Song of Solomon Chapter 2 of 8

Song of Solomon 2

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.
Click for a description of the image of the beast.

“I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.” Song of Solomon 2:1

The Shulamite woman feels like she is the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valleys to king Solomon, she felt wanted, loved, and appreciated by him. Our Lord Jesus Christ is our King who makes us feel wanted, loved, and appreciated in the valleys of today’s atheistic culture. He is also known as the Rose of Sharon and the Lilly of the Valley because he is always with us in the deserts and the valleys.

Jesus, Rose of Sharon, bloom within my heart;
Beauties of Thy truth and holiness impart,
That where’er I go my life may shed abroad
Fragrance of the knowledge of the love of God.
[Church Song]

King Solomon replies to the Shulamite by saying, “Like a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.” Song of Solomon 2:2

While the Shulamite referred to herself as being a lily in the valley for king Solomon, king Solomon goes even further to refer to her as being the lily of the valley to the “Daughters of Jerusalem”. This meant that the blacker-than-black skinned Shulamite woman was a breath of fresh air, encouragement, and hope for all the young Jewish women of Jerusalem.

The “Daughters of Jerusalem” are every one of us who are born-again through Jesus Christ, and He is our King and “Lily of the Valley”. In a sense, all of the early Christians that formed the Church is the lily of the valley for all of us Christians today. We gain inspiration, hope, encouragement, and a breath of fresh air to read about them in the pages of the Bible. All of that pleasant fragrance actually comes from Jesus Christ living in them, He is the Lily of the Valley.

If there is any good in the valley of this atheistic world for us who believe God, know our need for Jesus Christ, and live in the presence of the Holy Spirit, that good is Jesus Christ.

I have found a friend in Jesus,
He’s ev’rything to me,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul;
The “Lily of the Valley,” in Him alone I see,
all I need to cleanse and make me fully whole.
In sorrow He’s my comfort, in trouble He’s my stay,
He tells me ev’ry care on Him to roll;
He’s the “Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star,”
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.
[Church Song]

While king Solomon said the Shulamite was a lily among the thorns for the “Daughters of Jerusalem”, the Shulamite returns the love talk by saying he is an apple tree among the sons of Jerusalem. “Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down in his shade with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.” Song of Solomon 2:3

To be an apple tree in the woods to feed the sons of Jerusalem was a testimony to the character and wisdom of Solomon to provide nutritious, watery, and sweet tasting food to all the men of Jerusalem. The Shulamite woman testified to setting in the shade, relief, and rest of Solomon as she verified that his fruit was sweet to her taste.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is that apple tree in the woods, who is offered to all of the Jewish people and to those living in the State of Israel. “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 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.” John 1:11-13

For those of us who have tasted of Jesus Christ, we know how comforting His shade is, what a delight it is to live for Him, and how sweet His fruit is to our taste, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” Psalms 34:8

The Shulamite speaks to the “Daughters of Jerusalem” about waiting for true love to come, not trying force love to happen, as she found true love by knowing the love of king Solomon, “He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. Sustain me with cakes of raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am lovesick. His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the does of the field, do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases.” Song of Solomon 2:4-7

King Solomon invited the Shulamite to his banqueting house, and she said that his banner over her was love. It wasn’t a banner of control, power, authority, domination, but a true feeling of love and belonging. This blacker-than-black Shulamite woman was lovesick for the Jewish king Solomon and king Solomon for her. She desired to be sustained with cakes of raisins and refreshed with apples, never wanting their love to go stale and faint. She loved the way Solomon held her, with one hand under her head and being embraced by the other. She knew she found true love and encouraged the “Daughters of Jerusalem” to swear to her that they would wait until true love found them, not to force it to come.

Our Lord Jesus Christ brings us to His banqueting house, and we discover that His banner over us is love. “The Lord is mine, and I am His, His banner over me is love…He brought me to His banqueting table His banner over me is love. Jesus is the rock of my salvation His banner over me is love” [Church Song] When we have a taste of being born-again in the Spirit, we become lovestruck and want to be sustained and refreshed in that love. Jesus holds our head in one hand by renewing our mind, so we are not conformed to the atheism of this world. He embraces us with the power of His right hand to see us through this world where love has gone cold. We should promise not to awaken the love of this world but always wait for the true love of God that comes through Jesus Christ in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

The Shulamite woman recalls a Spring-time experience with king Solomon. “The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes Leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, he stands behind our wall; He is looking through the windows, gazing through the lattice. My beloved spoke, and said to me: “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away! “O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.” Song of Solomon 2:8-14

Song of Solomon is an excellent book for a glimpse into the character and physical appearance of king Solomon. He was obviously very athletic, graceful, and a swift runner. Solomon had no problem being a Jewish man in love with a very black Shulamite woman. He stood by the outside wall, looking into the window where the Shulamite was in order to wake her up, to go out, and to enjoy the Spring blossoms together. Solomon calls her his “dove” and yearned to see her lovely face and hear her sweet voice.

This portion of the Song of Solomon is very much prophetic, inspired by the Holy Spirit, of the return of Jesus Christ. The voice of our beloved is our King, Jesus Christ, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me…” John 10:27

Jesus Christ comes swiftly, as swiftly as what lightning flashes in the sky, “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matthew 24:27 Behold, he comes Leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.

Our beloved King, Jesus Christ, is looking through the windows to see who has the light of the Holy Spirit, seeking those He will be taking to the New Jerusalem with him when he returns, this is described in Matthew 25:1-13. Behold, he stands behind our wall; He is looking through the windows, gazing through the lattice.

At the coming of our King, Jesus Christ, we will be resurrected from the grave as the cold winter on this earth passes and the flowers appear. This also refers to the resurrection of the Spirit within us, and the blossoms of the fruit of the Spirit, by being born-again through Jesus Christ, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:11 My beloved spoke, and said to me: “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land.

When the fig tree puts forth her figs, we know the return of Jesus Christ is very near, “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!” Matthew 24:32-33 Click here for a post on Matthew 24. The fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell.

At the coming of Jesus Christ, we will be raised from the grave to live with Him eternally in the New Jerusalem, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away!

We live in an atheistic culture that wants Christians and the whole gospel of Christ to be out of sight and out of mind. In essence, we represent the sweetness and loveliness of the Spirit of Christ and are symbolically in the clefts of the rocks, in the secret places, O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. The Holy Spirit wants us to come apart from this world, “And I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.” Revelation 18:4-5

“Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes.” Song of Solomon 2:15 This verse is attributed to being the words of the brothers of the Shulamite woman. They wanted retribution given to the animals responsible for destroying their vineyards. Symbolically, those vineyards represent the growth and blossoms within the family of Christ, and the destructive foxes represents those who bring destruction to Christianity. Our King Jesus promises to bring that retribution, “They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.” Matthew 21:41 Click here for a parable on the wicked vinedressers.

The Shulamite woman affirms that king Solomon is hers and she is his, as he feeds his flock among the lilies, “My beloved is mine, and I am his. He feeds his flock among the lilies.” Song of Solomon 2:16 As followers of Jesus Christ, we can say that He is ours and we are His, and He feeds His flock among the lilies of the valleys. “And since we are His children, we will share His treasures—for all God gives to His Son Jesus is now ours too.” Romans 8:17 Our Lord Jesus feeds us with His Bread and Water of life, “He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” John 6:35

I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.

The Shulamite speaks to her beloved king Solomon, “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.” Song of Solomon 2:17 The Shulamite understood that king Solomon couldn’t be with her 24 hours a day but desirously looked forward to seeing him at the break of dawn. The two were separated by time and space, but not in spirit and heart. “Bether” means “separation”.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are separated from His resurrected body, but we are one with Him in the presence of the holy Spirit. When the day breaks and the shadows flee away is the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Bright and Morning Star, “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” Revelation 22:16

“Bether” literally means separation, and until the return of Jesus Christ, Christians will always be separated from the ways of this world while living in this world, “The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” Matthew 13:28–30

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1