Song of Solomon 5:8-16

HE’S ALL THAT…AND SOMUCH MORE!

Intro: The Song of Solomon is only one of two books in the Bible that does not mention God. The other is the book of Esther. This omission has caused the book to be viewed as controversial. Some question why this book is even included in the canon of Scripture. Yet, the Jews have accepted it as inspired Scripture for thousands of years.

      They see within its pages an allegory of the relationship between Israel and Jehovah. They view this book as a symbolic illustration of God’s love for the Jewish people.

      Christians take a somewhat different viewpoint. Many Christian theologians look at the Song of Solomon as an allegory of the relationship between Jesus Christ and His Bride, the church.

      I think there is enough in the book to satisfy both viewpoints, while there are problems with both as well.

      In my opinion, this book is a love story. It was written to chronicle the passionate love between a man and his bride. There are some typological teachings in the book, but for the most part, it is a factual story of genuine love. By the way, it is a beautiful picture of how married love is to be exercised and enjoyed by a married couple.

      Be that as it may, there is no doubt that there are pictures of our Lord painted on the canvas of this book. In these verses, we have one of the clearest and brightest.

      In 5:2-7 the bridegroom comes to the bedchamber of his bride. He has come to spent time with the love of his life. When he arrives, she is sleeping and does not wish to get up to let him in, v. 3. He longs for her and reaches in through an opening in the door in an effort to plead with her, v. 4. Her heart is stirred by his love for her and she rises to allow him to enter, v. 5-6a, but he has already gone away, v. 6b. She calls him; she looks for him, but she cannot find him, v. 6. While she searches for him in the late night, she is mistaken for a woman of the evening by the city guards and she is mistreated, v. 7.  

      Before I get to what I want to preach about, let me just mention the wealth of truth contained in this image. How many times has Jesus come to us longing for our attention, our love; just to spend a little time with us? How many times have we turned Him away? Maybe we were too busy. Maybe we were too caught up in our own selves to bother with Him. Maybe the timing was inconvenient for us. Whatever the reason, He came to us and we turned Him away. That happens far more than it should! When the heavenly Bridegroom comes to us wanting he attention of His Bride, we should lay aside everything to spend time with the Lover of our souls!

      Who knows what we have missed by not being receptive to His advances. We turn Him away, but we think that He should always be ready to meet with us when we want Him. It doesn’t always work that way! When He calls to us, He wants us to respond to His call. He wants us to spend time with Him willingly!

      The bride cannot find her bridegroom, and she is mistreated and misunderstood by those who do not understand their relationship.

      According to verse 2 she is recounting a dream. This dream is so vivid that it awakens a desire within her heart for her beloved.  In an effort to find him, she enlists the help of some of the other young women in town, v. 8. She wants them to help her find him. She wants them to tell him when they do that she is lovesick over him, and misses him greatly.

      Their response is one of sarcasm, v. 9. They say, “What makes him so special? What does he have going for him that makes him so much better than other men?”

      That is just the opening the bride needs! She is so filled with love for her beloved that she begins to tell them why he is so great.

      There is a slang term that has been in use for a while, I suppose it still is. It is used when someone or something is better than anything or anyone else. The expression I am referring is “all that”. When someone is “all that”, they are “of a superior nature; wonderful or attractive.” So, for us older folks, if you ever hear a young person say that someone is “all that and a bag of potato chips”; what they mean is this: “That person is over the top. They are in a league by themselves.” In the 50’s they were “dreamy”. In the 60’s they were “groovy”. In the seventies they were “hip”. In the 80’s they were “cool”. In the 90’s they were “awesome”. Today, they are “all that”. Got it? OK!

      If the Shulamite woman was here today and we asked her to tell us why he beloved was so special, she might just look at us and say, “He’s all that!”

      I want to take this bride’s description of her bridegroom and talk about our Savior. What she had to say about her beloved has much to teach us about our Beloved. I want to preach on the thought He’s All That…And So Much More! Let me show you why Jesus is all that!

 

  I.    THE CHARACTER OF THE BRIDEGROOM

                  (v. 10A)

A. White is the color of purity. Ruddy is the description of a person in the bloom of health. This woman looks at her beloved as the essence of purity and health.

B.  These two phrases are a good description of our Beloved as well.

·         He is pure, 1 Pet. 2:2; 1 John 3:5; 2 Cor. 5:21. He is holy. Sin was not even an option with Jesus.  He was tempted, but sin had no chance against the absolute purity of our Redeemer. As a pure, holy man, Jesus was able to lay down His life on the cross for His people. When He shed His blood, He was shedding innocent blood. The innocent was giving His life for the guilty. It was a sacrifice accepted by God, 1 John 2:2.

·         He is ruddy. Jesus was the picture of manliness! He was not longhaired, emaciated, anemic weakling! He was not the pasty-faced, little man portrayed by the artist’s brush! Jesus was a man’s man! His muscles had been toned in the carpenter shop as He fashioned ox yokes and made stone wheels for wagons. He would have been made physically powerful by the many miles He walked across the mountains and through the valleys of Palestine.

      His prowess is proven by the fact that He alone was able to take a whip and drive the money changers from the Temple, not once, but twice, John 2:13-17; Matt. 21:12-13. No man tried to stop Him!

      Surely Jesus was the picture of health and the epitome of godly manhood. He was everything Adam could have been had he not sinned. Jesus was all that and more!

 

 II.        THE CALIBER OF THE BRIDEGROOM

                  (v. 10b)

A.  The Shulamite woman looks at her beloved and she calls him “the chiefest among ten thousand”. She says, “When you see him you will know! There’s nobody like him!”

      This calls to mind the day David walked in the Valley of Elah to face down Goliath. Saul looked at the giant and said, “He’s too big to fight!” David looked at Goliath and said, “He’s too big to miss!” David faced the giant and David killed the giant. After the battle, the woman of Israel lifted their voices in song and said, “…Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands,” 1 Samuel 18:7. From that day to this David has been the “chiefest among ten thousand” to the Jewish mind.

B.  Our Beloved is worthy of more praise than David! Our Beloved entered the valley of death, faced down sin, Satan and the grave and carried off the victory! And, when we see the veil pulled back and we are allowed a glimpse inside that heavenly city, we see Him, the Lamb of God, surrounded by angels, “and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,” Rev. 5:11. They are all praising Him! Everywhere you look in the book of Revelation you see the Lamb receiving praise from those He has redeemed by His blood, Rev. 4:8-11; 5:8-14; 7:9-12. There’s nobody like Him!

      But, that’s not all! His Father has “highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: (10) That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;  (11) And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father,” Phil. 2:9-11.

      One day every saint and sinner, every angel and created being, every demon and Satan himself, will bow at the feet of Jesus and worship Him. Every king, prince, dictator, president and elected official will bow before Him. Every celebrity and dignitary; every famous and infamous person who has ever lived, will prostrate themselves in humility before the King of Kings one day! There’s no one who is worthy to stand in His presence. He is the greatest of the great!

C.  All I am trying to say is this: “He’s all that and so much more!”

 

III.  THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BRIDEGROOM

                    (v. 11-16)

(Ill. In these next six verses, the Shulamite tries to describe the physical attributes of her beloved. She tells these other ladies why he is “all that”. In these words designed to describe a man, I can see an image of the Master. Let’s see how the flattery of this bride reveals our Redeemer.)

A. v. 11a His Primacy – This phrase describes Him as the sovereign king. When He was here on this earth, He was the son of a peasant woman, but there was royal blood in His veins. He was the descendant of King David. When men saw Him, they just saw another Jew. But, a few caught of glimpse of His glory.

      The demons saw it and cried, “What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not,” Mark 5:7. Peter caught a glimpse of it and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Matt. 16:16. One day the whole world will see it and bow to Him, “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God,” Rom. 14:11.

      Since the early days of the earth kings have risen up lay claim to this world. Each ruled for a time and then vanished away. Nimrod, David, Solomon, Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Charlemagne, Hitler and others have tried to rule the world. They are all dead and gone.

      One day Jesus will come, the crown will be placed upon His head. He will rule forever as the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”        

B. v. 11b His Power – This speaks of a man who is in the prime of his life. It describes a man who is at the height of His power and strength.

      These words paint a wonderful picture of our Savior. He has more power than we can imagine. He simply spoke and this universe came into being, Gen. 1. He is able to take a few loaves and fish and feed a multitude. He can walk on water, heal the sin, cast out devils and raise the dead. He can touch a fevered brow and speak peace to a troubled heart. He can do more than we can imagine, Eph. 3:20. He is all-knowing, all-presence and all-powerful. He is the “great I AM!”

      The world sees Him hanging dead on a cross and all they see is weakness. What they fail to see is that man may have nailed Him to a cross, but they were only able to do so because He allowed them to! They see that broken, bloody body sealed in a tomb. To the lost, that is the end of the story. What they do not see is three days after He died; Jesus arose in power and glory. He came out of the grave and walked away with victory over death, Hell and the grave. If He can do that, He can do anything!         

C. v. 12 His Perception – Our Lord sees everything! He has witnessed everything that has ever transpired and everything thing that has ever been thought about. He sees it all!

      He watched this world take shape. He watched Adam take his first steps in the world. In fact, the first sight Adam ever saw was the piercing eyes of our Lord. He saw the body of Lazarus as it lay in the tomb, and at the same time, He saw the soul of Lazarus safe in Paradise. The Savior looked at Lazarus and he came back to this world and walked out of the tomb alive! He saw the demons flee from Mary Magdalene’s soul. He saw the darkness in the heart of Judas. He saw Peter when Peter denied that he knew the Lord.

      He looked down through time to see you and me. He saw us as the sinners we were and are. He saw our wickedness and yet He kept His gaze of love locked on us. He watched us as we came to Him for salvation. Now, His eyes are still on us. He watches us to guide us, to love us, to minister to us. One day when this life is over, we will soar away to glory and we will look into those eyes in Heaven!

D. v. 13a His Perfume – To be near Him is to breathe the scent of glory. To be in His presence is to smell the rarified air of that heavenly land.

      How many times have the saints been overwhelmed with the stench of this world? When that saint turns away from the pain, the sorrow, the burdens and the problems of this life and gets lost in the presence of the Lord, this world swiftly fades into insignificance. That was David’s experience, Psa. 27:1-6. That was Job’s experience, Job 1:20-21. It can be our experience as well!

E. v. 13b His Pronouncements – As our Beloved moved through this world, He was continually speaking the words of hope and life. When the Jews heard Him speak they said, “Never man spake like this man,” John 7:46. How true!

      Whether Jesus was at a wedding, a funeral, the bedside of an invalid or at the deathbed, He always had the right words to say! To Martha it was “Thy brother shall rise again.” To Lazarus it was, “Come forth”. To the leper it was “I will be thou clean.” To the demons is was “Come out of him”. To the winds and waves it was “Peace, be still.” To the lame man it was “Rise and walk.” To the dying thief it was “Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise.” To the crowds that crucified Him it was “Father forgive them, they know what they do.” To the disciples it was “I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you.” To the Father it was “It is finished!”

      Thank God there is still myrrh falling from the lips of the Son of God. He is still calling sinners to Him. He is still raising dead men to life. He is still speaking peace to troubled souls. Thank God for His pronouncements!

F. v. 14a His Proficiency – Our attention is drawn to His hands. His hands had shaped the dust into a man and brought the dust to life. His hands touched the little children who came to Him. His hands touched the litter on which lay the body of the widow Nain’s son and raised him from the dead. His hands touched the leper and delivered him from his disease. His hands touched thousands of lives while He was here. Then, those hands were nailed to the cross when He died there for you and me. Today, those hands hold the scepter that identifies Jesus as the King of all. When He comes again those hands will receive His children and vanquish His enemies. I praise God for the day my heart felt the tender touch of the Son of God!

G. v. 14b His Person – The body our Savior wore while He was here was nothing special from a human standpoint, Isa. 53:2. He looked like an ordinary Jew. But, when you consider the nature of His human body, you understand that Jesus was Someone pretty special. After all, He was God in human flesh, Phil. 2:5-8.

            Jesus became a man for one reason. He did so that He might die for me! Bless His name! No wonder the saints want to praise Him!

H. v. 15a His Permanence – “Legs” speak of His standing. He is stable and He will never be overthrown! No one was able to overcome Him while He was here. No one has been able to overcome Him in Heaven. No one will overcome Him in the Tribulation, the Millennium or in eternity. He stands today and He will stand forever. He is Lord and He always will be.

I. v. 15b His Presence – The cedars of Lebanon were renowned around the world for their beauty, their stateliness and their majesty. When we see Jesus, we will see One Who is worthy of worship, praise and glory. This world mocks Him today, but there is coming a day when every saint, every sinner, every demon and every devil will bow in His presence and exalt Him.

      When we see Him, we not see a lowly Nazarene. We will not see an ordinary man. When we see Him, we will see the King in all His glory. We will be lost in the wonder, the power and the majesty of our Lord!

J. v. 16a His Passion – The Shulamite thinks of the kiss of her beloved and she thrills at the thought. How the soul of the redeemed saint of God stirs when it remembers the sweetness of His kiss of grace! When we remember where and what we were. When we remember how He came to us in love, grace and mercy and saved us from our sins and how He gave us new life in Jesus. When we consider all that we have in Him, we remember the sweetness of His kiss and we bless His name!

            We were not worthy of His love. We deserved only death, Hell and judgment. But, He loved us! He didn’t just love us; He died for us and shed His blood on the cross so that we might be saved by grace. He made a way for people who did not deserve a thing He came to provide for them! What a Savior. That is why the saints of God rejoice in Him and say “He’s all that, and so much more!”

 

Conc: The Shulamite woman looks at her beloved and sums up her evaluation of him by saying “He is altogether lovely!” In other words, she is saying, “He’s all that, and so much more! He’s perfect! There is no blemish in Him at all!”

      Can you say that about Jesus? Is He “all that” to you? If so, why don’t you take a few minutes to tell Him how you feel about Him?

      If you don’t Him and all that makes His so special, why don’t you come before Him and ask Him into your heart to be your Savior and Lord?

      If there are needs, you come!