Song of Solomon 6:11-7:10
I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished, and the pomegranates budded. :12 Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib. :13 Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.:1 How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman. :2 Thy navel is like a round goblet, which wanteth not liquor: thy belly is like an heap of wheat set about with lilies. :3 Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins. :4 Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bathrabbim: thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh toward Damascus. :5 Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple; the king is held in the galleries. :6 How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights! :7 This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes. :8 I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples; :9 And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak. :10 I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.
The remainder of this canticle is given to Solomon’s poetic expression of his desire toward the Shulamite. It seems to me that the last verse, [7:10 “I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me”] is a summary of the purpose of this entire canticle. That is to let her know that his heart belongs to her and his desire is toward her. There are just a couple things we want to point out in these verses. Although, it would benefit you to carefully consider each one of the comparisons that is made about her, in your own time.
One thing that struck me as I read this was verse 12 “Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib.” Now, there are many different views about who is speaking here and what is going on. One view is this is the Shulamite speaking and is surprised by a group of men who carry her off in a palanquin. The other view is that this is Solomon speaking and he simple uses the chariot as an illustration to express what is going on in his soul. The latter seems to be a much clearer interpretation of what is written here. In verse 11 he has departed into the garden and there seems to be some distance between him and his bride and “Or ever I was aware,” we would say “And before I knew it” my heart was carried away to some other place. Like the chariot would transport someone from one place to another “My soul was made like the chariots of Amminadib.” He is in the garden, but his heart is far from the what is happening before him, he is thinking on his bride. What a reminder of Christ, If you would like to know what was on Christ mind whilst he was either in the garden of Gethsemane or on his way to it read John 17. He prays for the church, His bride. His soul is under such pressures and yet in his prayer it as if a chariot, driven by his love for us, transports him to think not of himself but of his bride.
After having been carried away in thought of her he demands that she come to where he is “Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee.” Which reminds me very much of what Jesus said to his bride “I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” He calls for her and then he goes into his discourse concerning her beauty, as if she has come and was presented before him.
Today we are not physically with Jesus, but I believe that his eye is on us and he is waiting for the day that he calls us to where he is and we are presented before him spotless. The expressions of love and perfections he finds in her are typical of the love and perfections that will be found in us when we are raptured away to meet him. We are going to a marriage, and like a bride is presented to the groom so will we be. All the perfections found in us are his handy work and not our own. If we have enjoyed the presence and rapture of soul here on earth how much more will it be in heaven. When we see him face to face, it is then and only then we will come to the full realization of what the Shulamite realized in the last verse; “I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.” We realize as much of this reality here as we possible can but it is a fraction of a fraction of the reality of his love and presence we will experience in heaven when faith ends in sight. It won’t be the first time we came to the realization the He loves us and desires us, but it will be the first time that we realize to what degree. Until then may we try to fill our hearts with as much of this realization as possible and look forward to the day we stand before our King and say, like the Shulamite before her king “I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.”