New Life Worship Ministries

Meditations on Solomon's Song of Songs by Char Scott

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The Bride’s Pleasure in Partnership

by Char Scott

Tonight we continue to study the Song of Songs with the Bride coming into mature partnership with her Beloved. She is now fully aware of her two-fold bridal identity. She sees herself as a lover of God and as the one that Jesus deeply desires. She is willing to serve the whole body of Christ. Jesus has again affirmed her, and now releases a full measure of anointing as He commissions her to join Him in ministry. In this section, she fully embraces bridal partnership, expressing it through her mature obedience, her intercession for more power, her boldness in public ministry, and her full union and communion with the Lord.

Let’s begin in Song of Songs chapter 7 with the second part of verse 9, reading through chapter 8, verse 4, “The wine goes down smoothly for my Beloved, moving gently the lips of sleepers. I am my Beloved’s, and His desire is for me. Come my Beloved, let us go out into the field; let us lodge in the villages. Let us rise early and go to the vineyards; let us see if the vine has budded, whether the grape blossoms are open, and the pomegranates are in bloom. There I will give you my love. The mandrakes give off a fragrance, and at our gates are pleasant fruits, all manner, new and old, which I have laid up for you, my Beloved. Oh, that you were like my brother, who nursed at my mother’s breasts! If I should find you outside, I would kiss you; I would not be despised. I would lead you and bring you into the house of my mother, she who used to instruct me. I would cause you to drink of spiced wine, of the juice of my pomegranate. His left hand is under my head, and His right hand embraces me. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, do not stir or awaken love until she pleases.”

The flow of thought changes in the middle of verse 9 from the Bridegroom speaking to the Bride speaking. She interrupts Him to state her deep feelings of commitment to receive anything that comes from Him, saying, “The wine goes down smoothly.” In the poetic language of love, she is referring to her full agreement with the Holy Spirit. She easily receives this wine of love and does not resist the movements of the Holy Spirit in her life, even when it means difficulty.

She now relates obediently to the Holy Spirit out of love for Jesus, “for my Beloved.” She knows the Holy Spirit comes to help her give her heart even more fully to Jesus.

“Moving gently the lips of sleepers” speaks of the effective ministry of the Bride through the Holy Spirit to those who are spiritually sleeping. Her life now impacts and awakens others as she brings them to a life of worship and passion for Jesus. She “moves” others deep in their hearts as they see her devotion and total trust in Jesus. Often the promptings of the Holy Spirit are “gentle” because He does not want to violate our free will.

“The lips of sleepers” refers to the idea that those who were sleeping now speak through the inspiration and anointing of the Holy Spirit. Godly speech is one fruit of deep spiritual pursuit.

“I am My Beloved’s” is a statement of her spiritual identity as a lover of God. This bridal identity is the power of her emotional life. She knows that she belongs to Him, and His desires and concerns are what are important to her. This is our primary identity, to see ourselves first and foremost as lovers of God. Many people define themselves by their by their failures. God does not define us by our struggles but by the cry in our heart to be His! We are lovers of God who struggle with sin, not sinners struggling to love God. There is a huge difference, and when we truly understand this concept, we become secure in His love.

“And His desire is toward me” expresses her realization that His greatest desire is for her! This revelation comes to us progressively as we drink in His love and experience His affections for us personally. She is secure in this truth and can stand firm in the face of Satan’s accusations against Him and against the criticism of others.

God’s love for us is a powerful, all consuming passion that includes deep desire, enjoyment, and longing. At the Last Supper, Jesus emphasized that the measure of God’s loving desire for them was no less than the measure of love the Father has for the Son.

This recognition that we are His greatest desire significantly changes the way we think and feel about ourselves. Jesus declared that the Father’s loving affection for Jesus is the very standard of the Son’s affection for us, John 15:9, “as the Father loved Me, I also d you.“ He also stated that the measure of the Father’s affection for Jesus is equal to the Father’s affection for us in John 17:23, “that the world might know that You, the Father, d them as You d Me.“ And in John 17:26, Jesus prayed that “the love with which You loved Me may be in them.” He is asking that the same love the Father has for Jesus would be imparted to us. There could be no greater love!

“Come, my Beloved, let us go forth to the field.” Now the Bride asks the Lord to run together in anointed ministry. She is also interceding with the cry, “Come!” just as the Bride and the Spirit both cry at the end of the age. She is turning the prophetic promises the Lord has just given her into intercessory prayer. She is motivated by divine love, and she is staying focused on intimacy with her Beloved. In all the excitement and pressure of witnessing the power of God bringing in a great harvest, she keeps in mind the idea that the whole purpose of salvation is to fill us with love for our heavenly Bridegroom. She views her ministry as bridal love and partnership. This focus will protect her from seeking the honor of men through ministry.

The Bride refuses to go unless her Beloved goes with her. She does not have her own plan and desires, but wants only to go with Him wherever that may be. She desires to go to “the field” which refers to the place of harvest. This field may be only with her family, her neighbors, and friends or it may be far from home as she is called to another part of the earth to serve. This field is wherever God has placed you in His wisdom and love.

“Let us lodge in the villages” speaks of her willingness and desire to go to the unpopulated areas of the earth, not just the areas of large harvest. She will “lodge” or stay in a place that is not her normal dwelling as long as the Lord desires.

“Let us get up early” indicates an urgency and a priority in her ministry to others. She is willing to face inconvenience and to go to the vineyards before she expends her resources on other things.

“To the vineyards” refers to other areas of ministry that are not necessarily under her own sphere of authority. An expression of spiritual maturity is to have a genuine interest in the spheres of others, and a willingness to invest in other parts of the Kingdom.

“Let us see” indicates a desire to discern the needs of others and to see what God is doing in various parts of the Body.

“If the vine has budded” speaks of the immature parts of the church. It is more difficult to labor among immature believers, but she is willing.

“And the pomegranates are in bloom” refers to individual believers. She desires to pay attention to each person that truly wants to cultivate the purposes of God in his life.

“There I will give you my love.” In the middle of the pressures of serving the immature church, her love will not diminish. She will give Him her love, not just in isolation, but also in the midst of labors, warfare, sacrifice, persecution, and conflict.

God is raising up a church that will maintain spiritual intimacy in the place of disappointment, pressure, and persecution. He desires lovers who will avoid common problems. They will get their identity from Him, and not from their ministry function. They will avoid performance orientation, knowing they cannot and need not do it all, but releasing responsibility to others freely. He desires His Bride to overcome jealousy and competition and the need to receive affection from others as a result of ministry. And He wants us to work without anxiety or fear of failure. The mature Bride is secure in His love.

“The mandrakes give off a fragrance” speaks of the fragrance their romance produces as they labor together in the coming harvest. The mandrake was a purple flower with a beautiful scent and was called the love fruit. The grace of God has bloomed in her life as she combines intimacy with Jesus and a heart to serve others.

“And at our gates are pleasant fruits” refers to that which is under her authority producing good fruit that is pleasant and delightful both to her and to the Lord. She now sees the fruit in her life and ministry that the Lord had promised her.

“All manner, new and old” speaks of the diversity of ministry flowing out of the Bride. She is established in the historical truths of the church, but also experiencing the new things of God that often accompany revival. She can draw from various seasons and experiences in her life.

“Which I have laid up for you, my Beloved” refers to the treasure she is storing up in heaven from her life of faith and obedience. She is not concerned about storing up riches and honor on earth, but desires eternal riches that she will cast at His feet on the last day as a final expression of her love and devotion. Her love for Him is her primary motivation for all she does in life.

Now the Bride speaks in the form of a prayer as she longs to confidently show the reality of her affection for Him publicly.

“O, that You were like my brother, who nursed at my mother’s breasts” means that she wishes she could more freely express her affection for Jesus. It was considered improper to express public affection to members of the opposite sex that were not in the immediate family. A young woman of that time could be more affectionate to her brother than to her fiance.

“If I should find you outside, I would kiss you” again refers to her need to be restrained in aspects of her passion for Jesus. Her desire is to fully express in public all that God has allowed her to experience, but she knows certain intimate revelations may be misunderstood by others.

“I would not be despised” expresses the idea that she will be despised if she is too bold in public sharing the intimate things of the Spirit. It is more appropriate to share such things in private settings, with people who understand intimacy with Jesus. She is bold, yet uses restraint, wisdom, and humility. She wishes that she did not have to have this concern, but accepts the reality that restraint is necessary out of love for those who do not understand. Her heart is feeling more than she is releasing.

“I would lead You” speaks of the reality that Jesus allows mature believers to make decisions regarding the outworking of His purposes. Because their desire is to honor Him, He can bless their intentions. This reveals some of the honor and dignity reserved for the Bride in partnership with Jesus.

“And bring You” tells us she wants to bring His presence to others through anointed ministry.

“Into the house of my mother” expresses her commitment to bring a deep revelation of Jesus to the church so they will be stirred to passion and obedience to Him. She will not compromise even in the most familiar relationships. “My mother” refers to the church, the people God uses to bring about our spiritual birth. It is sometimes most difficult to freely express radical faith with those closest to us.

“She who used to instruct me” speaks of her desire to honor those who helped establish her at the beginning of her walk with Jesus. She wants to bless them, rather than to criticize them if they do not share her passionate commitment to intimacy with Jesus and the deeper things of God.

“I would cause You to drink of spiced wine” refers to her desire to serve Him the thing He most desires. Wine mixed with spices is more expensive and enjoyable, the very best you could serve to your guests. She is living a lifestyle of no compromise which is the very best she can offer Him.

“Of the juice of my pomegranate” speaks of the grace she experiences to be inwardly pure in her secret life with God. This is the foundation out of which she lives and ministers to others.

“His left hand is under my head” expresses the idea that He is moving in her life in ways she cannot see or discern yet she benefits from His touch and invisible activity.

“His right hand embraces me” speaks of the visible, manifest activity in her life. The Lord allows her to experience His embrace, and this embrace is the strength and power of her life.

“I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, do not stir up nor awaken love until she pleases.” This is the third time in the Song that He charges them in this way. However, this time the phrase “by the gazelles or by the does of the field” is omitted because she is now firmly established and not easily distracted. He does not want the Bride to be pressured in ways that draw her away from the Lord’s purposes in her life at this time.

The Bride has now fully matured and is functioning in her role as a partner in ministry with Jesus. She is committed to continued intimacy with Him as the source of her identity and security while also giving herself in ministry to others as He leads.

Let’s pray, “ Father, this is also our desire, to grow in love for Jesus until we can run boldly with Him as we share His love with others. We thank You that You are always working in our lives to bring us to this place of maturity. Thank you for your embrace. We ask You to kiss us tonight and hold us close so we can feel the beat of Your heart for us and for others. Amen.”

Summary | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Index

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