Song of Solomon chapter 6

Song of Solomon 6

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

This chapter begins where chapter 5 left off. In the previous chapter, Solomon came knocking on the Shulamite’s door, early in the morning, but she decided not to answer the door. Then, she had a change of mind, prepared herself, dressed, put ointment on, and opened the door, but by that time, Solomon was gone. She then went into the city looking for him.

This chapter begins with the “Daughters of Jerusalem” asking the Shulamite, “Where has your beloved gone, O fairest among women? Where has your beloved turned aside, that we may seek him with you?” Song of Solomon 6:1

At this time, the Shulamite symbolizes someone who relied on self-effort to erase the inherited sin from her human nature instead of relying on the mercy, grace, and forgiveness that comes through Jesus Christ [As described in Song of Solomon chapter 5]. She wouldn’t open the door to Solomon after he knocked because she didn’t feel ready and had to prepare herself for his entry. The question to us is, “Where is Jesus Christ, where has He turned aside so that we can seek Him?” He is not found within a heart and soul that relies on self-effort to scrub the sin from our nature, “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

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are the “Daughters of Jerusalem” because we are adopted into the family of God through Jesus Christ. We want people to question where they can find Jesus Christ after failing to scrub the inherited sin from their carnal nature.

The Shulamite’s answer to the “Daughters of Jerusalem” shows how she is restoring her heart and soul to the realization of where to find her beloved king Solomon, “My beloved has gone to his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed his flock in the gardens, and to gather lilies. I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine. He feeds his flock among the lilies.” Song of Solomon 6:2-3

From this, we learn something about king Solomon; he could be found in his garden, he fed his flock like an ordinary shepherd, made people feel wanted and as an equal with him, and he loved the black Shulamite woman [even though he was a pure-bred Jewish man].

After realizing that the inherited sin of human nature cannot be purged by human efforts, but only by the grace, mercy, and forgiveness of Jesus Christ we realize where He is. He is feeding the heart and soul of His flock with the Holy Spirit as we realize we are saved only by His grace and mercy. “…He is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.” Psalms 95:7

Trying to claim our “cleansing” from inherited sin in any other way but the grace, mercy, and forgiveness of Jesus Christ is to rob from the heart and soul, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” John 10:1 Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd who feeds the garden of our soul, “I am the good shepherd…” John 10:11 His sheep hear His voice through the Holy Spirit, which makes us His and He is ours, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” John 10:27

Although the Shulamite locked Solomon out and wouldn’t let him into her quarters, Solomon forgave and expressed his love for her when she searched for him in the gardens of his pasture. Solomon said, “O my love, you are as beautiful as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners! Turn your eyes away from me, for they have overcome me. Your hair is like a flock of goats going down from Gilead. Your teeth are like a flock of sheep which have come up from the washing; Every one bears twins, and none is barren among them. Like a piece of pomegranate are your temples behind your veil.” Song of Solomon 6:4-7

This is the same expression of love that Solomon spoke to the Shulamite woman when they were first in love, as described in Song of Solomon 4:1-5 Our Lord Jesus wants us to return to the first love we had for Him on the day we were born-again. That first-love is found in the garden of the soul where He feeds us with the Bread and Water of life. Our first love is the day we left our old way of thinking and behaving to live a new life in the Spirit and transformed by the renewing of our mind and not conformed to the ways of this world. “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.” Revelation 2:4-5

Solomon continues by saying to the Shulamite that she is perfect in His eyes, the favorite one, the daughters of Jerusalem call her blessed, all the queens and concubines praise her, and she is inspiring to his soul, “There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and virgins without number. My dove, my perfect one, is the only one, the only one of her mother, the favorite of the one who bore her. The daughters saw her and called her blessed, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her. Who is she who looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, awesome as an army with banners?” Song of Solomon 6:8-10

Because of inherited sin in human nature, there is nothing praiseworthy about us. However, when God sees Jesus Christ in us, by the presence of the Holy Spirit, He considers us righteous. “…the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…” Romans 3:22-24

In the eyes of God, every single born-again believer are His perfect ones, His doves, the only ones adopted into His family, the favorite one of our Lord Jesus. Every single “Daughter of Jerusalem” [we who are adopted into the family of God], call one another blessed and praise each other for our life in Jesus Christ. We are living a new day in Him, we are the morning, the light of night, bright as the light of the day sun, and as inspiring as seeing multitudes of banners waving. In fact, at His coming, our Lord Jesus will be looking for the light of the Holy Spirit burning in the lamp of our soul, click here for the parable on the oil in the lamp and the return of Jesus.

The Shulamite woman responded to Solomon’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness by saying that when she was in the garden to check the budding of the vine, the pomegranates had bloomed and her soul soared, “I went down to the garden of nuts to see the verdure of the valley, to see whether the vine had budded and the pomegranates had bloomed. Before I was even aware, my soul had made me as the chariots of [Ammi Nadib] my noble people.” Song of Solomon 6:11-12

The phrase, “my soul had made me as the chariots of my noble people [Ammi Nadib]“, refers to her being lifted up in spirit and heart, making her soar from within. The blooms of the garden refreshed her soul and elated her.

When we are freed from trying to scrub inherited sin from human nature we are set free by living in the Spirit, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36 When we live by the Spirit and stop letting our carnal nature dictate what we do or don’t do, blossoms begin to bloom within us. Those are the blossoms of the fruit of the Spirit, which includes joy and peace. Our spirit begins to soar by not allowing inherited sin to govern us. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to offer His grace, mercy, and forgiveness. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved…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.” John 3:17, 1

I come to the garden alone,
While the dew is still on the roses,
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses.
And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
And He tells me I am His own;
And the joy we share as we tarry there,
None other has ever known.

King Solomon and his friends reply to the Shulamite who found forgiveness and spiritual refreshing by reconciling with Solomon, “Return, return, O Shulamite; Return, return, that we may look upon you!” Song of Solomon 6:13a.

When we reconcile to God through Jesus Christ, there is encouragement from other Christians in returning to the family of Christ. Their heart and soul are saying, “Yes, yes, return, return that we may see your love for our Lord Jesus”.

Come home, come home;
you who are weary come home;
earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home!
[Church Song]

The Shulamite replied to king Solomon and his friends by saying, “What would you see in the Shulamite—As it were, the dance of the two camps?” Song of Solomon 13b.

The Shulamite woman was showing her humbleness and recognition of her shortcomings while trying to live for and please Solomon on her own efforts instead of recognizing Solomon’s love for her just as she was. She began to understand that he didn’t see her failures but saw the “dance of the two camps” in her, which is to see her desire to be reconciled to him. The phrase, “the dance of the two camps”, is from the word “Mahanaim”. This dance represents the reconciliation and union of two groups.

When we recognize the shortcomings we have due to inherited sin, we wonder what God could ever see in us that He wants to call us His children. That is the beauty of His grace and mercy, because there is nothing that we can do to purge sin from our nature. God sees the “dance of the Mahanaim” within our heart and soul. It is only by our belief and faith in Jesus Christ, and willingness to embrace the presence of the Holy Spirit, that God accepts us. He purifies us through the Spirit as we walk by the spirit not by the flesh. “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

Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

“….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, 3:11