Song 1:9 | KingComments | STEP | The groom calls the bride here for the first time “my darling” or “my friend”. That applies to the confidential relationship between them. With a friend you share intimate things that you don’t share with everyone. This is only possible if there is an atmosphere of complete trust and security. The Lord Jesus also calls His disciples His friends and He connects His safekeeping and protection with it ( ). He mentions elsewhere another condition to be called a “friend” by Him and to receive His intimate announcements: that is that the disciple does what He commands ( ). Then the groom compares his bride with a mare. At first hearing, this does not immediately sound flattering to us, Westerners, within a relationship of love. We don’t easily hear a man say of his wife that she looks like a mare. The groom says so here. He adds that she is one among other mares and that they together are meant to pull the chariots of Pharaoh. So the mares came from Egypt (cf. ; ). They must have been beautiful and well-trained mares, real showpieces. They were used to pull the beautiful chariots of Pharaoh to show his majesty wherever they went. As believers, we should all be such ‘showpieces’ of our Lord Jesus, carrying Him along in the ‘chariots’ of our life. We should show Him in our life, so that therein His majesty becomes visible and all the light of our lives falls upon Him . He says here that we are so for Him. This means He can glorify Himself through us. We know of ourselves that we realize this very weakly in our lives. Yet He sees in us the desire to glorify Him. We would like to show the people around us what He means to us, what He has become to us through His work on the cross. He freed us from the power of sin and bought us for Himself. We are now totally His. As said, the groom speaks of mares in plural . We can imagine that it is important if there are several mares pulling a chariot, that these mares all run in the same gallop and at the same speed. It shows that not only individually, but also together we magnify the Lord Jesus. A common testimony has great power in the world. If everyone is personally full of the glory of the Lord Jesus, quarrels will not have the opportunity to mar this worthy testimony. The mare obeys the reins of the master and she gives her strength in his service. Thus, the Holy Spirit, so to speak, wants to hold the reins of our personal and communal life in His hands. Then the Lord Jesus sees in the lives of those who love Him that they are completely at His disposal to take Him where He wants to go. Thus we are useful for the Master. It is about giving our strength in His service, in dependence on the guidance of the Holy Spirit on the path He is showing us. The result is a walk in peace and unity with others, just as the mares all kept pace. That is an impressive sight, just as the chariots of Pharaoh must have been beautiful floats, floats that reflected his greatness.

‏ Song of Solomon 1:9

Mare Among the Chariots of Pharaoh

The groom calls the bride here for the first time “my darling” or “my friend”. That applies to the confidential relationship between them. With a friend you share intimate things that you don’t share with everyone. This is only possible if there is an atmosphere of complete trust and security. The Lord Jesus also calls His disciples His friends and He connects His safekeeping and protection with it (Lk 12:4). He mentions elsewhere another condition to be called a “friend” by Him and to receive His intimate announcements: that is that the disciple does what He commands (Jn 15:14).

Then the groom compares his bride with a mare. At first hearing, this does not immediately sound flattering to us, Westerners, within a relationship of love. We don’t easily hear a man say of his wife that she looks like a mare. The groom says so here. He adds that she is one among other mares and that they together are meant to pull the chariots of Pharaoh. So the mares came from Egypt (cf. 1Kgs 10:28; 2Chr 1:16 ; 2Chr 9:28). They must have been beautiful and well-trained mares, real showpieces. They were used to pull the beautiful chariots of Pharaoh to show his majesty wherever they went.

As believers, we should all be such ‘showpieces’ of our Lord Jesus, carrying Him along in the ‘chariots’ of our life. We should show Him in our life, so that therein His majesty becomes visible and all the light of our lives falls upon Him. He says here that we are so for Him. This means He can glorify Himself through us. We know of ourselves that we realize this very weakly in our lives. Yet He sees in us the desire to glorify Him. We would like to show the people around us what He means to us, what He has become to us through His work on the cross. He freed us from the power of sin and bought us for Himself. We are now totally His.

As said, the groom speaks of mares in plural. We can imagine that it is important if there are several mares pulling a chariot, that these mares all run in the same gallop and at the same speed. It shows that not only individually, but also together we magnify the Lord Jesus. A common testimony has great power in the world. If everyone is personally full of the glory of the Lord Jesus, quarrels will not have the opportunity to mar this worthy testimony.

The mare obeys the reins of the master and she gives her strength in his service. Thus, the Holy Spirit, so to speak, wants to hold the reins of our personal and communal life in His hands. Then the Lord Jesus sees in the lives of those who love Him that they are completely at His disposal to take Him where He wants to go. Thus we are useful for the Master. It is about giving our strength in His service, in dependence on the guidance of the Holy Spirit on the path He is showing us.

The result is a walk in peace and unity with others, just as the mares all kept pace. That is an impressive sight, just as the chariots of Pharaoh must have been beautiful floats, floats that reflected his greatness.