New Life Worship Ministries

Meditations on Solomon's Song of Songs by Char Scott

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The Bride Embraces Mature Partnership

by Char Scott

As we continue our study of the Song of Songs, Jesus has just affirmed His Bride after her difficult period of testing. He is overwhelmed by the beauty of her devotion to Him and expresses her unique position in all of creation as His Beloved. The theme of this Song is Jesus equipping His Bride to walk in mature partnership with Him. Tonight we will see the Second Commandment become her new focus as she declares her desire to serve the whole church and to fulfill the Great Commission.

Let’s begin by reading Song of Songs 6:13-7:5, “I went down to the orchard of nut trees to see the blossoms of the valley, to see whether the vine had budded or the pomegranates had bloomed. Before I was even aware, my soul had made me as the chariots of my noble people. Come back, come back, O Shulammite; Come back, come back, that we may gaze at you! Why should you gaze at the Shulammite, as at the dance of the two companies? How beautiful are your feet in sandals, O prince’s daughter! The curves of your thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of an artist. Your navel is like a round goblet which never lacks mixed wine; your belly is like a heap of wheat set about with lilies. Your two breasts are like fawns, twins of a gazelle. Your neck is like an ivory tower, your eyes like the pools of Heshbon by the gate of Bath Rabbim. Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon which looks toward Damascus. Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel, and the flowing locks of your head are like purple threads; the King is captivated by your tresses.”

The Bride had been telling the daughters how Jesus could be found feeding His people in the midst of His garden, the church. Then Jesus had suddenly interrupted the conversation to affirm her. The Bride is now overcome with love, concern, and desire for the whole church as she goes down to this garden to join Him. His garden, or orchard, is described as including three fruits: walnut groves, budding vineyards and blooming pomegranates.

“I went down to the orchard of nuts,” refers to her desire to serve the various ministries within the church. The church is pictured as a grove of walnuts. There are four different characteristics associated with walnut trees that also relate to the church. Under its dense shade, the walnut tree provides a place of refreshing during the hot summer. The walnut trees were used for cleansing. They were a main source of oil, which was used for making soap. These trees had fragrant leaves that were medicinal in value. And the walnut must be broken before the food and oil can be extracted from it. The walnut grove is full of potential life, yet it is not available until it is broken and dies.

“To see the blossoms of the valley,” speaks of the flourishing work of the Lord in His church. She desires to see the work of other ministries and to be informed about them. This garden is in the valley, which indicates there is opposition in the midst of this.

“To see whether the vine had budded” means she is also interested in the immature ministries, those that are just in bud form. The vine speaks of the work of the Lord throughout scripture, and vineyards are a picture of the Lord’s purpose. She wants to embrace, nurture, and cultivate that which is not yet mature. She is neither intimidated by the flourishing, mature ministries nor dismayed by the immature.

“To see whether the pomegranates had bloomed” may refer to individual believers. Her desire is to see the Word of God produce fruit in the people of God throughout the nations of the earth.

“Before I was even aware” indicates that the Lord surprises her while she is ministering. Suddenly she experiences a new movement of her heart, a fervent desire to give herself in self-sacrificing love to the church. The Lord trains us for ministry even as we step out in ministry.

“My soul had made me as the chariots” depicts the zeal she feels for others. Her soul moves powerfully and swiftly like a chariot without any resistance to the Lord. She was overcome with desire to be part of the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

“As the chariots of my noble people” refers to the excellent quality of her zeal. These would be the best chariots available.

The daughters express their desire to seek the Lord with her. “Come back, come back, O Shulammite; come back” indicates their urgency and desire to be with her. She had left them because her desire was to be in the garden with the Lord.

“Come back that we may gaze at you!” The mature Bride reflects the image of the invisible King. They want to follow her example as she follows Christ. They want to see Him through her because they do not have the mature faith to clearly see Him who is invisible. They want to look upon her in amazement at what the Lord has done in her life. It encourages them in their immaturity.

“What would you see in the Shulammite ?” There are various ways to understand this section, but one possibility is that these are the jealous watchmen who had rejected her speaking, and their question is somewhat sarcastic. The presentation of true holiness and whole-hearted passion for Jesus will always challenge some in the church and cause some to be uncomfortable. Some will not want the Bride to be received or respected.

“As at the dance of the two companies” refers to the interaction between these two different groups in the Body of Christ, the sincere and the insincere. It is the dance of spiritual warfare, the interaction between the two forces in the realm of the spirit.

A division breaks out when the Bride goes forth into her destiny. When people begin to live the First Commandment as first place in their lives, it will bring division. The whole-hearted Bride will disrupt the political agenda in the religious system in the church. The division is between the sincere and the insincere, not the mature and the immature. The Lord always has two groups in the midst of His larger purpose. He has always allowed Jacob and Esau or Saul and David to dwell together in order to train the sincere in righteousness. He uses other people’s accusations to purify and mature us.

This question asked by the jealous watchmen is answered by the daughters, the immature church. The language used in this section indicates it is the daughters speaking here and not the Lord. The Lord raises up part of the church to stand up for the Bride. He reveals to them ten characteristics to affirm His Bride, just as He praised her with ten affirmations. He will use the church’s affirmation to stabilize her in the midst of disappointment, attack, and persecution. These affirmations demonstrate to us what the Lord delights in. They are practical definitions of holiness and fruitfulness.

“How beautiful are your feet” refers to the idea that evangelism is a significant dimension of her beauty. Paul describes our feet as being shod by the preparation of the gospel. (Eph. 6:15) Part of our spiritual inheritance is to partner with God to win souls.

“In sandals” refers to prosperity, honor, and preparation. Bare feet symbolize poverty, shame, and humiliation. She is wearing shoes as a sign of honor.

“O prince’s daughter” speaks of her place in the royal family as a result of the new birth. All believers are adopted into the family of the King. Her character is like that of a person of royal lineage.

“The curves of your thighs” speaks of the muscular definition in her legs giving her strength in her walk. This was developed through hard work and discipline.

“Are like jewels” indicates the strength of her walk is rare.

“The work of the hands of an artist” tells us Jesus has been skillfully preparing and strengthening her throughout her life.

“Your navel is a rounded goblet which never lacks wine” speaks of the inner life of her formative years in the Lord. She has been nourished in the early stages of her spiritual life with a full range of nourishment that brings strength and maturity.

“Your belly is a heap of wheat” refers to the womb. She is ready to birth much spiritual fruit in a season of harvest. She is pictured here as pregnant with a great harvest.

“Set about with lilies” speaks of believers that desire purity, innocence, and holiness. Some people in the name of evangelism emphasize a false mercy that results in compromise. When God’s mercy is presented in the right way, it imparts a desire to be pure.

“Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle” speaks of the power to edify and nurture others and to communicate life. She is prepared to reproduce and to nurture the harvest. She is youthful and energetic in her ability to nurture with milk with a double portion of this ability.

“Your neck is like an ivory tower” speaks of the free will. The neck can either be stiff or submissive. The tower is a symbol of protection and strength. She has a resolute commitment that grants a rare and valuable protection like a costly tower of ivory.

“Your eyes are like the pools in Heshbon by the gate of Bath Rabbin.” Her eyes refer to her ability to have revelation. She has a clear vision in faith that has been cleansed of fleshly mixture. These pools were abundantly clean. It is easy to see through their waters as opposed to muddy waters.

“Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon which looks toward Damascus.” Her nose speaks about her spiritual discernment, her ability to sniff out the plans of the enemy with keen discernment. Damascus was the capital of Syria which was Israel‘s greatest enemy at that time.

“Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel” indicates that the Bride’s thought life is powerful like the beautiful mountaintops. There is purity and wisdom in her thought life. Satan normally attacks through our thought life. When our image of God is wrong and our hope is undermined, we become spiritually vulnerable. When our thoughts are filled with the beauty of the Lord, we are safe from much attack.

“And the hair of your head is like purple” means she has a dedication to the Lord that is like the resolution of a King. It is born of God. It comes from the King Himself.

“The King is held captive by its tresses” speaks of the Lord’s delight and affection over the Bride’s resolution to obey. He is overcome and ravished with her love. Jesus is held captive with a holy compelling within His own heart. It is strong language of love. He gives His heart without reservation to His Bride.

Now Jesus steps into the conversation to vindicate the Bride by agreeing with the daughters about how beautiful she is. The person speaking changes in Song 7:6, “How fair and how pleasant you are, O love, with your delights! This stature of yours is like a palm tree, and your breasts like its clusters. I said, ‘I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of its branches.’ Let now your breasts be like the clusters of the vine, the fragrance of your breath like apples, and the roof of your mouth like the best wine.”

“How fair and pleasant you are.” God so enjoys the fruit of His Bride’s love and obedience. His fruit was sweet to her at the beginning of the Song, and now her fruit is sweet to Him. God delights in the response of His people.

There is nothing more delightful to the Lord than the love that flows from the heart of His Bride. The depth of love He feels for her is boundless. God loves and enjoys us to the same measure that He loves and enjoys Jesus according to John 15:9 which says, “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you.” The fullness of God’s love is beyond human comprehension.

“This stature of yours is like a palm tree.” Jesus affirms that her stature is like a palm tree. A palm tree was used as a sign of victory and conquest. The palm tree grows exceptionally high and exceptionally straight because its roots go extremely deep. It stands strong in the highest winds, and it has the capacity to endure dry seasons because it taps the deep waters underneath.

“And your breasts are like its clusters” refers again to her ability to edify and nurture others. The clusters of the palm tree give abundant nourishment to others, making them joyful.

“I said, ‘I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of her branches.” Jesus promises to release a full manifestation of His power and presence in His Church. He takes hold of the Church by dwelling in manifest power in her midst. The scripture speaks of God arising to come up to His people. Jesus will release power through the branches that truly glorify God. The Father endorsed Jesus with great signs and wonders, and He will do the same for the Church.

“Let now your breasts be like clusters of the vine.” Jesus is commissioning her to nurture others in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is a reference to the “wine” of the Spirit.

“The fragrance of your breath is like apples.” This can be compared to the wind of the Holy Spirit to refresh. Her breath refers to her inner life which is now released through the Spirit. Her inner life was a delight to Jesus, refreshing and pleasant as apples.

“And the roof of your mouth is like the best wine.” Throughout the Song, the mouth speaks about intimacy with God. The best wine is when the Holy Spirit brings us to a place of mature love before Jesus. He likens our love to this best wine, just as she had said in Song 4:10, “Your love is better than wine.” The best wine is served in context of the wedding of the Lamb. The wedding wine is the best, the best that is saved for this special celebration.

“ Father, Your love is so far beyond our comprehension, yet we ask you tonight to fill us with your love so our hearts can grow in love for You. It is truly our desire to be filled with the best wine and to nurture others with the love that You have given us.”

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