Song of Solomon chapter 5 of 8

Song of Solomon 5

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

The bride of king Solomon, the Shulamite, said, “I sleep, but my heart is awake…” Song of Solomon 5:2a I’ve had those nights where I’m mostly sleeping but aware enough to know that thoughts are running through my mind. It is somewhat of a restless night. As Christians, sometimes the concerns of this world overwhelms us as we put Christ on the back burner, “Can any of you add a single hour to your life by worrying?” Matthew 6:27 “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can…” [Serenity Prayer]

In today’s world, there is an entity with power over physiology that is able to give us what to think and feel to make us uncomfortable and our nights restless. During these times, we have to remember the grace and mercy of God who has forgiven us of all things. We will never be able to change the maliciousness of this world, “Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it…” [Serenity Prayer]

At this time of restlessness, king Solomon comes knocking on her door, “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, my locks with the drops of the night.” Song of Solomon 5:2b. King Solomon was obviously out in the cool of the night and very early morning with his head and curly hair dripping with dew. He needed a place of rest and refreshing. When our soul is restless, our Lord Jesus is there knocking on the door to give us peace and rest. Jesus is dripping with dew in the dark hours, the dew of the Holy Spirit, and He wants us to open the door to Him so that He can give us rest, “Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Place my yoke  over your shoulders, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble. Then you will find rest for yourselves because my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3:20

When the Shulamite heard Solomon at the door, all she could think about was that she was not clothed and her feet had already been washed for bedtime. She did not want to get up and dress, undress again, dirty her feet, then wash again. “I have taken off my robe; How can I put it on again? I have washed my feet; How can I defile them?” Song of Solomon 5:3

Many times, we do not feel appropriate to open the door of our thoughts and feelings to Jesus Christ. We feel that the clothing of the Holy Spirit is removed from us, our feet are filthy from not walking with Him, and we feel our defilement. Physical appearances and not being perfect in thoughts and feelings prohibit us from continuing in our walk with Jesus Christ. Our Lord Jesus assures us that being perfect in the flesh is not His requirement, but only to be perfect in our love for Him within our heart and spirit. This is what the grace, mercy, and forgiveness of God is all about. Our faith and belief in God through Jesus Christ is the only thing that justifies us, not our physical cleanliness or perfections, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17

After some time, the Shulamite decided to rise up from bed to open the door, as she saw that Solomon had his hand on the latch of the door. Her hands and fingers were dripping from the body ointment she applied to greet him, “My beloved put his hand by the latch of the door, and my heart yearned for him. I arose to open for my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with liquid myrrh, on the handles of the lock.” Song of Solomon 5:4-5 I believe if the Shulamite [Solomon’s bride] would have run to the door just as she was, to let Solomon in, he would have greeted her with a loving embrace. She could have been in unappealing bed clothes, maybe naked altogether, dirty feet, stinky with body odor, etc. and Solomon would have still shown his love to her. Instead, she felt she had to prepare herself first, keeping Solomon locked out.

Our Lord Jesus does not expect us to do any preparations to try to make ourselves clean and appealing to Him, He just wants us to open the door of our heart to Him just as we are. “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 “Just as I am and waiting not to rid my soul of one dark blot, To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.” [Church Song] As soon as we open the door of our heart to Him, Jesus comes in, into the black and filthy tar pit of our soul, feelings, thoughts, etc. That is God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness working through His Son Jesus Christ.

“[Jesus] has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity....it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace..” 2 Timothy 1:9, Romans 11:16

After rising from bed, washing, putting on the ointment of myrrh, putting on all her clothes and shoes, the Shulamite expressed her disappointment that Solomon was no longer waiting at the door when she opened it. “I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had turned away and was gone.” Song of Solomon 5:6a. If we try to cleanse ourselves in preparation to live for Jesus Christ, He will no longer be at the door of our heart. That’s because our own efforts of trying to be a good person crowds out the grace and mercy of God. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.” Galatians 2:21

Due to her hesitation of rising from bed and preparing herself once she did decide to answer the door, the Shulamite was too late to let Solomon in the door, he had left. She heard his voice from the door where she was standing, was excited at his voice, but didn’t see him. She looked and could not find him, she called, and he did not answer. “My heart leaped up when he spoke. I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.” Solomon 5:6b.

Spiritually speaking, at this time the Shulamite is symbolic of those who use their own efforts to make themselves feel clean and acceptable to our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus knocks on the door of our heart, but because we think we can make ourselves acceptable to Him before we let Him in, He no longer is standing at the door asking us to let him in. Our own efforts of trying to clean up our carnal human nature, rooted in inherited sin, chases away the grace, mercy, and forgiveness found in our Lord Jesus Christ. In an earthly sense, not rooted in the Holy Spirit, some might feel excited to hear the voice of Jesus, like hearing or reading a philosopher, a poet, a religious guru, etc. But relying on our own efforts to erase sin from our nature will never enable us to find Him. We could call to Him and say, “Look at me, I cleaned myself for you, now I will open the door of my heart to you”, but He will not answer. “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” 1 Corinthians 10:12

“Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”; and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 1 Corinthians 3:18-20

The Shulamite went into the city looking for Solomon, but the watchmen of the city found her, struck and wounded her. Those keeping watch of who comes in and out through the walls of the city took her veil away. She then went to the “Daughters of Jerusalem” to have them send a message to Solomon that she is looking for him. “The watchmen who went about the city found me. They struck me, they wounded me; The keepers of the walls took my veil away from me. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him I am lovesick!” Song of Solomon 5:7-8 Those of the city obviously perceived that the Shulamite had offended the king, king Solomon, and they treated her accordingly.

Those who believe they can erase the carnal nature of inherited sin, and then think Jesus Christ will come into their heart, are not in good favor with those of the Kingdom of God. There are watchmen watching over the city and guarding the wall to keep entry into the Holy place of the heart accessible only by the grace, mercy, and forgiveness through Jesus Christ. No human effort can erase our sinful carnal nature. “So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.” Genesis 3:24 Click here for a post on Genesis 3:24.

Those who attempt to be pure in this world by their own efforts, above everyone else, immediately has the veil pulled from their face and are revealed as being as much a sinner as everyone else. We are chastised for thinking we are “better” than those around us. The entity with power over physiology makes sure of that by filling our thoughts and feelings with what a “self-righteous” person deems offensive, intolerable, infuriating, and deserving of rebellion, vengeance, and hostile behavior. As followers of Jesus Christ, chastisement brings about the peaceful fruit of righteousness, “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, ¹³ and make straight paths for your feet…” Hebrews 12:11-12

The Shulamite turned to the “Daughters of Jerusalem” to send a message to Solomon. As adopted children of God, we are the “Daughters of Jerusalem”. Many people who feel they can cleanse themselves of sin, without the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ, want us to “pray for them”, to send a message to Jesus Christ for them, but our answer is similar to what the “Daughters of Jerusalem” replied to the Shulamite, “What is your beloved More than another beloved, O fairest among women? What is your beloved more than another beloved, that you so charge us?” Song of Solomon 5:9

The “Daughters of Jerusalem” were saying that the Shulamite would not answer the door for the most important man in Israel, king Solomon, so they were throwing that back in her face, by saying “What is your beloved More than another beloved, O fairest among women?” As followers of Jesus Christ, our reply to people who think they can scrub the inherited sin from their human nature is, “What is Jesus Christ to you more than any other person, philosopher, poet, or religious guru? You want us to send a message to Jesus Christ, whom you see as no more divine than an “earthly divinity”

In answer to the “Daughters of Jerusalem”, the Shulamite reaffirmed the importance of king Solomon, reaffirmed her love for Him, showered praise upon Him, and affirmed his perfection in her eyes. “My beloved is white and ruddy, Chief among ten thousand. His head is like the finest gold; His locks are wavy, and black as a raven. His eyes are like doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set. His cheeks are like a bed of spices, banks of scented herbs. His lips are lilies, dripping liquid myrrh. His hands are rods of gold set with beryl. His body is carved ivory inlaid with sapphires. His legs are pillars of marble set on bases of fine gold. His countenance is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. His mouth is most sweet, yes, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem!” Song of Solomon 5:10-16

To be right in the eyes of God, we must see Jesus Christ as being altogether lovely, and ourselves as sinners saved only by the mercy and grace found in His Son Jesus Christ. Our own effort to erase our inherited sinful nature doesn’t work, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 “He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth.” John 3:30-31

Altogether lovely,
He is altogether lovely,
And the fairest of ten thousand,
This wonderful Friend divine;
He gave Himself to save me,
Now He lives in heav’n to keep me,
He is altogether lovely,
Is this wonderful Savior of mine.
[Church song]

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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