Song of Solomon 1:2-4

“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.” “For your love is better than wine. Your oils have a goodly fragrance. Your name is as oil poured forth. That is why the virgins love you. Draw me. We will run after you.”

The young maiden reveals her craving to experience a loving relationship with her beloved, and her longing for his kisses. Then, slightly shocked at herself (indicated by the change of person form ‘him' to ‘you'), she explains to him, in his absence, why this is so. It is because his love is so much better than wine, and his name better than perfumed oils. Wine may make glad the heart of men and women, but to her his kisses will accomplish far more, for she knows that the true love that they have between them transcends even the finest of wines. So she wants him to know that she is not dreaming of enjoying the wine at his feast, but rather dreaming of receiving his kisses because they are the true indications of his love.

As she dreams of those kisses she also remembers the fragrance of the oils with which he had been anointed when she had first met him, and which had made him seem so delightful. But even so she assures him that she knows that ‘his name', (in other words, in terms of those times, ‘what he is in himself', for the name was considered to reflect the person) is even more pleasant to her than his oils. For what he is in himself is like an abundance of such oils poured forth. And this explains to her why all the young unmarried women of his kingdom love him.

As a result she calls on him from a throbbing and passionate heart to choose her out, and if he really wants her to ‘draw her'. She wants some message or indication from him that will make clear his personal interest in her. For she is fully aware that all the young women of his kingdom are equally ready to run after him, and she along with them. But what she requires is some suitable confirmation of his special interest in her now that he has invited her to his feast (‘draw me').

‘Draw me, we will run after you.'  In Psalms 119:32 the Psalmist uses the same picture of Israel.  ‘I will run the way of Your commandments, when You enlarge my heart.'  And this is what the young maiden wants, to have her heart enlarged, so that she may run after him. It is a reminder to us that acceptable obedience is ever the result of God drawing to us and enlarging our hearts.

In Old Testament terms the young woman can be seen as being like Israel. Like this young maiden, Israel is also depicted as, in the wilderness, having longed for the Lord. ‘Thus says the Lord, I remember in respect of you the love of your espousals, how you went after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. Israel was holiness to the Lord, the firstfruits of his increase ---' (Jeremiah 2:2). In these words Israel is depicted as a young maiden in the wilderness looking yearningly to her Lord, just as this young maiden is looking to Solomon. And we should note the emphasis on the fact that she ‘came from the wilderness' (Song of Solomon 3:6; Song of Solomon 7:5), just as Israel had.

Later Israel will certainly be depicted as a maiden who has defiled herself because she has turned from His love (Ezekiel 16; Ezekiel 23), and that in the face of His words to her, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love, and therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn you' (Jeremiah 31:3), in a context where he refers to the ‘virgin of Israel' (Jeremiah 31:4). Furthermore incorporated in that idea of God's love would be the idea of the great expected king of the house of Judah who was to come, to whom the people would gather (Genesis 49:10; Numbers 24:17), for he was to be a token of that love.

Considering it in these terms the ‘daughters of Jerusalem' (verse 5) can be seen as the satellite nations who are in obedience to Solomon, but are not the ‘favorite' of the king. It is Israel along who are so fully favored.

In New Testament terms ‘the ekklesia' (the church) is the continuation of the old ‘ekklesia' (congregation) of Israel. It is ‘the ‘ekklesia (‘congregation') of Matthew 16:18, and is ‘the new nation' of Matthew 21:43 (see 1 Peter 2:9) and ‘the Israel of God' of Galatians 6:16 (see also Romans 11:17). Thus Israel is seen as having flowered into the church so that their anticipated ‘coming king' can be seen as representing our Lord, Jesus the Messiah, and the young woman as representing His new chosen people, the true church, who are the continuation of the true Israel. Among all who have found Him attractive she alone is seen to be drawn by Him so that she might be wholly His (John 6:44), while ‘the daughters of Jerusalem' (unbelieving Israel) watch her with jealousy (compare Romans 11:11). And as a result she longs to experience continual fellowship with Him, and enjoy His love as ‘the Anointed One'.

Note the intimate expectations. She will not kiss His feet like the nations (Psalms 2:12) but wants to kiss Him tenderly in an intimate way. Here is a picture of the intimate relationship that initially believing Israel and then the believing church (and each individual in that church) is to have with its Lord (See Rom 7:4; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25; Revelation 19:7; Revelation 21:2; Revelation 22:17; compare John 14:18; John 14:23). Here righteousness (the Righteous One - Acts 3:14) and peace (those established in His peace -Romans 5:1; John 14:27) will kiss each other (Psalms 85:10).

For ‘your love is better than wine' compare Ephesians 5:18, where what is better than wine is declared to be the ‘filling of the Spirit'. The Spirit is the provision of the love of the King (John 15:26; John 20:22), which will result in songs of true delight for those whom He loves (‘psalms and hymns and spiritual songs').

For the anointing with oil we only have to think of the King's title (in both Old and New Testaments) as ‘the Anointed One' (‘Christ', see Psalms 2:2; Daniel 9:25). And for His Name as ‘perfumed oil poured forth' consider Isaiah 9:6, ‘His name will be called wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace', together with ‘you shall cause His name Jesus for He will save His people from their sins' (Matthew 1:22; compare Philippians 2:9).

‘Therefore will the virgins love you.'  In Psalms 45:14 virgins are seen as the companions of the king's daughter, and here they rather compose a part of the court of the young king, as he has come north to ‘play' at shepherding, along with the his ‘companions' (Song of Solomon 1:7). These virgins must all have loved him, as the young maiden is astute enough to recognize. Unbelieving Israel is often likened to a virgin (Isaiah 23:12; Isaiah 37:22; Jeremiah 18:13; Jeremiah 31:4; Jeremiah 31:21; Lamentations 2:13; Amos 5:2), so that virginity does not indicate goodness. Virgins are similarly depicted as ‘loving' Jesus Christ in Matthew 25:1. But whereas five virgins, whose lamps were lit, were ready to go into the marriage feast with the Bridegroom, there were five who did not because, although they ‘loved' the bridegroom sufficiently to be around, their hearts were not truly with Him (Matthew 25:13). These latter five were like these virgins, for Solomon was similarly ‘loved' by the daughters of Jerusalem, but there was only one whose love was seen as so acceptable to him that it justified him in making her his bride.

Song of Solomon 1:4

“The king has brought me into his innermost rooms. “We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will make mention of your love more than of wine. Rightly do they love you.”

The young maiden now dreams of being with her royal lover in his innermost rooms, probably here, in view of what follows later, the inner sections of his palatial shepherd's tent where only the most favored are allowed. Then she assures him (again at present from afar) that she is not alone in her love. All the young women of his kingdom rejoice and are glad in him. They all run after him. They talk of his love more than wine. They too dream of being with him. And rightly (or ‘in uprightness') do they love him. He is the darling of his people, and their love is to be expected.

This visitation of his inner rooms is not intended to be interpreted as indicating a lone sexual encounter (that comes later when they are married). This is the dream of an innocent young maiden with high and pure thoughts about her beloved. She just wants to be with him in the innermost section of his tent, as the one he cherishes, even though she knows that she will be sharing him there with others, who also love him. She does, however, have the dream of being especially selected out for his attention. On the other hand, it is not to be seen as a secret assignation. In a situation like this both parties would be expecting to behave honorably.

In Old Testament terms such an experience is well expressed by the Psalmist as regards Israel's relationship to God. They too are invited into His inner room. ‘He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, will abide under the shadow of the Almighty' (Psalms 91:1). That was intended to be the true experience for all His holy people (Exodus 19:5) as they visited Him in His ‘inner room'. We can compare in a similar way how the elders of Israel were called on to eat and drink in the presence of God (Exodus 24:9; compare also Deuteronomy 12:7; Deuteronomy 12:12). They too were invited to enjoy the intimate experience of His love.

In New Testament terms His people's desire is depicted as being to be presented as a chaste virgin to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2) and to enjoy the experience of His love in their daily lives (John 14:21; John 15:9; Ephesians 1:4; Ephesians 3:17; Ephesians 5:2; 1 John 4:10; 1 John 4:16; 1 John 4:19) as they walk in His light. They too want to be loved by the King and to seek Him as their beloved, the One Who fills their hearts with joy, ‘the fairest among ten thousand'. They are to eat and drink in His presence (Matthew 5:6; John 4:10; John 6:35; Matthew 22:1; Luke 14:15; Revelation 3:20). But they also recognize that if they are to achieve their longing it will be because the King has done it. It will be because He has chosen them and ‘brought them within his innermost rooms'.