[Linux4christians] Tuesday - Song of Songs 3 - 4

[dcolburn at bibleseven.com]

    Tuesday


      Song of Songs 3 - 4



The Lost Lover is Found

3:1 /*The Beloved about Her Lover:*/

All night long on my bed I longed for my lover. I longed for him but he 
never appeared.

3:2 "I will arise and look all around throughout the town, and 
throughout the streets and squares; I will search for my beloved." I 
searched for him but I did not find him.

3:3 The night watchmen found me -- the ones who guard the city walls. 
"Have you seen my beloved?"

3:4 Scarcely had I passed them by when I found my beloved!

I held onto him tightly and would not let him go until I brought him to 
my mother's house, to the bedroom chamber of the one who conceived me.



3:5 /The Adjuration Refrain/

The Beloved to the Maidens:

I admonish you, O maidens of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and by the young 
does of the open fields: "Do not awake or arouse love until it pleases!"



The Royal Wedding Procession

3:6 /*The Speaker:*/

Who is this coming up from the desert like a column of smoke, like a 
fragrant billow of myrrh and frankincense, every kind of fragrant powder 
of the traveling merchants?

3:7 Look! It is Solomon's portable couch!

It is surrounded by sixty warriors, some of Israel's mightiest warriors.

3:8 All of them are skilled with a sword, well-trained in the art of 
warfare. Each has his sword at his side, to guard against the terrors of 
the night.

3:9 King Solomon made a sedan chair for himself of wood imported from 
Lebanon.

3:10 Its posts were made of silver; its back was made of gold. Its seat 
was upholstered with purple wool; its interior was inlaid with leather 
by the maidens of Jerusalem.

3:11 Come out, O maidens of Zion, and gaze upon King Solomon!

He is wearing the crown with which his mother crowned him on his wedding 
day, on the most joyous day of his life!



The Wedding Night: Praise of the Bride

4:1 /*The Lover to His Beloved:*/

Oh, you are beautiful, my darling!

Oh, you are beautiful!

Your eyes behind your veil are like doves. Your hair is like a flock of 
female goats descending from Mount Gilead.

4:2 Your teeth are like a flock of newly-shorn sheep coming up from the 
washing place; each of them has a twin, and not one of them is missing.

4:3 Your lips are like a scarlet thread; your mouth is lovely.

Your forehead behind your veil is like a slice of pomegranate.

4:4 Your neck is like the tower of David built with courses of stones; 
one thousand shields are hung on it -- all shields of valiant warriors.

4:5 Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of the gazelle grazing 
among the lilies.

4:6 Until the dawn arrives and the shadows flee, I will go up to the 
mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.

4:7 You are altogether beautiful, my darling!

There is no blemish in you!



The Wedding Night: Beautiful as Lebanon

4:8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me from Lebanon. 
Descend from the crest of Amana, from the top of Senir, the summit of 
Hermon, from the lions' dens and the mountain haunts of the leopards.

4:9 You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride!

You have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of 
your necklace.

4:10 How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride!

How much better is your love than wine; the fragrance of your perfume is 
better than any spice!

4:11 Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride, honey and 
milk are under your tongue. The fragrance of your garments is like the 
fragrance of Lebanon.



The Wedding Night: The Delightful Garden

4:12 /*The Lover to His Beloved:*/

You are a locked garden, my sister, my bride; you are an enclosed 
spring, a sealed-up fountain.

4:13 Your shoots are a royal garden full of pomegranates with choice 
fruits: henna with nard,

4:14 nard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon with every kind of spice, 
myrrh and aloes with all the finest spices.

4:15 You are a garden spring, a well of fresh water flowing down from 
Lebanon.



4:16 /*The Beloved to Her Lover:*/

Awake, O north wind; come, O south wind!

Blow on my garden so that its fragrant spices may send out their sweet 
smell. May my beloved come into his garden and eat its delightful fruit!




      Prayer


Lord, when we become Yours our relationship is "family" and we become 
exclusively Yours like the "locked garden" of ancient royalty. May I 
rest in the assurance of Your amazing love for me.



      Commentary


While the woman searched for Solomon she was found by the night 
watchmen, the guards of the walls. [Her search sounds a little like a 
person on the threshold of surrendering to the Lordship of Christ but 
who is clinging to worldly things, having trouble "finding" the Lord, 
but is "found" by those who already belong to the Lord.]


The woman announced that she finally found him and brought him to her 
mother's home. [There is discussion in the NET Translator's Notes that 
she wanted to make love in the same room as she was conceived because 
they had previously made love where he had been conceived.]


Solomon's approach is heralded as he traveled in conspicuous luxury to 
the location of his impending wedding. Solomon then heaps compliments 
upon the appearance of his bride. His use of "sister" is explained in 
the NET Translator's Notes as a common ancient phrase in love 
literature, generally to elevate the level of commitment to ones wife 
beyond marriage. He also describes her using a term "locked garden" 
which meaning parallels an ancient custom of private gardens used by 
royalty -- again amplifying her exclusive relationship with him.



      Interaction

Consider

When a person is at the place in their journey where they are responding 
to the Lord's calling they "seek" and then are "found" by Him.


        Discuss

Given Solomon's propensity to add women to his collection of wives and 
concubines why might this woman had earned such a special place that he 
wrote of her?



        Reflect

Solomon, despite the gift of wisdom, seemed to have no comprehension of 
monogamy nor any fear of sinning via pre-marital sex.


        Share

When have you been seeking an answer to a challenge and wondered where 
the Lord God was, only to have Him "find" you where you had not looked 
-- but should have?



      Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a blind-spot in your lifestyle 
where, like Solomon, you have been missing God's wisdom.



        Action:

Today I will confess and repent, seek and accept the Lord God's 
forgiveness, and replace that place of sin with something devoted to 
intentional righteousness. It may be some form of entertainment, a 
manner of dress, a way of speaking to others, uncontrolled anger, 
substance abuse/misuse, or other offense to the Holy Spirit within. I 
will ask a fellow believer to pray in-agreement, and as is appropriate 
to be my accountability-partner, to challenge and encourage.


        Be Specific ______________________________________________________



    Wednesday's text will be:


      Song of Songs 5



-- 

Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you,
Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day!
David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com
Bible Resources: http://bible.org
Teacher's Verse: John 7:16
Defend free speech or lose your freedom.
I don't google I SEARCH! Startpage.com
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