2nd Week of Song of Songs Study: Enter The Characters and Song of Songs chapter 1:2

Enter the Characters:

Want to read the intro to Song of Songs? Click here!

             
The main characters: The girl (or the Shulammite), and the Shepherd (or her Beloved). 

  The girl represents us, each of us who are saved by Jesus Christ.  When we except Christ's free gift of forgiveness, we enter into a relationship with Him.  It isn't a spiritual life insurance policy nor is it something we just do once and then forget about it until we die.  Right now you are in a relationship with Jesus Christ.  You are no longer just you, you are joined to Christ the good Shepherd (psalm 121).

  If you haven't already guessed that the shepherd in this story is God, than let me make it clear... The shepherd is Jesus and the basic plot line of this whole book revolves around the relationship with the girl (us) and her Beloved (Jesus).

Now, I know what you are thinking, "This book has a plot line?"

  The best way to look at this book is to see it as a stage production.  Imagine yourself sitting in an auditorium facing an enormous stage.  The curtain hasn't risen yet so you're looking over the little paper book that they gave you at the door.  The first two on the list of characters are the Shepherd and the Shulammite. But why do they describe the girl as the Shulammite?   Let me quickly explain the beauty in using this strange description:

 The word Shulammite is a Hebrew word meaning, “Woman of Jerusalem.”  Jerusalem was the city which has always been known as Gods city, or Zion.  In the new testament it speaks of heaven as being “The New Jerusalem’, and because heaven is now our true home for those who are children of God, then we can safely say that we are all Shulammites, because we are the bride of Christ. Isn't that cool!

But the girl and the Shepherd aren't the only ones on the bill:

The other characters: 

King Solomon, 

The ladies (the chorus) or companions,

The watchmen, 

And the princes of the land.

  It is rather odd that the author himself (Solomon) puts himself into a role.  The role is a shadowy one, which throws many people off track when reading through Song of Songs. Sometimes he sounds as if he is the shepherd, other times he seems to be watching the whole affair, but despite his mysteriousness, he is an invaluable character, and we shall soon see why. 

  The ladies also are interesting because, as in an opera, they take on the role of the chorus.  They often represent people that may or may not be children of God, yet appear to notice that the relationship between the girl and the shepherd is unusual.

  As for the rest? They will show exactly who they are when they enter the scene, but it is good to have them in our minds. 

 Now that the characters are introduced, we may open the curtain, turn on the lights, and let them play out their beautiful tale.

“Your love is better than wine” Song of songs 1:2

          “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his lips [she cries. Then, realizing that Solomon had arrived and had heard her speech, she turns to him and adds] For your love is better than wine.” AMP

  What a statement!  How many people can say that about their love?  That they love them more than (something you value highly).  If you have ever felt this way before, you probably found that it begins to fade in time.  The honeymoon always comes to an end in an earthly relationship, but with God it never does. 

God always loves us with a passionate and wonderful love!

 However, this doesn’t mean that God expects us to constantly feel this same, intense, love for Him all the time.  He knows we have short attention spans and finite minds.  He knows we change our feelings rapidly and that we are incapable of feeling the same intense love that Gods feels all the time.  But He does want something that is on the same level, which we are capable of feeling. 
 

 “For better is thy love than wine…” YLT

 

            This other translation puts this part in a firmer tone; making it a solid statement, like they are stating a fact.  You wouldn't put it this way unless you genuinely treasured this person.  This is what God wants.   

He wants us to treasure Him and to desire Him more than everything that we love and desire on this earth.

  He also wants us to know fully that he is desirable and to see that this is a fact, not just an idea or even a feeling. Why do we need to know that this is a fact?  Because it is dangerous to base your faith and love on God by feelings alone.

  I’m not saying that experiencing God through our feelings is wrong.  I have felt God many times this way, but we should always balance it with a solid belief.  We need to know, as well as feel, that God is desirable and that he is the only one who will satisfy us.  The only way to do that is to experience Him in our lives.   

Remember: this is something that God starts.

 “Let him kiss me… with the kisses of his mouth.”  (Notice the underline that I've added…)

 

            We cannot desire something that we have never known and we will never know God unless we experience Him.   

God is perfectly desirable and that is a fact...

  But through our fallen minds we don’t always see that.  We think He is a damp cloth or a ritual that we have to drag our feet through, but on the contrary, He is not only desirable, but worthy to be desired.   

  Everything, after a while, will lose it’s exciting appeal (even people), but God never will, because His love and perfection is solid.  It never changes. 

 But we need to LET God start this:  “Let him… kiss me with the kisses of his lips.” 

 

  We cannot start this desire on our own.  In fact we can hinder this by trying to start it by ourselves.  But what can we do?  We can allow God to take control. Ask Him to awaken a love and a desire for Him in our hearts.  And we can spend more time with Him by meditating on His word and praying.


Opening the door is different than taking control of it ourselves.

When God starts this love in us, it overflows:  “your love is better than wine.”   

  The first part of this verse is said as if to the air.  It is bursting from the girls soul, but it is overheard by Solomon, for she turns to him and adds, "For your love is better than wine!"
   
  When we desire God and treasure Him above everything, we begin to long for others to know of the love that grows in our hearts!  Because when we experience Him, we can't keep it in... we just can't!

I will have to stop here.

Check in next Saturday as we continue the journey through this beautiful book.  I pray you too will open the door to having a deeper relationship with our Beloved Shepherd.

In the next part, the girl continues to explain her love and goes into more detail about the person whom she loves.  You don't want to miss it!  Thanks for reading! God bless!

 

Can you think of a time when your love for Jesus was more valuable than anything else?  A time when you felt God's love so much that you couldn't help telling the world?

Please comment below.  I would love to hear about how God has touched your heart.

Also, I would love to answer any questions or concerns you may have.  I respond to every comment.

Thanks for reading and God bless!