Song of Solomon 4:8-5:1
"Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon: look from the top of Amana, from the top of Shenir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards. Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices! Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon. A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices: A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon. Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits. I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved."
We are in the ninth poem of this book, today we want to look at verses 9-11
“Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck. How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices! Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.”
This is his proclamation of love for her and reminds us of the instruction to us men, how we ought to love our wives as Christ also loved the Church. It is important to remember this is not just practical instruction about how man and women bound in marriage ought to love one another but reaches beyond the practical truth into the spiritual truth and shows us how Christ loves his bride the church.
“Behold what manner of love.” We have here, I believe, a snapshot of a heart that is willing to lay down his life for the one he loves. Notice what the women has gripped. He repeats himself twice in the first verse “Thou hast ravished my heart.” It is his heart that is in the grip of this women. The word ravished is a very interesting word and in other places in the Bible (2 Samuel 13:6,8) it is translated “make cakes.” Like a women would take and fold and stretch a dough, and as pliable as dough is in the hand of the one who is folding it, so this women has his heart. The heart of the King who has to be at times guarded with iron bars, and at times has to go to war, which is for no soft-hearted man, His heart for her is as soft as dough in her hand. She has his heart!
So it is with Christ, we have his heart. Not that his will is bent to ours, but his love is bent toward us. When Christ arrived to hear the news of Lazarus he wept, not because hope for Lazarus was gone but because of the hurting heart of the ones he loved. Love for his people gripped his heart to forgive, to justify, to pardon, to die for and to go and prepare a place for us, that where he is we may be also. The Church has Christs’ heart, he is ours and we are his. If we have his heart, how much more should he have our hearts?
We have at times been guilty of giving him our hands, our feet, even our mouths, but without giving him our hearts. Rest assured it our hearts he desires, “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart.” His heart being given to us means we got all of him. He gave us his life, his death, and his eternality. If we give him our hearts, then he will get our hands, and feet, and mouths by default. What a comfort and a joy to know that we, as the bride of Christ, have the heart of our beloved Savior Jesus Christ. “He loves me, He loves me, He loves me this I know! He gave His life to die for me because He loves me so!!”
Notice the intimate nature of these verses, he is speaking of things that only a spouse would know of. Her smell, her lips, her neck, her eyes, and her tongue are mentioned. These are things reserved for the sanctity of marriage. There is only one who knows you this intimately, your spouse. Which is the title now given to the Shulamite. As you are married to your spouse the years should bring you closer and to a better knowledge and deeper love for that person. So it is with our Lord, he knows the most intimate details of our life, he knows the hairs on our head, he knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts, he sees us at our best and sees us at our worst. Christ knows every intimate detail of our existence, of our faith, and there is not anything that is hid from him and yet he loves us still!
This morning my heart is burdened with this question. How intimately do I know him? How much of my heart is given to him? Have I given my self wholly to him? If he can love me, and cares to know the most intimate of details of my life how much more should I devote my time and energy to knowing him? Not knowing about him but knowing him. The kind of knowledge that only comes from intimate fellowship with Him. Let us give him our hearts and let us know something of what he loves, let our lives be given to return that same love he has bestowed upon us. Lord forgive me for my heart being so divided when yours is so singular toward me! Create in me a clean heart O God! May our hearts be to him, as His heart is to ours.