Thank you for coming back for this Sunday's worship and we are going to be in the Song of Solomon for awhile. Let's start with some worship in song.
Here I am to Worship How Great is our God
All to Jesus I surrender
Song of Solomon 1:12-2-6
Big Idea: True love between a man and a woman should have a growing intensity in desire, praise, and security.
Intro.
The year was 1925. Calvin Coolidge was president, Adolf Hitler released the first part of his book, “Mein Kampf,” Charlie Chaplin’s big movie was “The Gold Rush,” flappers were singing and dancing to “Sweet Georgia Brown” and “I’m Sitting on Top of the World,” the Scopes Trial played out in Tennessee, the first television images were broadcast, Al Capone ruled the streets of Chicago, flagpole sitters were all the rage, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington were the newest recording artists, the price of a first-class stamp hit 2 cents.
And in Hugo, Minn., an 18-year-old man named Clarence Vail married his 16-year-old sweetheart, Mayme. They had met in the eighth grade, and marriages at such young ages were more the norm than the exception back then. Unremarkable at the time, that union, now 83 years old and still as strong as ever, has finally claimed a place among the historic events of the year.
NBC’s Kevin Tibbles reported for TODAY on Monday that Clarence and Mayme Vail are going into “Guinness World Records” for being married longer than any other living couple on earth.
They don’t have a magic formula to explain the success of their marriage. They just took seriously what they said to each other when they stood at the altar.
“You take your vows, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer,” Mayme said. “I guess you just stick to it, come what may.”
I. The Beloved Praised the King for His Pleasing and Attractive Characteristics v. 12-14
A. These characteristics were like perfume, just as in verse 3
1. He was constantly in her thoughts just as the smell of the myrrh (in her sachet around her neck) was constantly in her nostrils
a. Myrrh was a pleasant-smelling gum that exudes from small trees in Arabia. It is mentioned frequently in the Song of Songs
2. All other men, compared with him, were like the desert. Among them he stood out like a beautiful cluster of flowers in a desert oasis
a. Henna (cf. 4:13) blossoms were white, and En Gedi was an oasis on the west coast of the Dead Sea
b. Earlier David had fled to En Gedi while running away from Saul (1 Sam. 23)
II. The Lover Returned Her Praise v. 15
A. He started commending not only her beauty but also her tranquil character
1. In these times doves were noted for their cleanliness and tranquility
2. One quote says, “According to Rabbinic teaching, a bride who has beautiful eyes possesses a beautiful character; they are an index to her character” (S.M. Lehrman, “The Song of Songs, ” in The Five Megilloth, p. 4)
III. She recognized his physical good looks but she was more taken by the charm of his personality
A. The word “charming” means “pleasant” or “lovely” and the combination, handsome and pleasant, was as rare then as it is now
B. This is the first of about two dozen times she referred to him as my lover
C. The beams of cedars and the rafters made of firs probably do not refer to a literal building but figuratively to the setting in which they first met
1. This is also suggested by the verdant bed or couch
2. The field where they fell in love and sat talking was green
IV. Here the beloved spoke of herself as a rose of Sharon, the fertile coastal region of Israel from Caesarea to Joppa v. 1
A. In Isaiah 35:1, its only other occurrence in the Old Testament, it is translated “crocus, ” which may be the meaning here
1. It was a common meadow flower. The lily too was a common flower mentioned often in the Song of Songs
2. In her humility she likened herself to common flowers of the field but this statement shows a change in how she sees herself from earlier (1:5-6)
3. Her improvement probably was because of her lover’s praising her (1:9-10, 15)
V. The lover echoed his beloved’s newfound sense of worth by comparing her to a lily and all other women to thorns v. 2
A. He agreed that she was a lily but not just any lily!
1. She was as unique among all others as a single lily would be among many thorns
B. We need to treasure our mate like they were the only ones left in the world
VI. The beloved’s reciprocal praise of her lover was as an apple tree would be a delightful surprise in a forest v. 3-6
A. She felt Solomon was a delightful and rare “find” among all the other men
1. He was unique, sweet, and fragrant
VII. The beloved’s praise of her lover reveals three aspects of romantic love that are important to women
A. First, she felt protected by him. Sitting in his shade was a metaphor for protection, not only in the Bible but also in the literature of the ancient Near East
1. She had worked in the sun (1:6) but now she enjoyed resting under his protection.
B. Second, they cultivated the kind of relationship that allowed them to know each other intimately
1. The word taste expressed a knowledge of someone through intimate personal experience (cf. Ps. 34:8, “Taste and see that the Lord is good”)
C. Third, the beloved appreciated the fact that Solomon let others see his love for her
1. As a banner (a military standard) was easily seen by the troops as they marched, so Solomon’s love for his beloved was easily seen by anyone who observed their relationship
2. He was not ashamed of her; instead he delighted in her and it was evident to others
3. One way he showed this was by taking her to his banquet hall (cf. “table” in 1:12) that was in the palace
D. These three things—protection by her lover, intimacy with him, and obvious displays and expressions of love from him—are crucial factors that enable a woman to develop a sense of security and self-worth and thereby to enjoy a stable marriage
Conclusion: True love between a man and a woman should have a growing intensity in desire, praise, and security.
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