Song of Songs 4
by Pastor David Groendyk
This is actually the first time in the book where the man has an extended speech. He spoke in brief snippets early on, but now he has the chance to wax eloquent about the woman. Here in chapter 4 is actually the very first reference to the woman being a bride (v. 8), so we might consider this section the actual marriage and perhaps the marriage consummation between the man and woman. However, since this may still be part of the woman’s dream sequence (see 3:1), this may all be part of the bride-to-be envisioning and looking forward to the wedding day.
Regardless of whether this is the actual wedding or the future bride’s envisioning of the wedding, the words that the man speak emphasize two characteristics of the woman: her beauty and her purity. In a sense, the beauty and the purity parallel the white-hot and rock-solid aspects of marriage, which I mentioned in my chapter 1 devotional. Verses 1–7 especially are a drawn out description of the woman’s beauty. This husband is captivated by his wife’s beauty, despite the fact that she has considered her own appearance to be marred in some way (see 1:6). He thinks she’s flawless (v. 7). But he admires not just her beauty but also her purity. Note especially verse 12. The imagery here is meant to say that the woman is reserving herself for her husband-to-be. Only one man enjoys the garden and the living water that is this woman, and her purity is seen as something to be celebrated. A good parallel passage is found in Proverbs 5:15–23. A husband and a wife are only meant to be enjoyed physically and sexually by their own spouse. So this speaks a good word not only to those who are married, but also to the younger unmarried generation, especially if this really is the woman dreaming before the actual wedding day. Do not let yourself be led astray and intoxicated by illicit sexual activity. Do not choose to die (Prov. 5:23). How does this view of marriage run counter to what the non-Christian culture says?
Since this chapter is the husband speaking to the wife, let’s also take a moment to reflect on what Christ says to his bride in this speech. We need not push the analogy too far, but Christ loves us and is entirely captivated by us. And just as the husband boasts of his wife’s flawlessness in Song of Songs, Christ will one day boast of our flawlessness before his Father (Eph. 5:25–27). Christ has loved us so much that he gave himself up for us so that we would be cleansed and have all the guilt and stains of our sin removed from us. Christ’s love makes us flawless in his eyes. This isn’t just a case of starry-eyed love where Christ ignores all of our sin and defects. He actually cancels out that record of debt and rebellion, and he forgives us and raises us to new life (Col. 2:13–14). Praise God that he would love us enough to cleanse us so that we could spend eternity with him!
Along with the love and the beauty comes the great responsibility of purity. There can be absolutely no third party in the relationship between Christ and the church. Christ is perfectly faithful to us in taking care of us and fulfilling his promises to us, and so it is a great offense to allow ourselves to be seduced and led astray to worship anything or anyone else. With the knowledge that you have been cleansed by Christ, be all the more diligent, as the apostle Peter says, to confirm your calling by growing in your sanctification (2 Pet. 1:3–11). Keep examining your life, keep weeding out all the other loves that try to claim the top spot in your heart, keep devoting more of your life more fully to the worship and service of Christ. What is it that you are tempted to worship and prioritize over Christ?