Written By Wayne Bent - under the pseudonym "Faithful" -  July 13 - 2000
Introduction                             (> To Chapter One)
Introduction
The Song of Solomon
Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant:
also our bed is green. Song 1:16

Humans have a difficult time separating the flesh from the spirit, especially in those areas which are cross imaged. That is — the same image or representation may be used for either the flesh or the spirit. Satan has keenly devised plans to amalgamate the flesh and the spiritual so completely, that humans dare not go the depth of experience of exaltation and vulnerability for fear of sinning the sins of the flesh. We have seen this in our history when the Song of Solomon was taken to the flesh and self-exaltation, rather than to the spirit where its true nature resides. Self-exaltation takes a forceful formation. It insists on its own way. True exaltation can be seen in the life of Jesus. While He knew who He was, and spoke clearly in regards to that, He went to the cross rather than lift a finger against His doubters.

While we have been content in imagining our quiet time and out inner thoughts as being God, He calls us now to a more vivid revelation of His presence. So often it is said, God told me, when God did not tell at all. Our personal pride is the barrier to hearing our Savior. He doesn't come to us as we expected. We are quite willing to say God told me since it is not offensive to our ego. What is offensive is to have someone else tell us who we would not want to appear to reign over us.

We have been courted and know the truth about our heavenly husband. Now, it is the woman's work alone in yielding up to him. She must open the door to Him and make the decision whether or not she will be married to Him in whatever form He comes to her. He is come for his lover and if the virgins have not taken the opportunity to prepare for His light by taking much oil with them in the waiting, they will be left outside the door. The other virgins will not be left, but invited on into the feast He has prepared for her. "Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left." Luke 17:35. This study constitutes the basis for the marriage feast. In the Greek "the one shall be taken" literally means taken along side. "The other left" literally means, left desolate.

The nature of man is to be self-centered. We boast of this or that accomplishment, or this and that desire. When that man becomes a professed Christian, things often stay the same except he boasts of this or that vision or this or that health reform, or this or that natural remedy. That one is still very self-centered. The testimony of such a one is about himself but it is made to look like a testimony about God.

The Song of Solomon is a beautiful and most supreme example of how one finds the Lord. If the reader will carefully and prayerfully consider the Song, he will find the answer to all the mysteries. He will know what he must now do. If the mystery of the Song is not carefully considered, the answer will slip by like a moment. Will you come away with me to the mountains of spices?

The Song of Solomon

This book is one of the most valuable books in Scripture and the most full, excepting the words of Christ Himself, whose life made a context for this book. The Song of Solomon is a book about being in love. I used to consider in-love as a trick to get people to marry. I have had to adjust my thinking on this somewhat. The devil's trick about in-love is that he has associated it with breeding. Breeding and in-love have nothing whatever to do with each other. When a bull breeds with a cow, would that be considered love? The world and Satan have coined the term "making love" to describe breeding. "Making love" has nothing to do with breeding. The devil lied again and humans fell for the bait.

Since breeding out of wedlock is called adultery and since in-love and "making love" have been associated with breeding, Christians have abstained from in-love since it could lead to sin. The world, however, has changed the rules and now breeding is everywhere, and without law or constraint, since it is so closely associated with the word love. The world has accepted the notion from Satan that if one feels good about another person, one can breed and thereby they are loving.

It is easy for a person to fall in-love with someone who is beautiful. But this sort of in-love is not in-love at all but breeding. Natural selection finds and searches out the best mate for the development of offspring. All the animal kingdom involves itself in the same sort of thing. A female ready to breed may seek out a man who is strong and handsome or appeals to some other aspect of her desire for her offspring. The male chooses in the same way even though this choosing may not be conscious. This sort of in-love is only selecting a mate for the purpose of breeding and making more humans, and of the best quality, as seen from the eyes of the prospective breeders.

True in-love has nothing of this in it. Satan has married the two, but we can divorce them. Breeding is breeding and in-love is in-love and never the twain shall meet. The Song of Solomon is about in-love and not animal breeding. It is a picture of the Lord in relation with His people. The woman in the Song is the woman of Revelation 12. We may see why later on. This narrative is, and has always been, intended and written so that men might see the relationship between God and His people and the relationship between God's people. The people of God are to be in love with each other. It is written, "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, AS I have loved you." John 15:12. This is the most terrible command since we have grown up with so much of the flesh mingled with our close associations and so little of the Spirit. "Who is sufficient for these things?" For this truth of the Song will either be a savour unto death or a savour unto life. 2 Cor 2:16. This truth of love being accepted will thrust a soul into the highest realms of delight. If this truth is permitted to go into the realms of the flesh, the soul is ruined.

When entering into His final crisis, Jesus was greatly tempted to do away with his enemies. Also, He knew He could do away with them. He had the power to carry out any plan. His victory was that He did not yield to the flesh in this matter. He bore His cross. Likewise, in this matter of the Song, we, also, can carry out our desires. We can cross over into the area of the flesh and into the realms of the unlawful. This would be our downfall as it would have been for Jesus. The flesh must be conquered. We have thought we might get by in life by staying out of the way of temptation. Now we must enter here and have victory over every weakness and thrust ourselves into the realms of light. By trusting in God we will find the solace and the protection we need.

We are prepared to accept that God loves us. We may even be able to accept that God is in-love with His church, but it may be more difficult to accept that we are commanded to love each other "as" the Lord loves us. The Song of Solomon is about the love of the church toward the Savior and the love of the Savior for the church. It is also a description of the love of the saints toward each other since the church is commanded to love "as" God does. The loving as God does is clearly in-love since even the publicans and sinners love in the ordinary way. Again, this has nothing to do with breeding. It has to do with the love of God. Is the love of God in your heart? Then, this is the love of God. It has nothing to do with whether a person is pretty or not. "Pretty, muscles and youth only have to do with breading. In-love has to do with God and how He loves. In-love speaks of the church and how it loves, since it loves as God loves.

When the Lord said to the church at Ephesus, "Thou hast left thy first love", He was saying, you have left your in-love. First love in the Greek does not infer the love they had at the first. First love would be more associated with best love. First love is in-love. So, the Song of Solomon is the Song of first love and that which Ephesus must gain or lose her light and witness altogether.

In the Roman church there has been much confusion in regards to this. The church has even gone so far as to encourage celibacy within its priesthood. The neck band around the priests neck is considered a marriage ring. In their thinking, if one is married to Christ he cannot be married to a woman. "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer." 1 Tim 4:1-5. The worship of food, dress, celibacy or any other common thing is satanic. It causes one to refrain from the very things which promote the knowledge of God. When a man and woman understand the nature of in-love and the nature of the Song, their marriage will be as blessed as God is blessed. Their relationship will be perfect as God is perfect. Commanding to abstain from things that God has made natural and for a blessing for the sake of some imagined righteous attainment is to bring self-exaltation into the life. It is eating of the forbidden fruit.

God is not a man, neither is He a woman. He is not a bird or a deer. He is everything. A man may have difficulty relating to a heavenly lover because he associates that love as with a man and woman. Perhaps it would help to see God as so masculine that any man would be a woman when near Him. It also may help to note that God is far above all our mortal comparisons and His ability to be a lover stretches far and wide over the universe and over every created thing. God's love is not the kind so long associated with breeding. Men who regard love as sexual activity, lose the true essence of it.

With all this as a foundation, let us consider the Song.

— Submitted by "Faithful"

To Song of Solomon - Chapter One

Posted on 7-13-00