This book Song of Songs is arranged like scenes in a drama with three main parties: the bride (Shulamite), the king (Solomon), and a chorus (daughters of Jerusalem). In today's context, the bride here speaks of you (God's beloved), whereas the king here speaks of Jesus Himself.
In Song of Songs 5:8, the Shulamite then said, "I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find
my beloved, that you tell him I am lovesick (I am longing for him)!"
And the daughters of Jerusalem replied, "What is your beloved more than another
beloved, O fairest among women?
What is your beloved more than another beloved, that you so charge us?" (Song of Songs 5:9). They were actually asking, “Why is your beloved so special? What’s so great about him?” They didn't know why, but somehow they also acknowledged the beauty in the Shulamite when they said, "O fairest among women". The word ‘fairest’ here in Hebrew is ‘yapheh’, which means 'beautiful, comely'. In cross-reference, 2 Corinthians 3:18 says, 'But we all, with unveiled face, beholding (i.e. seeing, looking at) as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord'. You know what? The more you behold (see, look at, long for) Jesus, the more people will notice the beauty of Jesus in you! Psalm 34:5 also says, 'They looked to Him (Jesus) and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed'.
The Shulamite then described about her beloved (a typology of Jesus in today's context) this way:
Song of Songs 5:10 (KJV): My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest
among ten thousand.
‘White' here means 'dazzling, shiny, radiant', without spot, blemish or flaw, like the
glory seen during transfiguration (see Matthew 17:2).
’Ruddy’ here is ‘adom' (from ‘adam’) in Hebrew, which speaks of 'manhood, red-blooded, or someone in the pink of health', like David (see 1 Samuel 16:12).
The above shows that Jesus is completely God and
completely man.
'Chiefest' here speaks of 'the pre-eminence of Jesus'. He is superior to all others, and rightly so, He is also the most beautiful and distinguished among all.
The expression ‘ten thousand’ speaks of ‘the
multitude’.
Song of Songs 5:11 (KJV): His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are
bushy, and black as raven.
‘Head’ here speaks of Jesus' thoughts (or mind), whereas ‘gold’ here speaks of His divinity. It means His thoughts for you are always divine, pure, and heavenly thoughts.
‘Bushy (fertile) and black (not grey) locks' here implies that Jesus is forever young and
strong. In other words, He is in perpetual youthfulness, and He is a God who never gets old!
Song of Songs 5:12 (KJV): His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers
of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set.
The expression ‘eyes
of doves’ means He sees you with gentleness and peace in His eyes, not with legalistic, 'Phariseec', or condemning eyes.
The expression ‘rivers of waters, washed with milk’ here speaks of the outflowing of His love (and all the fruit of the Spirit) and His comfort to you.
His eyes are also always set on you, because He is a God (Shepherd) who watches over you and is faithful to you.
Song of Songs 5:13 (KJV): His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet
flowers; his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.
‘Cheeks as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers’ here speaks of the fragrance
of Christ, the sweet-smelling aroma wherever He goes. 'Cheeks' also shows the health of a person, say a red, rosy cheek. It means He is also overflowing with health and healing.
The expression ‘lips like lilies’ means He speaks
words of grace to His beloved. ‘Lilies’ here is a 'picture' of His grace (i.e His ability, and not ours) that
supersedes any natural or human ability (self-effort), including toiling or spinning (see Matthew 6:28-29).
'Myrrh’ is used to embalm, preserve, and soothe. This speaks of Jesus who releases words that 'embalm' your heart in times of need (e.g. in John 14:27, He says "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid", or in Matthew 11:28-30, He says "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light").
Song of Songs 5:14 (KJV): His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl;
his belly is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires.
‘Gold rings’ here are likened to the ‘signet
rings', which speaks of His authority, and whatever He touches (with His hands) will surely multiply and prosper (e.g. what He did with the five loaves
and two fish).
‘Beryl’ (a gem also known as topaz) here is a 'picture' of
stability and strength.
‘Belly’ here speaks of His feelings (emotions) for you. He feels for you like no other. In other words, no one can ever
feel for you the way Jesus feels for you. When He saw Lazarus' dead body, He wept (see John 11:35).
‘Ivory’ is not gotten like gems, but gotten at the cost of suffering. The
elephant has to die to provide ivory. There's no other way around it. Likewise, Jesus also died to demonstrate His love for you (see Romans 5:8). 'Sapphire’ is blue in colour. This speaks of heaven, and His heavenly compassion for you,
like a good shepherd, not a thief (see John 10:10-11).
Song of Songs 5:15 (KJV): His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon
sockets of fine gold; his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.
‘Pillars of marble’ here speaks of Jesus who is solid, firm, and immovable, like the two pillars at the entrance of Solomon’s temple (one pillar means
‘established’, the other means ‘strength’), and founded on 'gold' (speaks of heaven).
'His countenance' (or appearance) is pure ('Lebanon' means 'white mountain from its snow'), yet majestic, magnificent, and excellent ('Cedars' are majestic, magnificent, and excellent among all trees).
Song of Songs 5:16 (KJV): His mouth is most sweet; yea, he is altogether lovely. This is
my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
Another word for ‘mouth’ here is 'taste'. The psalmist wrote, 'Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good' (see Psalm 34:8). Beloved of God, taste the sweetness of His love for you today.
Finally, the Shulamite summed it up by saying, 'he is altogether lovely'. Indeed, one can never describe the fullness of His beauty and His loveliness all in all.
And guess what? In response to the Shulamite's description of her beloved, here's what the daughters of Jerusalem had to say, "Where has your beloved gone, O fairest
among women? Where has your beloved turned aside, that we may seek him with you?" (Song of Songs 6:1). Wow! Upon describing the 'beauty of the Lord' to them, they too wanted to seek 'Him' together! And that's exactly what happens when a Christian falls in love with Jesus, because it can be so 'highly-contagious' to others around them. Glory be to God! May the Lord captivate the heart of many more lives through us too. Amen.
