New Life Worship Ministries

Meditations on Solomon's Song of Songs by Char Scott

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The Bridal Seal of Mature Love

by Char Scott

We are now on the last section of the Song of Songs. The Bride has responded in heartfelt love and obedience. She has made herself ready, by the power of the Holy Spirit and the revelation of the Bridegroom’s love for her. She is motivated and empowered by love and gratitude in all she does and says.

Let’s begin in Song of Songs 8: 5-14, “ Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning upon her Beloved? I awakened you under the apple tree. There your mother was in labor with you; there she was in labor and gave you birth. 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 rivers overflow it. If a man would give for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly despised. We have a little sister, and she has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister in the day when she is spoken for? If she is a wall, we will build upon her a battlement of silver; and if she is a door, we will enclose her with boards of cedar. I am a wall, and my breasts like towers; then I became in his eyes as one who found peace. Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon; he entrusted the vineyard to caretakers. Each one was to bring for its fruit a thousand silver coins. My own vineyard is before me. You, O Solomon, may have a thousand, and those who tend its fruit two hundred. You who dwell in the gardens, the companions listen for your voice--Let me hear it! Make haste, my Beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.”

“Who is this coming up from the wilderness? Leaning upon her Beloved?” The Holy Spirit gives a prophetic proclamation of the Bride’s final victory. She is coming up from the wilderness, ascending and not descending because she did not quit in the midst of her wilderness. The love of God that has been imparted to her has enabled her to persevere through every trial. In the Song 3:6, Jesus was described as coming out of the wilderness perfumed with myrrh and frankincense. In Song 4:6, the Bride agreed to go to the mountain of myrrh and hill of frankincense. She is now experiencing victory just as He did.

“Leaning upon her Beloved” reveals that she has a deep revelation of her inadequacies and weaknesses, and a knowing that Jesus, the lover of her soul, her Beloved, is both her life goal and her source of strength. The Father has promised Jesus a Bride with a leaning heart of loyal love that will not stray in either seasons of blessing or seasons of trial and difficulty. We often do not lean in love during times of prosperity and blessing because we feel safe in our own strength, but we must come to the place where we lean in trust voluntarily in any kind of circumstance.

There are several ways in which we can continually lean on Jesus. We trust in His work on the Cross for our salvation, rather than trusting in our own righteousness and deeds. We recognize that we, in this life, are dark but lovely. We also depend on Him for victory over sin in our lives, and acknowledge our continual need for His grace. We lean on Him for wholeness in our lives, laying down our self-protection and being willing to take risks to become healed and whole. We understand that we do not have the wisdom or power to arrange our own lives, and look to Him for His plan and direction rather than trusting in our own understanding. And we see Him as our source for every provision and the full supply of all we truly need to fulfill His purposes in our lives. We never reach a place where we need Him less, rather as we mature we become even more aware of our need and privilege to lean on our Beloved.

“I awakened.” Jesus reminds her of her past journey. When she had no thoughts of God, He came to her and awakened her heart by His love and kindness. It is the Lord who always initiates any spiritual progress we make. He moves in our hearts and lives, and we simply respond.

“Under the apple tree” refers to the season where she first felt His refreshing love for her, where she experienced spiritual rest and pleasure.

“There your mother was in labor with you, there she was in labor and gave you birth.” The “mother” here again refers to the role of the church in bringing her forth into maturity. This statement is repeated for emphasis to remind her of the importance of the impact of other believers in her life.

“Set Me as a seal” is Jesus inviting the Bride to set the Lord on her heart by communing with Him. Her journey began with a divine kiss and ends with the divine seal. This seal is the seal of the King of heaven and earth. It is the sovereign seal of fire put in place by the Holy Spirit. This seal speaks of Jesus’ ownership, protection, and authority over our lives.

In ancient times a king’s seal was sacred. It was used to mark royal documents and indicated that the entire power and might of the king was behind it. Each king’s seal was unique, like his signature, representing his ownership, imparting his authority, and releasing his protection.

This seal in the Song is the power of Jesus released by the Holy Spirit that tenderizes our hearts in love for Him. This seal is our identity and speaks of the way we define our lives and determine our spiritual identity. The seal is fellowship with Jesus in the Holy Spirit. As we spend time with Him each day, we release His authority in our lives. This seal is a progressive sealing. The Holy Spirit seals us the day we are born again. From that day on, we are officially engaged to the Lord. The seal enables us to recognize the manifestation of the presence of God and to grow in love for Him over the years.

“As a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm” indicates the seal is two-fold. The heart refers to our affection, our intimacy with the Lord. It answers her cry to ,“Draw me after You.” It is her wholehearted love for God that fulfills the first commandment, “You shall love the Lord with all your heart.”

The arm speaks of our labors in ministry, our ability to impart passion for God to others as we live out the second commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” It answers her cry to “run together.” The love that the Lord imparts to us enables us to draw close to Him in continual intimacy and to reach out to others with His love.

“For love is as strong as death.” Just as death consumes everything so also nothing will escape the grasp of God’s love. No area of our lives is beyond the power of His redeeming and transforming love.

“Jealousy as cruel as the grave” refers to God’s jealousy which is really a pure manifestation of His love. God is jealous for His Son and His people. The jealousy of God claims everything in our lives for Himself. The grave is also cruel, or unyielding, in that it demands the total submission of all.

“Its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement fire” speaks of the fiery love in the heart of the Bride for Jesus that His own love has inspired in her. It is a seal of fire that He puts on the heart of His people. God’s fire flashes in the human heart, powerfully and suddenly.

In Deut. 4:24, the scripture tells us that God is a consuming fire. God’s fire is first an expression of His passionate emotion. He cares intensely about His people. His fire is also expressed in His judgments as He seeks to remove anything that hinders bridal love in our lives. Fire penetrates and purifies that which it touches.

The phrase “a most vehement flame” can also be translated “the very flame of God.” God’s own supernatural fire is burning in the human soul. The Holy Spirit will release the very flame of God in the human heart to produce “burning hearts” in love with Him.

“Many waters cannot quench love” means that many waters of affliction cannot quench this kind of love because it is a supernatural work of God in the heart. The obstacles and pressures of every day life cannot put out this fire.

“Nor rivers overflow it” can also be translated “ nor can floods drown it.” Floods speak of great obstacles or persecution that create great crisis. Water normally puts out a fire, but not even a violent flood cannot extinguish this fire. Even when the enemy rages against the church, the love of God will not be drowned out.

“If a man would give for love” means the Bride obeys without any regard to cost. She is wealthy in love, and there is no limit to what she will freely give.

“All the wealth of his house” speaks of the Bride’s total commitment to give everything that she is and has in the past, the present, and the future.

“It would be utterly despised” implies that she wants no reward other than the power to love Jesus. She does not seek or receive recognition for her love. Any sacrifice is small compared to all He has given her. The reward of the Bride is simply that she has received the power to wholeheartedly love Jesus.

The Bride has been set on fire within and feels alive because she knows who she is in His love. While overflowing from the seal of bridal love, she now moves into intercession. She is keenly aware of the spiritual condition of other members of the Body of Christ who are still babes.

“We have a little sister, and she has no breasts” speaks of the younger believers who have not yet experienced the “kisses” of God’s Word that bring them to spiritual intimacy and maturity. The little sister is also not yet equipped as a spiritual mother who can nurture and edify others with the milk of the Word. Revival brings forth many new little sisters who are spiritually undeveloped.

“What can we do for our sister ?” The Bride is crying out to the Lord on behalf of the new believers. She is concerned for them, and not just for herself, and does not want to go on without them.

“In the day when she is spoken for” refers to the time when these young believers are awakened to their destiny as the Bride of Christ. The Bride recognizes that the young ones will eventually mature and discover their identity as His Bride.

“If she is a wall, we will build upon her a battlement of silver” speaks of the way the young will respond to the grace of God. A wall was necessary for a city to be protected. God’s desire is for us to become a wall of protection for others. This refers to the pastoral and prophetic ministries in the church. God wants to raise up men and women who will take a stand regardless of the cost or the assault that comes against them. The Bride is committed to work to establish others in ministry. The “battlement of silver” means this cannot be a work of the flesh, but only a work of the Holy Spirit through redemption.

“And if she is a door, we will enclose her with boards of cedar” speaks of the ministry areas of evangelism and teaching. These ministries open doors of grace for others, a point of entry into new truth and revelation. The Bride will communicate the mysteries of God with great clarity as she speaks of the revelation of the Holy Spirit in her teaching ministry, and she also functions as a door to open the way of salvation for others through evangelism. “We will enclose her with boards of cedar” refers to being clothed with power from on high to win the lost, being clothed with the righteousness of Christ Himself.

“I am a wall” means the Bride sees herself as a wall of protection that exists to protect the young ones. She knows she no longer lives for herself, but also for the benefit of others. She now possesses a confidence, not as a result of pride, but a holy recognition of her own maturity, sincerity, and fruitfulness. This assurance makes her powerfully committed to Jesus as she does the work of service. She has a witness in her heart that she has fully done the will of God and has stood in victory. The seal upon her heart has produced that boldness, confidence, and spiritual maturity.

“And my breasts like towers” speaks of her abundance to nurture those within her walls. Three times in the Song she has been compared to a tower. (4:4, 7:4, 8:10)

“Then I became in His eyes as one who found peace.” She is completely at peace with the way God designed and created her. She has found peace gazing into His eyes. She has settled all the issues in her life that might have held her back from her destiny.

“ Solomon had a vineyard at Baal Hamon.” Solomon’s vineyard in the Song is Jesus’ vineyard, which is the people of God or the worldwide church. The King’s vineyard grows much larger through great revival.

“He leased the vineyard to keepers” refers to the idea that Jesus has entrusted His kingdom for a time to the church. All of us have been given a certain stewardship before God, a sphere of responsibility in the Kingdom.

“Everyone was to bring forth its fruit” tells us that Jesus is looking for fruit in each of our lives as we cultivate the portion of the vineyard He has entrusted to us.

“A thousand pieces of silver” speaks of the full measure that the Lord looks for according to that which is entrusted to us. Our faithful labor is translated into silver, which signifies redemption, among the treasure laid up in heaven. The Lord rewards us based on our measure of faithfulness, not our measure of giftedness. We often focus on the measure of our gifting, but we should only be concerned about our faithfulness with what He has given us.

“My own vineyard is before me.” This is the sphere for which she is accountable. At the beginning of her journey, she had not tended her own vineyard. Now she is confident she has given her full devotion and obedience to Jesus. She knows she will stand before the Lord at the judgment seat of Christ to give account for that which has been entrusted to her.

“You O Solomon, may have a thousand.” Again here we are speaking of Jesus. She is saying to Jesus that she has given to Him all that He has asked for. She has said yes in every area that He required of her.

“And those who tend its fruit two hundred” means those who have helped her on her journey to maturity and fruitfulness will also receive honor on the last day.

Now Jesus speaks for the last time. He is ending the Song with an affirmation of the two initial prayers that she prayed as she began her journey, the prayer to be drawn and to run with Him. Both prayers have now been answered. The order is reversed here.

“You who dwell in the gardens” implies regular involvement with the Body of Christ with a heart to serve all in the various parts of the church. The gardens is plural referring to all the different flavors and spices of God in the worldwide church. She loved the whole church, not just her part of it.

“The companions listen for your voice.” He is encouraging her that other believers desire the mature quality of ministry that comes from her. They listen for her voice eagerly and take her seriously.

“Let me hear it!” He wants to hear her voice while she is running in ministry. Our voice is a delight to the heart of God. He longs to hear our voice in devoted prayer and in worship. He wants to hear our voice as we teach from His Word, encouraging others to grow in faith and grace. He also wants to hear our voice in evangelism as we proclaim the Word of God to unbelievers. And He loves to hear our voice lifted in intercession as we pray the prayers that are close to His heart.

“Make haste, my Beloved.” She immediately breaks out in intercession. She cries out for Him to visit the Church with His presence and for His second coming. This is the same cry of the Spirit and the Bride in Rev. 22:17.

“My Beloved” is an expression of worship and adoration. His love is her source of motivation and strength.

“And be like a gazelle or a young stag” is her cry for Him to come quickly, to overcome all obstacles and to bring her to victory.

In the Song, the individual believer is spoken of as having all “chief spices.” The corporate church is said to be a “garden of spices.” “On the mountains of spices” refers to the place of unbroken communion with the Lord, where His fragrance and beauty is always present. This is her greatest longing, to be with Him eternally in His presence.

“Father, this is also our greatest desire -- to dwell in your presence in unbroken communion, to sense your fragrance and your beauty. Come and kiss us tonight with words that tenderize our hearts even more to your touch. We love You, Lord.”

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