"For
lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the
earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove Is heard
in our land. The fig tree puts forth her green figs, And the vines with the
tender grapes Give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come
away!" Song of Solomon 2:11-13 NKJV
After
reading many articles in the news lately about the weather we are experiencing
over most of this country, it would appear that I am not the only one feeling
that this past winter is never going to end.
To say that I am anxiously waiting for warmer weather is a given,
especially as most of my favorite activities are outdoor in nature. This article is one that I have written in
the past, and seem to repost nearly every year.
Although I posted this article last year about this time, I somehow feel
it may be even more appropriate to share it again with you now, considering we
have seen events occurring in the Middle East which many believe are definite
signs of the end of this age approaching.
Considering that, and the arrival of the birthday of the Church on
Pentecost in a few weeks which many see as a possible time for the Church to be
taken, I thought I would share these thoughts on the Song of Solomon with you.
Did
you look forward to your wedding? Did
you possibly get a little more impatient the closer you got to the actual
date? I think most of us have either
participated in our own, or observed someone else in this position and
understand the impatience and anticipation someone approaching their wedding
day experiences. This though, raises a
question in my mind which I would like you to consider as well. Since the Church is described as the bride of
Christ, and the Word also tells us He is coming to take His bride home at a
future date, do you think Jesus is experiencing those same feelings of
anticipation and impatience that we do?
When
is the last time you heard a sermon taught on the Songs of Solomon? To be completely honest, I don't recall personally
ever having heard one. Which truthfully
seems to be a shame because if you believe that all scripture is inspired by
God, and all scripture is profitable for instruction, you are then left with
the question as to why this book was included in the scripture and what is its
message? As Solomon wrote this song to a
Shulamite woman who he had fallen in love with, it is in essence his love song
to her as he is courting her with the intent of making her his bride. You don't need to read very far at all to
understand the depth of his love for her, and the anticipation he has for the
day she will become his own.
Seen
in this light, it appears to me that this song can easily be considered to be
what Jesus is feeling as He looks forward to His wedding to His bride, the
Church. Although the Jews have always
looked at this book as signifying God's love for the nation of Israel, and it
easily could be, I can also certainly see Jesus' love for the Church and His
anticipation for the coming wedding in it as well. One of the many interesting things I found
while reading this book was this description of his intended which Solomon
gives us in chapter 4.
"You
are all fair, my love, And there is no spot in you." Song of Solomon 4:7 NKJV
The
fact that he sees no spot in her immediately brought to mind the description of
the Church Paul gives us in the book of Ephesians.
"Husbands,
love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or
wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without
blemish." Ephesians 5:25-27 NKJV
For
many reasons, I can read this book and picture Jesus writing these words in
anticipation of His future wedding with the Church. Yet as long as we are going to talk about a
future wedding, it would also seem appropriate to consider the possible timing
of it, and see if Solomon gives us any clue as to when that might take
place. Notice his description in the
passage from the second chapter, and everything that he says there. It is obvious that Solomon is talking about
the season of Spring, and all of the things that occur in Israel during that
particular time.
"For
lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone."
Solomon
tells us that the winter is past, as well as the early rains which normally
fall in March and April. It is these
early rains which help start the growing season in Israel.
"The
flowers appear on the earth;"
One
of the things I and many others appreciate most about spring is watching all of
the flowers reappear after hiding under the snow for the winter.
"the
voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land"
Did
you know that the turtledove is a migratory bird? It normally leaves in the fall and returns to
Israel in the spring.
"The
fig tree puts forth her green figs"
The
fig tree normally produces its first crop in the spring, usually harvested in
early June, and I am sure that I am not the only one to notice that the nation
of Israel, described often as a fig tree in the Word, became a nation again in
May of 1948.
"And
the vines with the tender grapes Give a good smell"
The
grapes are on the vine ripening in preparation for the coming harvest which
normally occurs in July.
The
late Ray Stedman had this to say about this passage from Song of Solomon;
“There is the
springtime of life. But it doesn't lie in the past. It lies in the future. One
day this whole world will experience a springtime like that. The Lord Jesus
Christ, returning at last to claim his waiting bride, will greet her in words
very much like those. The springtime will come, the time of singing, the time
when earth shall blossom again and the curse will be lifted and the flowers
will appear on the earth. This is a picture of what can take place in the heart
of one who falls in love with Jesus Christ and enters into springtime. The cold
winter of loneliness, misery, and selfishness is past and the time of singing
has come.”
All
things considered, I think it is safe to say that Solomon was anticipating a
June wedding just like many others have.
Spring has certainly proven over time to be the season of choice when it
comes to weddings, and the wedding stories in the Bible are no exception. Many believe the Church is rapidly
approaching its own wedding in Heaven, and a close look at the state of this world
certainly seems to support that belief.
One day, very soon it would appear, the Church will hear the groom call
out for it to "come away" just as Solomon wrote in this passage. It is my prayer that you have made the
decision to accept the gift of eternal life offered by the sacrifice of Jesus
Christ for your sin, and that you are part of the body, the bride of Christ
which will live with Him forever in the place He is preparing for us. If not, you can do that right now and receive
the guarantee that you will spend eternity with the Father in Heaven, and
escape the evil which is to come. Simply
pray a prayer like this;
Dear Lord Jesus, I
know I am a sinner and I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from
my sins and open the door of my heart and life. I confess You as my personal
Lord and Savior. Thank You for saving me. Amen.
Keep
watching.
