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Solomon's song. This week and maybe the next couple times we gather together we'll be going through the Song of Solomon found almost in the very middle of your Bible wisdom literature and we want to be enriched by this great portrait of a man's love for a woman and a woman's love for a man.
Today's going to be very different because this book is not a gospel, this book is not an epistle it's not the standard kind of Western .1, .2, .3 and so instead of that I'm going to give you questions throughout this message and those will be your points as it were.
I'm going to call them teaching moments when something comes up in my mind either explicit from the text or implicit in the text. I'm gonna stop and say this is going to be a teaching moment for those of you that have already kind of minimize everything to a TM.
This is not going to be a transcendental meditation moment although if you would like to close your eyes and chant for 15 minutes when you get home, romantic love is a gift of God, romantic love is a gift of God, romantic love is a gift of God.
You can enjoy that teaching moment, that transcendental meditation but I'm going to give you question and answer style points so you'll be engaged and you'll have to answer the question, what do I believe about love?
What does the Bible say about romantic love? And I want to have you answer the question, if this is what God teaches then how should I think about that? To answer the question, so what? I'm going to preach for the verdict of you agreeing with God that romantic love is good it's a gift of God, how many people by the way have heard the Song of Solomon preached on Sunday morning from a pulpit, any pulpit?
There have been some okay good, I'll give you questions today and it'll almost be in catechism style, catechumal means just to question or to answer back and forth and so we will go through this this morning today discussing courtship, romance, marriage and love from the Song of Solomon, again different format so let's just start quickly, question number one are you absolutely confident that all scripture is inspired and is profitable for teaching?
Are you convinced that all scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for teaching? Are you convinced? I want to convince you because otherwise you're going to think why is he up there preaching the Song of Solomon?
There are some people who have said Song of Solomon is maybe good for premarital counseling, it may be good for a wedding but for preaching in public, I don't think so. Jerome said, the great Christian historian of 300s 300 AD, he said you shouldn't let anybody read this book who's under 30.
I believe that all scripture is inspired, it is God-breathed and therefore it is profitable for preachers to preach adults, children teenagers, five-year-olds divorced, widows, singles everyone needs to hear about the Song of Solomon.
I believe that the Song of Solomon is the pure milk of the Word that by it you may grow in respect to what? Your own sanctification. You will grow as you study God's Word. I believe that 2nd Timothy 3 .16 where it says all scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching originally had its foundation in the Old Testament that is to say when Paul was writing to Timothy, the whole 66 book canon that we have now did not exist, correct?
When he was saying all scripture, what was he talking about? All scripture that was the Old Testament to us, that was their scripture. It's all God-breathed and therefore it is profitable to teach. Why don't people preach the Song of Solomon?
We need it today page Patterson said in his concise and good commentary quote in a world awash with the debris of broken homes crushed spirits and fractured dreams God's people need the message of Song of Solomon more than ever.
The song is a righteous antidote to a licentious society that has prostituted the sacred nature of human love. Hope exudes from the Song of Solomon's pages if ever a book was written with a message more salient for a later generation.
Solomon's Ode is that book and then Pat Patterson gave kind of a challenge to me and I wanted to take that challenge on. My prayer is that this brief commentary will encourage expository preachers everywhere to do the unimaginable.
Preach through the Song of Solomon. It's funny the bulletin says today it's Jet Tour Part 1 and it gives the first two verses for my sermon. I think I can get a little farther than that but if you believe that all the Bible is God breathed then you should teach it all and should never be ashamed when all of the Bible is taught because since it is God breathed and it is inspired the Bible is cognizant and conscientious to the fact that some things just need to be cloaked and put in language that does not hurt or destroy but to lift up rather every detail of this intimate book isn't crude.
It's put in the language that only God could have so we would understand properly and it could be preached from the pulpit in a way that everyone would be encouraged and edified. I think the Song of Solomon is such a great book.
It reminds me of Job when he said I have not departed from the commands of his lips. I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. I love the word of God more than even bread. Do you love the Song of Solomon more than food?
How about more than sleep? Psalm 119. My eyes stay open through the watches of the night that I may meditate on your promises. I stay up late at night because I just want to meditate on your word except the Song of Solomon.
I gotta skip that I'm 29 years old. David says earlier in Psalm 119. Yes because I love your commands. More than gold. More than pure gold. More than money. I so love all 35 books of the Old Testament.
I'm convinced that when you study the Song of Solomon you'll respond with joy praise. Just like David said may I lips overflow with praise for you. Teach me your decrees. The Song of Solomon will teach you about God's perspective.
God's endorsement of romantic love. Let me describe to you the Song of Solomon with eight words. True noble right pure lovely admirable excellent and praiseworthy. Does a verse pop into mind. Philippians chapter 4 verse 8.
And those kind of things that contain purity and virtue. Paul says to the church at Philippi I want you to think on those things. I want you to meditate. It is a present imperative. You keep on thinking about those things all the time.
Question number two. As we begin to approach the Song of Solomon I know you're dying to get into the book. I'm just trying to couch everything so we understand. Question number two. Are you confident that God is sovereign over your current state.
That is to say are you confident that God is sovereign over your marriage. Your singleness. That you're a widow. That you've been divorced. Whatever your situation is. And certainly there is guilt in some of these things.
And there are other issues. But God is on the throne as he is sovereign. If you are married it is God's will for you to be married. Yes. If you are single you are single because the God of the universe right now says you are single.
And the reason why I say this is because some people come to the Song of Solomon and they say well you know how can I get anything for the Song of Solomon. Because I'm waiting for a husband. I'm waiting for a wife.
And or my spouse has left me or something else. This is still good and God is still sovereign. God wants you to know this book. All need to hear this book. Question number three. Again getting ready for the text.
Are you convinced that God is able to forgive past transgressions. Are you the type of person that believes that God can forgive sexual sin. One of the things we'll do as we approach this text is we're going to say to ourselves I can never love like that.
Look at how much they love one another. The good news for us is as we have communion even today we can never love perfectly. Could we. But we know someone who's in our stead who loves perfectly. And we can come to God all as a bride wearing a pure and spotless white wedding dress before God.
True. Isaiah chapter 61 says. I will rejoice greatly in the Lord. My soul will exalt in my God. For he has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has wrapped me with the robe of what righteousness.
If there is sexual sin in your past and you are a Christian guess what. You're forgiven. You are forgiven. God is so good and gracious. Micah says this. He will tread our iniquities underfoot. Yes. Thou will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
Jeremiah. I will forgive their iniquity and their sin. I will remember no more Psalm 103 as far as the east is from the west so far has he removed our transgressions from us. And Isaiah 38 17 for thou has cast all my sins behind thy back.
We are forgiven people. You agree with this statement. How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven. Whose sin is covered at Psalm 32. When it comes to our thoughts our actions what we've done with our mind or what we've done with our bodies in Christ we are forgiven people.
There is forgiveness. Who is a God like thee who pardons iniquity. Well let's look at the text. Psalm no song of Solomon chapter 1. I kinda have the computer mind and not because my mind's like a computer or a vice grip or anything else but everything in computer code.
When you're trying to get into a book of the Bible it's the first three letters. So it's sun. So it kinda messes you up. Is it a psalm. Is it a sun. Is it a song. This is song of Solomon chapter 1 verse 1.
And it just starts off wonderfully. The song of songs which is Solomon's shir ha'sharim. The song of songs out of all the songs that Solomon ever wrote how many did you write. By the way according to first Kings chapter 4 verse 32 1005 songs he wrote.
This is the best. This is a a way in Hebrew to say you're the best of the best Lord of Lords King of Kings holy of holies. The song of songs out of all the songs ever written this is the best in God's providence.
Here's the one he's kept for us. Can you imagine how smart Solomon was and how much wisdom he had. And he's written a hundred thousand and five song songs and 3 ,000 proverbs. And God just says this is the one out of a thousand and five.
Here you go and we just go. Well it's kinda poetry. And I'm single or this happened or that happened. I can't be bothered. This is the song of songs which is Solomon's. This is the best canicles in Latin for song.
You say who wrote it. I believe Solomon wrote it. Tradition said he wrote it. You can see even in the title there's his name. There are six other explicit references to Solomon. There's discussion about a king.
It would work well with his naturalistic bent and his wisdom. And the burden of proof is on others to prove that it's not Solomon writing it. But at the end of the day I really don't even care because God wrote it in the canon.
And so I think it's Solomon. And there's a woman by the way and we don't know her name. She's given the name by where she lives and where she lives is Shunam. And so you have heard her called maybe the Shulamite.
The Shunamite or the Shulamith. And she is a lady from Shunam. So we're gonna talk about Solomon. We're gonna talk about Shunam. Okay so far. So good. Question number four. Did you know that there are different types of literature in the Bible.
Did you know there's different types of literature. Can you think of some. There are narrative things. There are poetry. There's prose. There's apocalyptic genre. There's epistles. There's all kinds of genre.
And when you come to this book you'll know right away something isn't normal. You're reading through Galatians and you think okay here and here and here and here. And then all of a sudden you read Song of Solomon.
You realize this is not like Galatians. This is not like Ephesians. This is not like the book of Acts. This is different. We interpret things properly. But we interpret things within their genre. And you'll know right away something's different by reading verse 2 of Song of Solomon chapter 1.
May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth. For your love is better than wine. Your oils have a pleasing fragrance. Your name is like purified oil. Therefore the maidens love you draw me after you and let us run together.
The king has brought me into his chambers. We will rejoice in you and be glad we will extol your love more than wine. Rightly. Do they love you. That's just a start. But you recognize right away this is different.
This is love poetry. This is something not that we're not used to it. So we have to make sure when we come to a text like this that we realize you interpret poetry as poetry that you realize all the sudden how can the chorus.
How can the daughters of Jerusalem start saying now I didn't know they were there. Well they're not there. It's a poem. It's a song. And all of a sudden you think well it's not chronological. I know it's a love poem.
All of a sudden somebody's there and they're not supposed to be. And they just pop up and start singing some kind of antiphonal song. What's happening. It's a love poem. Do I make myself clear. Sometimes the ladies by the way show up because it will indicate a transition for us.
Sometimes they show up because there's going to be added emphasis added where these daughters of Jerusalem these virgins of Jerusalem. Just say something all part of the genre. And it fits underneath the big genre of wisdom.
And God has some good things to teach us in the Song of Solomon. That would be very wise for us to understand. Question number five. And again I'm doing this so we can come to the text. Knowledgeable.
Question five. I'm not gonna repeat any questions today because I have so many teaching moment number five. Are you cognizant of the fact that the goal in interpretation is finding what the author intends that is to say when you come to the Bible text your job is not to say this.
I just think this verse means to me. Here's what the verse means to me. I don't care what it means to you. As one man said as he was pushing the envelope what would this verse mean if you were dead. Doesn't have anything to do with you.
It has to do with what did the author God. What did the human author Solomon in this case want you to understand when he wrote it what was the point he was trying to convey what was his purpose. And it becomes difficult if you toss that aside and you're gonna stream into all kinds of allegorical nonsense.
It is a difficult book. Yes. Dalish the Hebrew scholar said it's the most obscure book in the Old Testament. Lacoste said it creates the greatest hermeneutical challenge. Sadiah the medieval Jewish commentator said that it's like a said it's like a lock for which the key has been lost.
Trying to figure out what it means. And we would say God's name's not there. There are no theological themes that we can see. There's all kinds of words that we don't know. But if you have the idea that authorial intent is the goal it will drive you in all your Bible study.
It will be helpful matter of fact if you go back to verse 2. I just got on crosswalk .com this week and found some comments. May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth. For your love is better than wine.
Geneva Bible notes. This is spoken in the person of the church. Are the faithful soul in flame with the desire of Christ whom she loves. Is that what the author intended. Jameson Fawcett and Brown. The token of peace from the Prince of Peace.
The kiss there is. You want the Prince of Peace to kiss you. That sounds weird to me. Wesley said by kisses the unusual tokens of love and good will. She means the communications of his love and favor.
Favor his graces and comforts breathe into her from the Spirit of Christ. Matthew Henry the Old Testament Church desired Christ manifesting himself in the flesh to be no longer under law as a schoolmaster under a dispensation of the bondage and terror but to receive the communications of divine grace in the gospel.
May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth. That's when you walk home and you say my pastor's really smart. He gets things out of the Bible. But I can never see. Well cuz they're not in the Bible. Authorial intent.
What is he trying to say. I guarantee you if you take this book to someone who has never read the Bible the book Song of Solomon. And you give it to a person who's never read the Bible. He doesn't know Christianity.
He's a Martian. He's a New Zealander. Whatever. And I'm not put in the same level. Just different random thoughts. And they read it. They would never go. Oh that's Christ in the church. That's Israel and God.
You would read it. You would go like any other Near Eastern love poetry. This is love poetry. Except it's chaste. And it's good. Not a lot of sleazy things in it. There's no sleazy things in it. This is love poetry.
I call this the blue-collar hermeneutic. You give this to a blue-collar guy and say read it. What is it. He doesn't go. Oh it's Christ loving the church he says. Sounds like it's love poetry to me. Question number six.
Did you know that history and culture can affect your Bible interpretation. Do you know that you are a product of the age. Do you know that you see things through a lens that's not always clear. We have sin in our lives.
Yes. And we have the culture affecting us. So when we come to the Song of Solomon what we try to do is say whatever it says God. I'm willing to take it for face value. I know I have preconceived notions.
I know I have presuppositions. I know these other things. But I'm just going to let it ride. God speak to me. Yes. And did you know back in the Gnostic and Platonic days thoughts were good. Body evil.
Did you know Augustine said I came from such a licentious life before God saved me. God saved me. And therefore now after marriage intimacy is good for for having children. But that's it. And by the way before the fall Adam and Eve didn't even have to be intimate to have children.
Did you know the Council of Nicaea in 325 early church history the proposal did not carry. But they propose that all clergy give up living with their wives intimately. Pope Sirius in 386 commanded all priests to live celibately.
Leo the Great maybe was a little bit nicer in 440 to 461 he said you don't have to put away your wife's priest. But you can you have you can live together the same house. But you have to live together as brother and sister.
There's a background. There's a culture in church history that somehow says all this romantic love between a husband and wife isn't good. And lots of people come to the text with the same idea. So here we have an erotic love poem.
How can we somehow have erotic love poem in the Bible. I wanna make sure you realize that when you come to the text this text or any other text you say God. I would like the literal plain normal interpretation.
What are you trying to say. There are real places here real people real experiences real names. I don't think it can be an allegory at all. Because of those very reasons there are literal names. There's a literal story.
God doesn't tell us to think about our relationship with him with some kind of romance imagery. If it is Jesus loving the church Jesus is Solomon and the church is the Shulamite. Then why does the Shulamite woman talk all the time.
And the Solomon doesn't talk as much. I'm not gonna say anything. Don't you think if it was Jesus loving the church it be Jesus the one initiating the conversation. And the church would respond with thanks and adoration and confession.
No this is a literal love poem. Other places in the Bible it tells us when we should think metaphorically or allegorically. Isaiah 5 for the vineyards of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel and the men of Judah.
His delightful plant just tells us. And so I'm sorry to say that if you think a name of Jesus is the rose of Sharon and the lily of the valley. It's not gonna happen. If you wanna call that that's fine with with me.
Not fine with Steve. But it's fine with me. It's just not biblical. He brought me to his banqueting table. His banner over me is what you teach your kids that song? Sure. You wanna teach your young kids that song?
You can teach your kids any kind of scripture as long as you want. But it's not talking about Jesus. And his banner. He brought me to his literal. For if you'd like the literal translation he brought me to his house of wine.
His banner over me is love. See everywhere we go. It's allegorical. And that's not right. If you do allegorical there's no stop. I see some of you are kind of nodding off. Let me wake you up. Here's some allegorical interpretations of the Song of Solomon.
If you're not looking for authorial intent you make the call the king's chambers. The church. The hill of frankincense speaks of those who want to crucify fleshly desires. Her navel is the great Sanhedrin.
That was easy. I didn't even have to go to seminary. Blended wine. That's the law. Your waste is a mound of wheat. That's the little Sanhedrin. When the beloved says she's dark. She's sunburned suntanned.
The church is ugly with sin. The cooing of the doves. This is my favorite. That's the preaching to the apostles. My darling you're altogether beautiful. There's no blemish in you. You know that is. Don't you.
That's a Virgin Mary. Immaculate Conception. I kid you not. Luther even couldn't really go literal all the way. He saw the bride. A happy and peaceful Israel under Solomon's rule. Calvin said I have washed my feet.
That's repentance. If expositors Bible commentaries. Right. Answer this question. If you found this book the Song of Solomon in an archaeological dig and open it up and read it. Would you go. That's Jesus in the church.
There's no hint anywhere that it should be taken figuratively allegorically. Now let's get into the book. Okay that was a long introduction but I wanted to come to the book. So you would know ahead of time.
This is a love poem book and should be interpreted that way. And here we'll see first the courtship. I don't know if we'll get done with the courtship today then we'll see the wedding procession the wedding and the wedding night.
And then the maturation of the bride and groom as time goes on. And so first courtship. Chapter 1 verse 2 to 3. Chapter 3 verse 5. This is the Shulamite. This is the woman before they're married daydreaming kind of talking to herself.
She's thinking about her husband to be. She's thinking about her future husband. May he kiss me verse 2 with the kisses of his mouth. For your love is better than wine. For reiteration sake and for emphasis sake let me ask you a question right here.
I know it's a different outline than I'm used to. I'm used to giving. But here's another question. Did you know that song of Solomon is about romantic wedded love. I've already said that several times but I want to bring it out again.
And the reason why I do. If you look at verse 2 it says there may he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth. She's just daydreaming. She's thinking about what it's going to be like to be with him in marriage.
And it says for your love is better than wine. That word love there is not agape. He's so self-sacrificial. This is where we would get the Greek word eros erotic. Here the word doim means a physical expression of love.
I just am longing to be a bride one day. And him to be my husband. The purpose of the book is to extol human love and marriage fidelity and devotion in marriage. She says what his love is better than wine intoxicating effects that he has on me.
It's just amazing. But there's something else there. If you look at verse 3 your oils have a pleasing fragrance. Your name is like purified oil. Therefore the maidens love you. Soon we'll see her describe him physically.
And he is very chiseled. He is a specimen as it were physically. And she likes that. But let me just give you another question and a teaching moment. Did you know that you should pick a spouse. This for those who aren't married yet should pick a spouse for more than just physical attributes.
That is to say here she's praising him because what it says your name is like purified oil. She's comparing his name to perfume his his name means what his character his attributes who he is. Her attraction was not just physical.
There should be more than that. Her name his his name is like perfume poured out literally. And even if you see the text therefore the maidens love you. Other people love you too not with this kinda same love but they respect you and honor you and know you're a good person.
Because if your name some people are so wild to get married they have two requirements that the person is alive and that they're the opposite sex. That's all they care about. He's got a great reputation.
I don't care if you look at someone and say they're attractive. I would like to get married to them or I'd like to get to know them. But that stuff fades. Second most important decision of your life after following Christ Jesus till death.
Do you part. They just look good. We're to be content in our place whether single or married. I'm just trying to save you singles from trouble. 1st Corinthians 728. But if you marry you have not sinned.
And if a virgin marries she has not sinned yet such will have trouble in this life. And I'm trying to spare you. People are so hot to get married they just want to find the next person to walk in. And they're creating marriage and making it as an idol.
Everything my life will be fixed as long as I can get married. Paul says God is sovereign over who you are and your state. And by the way you can't you can't wait to get married. Get busy now and serve because you can have trouble when you're married.
When you're married you gonna be concerned about what your spouse is pleased with. He goes on to say in 1st Corinthians 7 if you are married on the flip side you said I do. And when you said I do you can be guaranteed that it was God's sovereign decree for that spouse to be your spouse.
Young ones. WPI students singles pick for more than physical. He's a Christian character name service are. Let's keep moving. Alright this one will take some more explanation as we're right here in the text.
Again if you're calculating you're probably thinking if we go this slow through all chapter 8 we're gonna have question number 904 won't work out that way. As I'm reading this and I read more of it when you see chapter 1 2 and 3 you're going to see chaste pure behavior.
But you are also going to see you haven't already seen it in two quick verses that there is a longing for intimacy with the future husband. And here's my next question set in a question for teaching style number nine.
I wanna make some exclamation explanations afterwards. Did you know if you're single and you long for marriage and intimacy. Physical intimacy. It's not always sinful. It's not always sinful. And again you can see this kind of talk.
Verse 4. Draw me after you and let us run together. She's thinking about that wedding night. The king has brought me into his chambers longing for that. It's normal. It's healthy. Can a bride and a groom engage.
Look forward to the wedding night. Did you look forward to your wedding night now certainly can easily spin into you look upon a woman with lust. Jesus said it's adultery. We have corrupt hearts corrupt nature.
But the sex drive is given by God. Yes before the fall. The sex drive is not bad. Sex drive is good. It's tainted by sin. If you are engaged in your longing for that night say no. I can't wait for a life with this person and the wedding night and everything else that goes with it.
And I just long to be with the person and to have his last name and all these other things. Friends. I'm not telling you every thought like that's bad. It could easily tend towards bad. I remember one couple even here at the church they're here today.
And he said to me several weeks before he was married said I just can't wait for that wedding day. Wedding night living together man and wife. It's okay to look forward to that. God has created humans as sexual creatures male and female.
He created what them. Genesis 1 27. Genesis chapter 2. And they shall become one flesh. Now there can be an unhealthy longing. And that longing is called what in 1st Corinthians. Burning with passion.
And I have two words for you. If you're a person who single and you're burning with passion here my two words get married. Last time I said this I think we had five couples that summer get married. Least some people obey at the church 1st Corinthians 7 -9.
If they do have no self-control let them marry. When you have self-control you're thinking about things properly. You think about I'm longing for my spouse and the wedding day in the wedding night and being together forever.
It's not always wrong. But the command in 1st Corinthians 7 says. For those that don't think about it properly there's a strong command aorist imperative. Get married. Just a little pastoral advice here guys you are the initiators.
If you're waiting for some girl to come up and just throw herself on your feet and say you know I've got a large dowry. You are the initiators. Last time I checked it says he who finds a wife. What finds a good thing.
Find. Last time I checked implies go what look. I even noticed it says here in a Proverbs 19 house and wealth are an inheritance from the father. But a prudent wife is from the sovereignty of God and its human responsibility.
Even with the spouse. Lord I probably left to myself won't pick the right kind of woman or man. Would you please give me a person after your own choosing. And God. Would you just grant me you've made me this person.
I desire a wedded love. And I don't have the gift of singleness. And God please give me a spouse. And if you're a woman you're not to be the aggressor. You're not to be the one who searches. I think they're probably ways that you can place yourself in ministry and service where you can be.
You know I've been praying all week God don't let me say anything that I would not want to say. I tell my daughters you know there's there's some man who has a good name and you'd like to get to know him.
Well if he's in the rest home ministry. Honey. I think maybe the rest home ministry might be just for you. Right. You don't initiate. But hey I'm sometimes a pragmatist when it comes to my daughters all that to say.
The longings that we have as creatures made by God are not always wrong. You can use especially the singles the desire to be intimate and desire to be married. Then use that desire as the engine to go win a wife.
And on a sad side note that's why pornography is so vicious. Because it circumvents all that. And then there's no seeking and finding winning. Look what the daughter say in chapter 1 verse 4b. Rightly they love you.
They love Solomon justly. And what does a shulamite do in verses 5 and following. She's a little insecure. I'm black but lovely. She's basically sun tanned. She's not like the ultra white ones who live in the urban settings.
Or daughter of Jerusalem. Like the tents of Kadar. Black tents of animal skins. Like the curtains of Solomon. Pretty. I'm dark. The culture doesn't think tan was good back then. Thought white was good wider for Middle Eastern white skin.
Do not stare at me because I'm swarthy for the sun has burned me. My mother's sons were angry with me. Maybe the father died and now the the boys are making a work out the field. They made me caretaker of the vineyards.
Maybe Solomon's own vineyards. And then she uses wordplay. But I've not taken care of my own vineyard. I work in the vineyards their manicured. But I don't look so good. Tell me oh you who my soul loves.
Where do you pasture your flock. Where do you make it. Lie down at noon. For why should I be like the one who veils herself beside the flocks of your companions. I know you're out there. I want to be with you Solomon.
But I'm not surely not gonna act like a prostitute who veils herself. And then the daughter speak up. Verse 8. If you yourself do not know most beautiful among women. Go forth on the trail the flock and pasture your young goats by the tents of the shepherds.
Solomon returns the praise to me my darling. You were like a mare among the chariots of Pharaoh. Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments. Your neck with strings of beads. True or false. Solomon knew horses.
Solomon no horses. 2nd Chronicles 9. And they were bringing horses for Solomon from Egypt and from all countries. He knew horses. He was a horseman. 1st Kings 1026 12 ,000 horsemen and more than 1400 war chariots made up his entourage.
Now first of all just remember the beauty of a horse. For a minute when I went down to graduate several weeks ago down in Louisville we just went up to Churchill Downs and went up to the very front and watched a couple races.
Didn't bet anything or anything like that. Just walked up to the front and just the beauty and the strength and the power of those horses ever seen a horse up close running. Now if you're a Pharaoh and you have chariots what kind of horses you put in those chariots.
Stallions are mares stallions. Not one biblical or extra biblical bit of information that they use mares for their chariots. So what would happen if you've got an army with horses and chariots thousands upon thousands and a mare comes into the middle of them.
All matter fact in one account in Egyptian warfare they would send mares running into the chariot of the opposing war battle and opposing. I almost said team the enemies because why. They're distracted.
And here look at how Solomon just with I wanna say love language. But I don't want you to buy the love language book or anything just but with the language of love he says you're like a mare among the chariots a pharaoh.
You're alluring. You're distracting. You're wonderful. You're one of a kind. You may think you know you're dark and unlovable but you are like a mare among stallions. Boy that's amazing beautiful. Out of everybody that exists everyone's a man.
And you're just the one woman alive. The daughter say in verse 11. You will make we will make for you ornaments of gold with beads of silver. We're gonna even make you look more pretty. And then Shulamite with mutual admiration says in verse 12 while the king was at his table my perfume gave forth its fragrance.
We've moved from flocks and herds and shepherds and horses to now perfumes spices things that come from India. My perfume gave forth its fragrance. Verse 13. My beloved is to me a pouch of myrrh which lies all night between my breasts.
They would get some myrrh and they'd mix some fat with it. And you could get a little pouch. And you could get a little kind of necklace type thing. And you could just let that pouch of myrrh and fat just sit between right here.
And what would happen when the fat would melt because of body temperature. So too then the myrrh kind of sounds romantic too romantic. The fat and the myrrh because we don't understand near eastern love poetry.
Small little pouch next to the body. The aroma of myrrh would fill the room. This is just all poetry. This is just all I love you. I want to be with you. My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of Engedi.
Thought of a song this week. Love is in the air and every sight and every sound. Remember that in the 60s or 70s it's expensive rare. You're wonderful. Life is sweet. Everything smells good. And now Solomon says how beautiful you are my darling.
How beautiful you are. Your eyes are like doves. Old rabbis used to say if you've got beautiful eyes it shows beautiful character here the affirmation in the admiration. Oh you're so beautiful. And then she says how handsome you are.
She uses the same word but just more. It's masculine here. How handsome are beautiful you are my beloved. And so pleasant indeed. Our couch is luxuriant. Now they're sitting outside and they began to see with poetic form.
The trees are almost like the roofs where they're sitting. It's like the couch. The beams of our houses are cedars our rafters cypresses. They're not married yet. They're just sitting outside. Wonderful language.
And she goes on to say verse 1. I am the rose of Sharon the lily of the valley. Now this is not a rose a red rose like we would have. This is a crocus or a daffodil. The lilies got white blossoms. And she is not saying I'm so great.
She's just saying because I'm with you either. Because you're just so lovable are because of you. Because you're the king. I'm now like this lily of the valleys on this outside flower. But it's pretty good.
And he does something even better. He takes her words. And he says in verse 2. You're not a lily of the valleys. You're a lily among thorns. Compared to everybody else you're a lily and they're thorns.
So is my darling among the maidens. She says like an apple tree among the trees of the forest. So is my beloved among the young men in his shade. You have to be close to someone to be in their shade. I would just sitting close.
I took great delight and sat down. His fruit was sweet to my taste. As Danny Akin said I never knew love before. Then came you. He's brought me to his banquet hall. His banner over me is love. We think wine is the symbol of the devil and the Bible times a symbol of joy goodness from God.
He's protecting me with his banner. She's getting lovesick. Sustain me with raisin cakes. Refresh me with apples. Because I'm overwhelmed I'm lovesick. Sustain me. Imperatives. I need refreshment to continue this again still all pure and chaste.
And sitting there outside let his left hand be under my head and his right hand embrace me. By the way embrace means to clasp. Embraces means Habakkuk is the what? The embracer. She's exhausted. She's so in love.
You ever been there? And then the refrain I adjure you daughters of Jerusalem by gazelles by the hinds of the field. That you not arouse or awaken my love until she pleases. Good teaching moment there.
Question number 10. According to my count this is a question for you congregation despite social and cultural pressures do you concur with God that you should show restraint outside of heterosexual marriage.
That is to say all sex outside of marriage pre and post. Is what? Wrong. And you'll see here in the passage in Song of Solomon chapters 1, 2, and 3 restraint after their marriage. No restraint. Is it God's will for people to be pure first Thessalonians 4 .3.
Everybody runs around and says what's God's will for my life. Friends if you're not married. And even if you are married with your spouse and your spouse alone what kind of impact is this verse in first Thessalonians 4 .3 have on you.
For this is the will of God. Your sanctification will be set apart. What do you mean set apart. That is that you abstain from sexual immorality. You avoid it you keep away from it that each of you first Thessalonians 4 .4 know how to possess his own vessel his own body in sanctification and honor.
There should be restraint before marriage and then after marriage. There's no restraint. And we'll see that next week. People always say well you know we're dating. How far can we go before it's wrong.
What can we do? I always think that's a stupid question. I mean I don't say it's stupid usually unless I know the people and say oh that's real stupid. Once again that's why they go to Steve for counseling.
When at Pikes Peak one time my dad was driving I said to dad first part's true. This part's not dad. I want to see how close we can get to the edge of Pikes Peak without falling off. Relationships before marriage should be characterized by restraint.
The Bible doesn't say thou shalt not hold hands. Thou shalt not you know put arm around. Thou shalt not kiss or anything else. But especially with men as the leaders how far can you stay away from temptation and sexual desires and creating that in your spouse to be.
You have to be careful. It should not be the question how far can we go. But what should we do to stay away from that. The world comes along and says you know what. We're just biological. The world says you know what everybody's doing it.
If you love me you'll do it. Who wants to be a novice on my wedding night. There's contraceptives. There's no big deal. We're planning to marry anyway. So why should we wait. If it feels good. Well do it.
Yet God says it is his will for your life to be sexually pure. And you'll see that in the song of Solomon. Well next week we'll pick it up with the song Solomon chapter 2 verse 8 she sees him coming from the country and she describes him.
You say well where's Jesus Christ in this. I don't see Jesus anywhere in this. And so how can you preach a Christian message without Jesus. Can you we're gonna come to the Lord's table today to top this time off to use the phrase to top it off to say here's what's going on.
There's a picture of a man going to love his bride. Does that make you think of anything. Does that make you say well that is Jesus. And that is the church. It doesn't make me do that. But it does make me think is it not true that Ephesians chapter 5 says something about marriage that should make me think of Jesus that would lead us easily into communion service.
And Paul says this husbands love your wives just also as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her so that he might sanctify her having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word. And he goes on to say the mystery is great.
But I'm speaking with reference to Christ and the church when I think about this man loving this woman and this woman loving this man I also think about Jesus Christ. Jesus isn't in the text but he's everywhere else.
And Jesus loves us. And we are now going to please sing oh how he loves you and me. Number 513 as I come to prepare for the table. And we're gonna talk just momentarily about the love of God.