Song of Solomon is one of the Biblical poetic books and has both a literal and an allegorical interpretation.

This study uses an allegorical rather than literal interpretation.

Characters:

Maiden represents you and me

Solomon/the King represents your enemy using all the pleasures of this world to entice you

away from Jesus your Beloved Shepherd

Daughters of Jerusalem represent people who entice you away from Jesus

Shepherd represents Jesus, your true Beloved

Scenes:

Scene 1 (Chapters 1-2) the maiden is captive in the king’s harem

Scene 2 (Chapter 3)      the maiden devises her own plan

Scene 3 (Chapter 4)  –  mutual love is expressed

Scene 4 (Chapter 5)     the maiden has no time for her Beloved

Scene 5  (Chapters 6-7) Solomon and his 700 wives & 300 concubines try to entice her

Scene 6 (Chapter 8) –  the maiden is freed and with her Beloved

In today’s lesson we examine scene 4

Scene 4 (Chapter 5)  the maiden has no time for her Beloved

The maiden is too busy for her Beloved

Maiden remembers a time she was too busy for Him

² I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night.

Maiden remembers practical excuses for her busyness

³ I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

Maiden remembers agony of realizing her busyness

⁴ My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him.

⁵ I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock.

⁶ I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.

Her actions to make it right hurt/degrade her

⁷ The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me.

Daughters of Jerusalem can’t understand such love

⁸ I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love.

⁹ What is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? what is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?

Portrait of Your Beloved Shepherd 

Jesus is pure, viral, healthy

¹⁰ My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand.

Jesus is Sovereign, healthy, ageless

¹¹ His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and black as a raven.

Jesus is Focused on you & your spiritual health, steadfast

¹² His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set.

His cheeks are sweet

His lips are fragrant with words of love

¹³ His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh

Remember the words of Isaiah 50?

⁶ I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.

⁷ For the Lord GOD will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.

When we see Him, will there be missing hairs from His beard? Did they pluck out the hair follicles, also?

His hands created you and bore the cross for you

He stands ensconced in a human body but glorified

¹⁴ His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl: his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires.

Soft were your hands, Dear Jesus -Geoffrey O’Hara 1936

Soft were your hands, Dear Jesus

So gentle the touch of You

Like a rose that opens at breaking dawn Still gemmed in crystal dew.

Hands that bore the rugged cross and built a faith divine.

Strong were your hands dear Jesus

Ah, would they had touched mine.

Ah, would they had touched mine

Jesus stands the storms of time with Sovereignty

¹⁵ His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold: his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.

His words to you are love

Jesus is your Friend

¹⁶ His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

Shepherd’s strategy

He waits and does not force Himself on you

Scene #4 Questions for reflection

) What church activities keep your focus off Jesus?

Why?

2) What busyness gets in your way of time with Jesus?

3) Think on Psalms 139:1-7. How can these verses help?

¹ (To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.) O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.

² Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

³ Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

⁴ For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

⁵ Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.

⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

⁷ Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence

4) Which of the characteristics of your Beloved matter most to you right now? Why?

5) When you encounter family/friends who do not understand your love for Jesus, what do you say?

What do you do?

6) What do you most want to tell Jesus right now?

Hebrews 12:

¹Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Let us run with patience the race He set before us, looking unto Jesus,

Coach Patti