easily moved by the situations and issues that confront the people she is
meeting. She sees them as noble lovely and valuable in their uniqueness, worthy of
her love and of the Kings affections. The chariots were the sleekest and most efficient
form of transportation in that day, and were easily moved by the slightest force applied
to them. Her heart has become like that easily touched by the circumstances of those
she encounters, and she carries them in the chariot of her heart. She is emerging into her
role as an intercessor, and will bring these people before the King in prayer.
Not only are they lovely to her, but the people see her as lovely as well. They cry
out to her for her to return, to remain among them that they might gaze upon her
loveliness. She has come so far from the days in which she was dark and sunburned,
weary in the tasks of her life, with no sense of beauty and desirability at all. But now
she is beloved of the King, and of His people, and they desire her presence with them
that they might gaze upon her beauty and glorify the King who is her husband.

Receiving the Kings Blessings through His People
At the beginning of chapter seven, the Shulamite experiences a wonderful reality
that comes to those who set their gaze on King Jesus. She has become beautiful and
desirable, and now the voices of the people sing her praises. Some students of the Song
Of Solomon believe that the King Himself is speaking these words, but I believe they
are being spoken by others. The King always refers to her as my love, or some other
term of personal delight, but here she is called O Princes Daughter. They recognize
that her identity has completely changed, and that she now reflects the regal nature of
God as her true Father. However, the King never refers to her by this phrase, and so I
suggest that these first five verses are spoken by the friends that now surround her.
First, they speak of her beautiful feet, which symbolize the lovely message of the
Gospel of the Kingdom that is declared. Were told in Isaiah 52:7 that the feet of those
who bring the message of peace are beautiful. Her feet have been shod with authority,
and she is declaring to the nations that the King is on His Throne.
The friends declare that her thighs are beautifully curved, like jewels fashioned
in the hands of a skilled craftsman. This speaks of her walk in holiness, strong and
developed by the gracious leadership of the King.
Next, they refer to her navel being like a goblet filled with blended beverages.
This speaks of her internal life, that her emotions are in perfect balance, each
complementing the other in her personality that is now mature and unshakeable.
Her waist is like heap of wheat, set about with lilies, which speaks of the harvest
that is about to come from her life. She is spiritually pregnant, and ready to bring forth
the good and lasting fruit of the Kingdom.
Her breasts, which speak of her ability to give nurture to the Body of Christ, are
still developing but they are lovely. In other words, she is giving the milk of the Word
to the people of God, and they are benefiting from her growth and maturity.
The friends speak of her neck, which symbolizes her will that has become strong
and pure. She is now a tower of strength in spiritual warfare, pure and righteous,
unwavering in her decisions to follow the King into the truth.
They declare that her eyes are like clear pools of water, which speaks of clear
vision borne of faith and revelation.
Her nose speaks of her spiritual discernment, and again it is a necessary asset in
the matter of spiritual warfare. A tower of Lebanon facing Damascus would have been
a military outpost keeping watch on the activity of the enemies of the land. Her
discernment is mature, moving by love, and keeping watch over the nation.
She is crowned with wisdom and purity, like the snows of Mt. Carmel, and her
hair, which represents her dedication, is captivating to the King.
All these statements reflect the heart of God toward His maturing Body, and we
are meant to receive and enjoy these statements as they come from the Holy Spirit
through His people. Once we turn our eyes to the Lord, and tune our ears to only hear
His voice, then He can speak to us in many different ways. We do not lose our way by
receiving affirmation from the Lord; we only lose our way when we lower our gaze
from Him, and look to the people or the circumstances to tell us that we are lovely. If
we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, then He has all the options, and He will release His
Word to us in ways that are delightful.

The Voice of the King
In verse six of chapter seven, the King takes over the conversation and begins to
speak of His delight in the Shulamite/Bride. In this verse she is addressed as O Love,
and so we perceive that it is His voice that now speaks.
Once again He declares how beautiful and appealing she is to Him, and that the
gifts and fruit of her life are delightful to Him. This passage is given to us by the Holy
Spirit to help us realize the passion of Jesus heart for each one of us as we mature. He is
speaking these things to you, and to me. If I am wise at all, I will linger long over these
phrases, thinking about them, feeling the spiritual impact of His words. I will allow His
power to awaken my heart even more, and establish me in the certainty of His love and
affirmation.
He declares that her stature is like a palm tree, rooted deeply in the earth so that
it is unshakeable in strong winds. Though the tree may bend in the gale-force winds, it
will not break or fall because its roots are deep. The tree also has clusters of coconuts
that contain the nourishing milk that refreshes many. These clusters once again speak of
her breasts, her ability to nurture the Body of Christ on the milk of the Word. She has
become mature in this, and the King delights in her graces.
Verse eight gives us one of the great statements of the Song Of Solomon. All
along the way, the Shulamite has been pointing toward a time of authority and power,
the kind that Jesus exhibited when He walked the earth. In the same way, we desire
authority on our words, and power in our ministry activities. We desire more than can
be accomplished by the mere wisdom and strategies of men. We want the power of God
released in our midst, so that His glory might be exhibited in the Church to the nations
of the world.
Here in verse eight, the King answers that cry. He says, I will go up to the palm
tree; I will take hold of its branches. In other words, He is now prepared to release full
authority on her life and ministry. Jesus said to His disciples, I am the Vine, and you
are the branches.
2
When the King takes hold of the branches, it means that He is laying
His hands on us to release power and authority in our lives. This answers the great cry
in our hearts to have lives of impact and destiny. The picture is beautiful: the King
places His hands upon us, and from that posture of intimacy and love there flows
power and authority in the things we say and do.
This is how Jesus lived on the earth. He and the Father were in such unity that
Jesus had perfect authority on His words, perfect power in His actions. In His intimate
times of prayer with the Father, Jesus listened and heard what the Fathers will was for
Him that day. Then, Jesus would walk the streets of the cities, releasing to the people
what the Father had spoken to Him in secret. The negotiation of power happened in the
secret place in prayer, so when Jesus encountered people in the streets, He didnt have
to pray. He simply spoke and people were healed and delivered.
Im convinced that the Holy Spirit desires us to come to the same place a life of
such intimate friendship with Jesus that we listen to Him each day, receiving His touch
upon our lives, and then that we speak with authority and power to bring the Kingdom
of God on the earth as it is in heaven.
The King makes declarations over her ministry: Let the power of heaven flow
through you as you nurture the people. Let your breath carry the sweet anointing of
love and intimacy, and may our love be constant and more refreshing than the best
wine.
This is the best of all worlds. The Shulamite will have an effective life in ministry,
releasing power and blessing to all those she encounters, but it will be done in the
context of fervent love for Jesus. There will be no diminishing of that love because of the
labors of ministry. He had drawn her away for the season of preparation; now they are
running together in the work of ministry, and it is lovely to see.

What This Means For Us

2
See John 15:5
The section of the Song Of Solomon that we have examined in this chapter is
profoundly important to each one of us in our daily journey with Jesus. We are not
merely trudging through life trying to maintain some low level of holiness until we die
and go to heaven, where finally the pressure will be off us. Rather, this journey of life is
for the purpose of preparing us for amazing things authority, power, impact, the
realization of our true destiny in the coming age of the Kingdom.
The plans that Jesus has for you and me are truly astounding. He desires to come
to us with great power and authority, to lay hold of our branches, and pronounce life
to our souls and fruitfulness to the things we engage in. As you read this, my prayer is
that you will be strengthened in every point of your pilgrimage, laying hold of the hope
that is yours because of the love of Jesus for you. He truly has your best interests at
heart, and He has laid out the perfect strategy for your development into the person
you were created to be.
I pray that you will continue to embrace this journey by the power of the Holy
Spirit, so that you might know life in all its fullness and grace. In the next and final
chapter, we will look at the response of the Shulamite as she walks in the fullness of her
destiny.
Chapter Twelve:
Like A Seal Upon My Heart

As we approach the conclusion of this meditation on the Song Of Solomon, we
see the Shulamite coming into the complete fullness of her identity and destiny. She has
received the blessing and anointing of her King, and has entered into the favor of the
people of the Kingdom. She is now completely transformed into her identity as the
Kings Bride, and has come into the time where the fullness of His promises to her are
being realized. This concluding section of the Song gives us great courage and hope, for
this is the destiny that awaits each one of us as we continue on our journey to intimate
authority. I pray that you do not lose heart in the journey, for the Lord Jesus will surely
be faithful to complete the work He has started in you.

The Shulamite Enters Her Destiny
In the second part of chapter seven verse nine, the Bride speaks of how delightful
her love is to the King. She declares that the wine goes down smoothly for my Beloved,
moving gently the lips of sleepers. The wine of her love is sweet to Him, and is smooth
in His throat. Their love is now deep, and firmly settled, and He finds no point of
resistance or difficulty in their relationship. In addition, there is an immediate effect of
their love relationship on those people of the Kingdom whose hearts are not yet fully
awakened to the beauty of this King Jesus. As the King and the Shulamite share their
love, the Holy Spirit gently begins stirring the hearts of those who are spiritually asleep,
awakening a longing and desire in them to know Jesus even as she does.
She then states I am my Beloveds, and His desire is toward me. This is a
beautiful statement of complete abandonment and confidence in the love of the King.
She has given herself completely to Him in utter trust that His heart is focused on her
best interests. She no longer needs to be concerned for herself, for His desire is toward
her. The King Himself has become her great reward, and with this love all other things
are guaranteed. This is the greatest way to liveto be lost in the confidence that we are
the Beloved of God! There is no anxiety in this place, for the One who loves me is the
King of all the earth. He knows what I need and what I desire, and because His desire is
toward me, I live in the confidence that He will eagerly release all things to me that are
for my blessing and benefit.
In verse eleven and following, the Shulamite is eager to engage in the fields of
the King. But there is the perfect balance of intimate intercession together with
involvement in ministry. Her first statement is Come, my Beloved! This is the
essential intercessory cry of the Bridethat the King would manifest His presence with
her, and reveal Himself in the context of the work she is called to do. It is so important
for us to see this, that the work of ministrywhether in ministry roles in the Body of
Christ, or in the marketplace or schoolbe done in the context of intimacy with the
Bridegroom. We never again want to be in the place of working for the King apart from
His immediate presence. We desire Him to be with us, to go with us into the ventures of
our lives. So, with the Shulamite we cry Come, my Beloved! Let us go . . . !
She calls for Him to come with her to the fields, to the villages, to the vineyards
to see if there is fruitfulness among the people of God. She longs to strengthen them, to
impart something of the life of Jesus to them so that they might be equipped and
released to greater effectiveness for the sake of the King. In Romans 1:9-12, we see this
same longing in the heart of the Apostle Paul as he voices his desire to be with the
Roman believers:
For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son,
that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, making
request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to
come to you. For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift,
so that you may be established that is, that I may be encouraged together
with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.

This is the cry that has emerged in the Shulamites heart. She deeply desires to be
a vehicle of the Kings blessing to His people, but she knows the only way it will be
effective is with the ongoing reality of her intimacy with the King. At the end of chapter
seven verse twelve, she affirms that in the context of ministry, she will give her love to
the King. She follows that statement with phrases of loving desire, promises of intimacy
and love which she has stored up for His pleasure in the context of ministry together.
This is the powerful reality of partnership with Jesus in the work He gives us to
do. We never need to leave the intimate place of love and friendship with Jesus. As long
as we remain in that place there is no weariness in this lifestyle, no burnout, anxiety, or
fatigue. He is there, and the resource of His presence and love is all we need.
In the first verses of chapter eight, the Shulamite continues this song of desire to
her King. She desires to show Him affection even in public, as she would with a
brother. In the culture of the day, it was deemed inappropriate for a Bride to show open
affection for her husband, but it was acceptable to be publicly affectionate toward a
family member. The Shulamite desires that everyone know of her love for the King, and
she longs to break through those barriers and let her love show. She knows that her love
holds many delights for Him, and she longs to express those delights to Him.
In verse four of chapter eight, the Shulamite speaks to the daughters of Jerusalem
to encourage them in their own journey. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, do
not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases. This is the same plea she uttered when
she was in her own developmental stages. She knew that the essential thing for her was
to be rooted and grounded in the experience of the love of Christ, and now she pleads
with her friends to engage the same process. The shepherd girl has become the Bride,
and she is loving her situation. She is jealous for her friends, that they would all have
the same experience as she is having, and so she urges them to follow in her footsteps,
even as she had followed those who went before her.
Its a word of encouragement to all of us: Go to the secret place of intimate
communion with Jesus, and remain there until the King Himself draws you out. He is
the perfectly leader in your journey to intimate authority, having marked out your path
with loving precision. He has designed that journey for you, and will lead you step by
step as you press into Him. Only do not be in a hurry. Give Him the time it takes to
forge your heart into His dwelling place.
The Shulamite embraced this process, and is now living in the joy and bounty of
the Kings blessing and anointing. She is saying to the daughters: Its worth it! The
journey was long and sometimes painful, but O! the joy on the other side of it! Embrace
the journey and you will be glad that you did!

The Total Freedom Of Utter Dependency
Verse five gives us the secret of her new life of power and effectiveness. Who is
this coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her Beloved? The complete beauty and
majesty of her mature state is almost unrecognizable to those who know her. Its as if a
relative or friend is seeing her for the first time. She is vaguely familiar, for they
remember the early days of her life when she was just a child in her mothers home. But
now everything about her is different. They see her and are amazed at her glory, but
they see that it has come in the context of utter dependency on the King. She has not
merely taken His arm in a formal way, but she has cast herself upon Him, and is totally
dependent upon His willingness to carry her.
This is not passivity in life, but rather the utter realization that we can do nothing
apart from the presence and power of Jesus. Life as God intended it to be simply cannot
happen unless we remain totally dependent upon Him in every situation of every day.
This is poverty of spirit, and it was the secret of Jesus life. It is what He intends for us
as well. So He speaks to His Bride in verse six and says this:
Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm;
For love is as strong as death, jealousy as cruel as the grave;
Its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame.
Many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it.
If a man would give for love all the wealth of his house,
It would be utterly despised.

The King is calling the Shulamite to embrace Him in her heart even as He has
embraced her. Jesus sealed you and me upon His heart, and engraved our names in His
hands through His death on the cross. The scars He still carries in His body are the
eternal reminder that He has been joined to us by the power of passionate love. This
love is stronger than death, and causes us to die to anything less. The power of this fiery
love is such that the waters of adversity cannot quench it, and the floods of persecution
cannot drown it. No possession of a mans house compares with the value of having
this kind of love burning in ones heart.
One is reminded of the parable of the pearl of surpassing value. Jesus told the
story in Matthew 13:45-46, saying that the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant who
was seeking the most precious pearl. When He found the pearl of great price, He sold
all that He had so that He could buy that pearl.
Jesus was speaking of Himself as that merchant, and the pearl He found is you,
His Bride. He sold everything He had, gave up all His privilege as the Second Person of
the Trinity so that He could purchase you and me with His own blood. In this verse He
is calling to the Shulamite to set her heart in a posture like His ownto write His name
on her heart and on her arm, signifying a love that will burn with bright righteousness
for all eternity.
Jesus, I will love You like that! You have given Yourself for me in such a way, and by the
power of Your Spirit I will respond in like manner. You are worth more to me than anything
else, and I gladly set You as a seal on my heart and my arm. By Your grace I will love you
forever with the love You deserve to receive from me.

The Shulamites Vindication
Verses eight and nine of chapter eight provide a fascinating and joyful record of
the vindication of the Shulamite before her family and friends. Her brothers, who were
harsh with her, critical and without understanding concerning the journey she was on,
now come to her for counsel and wisdom. They see the magnificent result of the
Shulamites journey, and so they bring their younger sister to her, asking for advice on
how to establish the younger maiden in her destiny.
They ask how they can best prepare this young girl for the day when the
Bridegroom will come for her. She is completely undeveloped, and they want to train
her wisely so that she will be acceptable to the One who chooses her. If she is a wall,
or one who stands in the role of an intercessor for the Body of Christ, then they will
train her in that way, and make provision for her to fulfill that role and calling. If she is
a door, or one who will exercise the ministry of evangelism and spiritual authority,
then they will prepare her appropriately for that role.
This is such an encouraging passage for us, because part of the pain of following
Jesus path is the misunderstanding and criticism of those closest to us. Again, Jesus
knew this pain, because His own family did not comprehend who He was, and did not
believe in Him until after His resurrection from the grave.
1
It was not until He rose
again and stood before them that His own brother James recognized the truth and
became the leader of the Jerusalem Church that he was created to be.
Jesus Himself speaks words of promise to us in the same way in Revelation 3:9,
where He declares that He will cause the enemies of His faithful ones to worship Him
as they bow before the feet of the faithful Bride. In other words, He will cause our
enemies to acknowledge that the way we chose was the right and wise way. Our love
for Jesus and our commitment to follow Him whatever the cost will be vindicated on
that day. Even more powerfully, in Revelation 3:5 Jesus promises that He will declare

1
See John 7:1-9
the names of His faithful ones before the Father and before the angels in honor of our
walk of obedience and faith. What a promise! It is worth it to make these commitments
now, and to follow through on them, regardless of the temporary cost. There is a day of
vindication coming, when all will agree that we were wise in choosing to follow the
Lamb.
Paul the Apostle spoke of his persecutions as being momentary light afflictions
that were not worthy to be compared with the glory that would be given to him in the
presence of Jesus.
2
God will reward our faithfulness openly, and we will realize on that
day that we were wise to choose Him.

Identity and Destiny Realized
In chapter eight verse ten, the Shulamite makes her final declaration in the
fullness of her identity. She states I am a wall, and my breasts like towers; then I
became in His eyes as one who found peace.
She is now settled in her identity as an intercessor in partnership with the King.
She is one who will watch and pray, and who will release nourishment to the people of
God. She has come to peace with herself, and is confident and joyful in the Kings love
and in the role that He has given her to fill. The Shulamite is at peace in the Kings eyes,
which is a profound statement. She has fulfilled His plan for her, and there is no more
struggle to attain to His vision for her life. This is a place of supreme peace and rest, and
her heart is settled.
The Bride then states the fact that there is a time of accountability for those who
have been given watch over the Kings vineyards. He had leased it to keepers, and now
they must bring an accounting of the fruitfulness of the fields given to them.
Remember, in chapter one, the Shulamite lamented because she had slaved in the
fields of the brothers, but her own vineyard was neglected and barren. Now, as a result
of coming into the vibrant place of intimacy and partnership with the King, she has an
entirely different report. She says in verse twelve, My own vineyard is before me. You,
O Solomon, may have a thousand, and those who tend its fruit two hundred.
In other words, she is happy to report to the King that her fields have borne
much fruit, and that the Kings full expectation has been met. Further, there are those

2
See Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 16-18
who have emerged under her oversight to tend her vineyards, and they are enjoying the
fruit of it as well. She has run her race and finished her course, and thus is joyful and
confident in the day of accounting.
This is such a joyous reality for us. We will stand before King Jesus one day, but
that day holds no dread for those who embrace this journey. By the grace He provides
we will present Him with the full fruitfulness of what He has entrusted to us, and we
will enter into His joy in the fullness of the coming age.
The King responds to her report with these words: You who dwell in the
gardens, the companions listen for your voicelet Me hear it!
He refers to the Shulamite as the one who dwells in the gardens of His heart. She
has made her home in the secret place, and though she engages in the labors of work
and ministry, she is settled in His presence. This is the reflection of Psalm 92:13, which
says that Those who are planted in the House of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of
our God. When we make the place of intimacy our permanent dwelling place, then all
the efforts of labor are blessed and effective. The Shulamite has taken up residence in
the secret place of the Kings heart, and therefore her voice is compelling to His friends.
They long to hear what she has to say, and even more, the King Himself desires to hear
from her. He is inviting her to have access to His heart again through worship and
intercession, letting her know that He is available to her. He hears her cries, and
receives her adoration.
Again, this is of great encouragement to us, because as we take our place in His
presence, settling in as permanent residents of the Kings house, He welcomes the
sounds of our worship and intercession. This is profoundly important, because in 1
John 5:14-15 the Apostle lays out for us the secret of answered prayer:
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything
according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever
we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

To those who make the Kings heart their dwelling place, He gives permission to
call to Him in prayer. He longs to hear us, and so we know that our prayers will be
answered speedily in His timing. We are confident in intimacy and intercession, for the
heart of the King is turned toward us, and we are His desire.
So, in the last phrases of the Song of Solomon, the Bride raises her voice once
again: Make haste, my Beloved! And be like a gazelle or a young stag on the
mountains of spices!
This is the call that will characterize the Bride of Christ at the end of the age. In
Revelation 22:17 were told that the Spirit and the Bride say Come! There will be a
unity of spirit between the Church and the King. The identity of the Bride will be upon
the people of God, and with the Spirit of prayer we will call out to Him to come and be
among us. We call to Jesus to come to us in intimacy, to be upon us with power and
authority, and to come for us when He establishes His eternal Kingdom on the earth.
This is the day of our great longing, our blessed hope, and with the Shulamite we
joyfully take our place to cry out for His coming.
May the Holy Spirit strengthen you and sustain you in your journey to intimacy
and authority as the Beloved of the King, the Bride of Christ.