[Introduction and Overview Message to this series]  

This song of songs is a multilayered book of the Bible, poetically referring to the intimacy of the husband and wife relationship as well as how that parallels Christ’s love for the church and how that is to be reciprocated. In this series we explore these scriptures in light of the church’s journey through prophecy.

Let the Bible interpret the Bible

2 Peter 1:20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,

Isaiah 28:9 “Whom will he teach knowledge? And whom will he make to understand the message? ….
Isaiah 28:10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.”

Lay some groundwork for our understanding

This is a great mystery

Understanding the Relationship

Ephesians 5:32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Ephesians 5:22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.
Ephesians 5:24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
Ephesians 5:26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
Ephesians 5:27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
Ephesians 5:28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.
Ephesians 5:29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.
Ephesians 5:30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.
Ephesians 5:31 “FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.”

Ephesians 5:32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

This is the relationship that we look forward to:

Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”
Revelation 19:8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
Revelation 19:9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”

What happens after marriage:

Matthew 1:24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,
Matthew 1:25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.

John uses the same word that is translated “know” above:

John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

John 17:25 O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me.

Song of Solomon conveys this intimacy that we are to have with God in a spiritual way.

Similar song; Messianic/prophetic psalm; Solomon may have been influenced by it.

As we go through, notice the relationship.

Psalms 45:1 To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Lilies.” A Contemplation of the Sons of Korah. A Song of Love.…
Psalms 45:2 You are fairer than the sons of men; Grace is poured upon Your lips; Therefore God has blessed You forever.

Psalms 45:7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.
Psalms 45:8 All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia, Out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad.
Psalms 45:9 Kings’ daughters are among Your honorable women; At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir.
Psalms 45:10 Listen, O daughter, Consider and incline your ear; Forget your own people also, and your father’s house;
Psalms 45:11 So the King will greatly desire your beauty; Because He is your Lord, worship Him.

Psalms 45:13 The royal daughter is all glorious within the palace; Her clothing is woven with gold.
Psalms 45:14 She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors; The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You.

Some confuse with Solomon…

Psalms 45:15 With gladness and rejoicing they shall be brought; They shall enter the King’s palace.
Psalms 45:16 Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons, Whom You shall make princes in all the earth.
Psalms 45:17 I will make Your name to be remembered in all generations; Therefore the people shall praise You forever and ever.

Sons/brothers: They are either corrupt church leaders, or maybe in a more general sense we could call them the leaders of the world—the ones who were her guardians before Christ called her. They were the ones who were supposed to teach her. We may even think of them as false shepherds. Savage wolves Ezekiel 34 and Acts 20:28-31

Chapter 1

SOS 1:1 The song of songs, which is Solomon’s.

The Bride Confesses Her [First] Love

SOS 1:2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— For your love is better than wine.

Psalms 45:2 You are fairer than the sons of men; Grace is poured upon Your lips; Therefore God has blessed You forever.

To be more valued than the best of the physical world

SOS 1:3 Because of the fragrance of your good ointments, Your name is ointment poured forth; Therefore the virgins love you.

Who is the anointed One?

Psalms 45:7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.

Meaning of Messiah

מָשִׁיחַ mâshı̂yach H4899 maw-shee’-akh From H4886; anointed;

Meaning of Christ
G5547 Χριστός Christos khris-tos’ From G5548; anointed, that is, the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus: – Christ.

Psalms 45:14 She shall be brought to the King in robes of many colors; The virgins, her companions who follow her, shall be brought to You.

Ephesians 5:27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

2 Corinthians 11:2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!

AND act inappropriately (based on it)

Woman: singular and collectively; while Christ is going to marry the bride/ the church as a whole, we all have individual parts to play in it. In SOS the woman can refer to either or both at times.

Acts 4:12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

This is the direction we as individuals or collectively as the church must head.

SOS 1:4 Draw me away! We will run after you. The king has brought me into his chambers. We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will remember your love more than wine. Rightly do they love you.

This is necessary

John 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.

SOS 1:5 I am dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, Like the tents of Kedar, Like the curtains of Solomon.

Daughters of Jerusalem ~ Physical Israel (Luke 23:28 But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.)

Contrast between Physical Israel and Spiritual

Spiritual Israel are the called out ones; the ones that are drawn; the church in other words

But also physical Israel is referred to in this way as well

Acts 7:38 “This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, the one who received the living oracles to give to us,

In the sense they were given a special calling to as the God’s chosen people; they were a separate and holy people

Contrast between Physical Israel and Spiritual and their respective kings; the one that they would choose.

1 Samuel 8:5 and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
1 Samuel 8:6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the LORD.
1 Samuel 8:7 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.
1 Samuel 8:8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also.
1 Samuel 8:9 Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.”
1 Samuel 8:10 So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked him for a king.
1 Samuel 8:11 And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots.
1 Samuel 8:12 He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.
1 Samuel 8:13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers.
1 Samuel 8:14 And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants.
1 Samuel 8:15 He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants.
1 Samuel 8:16 And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
1 Samuel 8:17 He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants.
1 Samuel 8:18 And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear you in that day.”
1 Samuel 8:19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us,
1 Samuel 8:20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
1 Samuel 8:21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the LORD.
1 Samuel 8:22 So the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed their voice, and make them a king.” And Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Every man go to his city.”

Saul → David → Solomon

This is what the Daughters of Jerusalem were living under at the time. The Daughters of Jerusalem are focused on their king – Solomon and don’t understand the Shulamites focus on her lover, Christ even though God wanted them to choose Him too.

Deuteronomy 4:29 But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Deuteronomy 5:29 Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with them and with their children forever!

Deuteronomy 6:5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength

God wanted these things for them as well, but they do not respond

SOS 1:6 Do not look upon me, because I am dark, Because the sun has tanned me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; They made me the keeper of the vineyards, But my own vineyard I have not kept.

Her darkness represents her sin; she consorted or was a part of the wrong church;

Isaiah 5:1 Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard On a very fruitful hill.

His beloved is the vineyard. At this time Isaiah is preaching and prophesying to Judah before the captivity of N. Israel and later one of Judah

Isaiah 5:2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, And also made a winepress in it; So He expected it to bring forth good grapes, But it brought forth wild grapes.
Isaiah 5:3 “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.
Isaiah 5:4 What more could have been done to My vineyard That I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, Did it bring forth wild grapes?
Isaiah 5:5 And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
Isaiah 5:6 I will lay it waste; It shall not be pruned or dug, But there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds That they rain no rain on it.”
Isaiah 5:7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.

They made me the keeper of the vineyards

[followed by Woe to the Wicked in the next verses]

For the woman and us

John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
John 15:2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
John 15:3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
John 15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
John 15:6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
John 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

My mother’s sons were angry with me

What we can expect in the future on this path

Psalms 69:8 I have become a stranger to my brothers, And an alien to my mother’s children;

SOS 1:7 Tell me, O you whom I love, Where you feed your flock, Where you make it rest at noon. For why should I be as one who veils herself By the flocks of your companions? [fellows]

Psalms 45:7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions. [same word as companions in SOS 1:7]

Talking about Christ just in case you are wondering

Hebrews 1:9 YOU HAVE LOVED RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HATED LAWLESSNESS; THEREFORE GOD, YOUR GOD, HAS ANOINTED YOU WITH THE OIL OF GLADNESS MORE THAN YOUR COMPANIONS.”

Often the lover is referred to as the shepherd, this is where it comes from:

Of course we know who that is:

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
John 10:12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.
John 10:13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.
John 10:14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.
John 10:15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

The intimate relationship that we are talking about

We are His sheep:

John 21:15 Jesus said to Simon Peter, … “Feed My lambs.”
John 21:16 ….“Tend My sheep.”
John 21:17 …“Feed My sheep.

Peter admonishing others to dot the same:

1 Peter 5:2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;
1 Peter 5:3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;
1 Peter 5:4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

SOS 1:8 If you do not know, O fairest among women, Follow in the footsteps of the flock, And feed your little goats Beside the shepherds’ tents.

Here they are enticing the woman to follow the sheep with their false leaders.

Ezekiel 16 Israel, The Lord’s Faithless Bride

SOS 1:9 I have compared you, my love, To my filly among Pharaoh’s chariots.
SOS 1:10 Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments, Your neck with chains of gold.

Here is something Solomon wrote that is very similar:

Proverbs 1:8 My son, hear the instruction of your father, And do not forsake the law of your mother;
Proverbs 1:9 For they will be a graceful ornament on your head, And chains about your neck.

Maybe Solomon recognized this virtue in her and it made her all the more desirous

SOS 1:11 We will make you ornaments of gold With studs of silver.

Solomon offers to her what the world has to offer, the physical – which can be enticing at times.

SOS 1:12 While the king is at his table, My spikenard sends forth its fragrance.

Could be a reflection of :13

SOS 1:13 A bundle of myrrh is my beloved to me, That lies all night between my breasts.

Indication of the fidelity of the relationship she would have with Him

Israel’s Unfaithfulness Punished

Hosea 2:1 Say to your brethren, ‘My people,’ And to your sisters, ‘Mercy is shown.‘
Hosea 2:2 “Bring charges against your mother, bring charges; For she is not My wife, nor am I her Husband! Let her put away her harlotries from her sight, And her adulteries from between her breasts;

She was looking forward to a proper relationship with Him as opposed to what Israel had been involved in (Hosea and Ezekiel 16)

Psalms 45:8 All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia, Out of the ivory palaces, by which they have made You glad.

2 Corinthians 2:14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
2 Corinthians 2:15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
2 Corinthians 2:16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?

SOS 1:14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blooms In the vineyards of En Gedi.
SOS 1:15 Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair! You have dove’s eyes.

By contrast to the way that she see herself as dark initially

SOS 1:16 Behold, you are handsome, my beloved! Yes, pleasant! Also our bed is green.
SOS 1:17 The beams of our houses are cedar, And our rafters of fir.

Psalms 92:12 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

The better house to be desired – even over all that Solomon had to offer.

Review

The Shulamite woman who is the predominant character is the church/individual
The shepherd / good shepherd is Christ the coming King / leader of spiritual Israel
King Solomon represents leader of physical Israel – the church in the wilderness / even the wrong direction
Daughters of Jerusalem / represent physical Israel and those going the wrong direction
The woman wants a relationship with the shepherd
The Daughters of Jerusalem want a relationship with King Solomon and both of these are trying to pull the woman away from the shepherd and towards King Solomon

Chapter 2

SOS 2:1 I am the rose of Sharon, And the lily of the valleys.

the rose… a rose; narcissus, flower, bloom

the lily… a lily

Psalms 45:1 To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Lilies.” …. A Song of Love…

Here is what is connotes:

Isaiah 35:2 It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, Even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, The excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, The excellency of our God.

Fausset dictionary: The excellency of Sharon (known for its fertile region)
The broad rich tract between the central mountains and the Mediterranean, stretching from Joppa or Jaffa northwards to Carmel. Half the width is of marl and alluvial soil, the other half of old red semi-consolidated sand and shelly breccias. The coast is marked by white sandhills; fine grain, well trimmed plantations, and long gentle swells of rich red and black earth.

The pastures of Sharon were sought for herds.

Isaiah 65:10 Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, And the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down, For My people who have sought Me.

This is what the woman is doing, seeking out her lover – the Shepherd

SOS 2:2 Like a lily among thorns, So is my love among the daughters.

“My love” is a term of endearment (noun and not a verb) so this is Christ speaking

Contrast between them:

SOS 2:3 Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, So is my beloved among the sons. I sat down in his shade with great delight, And his fruit was sweet to my taste.

Good tree – good fruit

SOS 2:4 He brought me to the banqueting house, And his banner over me was love.
SOS 2:5 Sustain me with cakes of raisins, Refresh me with apples, For I am lovesick.
SOS 2:6 His left hand is under my head, And his right hand embraces me.

Took her away from the life that she had which is to say, come out of the world and be separate.

He keeps her safe and protects her. She is special [peculiar; chosen; 1 Peter 2:9, Titus 2:14]

SOS 2:7 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the does of the field, Do not stir up nor awaken love Until it pleases.

Caution about reflexive pronoun being translated “he” or “she”

SOS 2:8 The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes Leaping upon the mountains, Skipping upon the hills.
SOS 2:9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, he stands behind our wall; He is looking through the windows, Gazing through the lattice.

Gazelle or roe = in Hebrew: 1) beauty, glory, honor 2) roebuck, gazelle

He comes to us exuberantly and gets closer and closer and closer

a progression from wall [outside the courtyard] to window to bedroom

Lattice = netting; like in the bedroom

SOS 2:10 My beloved spoke, and said to me: “Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away.
SOS 2:11 For lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone.
SOS 2:12 The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land.
SOS 2:13 The fig tree puts forth her green figs, And the vines with the tender grapes Give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away!

He is not there, she is repeating what He said, He is not there.

Spring time ; Associated with Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread among Jews; in particular Last Day of Unleavened Bread ; our walk out of Egypt and towards the Promised Land and the return of Christ

Matthew 24:32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.
Matthew 24:33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!
Matthew 24:34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

Winter is past, the spring is come, and summer is at hand

John 15 Jesus is the true vine. The Father is the Vinedresser. We are the branches that are to bear fruit

Who is speaking here: Christ

SOS 2:14“O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, In the secret places of the cliff, Let me see your face, Let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet, And your face is lovely.”

…your face is lovely…. the word for “Lovely” refers to the woman in all the other places (SOS 1:5; 4:3; 6:4)

Now notice on the heels of this timing what she is seeing here. When we read this or I say this, what does it evoke for you?

[Place of Safety]

Verse mentioned in that message:

Psalms 27:5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.

When we look at the timing and wording what are left with to think….

SOS 2:15 Catch us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vines, For our vines have tender grapes. [just blossoming]

The verb catch, in the Hebrew is directed at least towards one male [brothers; Solomon; Lover]

Who is talking then? Lover and woman; woman and Daughters of Jerusalem; Just Daughters of Jerusalem (Chorus chimes in???)

Ezekiel 13:2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, ‘Hear the word of the LORD!’ ”
Ezekiel 13:3 Thus says the Lord GOD: “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!
Ezekiel 13:4 O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts.

Sly, devious, and rapacious; always scheming and opporunistic;

Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
Matthew 7:16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?

SOS 2:16 My beloved is mine, and I am his. He feeds his flock among the lilies.

Context shows us that the woman is speaking again

feeds …feed, 55; shepherd, 28; fed, 11; herdmen, 7; pastors, 7

(ISV) My beloved belongs to me and I belong to him. He is the one who shepherds his flock among the lilies.

SOS 2:1 I am the rose of Sharon, And the lily of the valleys.

Isaiah 35:2 …They shall see the glory of the LORD, The excellency of our God.

Here it shows that it is God is the reason for the people bringing forth spiritual fruit and flourishing.

SOS 2:17 Until the day breaks And the shadows flee away, Turn, my beloved, And be like a gazelle Or a young stag Upon the mountains of Bether.

Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away… Could this refer to when the Day of the Lord finishes

mountains of Bether.

Bether = “cleft” BDB; “crag” Strongs; (part or piece; separation or split; towards division???)

1. a mountainous region in Palestine, site unknown

The Ten Virgins

It describes the church generation that will see the return of Jesus Christ and the difference of who will get to be with Christ and who won’t and why.

Matthew 25:1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Virgins are those that are undefiled from the rest of the world (false religion);

it is the church as a whole; called out ones; those with God’s spirit

So this is fascinating and a huge lesson for us today – He was coming soon and they still did not get there act together.

Matthew 25:2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

Matthew 7:24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
Matthew 7:25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
Matthew 7:26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
Matthew 7:27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

Matthew 25:3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,
Matthew 25:4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

Oil is a symbol of Holy Spirit

Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
Matthew 7:16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?

Fruit and Works

Matthew 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Matthew 5:15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 7:17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
Matthew 7:18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.
Matthew 7:19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Matthew 7:20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

By contrast

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
Matthew 7:22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’
Matthew 7:23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Matthew 25:5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

A temporary delay and it was enough for them to stop doing what they were supposed to be doing.

[Watch!]

Matthew 26:37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.
Matthew 26:38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

Strong’s G1127 Γρηγορεύω grēgoreuō gray-gor-yoo’-o From G1453; to keep awake, that is, watch (literally or figuratively)

Substitute this when we read the word “watch”

Matthew 26:39 He went a little farther [even though He was going away they were still to watch or be awake with Him] and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.“ [a point right before His crucifixion, so you can imagine the fervency and that Jesus was well and truly awake].
Matthew 26:40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?
Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation…”

Matthew 25:6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’

Matthew 24:42 Watch [same word: grēgoreuō] therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
Matthew 24:43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
Matthew 24:44 Therefore you also be ready, for the SOS of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

This time will come upon them as a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10)

Matthew 25:7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.
Matthew 25:8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’
Matthew 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’

Parable of the talents Matthew 25:14-30

Matthew 25:15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.
Matthew 25:16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents.

Matthew 25:25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

Matthew 25:27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.

So he took the talent from him…and cast him into the Lake of Fire

He did not grow and overcome and produce fruit and build character

This is the admonition to us today:

Revelation 3:18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

1 Corinthians 3:4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
1 Corinthians 3:5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?
1 Corinthians 3:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
1 Corinthians 3:7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.
1 Corinthians 3:8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.

We are not going to get into the Kingdom of God on the coattails of any one else. Not the minister; not your spouse; not your parents; not the congregation; not an organization…in fact, I am sure that there are those that are so tied into an organization that they will be counted among the foolish – and what a cold and harsh reality it will be when they find this out.

Matthew 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
Matthew 25:11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’
Matthew 25:12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

Matthew 7:23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Matthew 25:13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the SOS of Man is coming.

This is the conclusion to the matter.

Chapter 3

SOS 3:1 By night on my bed I sought the one I love; I sought him, but I did not find him.

Nights is plural; night by night

on my bed I sought the one I love… this takes place in her bed (not really looking for Him in the bed, but while she is in the bed she is dreaming of looking for Him)

dream sequence; [continually on her mind]

both of these things lend credence to the fact that this is not literally taking place at that time but it is rather showing the woman/church disturbing events to come in the future

Matthew 25:1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Matthew 25:5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.

SOS 3:2 “I will rise now,” I said, “And go about the city; In the streets and in the squares I will seek the one I love.” I sought him, but I did not find him.

(KJV) I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways [places] I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.

This is not where we are going to find the good Shepherd

Matthew 7:13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
Matthew 7:14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Matthew 7:15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

SOS 3:3 The watchmen who go about the city found me; I said, “Have you seen the one I love?”

keepers; observers; guards of the city;

They are the ones that are supposed to be looking out for the welfare of the Israelites

There are blind watchmen

Isaiah 56:10 His watchmen are blind, They are all ignorant; They are all dumb dogs, They cannot bark; Sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.
Isaiah 56:11 Yes, they are greedy dogs Which never have enough. And they are shepherds Who cannot understand; They all look to their own way, Every one for his own gain, From his own territory.
Isaiah 56:12 “Come,” one says, “I will bring wine, And we will fill ourselves with intoxicating drink; Tomorrow will be as today, And much more abundant.”

The watchmen do not know the answer to her question

She realizes that quickly

SOS 3:4 Scarcely had I passed by them, When I found the one I love. I held him and would not let him go, Until I had brought him to the house of my mother, And into the chamber of her who conceived me.

Because this is a dream sequence or vision, they are still not married. This is a key to the whole story and why we do not interpret any of the aforementioned metaphors as being highly sexual in nature or the relationship as being consummated yet.

Genesis 24:67 Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

In this vision, we see that the culmination is marriage

Matthew 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

Chapter 5

Commonalities between dreams of chapter 3 and 5:

• Sleeping in the bed at night
• Rise and go to the city
• Cannot find her lover
• Watchmen find her

SOS 5:2 I sleep, but my heart is awake; 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.”

He wants a relationship! He is saying that He has been out in the night for sometime, I would imagine that He is ready to come in from the outside

Now we have what seems to be a tie in to the Laodicean church. It is the last era of the church and nothing redeeming is said about them:

Revelation 3:20 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.

His desire is to be with us; wedding supper

Revelation 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”
Revelation 19:8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
Revelation 19:9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”

SOS 5:3 I have taken off my robe; How can I put it on again? I have washed my feet; How can I defile them?

These are excuses for not doing what they are supposed to; she was not ready!

We see this Complacency in the church in the Laodicean era:

Revelation 3:16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.
Revelation 3:17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—

SOS 5:4 My beloved put his hand By the latch of the door, And my heart yearned for him.

There is a delay in response even though they hear the word of God

SOS 5:5 I arose to open for my beloved, And my hands dripped with myrrh, My fingers with liquid myrrh, On the handles of the lock.

Tries to prepare herself quickly

The oil that she should have had from before

Matthew 25:9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’
Matthew 25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

SOS 5:6 I opened for my beloved, But my beloved had turned away and was gone. 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.

Matthew 25:11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’
Matthew 25:12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

Luke 13:25 When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’

She did no seek Him while He might be found

SOS 5:7 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.

Thought she was a harlot, false religion, so they persecuted her. The church has not been accepted by the world since the time of Christ.

Revelation 12:13 Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child.
Revelation 12:14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.
Revelation 12:15 So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.
Revelation 12:16 But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.
Revelation 12:17 And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

These are the ones that SOS 5 is talking about.

Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

They were unwilling to lay down their lives for God. They did not put God and His way first. So God not being a respector of persons, uses similar methods on His church at this time

To the Philadelphians:

Revelation 3:10 Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

But to the Laodiceans

Revelation 3:17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—
Revelation 3:18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.
Revelation 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.

SOS 5:8 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, If you find my beloved, That you tell him I am lovesick!

She did not find Him and was not able to meet up with Him! Surely there was such a sense of loss knowing that He was right there within their grasp, knocking on the door

Summarize: in these 2 chapters

parallels parable 10 virgins and ties it into the Laodicean church in the end time

SOS 5:9 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?

Why do you think the way that you do?

SOS 6:1 Where has your beloved gone, O fairest among women? Where has your beloved turned aside, That we may seek him with you?

Their view of her is changing and they see the value in her choice of husband

Chapter 4

Song of Solomon 4:12 A garden enclosed Is my sister, my spouse, A spring shut up, A fountain sealed.

Not married yet; at least not available to Solomon

Song of Solomon 4:15 A fountain of gardens, A well of living waters, And streams from Lebanon.

John 4:7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”
John 4:8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
John 4:9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
John 4:10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
John 4:11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?
John 4:12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”
John 4:13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,
John 4:14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

The woman, at least as a collective, is a repository of the holy spirit. This shows the forward looking nature of this book especially since the holy spirit is not readily available until Pentecost after Christ died.

Chapter 7

They are shown going to the fields together just before the harvest

SOS 7:10 I am my beloved’s, And his desire is toward me.

Theme of the book

SOS 7:11 Come, my beloved, Let us go forth to the field; Let us lodge in the villages.
SOS 7:12 Let us get up early to the vineyards; Let us see if the vine has budded, Whether the grape blossoms are open, And the pomegranates are in bloom. There I will give you my love.

The harvest is impending!

Chapter 8

SOS 8:1 Oh, that you were like my brother, Who nursed at my mother’s breasts! If I should find you outside, I would kiss you; I would not be despised.
SOS 8:2 I would lead you and bring you Into the house of my mother, She who used to instruct me. I would cause you to drink of spiced wine, Of the juice of my pomegranate.

Still future tense

SOS 8:7 Many waters cannot quench love, Nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love All the wealth of his house, It would be utterly despised.

Possibly a shot at Solomon?

SOS 8:13 You who dwell in the gardens, The companions listen for your voice— Let me hear it!
SOS 8:14 Make haste, my beloved, And be like a gazelle Or a young stag On the mountains of spices.

This definitely be because she is still not married?

Why is all this important?

Because the more salient message in the Song of Solomon is to the church and its continual attitude towards the second coming of Christ.

Also and most importantly because it is the condition of the church today! The church as a whole and with VERY few exceptions (please don’t overestimate that number) is Laodicean.

What does this mean for us today?

Do not lose your first love

In line with the theme of SOS 7:10 I belong to my beloved, and his desire is for me.

Revelation 2:4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.
Revelation 2:5 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.

Love of many will wax cold

Matthew 24:12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

Matthew 24:13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

Continue to Grow

Multiply your talents; produce fruit and do good works

Stay awake and stay ready

Seek Him will He may be found

Isaiah 55:6 Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.
Isaiah 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
Isaiah 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

We are in the end time!

Watch…Christ is returning as a thief in the night. Even though we think we are ready, many, if not most of us will not be.

So let’s continue to seek out the Bridegroom and focus our desire on Him and His imminent return.