The Strand Study Bible

SONG OF SOLOMON SONG OF SOLOMON 13:13-14), and the John the Baptist’s (Lk 1:80); those who had fallen in love with God at an early age. That’s what it’s like when you truly fall in love with the Lord; you become so grateful that you can’t get enough of His presence, and you regret the years that you never knew the Lord (I Tim 1:12-13). 8:4 This is the third time (SOS 2:7; 3:5; 8:4) the Shulamite bride (Church) has warned ( I charge you ) the daughters of Jerusalem (religion – SOS 3:5) not to cause division ( that ye stir not up ) between her (Church) and her BRIDEGROOM ( CHRIST ) by disrupting their love ( nor awaken love ). The first two warnings (SOS 2:7 & 3:5) included the phrase “ by the roes, and by the hinds of the field .” This phrase was a passionate plea begging religion, for the sake of purity, to leave the Church alone. The omission of these words here is not without its significance. Whereas the first two warnings were aided by passionate pleas, the third and final warning is without plea. It simply states the facts: Religion WILL leave the Church alone or face even greater judgment down the road (Rev 2:18-29 & 17:16-17). NOTE – In essence, what the Church is saying and must continue to say to religion is: Let grace complete what grace began ( Gal 3:1-3 ). 8:6a The Shulamite wife, who is now a part of the royal harem (SOS 6:8), longs to be Solomon’s most treasured possession ( Set me as a seal upon thine heart ). Malachi reminds us in Malachi 3:16 -17 how we can accomplished such a desire. Question: Do you “fear” God enough to become one of His future ornaments (jewels)? 8:6b Real love is utterly irreversible ( for love is strong as death ). You cannot love one day and not love the next. Real love, like death, is fixed; it’s permanent (I Cor 13:7-8). Why? Because real love (agape-type love) is an attribute of God, and like death, is lasting, unending and eternal (Jn 13:1). Concerning CHRIST’S love for His own (Church), Paul said in Romans 8:38-39: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor pow-ers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Like death, real love is undeviating; it is eternally immutable, and expresses the deep and “constant” interest of a perfect Being ( Isa 63:9 , II Cor 5:14 and Gal 5:22 ) towards entirely unworthy objects ( II Jn 1:6 ). NOTE – Think about it! God will never stop loving you even after you’ve written Him off (Jn 3:16). The worst thing about Hell will be the fact that you never had to go there ( Gen 4: 1- 7 ); and the fact that God still doesn’t want you there... even though you’ll be there for all eternity. 8:8a “ She hath no breasts ” is equivalent to saying she is not yet mature. 8:8b It is and always has been the job of family to look out for the welfare of other family members ( what shall we do for our sister ). It’s been that way from the beginning ( Gen 4: 1- 9 c), thus your indifference towards that ideal will, like Cain, lead to your eventual ruin. You and I am “our brother’s keeper” (Jms 2:15-17). 8:9 Like the people who watch us to see whether we are dependable or not, God is looking for people with convictions ( wall ); people who know how to build walls that keep bad things out ( II Sam 12: 1- 4 ) and good things in ( Isa 1: 16- 17 ). An undependable door that swings open unpredictably to every whim of temptation that passes by is unnerving to both God ( Jms 1: 2- 8 ) and man (Prov 25:19). 8:10 God (whom Solomon depicts here) is looking ( then was I in his eyes as one that found favour ) for two distinct traits within every believer. He is looking for: 1. believers who are moral , i.e., principled ( I am a wall ) Very few churches in America today want to address the issue of morality, but God addresses it from the “get-go.” The first mention of immorality and its consequences is found in Genesis: *unlawful sex (Gen 6:1-7/II Pet 2:1-6 and Jude 1:5-7) *illicit sex ( Gen 9: 20- 24 & 38:24) *adultery (Gen 12:14-20 & 20:1-6 & 39:7-9) *homosexuality (Gen 13:10-13 & 18:20-21 & 19:24-25) Don’t think for a moment that God overlooks immoral behavior. He doesn’t and He won’t (Rom 1:18-32). 2. believers who are mature , i.e., perfect ( and my breasts like towers – vs 8) Sadly, few churches today address the issue of Christian maturity ( Mt 5: 43- 48 and Heb 5: 12- 14 ). 8:11 Solomon charged the keepers (those who leased from him his one vineyard in Baal-hamon) 25lbs of silver a year (which by the way had to be one big vineyard, especially if it had multiple keepers ). For example: If there were four keepers that leased out portions of his one vineyard at Baal-hamon, then Solomon would have profited 100lbs of silver each year just for that one vineyard. Add to that figure the fact that, according to verse 12, Solomon had a thousand vineyards just like the one he had in Baal-hamon (and he only paid the keepers of those vineyards 5lbs of silver a year). Solomon was indeed a very shrewd businessman. 8:12 The Shulamite’s investment was Solomon himself ( My vineyard, which is mine, is before me ). When you’re married to the one who owns it all, what more do you need to own? Even if you’ve lost everything you own here, you’ve lost nothing of what He owns ( Gen 12:16 – point #3). 1040