King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Thursday, June 01, 2023
Chapters: SONG OF SOLOMON 1-4
Study: In The Love of God
Hello My Brother/Sister/Friend,
As I was reading the chapters for today, I was thinking about my beloved and that we will be getting married in thirty-seven days. I thought about the word beloved and this is what it means, [Beloved; Loved; greatly loved; dear to the heart.] There are actually several people that we can call our beloved, but then again some people have none that they can call their beloved at all. There is one who is our beloved more than anyone and that is Jesus Christ, in fact, we are His beloved. As His beloved we are going to face many temptations, trials, and tribulations, and the key to enduring them is keeping ourselves in the love of God
[Jude 1:17-21 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. 19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. 20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, 21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.]
The Book of Song of Solomon contains eight chapters, the author is King Solomon, and it was written to his bride and to all believers. The timeline is approximately 1014 BC. The purpose of the book is to show the intimate relationship between Jesus and the Church as demonstrated by the intimate marriage relationship between a husband and his bride. What we are to learn from the book is that the divine model of love between a man and his wife is the pattern for a relationship between Christ (Man) and the Church (His Bride), [Song of Solomon 2:16 My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.]
As we begin the reading of Song of Solomon, the bride is describing her love for her beloved, all she wants to do is run to him and spend some time with him, but is quite somber because she has been working so hard to please family and friends that she has neglected her husband.
[Song of Solomon 1:1-6 The song of songs, which is Solomon’s. 2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. 3 Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. 4 Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee. 5 I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. 6 Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother’s children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.]
[thy name is as ointment poured forth,] Once we accept Christ as our Saviour we become His bride, meaning we enter into a marriage with Him, one that even in death we do not part. The second that we become His bride, we are anointed with His name. Jesus said this when, I am going to call them religious nuts, tried to challenge Him of all things, about divorce between a husband and wife, [Matthew 19:5-6,9 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? 6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. 9 And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.]
[but mine own vineyard have I not kept.] You see, the second we receive Christ as our Saviour, we are one with Him, and nothing can break us apart, unless we believed in vain or turn our heart away from Him. In that case, God will release you. That does not mean that all who receive Him are faithful to Him, nor that taking care of everyone else takes the place of spending time with Him. Yes, He wants us to help take care of His sheep, but He delights in our taking the time to be with Him.
[Song of Solomon 1:12-17 While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof. 13 A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts. 14 My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi. 15 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes. 16 Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green. 17 The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.]
[my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.] Believe it or not, those who accept Christ as their Saviour send off a sweet savor to God? [2 Corinthians 2:14-15 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. 15 For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:]
There is nothing more exciting than the day you get saved and discover not only that you are saved, but that you and Jesus are one. Once we receive Him as our Saviour we are His and He is ours, it is literally a marriage made from heaven. The lily of the valley, is known for its tiny pure white, bell-shaped flowers and unforgettable fragrance. Its beauty and fragrance foreshadow Jesus Christ, in this song, special attention is given to the lily of the valley, and also a rose, and if you read the passage carefully you will discover that this is Jesus Himself speaking.
[Song of Solomon 2:1-6 I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. 2 As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. 3 As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. 4 He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. 5 Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love. 6 His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.]
[I am the rose of Sharon,] Sharon, is a plain extending from the Mediterranean to the hill country, and to the west of Jerusalem, about 30 miles long and from eight to fifteen miles broad, celebrated for its beauty, fertility, and of course, roses. There is nothing more comforting and secure than to be in the arms of Jesus, and let me tell you, when we do find that we have neglected Jesus and run to His embrace we can literally feel as though He is hugging us, well, I know I can. Never think that Jesus is done with you, even if you have gotten away from Him, He never stops reaching for you, [Isaiah 1:18-20 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.]
[so is my beloved among the sons.] Man or woman, Christ’s love for us is the same, this is a love far beyond that between spouses or even a parent and their children. This is the love of Christ, His banner of love over us is His blood, and it is so sweet. One day will see just how much Christ’s love has covered us. We are beautiful in His eyes, clothed in His righteousness, adorned with the graces of His Spirit and thrive only in the bosom of our Saviour. Those whose hearts are filled with the love of Christ and the hope of heaven are rejoicing in Him and longing for the day He calls them for the wedding feast.
[Song of Solomon 2:8-12,16-17 The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. 9 My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice. 10 My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. 11 For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; 12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; 16 My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies. 17 Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.]
[he standeth behind our wall,] Jesus, stands at the door of each heart that has faith in His Father, He knocks on it, not once, but several times waiting for the voice of His beloved to say, “Come in” [Revelation 3:20-21 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.]
[the time of the singing of birds is come,] We do not know when our last breath on earth will be. We do not know when Christ will call for His bride, and even if He called for us today, if we have not accepted Him as our Saviour, we would be left standing there as our loved ones, friends, and even enemies are taken away. So, the time is now to accept Christ as your Saviour if you have not done so already, [1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.]
The soul, you cannot see it or touch it physically, but you definitely know it is there. A lonely soul is probably the most noticeable as it never rests until it finds its one true source of happiness. As the song continues we get an illustration of the brides lonely soul, seeking her one true love.
[Song of Solomon 3:1-5 By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. 2 I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not. 3 The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth? 4 It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me. 5 I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.]
[I sought him, but I found him not.] There are many who actually search for Jesus, but cannot find Him, and the reason they cannot find Him is because they have taken the broad way to find Him. The road that leads all souls to Christ is actually quite narrow, in fact, there is a strait gate that we need to go through first, [Matthew 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.]
[and into the chamber of her that conceived me.] This is an odd illustration of Christ as it were the father that begets us, and the Church being the mother that conceives and brings forth believers. The second we are saved we are born again, that means, our soul has been given life through our faith in God’s Son alone. We must be born again if we want to live eternally with Jesus, [John 3:7-8 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.]
When a man and woman become husband and wife they become one flesh as they become intimate, they are joined together for life as one flesh. The same is true when we accept Christ as our Saviour, we are one flesh through the blood that He pours into our soul the second we receive Him. Now, even though we are saved, our soul can still feel disconnected from Him, especially when we are in the valley. When the soul is away from the one it loves it feels alone and disconnected from their love, longing for the day they can reunite. Jesus rejoices over every soul that reunites with Him. Solomon now, speaks of his bride, her beauty, and his love for her.
[Song of Solomon 4:1-3,7-10 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead. 2 Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them. 3 Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks. 7 Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee. 8 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. 9 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. 10 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!]
[Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.] When we are one with Christ there is no spot in us! her love to him was more valuable that the most desirable and precious things of the earth. Of all the things God created, man is the most valuable, all of mankind is, but He will only save those who come to Him. Once we come to Him, we are spotless, [1 Peter 1:18-21 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.]
[how much better is thy love than wine!] Jesus, loves us so much that He gave His life for us, His heart rejoices at every souls that receives Him. A sister in this case is a woman of the same faith, one of the same kind, or of the same condition. He only marries into those who are of the same faith, meaning those whom believe in and have received Him alone as their Saviour, [John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.]
Today’s Prayer: Jesus, You long to have a one on one relationship with Your beloved, one that is full of faith, trust, and honor, just as a husband and wife do when they vow to be one. While nothing is sure in life, one thing is sure, nothing can separate us from Your love. You encourage us to take the narrow way, but You are always with us. It can be so easy to neglect You when the narrow way gets rough, forgive us where we have neglected You. We know that You are always with us, if we have strayed, if we have pulled away, You are always there calling us home. Thank You for never leaving, nor forsaking us, and always being there with open arms to welcome us when we hear Your voice. Lord, Lead us and guide us, give us Your power to know You and love You with all our soul, heart, and mind, and fill us with Your grace, and mercy to walk the narrow way. I ask this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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