\\The song of songs, which is Solomon’s\\ The Song of songs is a book
for the heart. It is a choice part of holy scripture, and has ever
appealed to the affections of those who love our Lord Jesus Christ.
Its voice was probably never more needed than it is to-day, for
nearly all the influences of modern life continue to hinder the
development of such emotions as find expression in this book, and to
chill them even after they have been awakened. Our Lord’s words are
true of the present time: "because lawlessness shall prevail, the
love of the many shall grow cold." \\#Mt 24.12\\. May God be
graciously pleased to use it to stimulate holy affections in the
hearts of His saints.
This book does not bring before us the first movements of the work of
God in the soul. The first exercises of a creature who has sinned
against God are in the conscience. Conviction of sin and repentance
must have their place; the answer to Job’s question, "How can man be
just with God?" must be found. The forgiveness of sins and
justification in Christ are great necessities. But these primary
questions are not raised in this book; they are supposed to have been
raised and settled in a divine way. And the very way in which these
moral questions have been settled for those who believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ has given us the knowledge of God as moving according to
His own nature, that is in love.
"God commends His love to us, in that we being still sinners, Christ
has died for us." There was an immense depth of need on our part, but
on God’s part a movement of love in that Christ, His beloved Son, has
died for us. In the light of this we make the wondrous discovery that
God is love, and, that being so, He can only be satisfied with love
on the part of His loved creature. God is known to us as set forth in
a blessed man, His beloved Son, who in love has gone into death for
us, and who is now, as risen and exalted, the King of glory. A Divine
Person is brought before us in this book as The King, as the true
Solomon who is, typically, the King of glory. But the Spirit of God,
who has brought out His glory in many and varied ways throughout the
Holy Scriptures, engages our hearts with Him in this incomparable
book as a Lover. He is seen here as manifesting His love to those who
appreciate it, and to whom it is more precious than all else. He is
God’s anointed, all divine and kingly rights are His, but He is
known here as a personal Lover, and as having come into Manhood to be
appreciated and responded to in ardent affection.
The inspired title of this book, The Song of Songs, indicates its
surpassing excellence, in contrast with the "vanity of vanities"
which could alone be experienced "under the sun." Solomon’s songs
were "a thousand and five"; he was conversant with every subject of
song, as he was with all trees and living creatures
(\\#1Kings 4.32-34\\), but this song has been selected as of greater
value than all the others. No subject could be greater or sweeter
than the love of Christ, and those responsive movements which it
awakens in the hearts of those that know it.
To have the personal enjoyment of the love of Christ transcends all
other joys. The principle of selection marks the whole of Scripture;
not everything that saints, or servants, or even the Son of God, said
or did, has been recorded, but all that was adequate to make known
the mind and heart of God. And this song has been selected by the
Spirit of God as of supreme worth because it delineates in a
figurative way the affections that are in the heart of Christ towards
His own, and the affections which have place in their hearts towards
Him.
The love of Christ is a precious reality. The Spirit would never
allow us to lose sight of His greatness and majesty—He is the King,
the supreme One, in this book—but He would impress our hearts with a
sweet and tender sense of His love. He was once here in humiliation
and suffering and death for us, and now He has gone on high as the
exalted and glorified One; He is "the Lord of glory" \\#James 2.1\\;
but He loves each one of us with a real and personal love. We can ask
with confidence, "who shall separate us from the love of Christ!
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or
danger, or sword?… but in all these we more than conquer through Him
that has loved us" (\\#Rom 8.35-37\\). God would put the assurance of
that in our hearts by His Spirit. Then Paul could say "For the love
of the Christ constrains us, having judged this; that one died for
all, that they who live should no longer live to themselves, but to
him who died for them and has been raised" (\\#2Cor 5.14,15\\), as
held in the embrace of the love of Christ we arrive at the judgment
that it is due to Him that we should live to Him, not only in
service, but in affection. This is not a matter of mere sentiment,
but of sober and considered judgment; it is a well weighed and
deliberate conviction. And we should approach the "Song of songs" in
the light of this. The theme of the "Song" is such a consciousness of
the love of Christ that the heart lives to Him. We shall find,
indeed, that there are deviations from that blessed state, which have
to of the heart, as presented in the first section of the book, is one
of full and glowing response to His known love, and of restfulness
and rapture in that love.
Charles Andrew Coates, Outline of the Song of songs, pages 1-4
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