Song 2:4-7 | KingComments | STEP | The bride, after sitting in the shadow of the groom and enjoying what he is eating ( ), is brought by the groom into a fullness of joy. This is symbolically expressed by the “banquet hall”, or better “the house of wine” (Darby translation) in which he brings her. She rejoices in his love, which is like a banner over her. A banner represents victory. Where the banner is placed, the victory is achieved. Love overcomes the greatest fear and enmity. The believer may know that the Lord Jesus brought him into the full joy of the fellowship with Him. As we have seen before ( ), wine is a picture of joy. Here we see ourselves as believers brought into a house of joy. We did not enter that house in our own power and we did not invite ourselves to it. Christ has invited us. He brought us there; in His grace He gave us that place with Him. Through His work on the cross He opened the door of that house for us and carried us inside. The Lord Jesus demonstrates this in the parable of the lost sheep found by the shepherd. He puts it on his shoulders rejoicing and brings it home. Then he calls together his friends and his neighbors and invites them to rejoice with him. It is a picture of the joy that is in heaven over one sinner who repents ( ). The same and even more impressive we see in the parable that the Lord Jesus tells about the prodigal son, also in Luke 15. When this son comes home, his father brings him into his own house, the father’s house, where there is an abundance of joy. A large meal is prepared there in an atmosphere of joy, which begins but never ends: “And they began to celebrate” ( ). That starts here on earth, where we can already enjoy this feast as a foretaste of heaven, where we will continue this feast for all eternity. The banner speaks of the Lord Jesus as the Victor and of His power ( ; ). He proved His love by dying for us and thereby freeing us from the fear of the devil: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear” ( ). The banner not only represents victory, but also of ownership. The area where a banner is located belongs to the person who placed the banner there. If we look up and see the banner, we see Him, the Victor, and we know His love. Then we are no longer afraid of any power that might snatch us out of His hand ( ). The banner of His love is like a shawl in which He has completely wrapped us, making us feel His warmth and also protection and security. We may rest with joy in that love. This combination of joy and love we also see in God. Through the work of His Son God can rejoice with joy over His people and be quiet or rest in His love ( ). We are enabled to share in the feelings of God, because Christ has carried the judgment of God in our place. By doing so, He opened the door to the house of complete joy and love, to the house and the heart of the Father for us.

‏ Song of Solomon 2:4-7

His Banner over Me Is Love

The bride, after sitting in the shadow of the groom and enjoying what he is eating (Song 2:3), is brought by the groom into a fullness of joy. This is symbolically expressed by the “banquet hall”, or better “the house of wine” (Darby translation) in which he brings her. She rejoices in his love, which is like a banner over her. A banner represents victory. Where the banner is placed, the victory is achieved. Love overcomes the greatest fear and enmity.

The believer may know that the Lord Jesus brought him into the full joy of the fellowship with Him. As we have seen before (Song 1:2b), wine is a picture of joy. Here we see ourselves as believers brought into a house of joy. We did not enter that house in our own power and we did not invite ourselves to it. Christ has invited us. He brought us there; in His grace He gave us that place with Him. Through His work on the cross He opened the door of that house for us and carried us inside.

The Lord Jesus demonstrates this in the parable of the lost sheep found by the shepherd. He puts it on his shoulders rejoicing and brings it home. Then he calls together his friends and his neighbors and invites them to rejoice with him. It is a picture of the joy that is in heaven over one sinner who repents (Lk 15:5-7).

The same and even more impressive we see in the parable that the Lord Jesus tells about the prodigal son, also in Luke 15. When this son comes home, his father brings him into his own house, the father’s house, where there is an abundance of joy. A large meal is prepared there in an atmosphere of joy, which begins but never ends: “And they began to celebrate” (Lk 15:24). That starts here on earth, where we can already enjoy this feast as a foretaste of heaven, where we will continue this feast for all eternity.

The banner speaks of the Lord Jesus as the Victor and of His power (Exo 17:15; Isa 5:26 ; Isa 11:10 ; 12). He proved His love by dying for us and thereby freeing us from the fear of the devil: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear” (1Jn 4:18a).

The banner not only represents victory, but also of ownership. The area where a banner is located belongs to the person who placed the banner there. If we look up and see the banner, we see Him, the Victor, and we know His love. Then we are no longer afraid of any power that might snatch us out of His hand (Jn 10:28-29). The banner of His love is like a shawl in which He has completely wrapped us, making us feel His warmth and also protection and security. We may rest with joy in that love.

This combination of joy and love we also see in God. Through the work of His Son God can rejoice with joy over His people and be quiet or rest in His love (Zep 3:17). We are enabled to share in the feelings of God, because Christ has carried the judgment of God in our place. By doing so, He opened the door to the house of complete joy and love, to the house and the heart of the Father for us.

I Am Lovesick

The bride is overwhelmed by the banner of love of the groom over her (Song 2:4). She is even “lovesick” (Song 2:5). With this she says that she has the feeling that her heart succumbs under his love. Lovesick for us means merging into the perfect happiness of the consciousness of our Lord’s love, where the heart still cannot grasp all that He has done for us. It is becoming overwhelmed at the thought of all that the Lord has given and done, and will give and will do.

The bride wants to respond to his love, but is not able to. His love is so great, so impressive, that she succumbs to it. Therefore she asks him to strengthen her with “raisin cakes”. She wants to experience the full joy of his love. Raisin cakes are just like wine made from grapes. They speak of joy connected with power, a power that for the believer is found in God: “The joy of the LORD is your strength” (Neh 8:10b).

For Jerusalem, the bride of the Messiah, the time will come when she will no longer strengthen herself with the raisin cakes of the idols (Hos 3:1), but with His raisin cakes. This will happen when the Lord Jesus returns as the true David to Jerusalem to reign there. We see that in picture as David brings the ark to Jerusalem. He then distributes “to all the people, to all the multitude of Israel, both to men and women, a cake of bread and one of dates and one of raisins to each one” (2Sam 6:19).

We can learn from the bride that she does not do her best to experience that love and to express her joy about it. She wants to rejoice about his love, but is aware that she also depends on the groom for that. In some Christian groups it is only about joy. You have to be happy and express it loudly and also come up with all kinds of forms for it. Here we learn that the real experience of the love of the Lord Jesus overwhelms us and breaks us down. The reaction to this is not a beaten-up joy, but the question to the Lord to help us with His power and to answer His love.

And she requires not only reinforcement, but also refreshment. Not only strength is needed, but also consolation (cf. Psa 94:19). In her need for refreshment she asks for “apples”. We can see in this the question of a believer who has come impressed by the love of the Lord Jesus and who wants to be invigorated by His words. These are words for someone personally in his own specific circumstances. He is able to make the proverb come true that “[like] apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances” (Pro 25:11). Whoever knows the Lord Jesus and is overwhelmed by His love has a great longing for Him and wants to know Him better, especially in the circumstances in which he finds himself.

We need His support. We recognize this support in the bride’s longing for the left and right arm of the groom in Song 2:6. This is a highlight in the book. After a period of trials and desires the moment of rest and security comes. There may be doubt and unrest if we do not experience the Lord. But He will convince us of His great love, which will make us long for Him.

The bride wishes to be in his arms. She mentions his two arms separately. His left arm is the arm that comes as it were from his heart, from his love – the heart is on the left. His right arm is the arm of his power (Isa 41:10; Psa 63:8). In his arms she is safe in all respects (cf. Deu 33:27). The fact that his left hand is under her head also means that he lifts her head to look at him. The fact that his right arm embraces her means that he keeps it protective around her.

We recognize this in the Lord Jesus. Whoever lives in an intimate relationship with Him will experience His love and power. It is not about strength in itself, but about strength that works in an intimate relationship. His love supports and protects. If we can experience His love and power in this way, perfect peace has come. This will be experienced by the believing remnant of Israel in the future, when after the great tribulation they will see on Him Whom they have pierced and at the same time will find complete peace in Him.

With this scene of rest, the third part of the first main part of the book ends. The two previous parts have also ended in the same way. The first part, Song of Songs 1:1-4, ends with the bride brought into the king’s chambers (Song 1:4); the second part, Song of Songs 1:5-17, ends with the scene that the king and his bride are together (Song 1:17).

No Love Before the Appointed Time

Song 2:7 is a refrain we encounter three times in the book, here for the first time (Song 2:7 ; Song 3:5 ; Song 8:4). It is about the special character of love, about which the groom speaks to the “daughters of Jerusalem”. The daughters of Jerusalem represent believers who have a connection with the Lord Jesus, but do not live in the same close relationship with Him as the bride, and also have other thoughts about love. They try to manipulate and steer love through prescriptions. But this is not how love can be guided.

When love is enforced, there is no more rest in love. This is shown in the comparison with the “gazelles” and “hinds”. These are shy animals. If there is no danger, if everything is quiet around them, they move full of grace. However, as soon as they smell the slightest danger, they become nervous. Their rest is gone, and they are darting away. So it is with love.

Prophetically we can apply this to Jerusalem. It would be a forcing of love if the Lord Jesus returned now, for Jerusalem is not yet ready for it. She doesn’t know Him and doesn’t want to accept His love. First the city, that is to say the remnant, must go through the great tribulation. She will fervently long for His love and look forward to Him. Then love will be pleased to show herself to her and to embrace and protect her.

That’s how love always works. She has her own laws. Love should not be forced and she must not be aroused prematurely. That does not fit with love. Arousing or awakening love before it is time for love to express herself, means disturbing the rest of love. We can apply this to the relationship with our children. We have seen the arms of the groom, what they mean as expressions of love for the bride. How do our children think about our arms? Do we embrace our children, or are they afraid of it because they are arms with hands hitting them?

Love needs time and must be given time. Let us also be patient with our children and with our brothers and sisters when we see something in them that we may not like so much. Let us not intervene too quickly. Our young people need time to grow in their love for the Lord Jesus. We can block this growth by asking for proofs of their love, which they cannot (yet) give. Remarks such as “if you really love the Lord Jesus” or “if you really love me” can lead someone to an action we desire, while love is lacking in that action. That breaks off love.

The whole scene of Song 2:4-7 speaks of an atmosphere of love, of a love that cannot be forced. Real love needs time to develop. Older believers and parents can make their contribution. They do so in accordance with the awareness of the patience that the Lord has also had with them. Do we realize how much patience the Lord has had with us?