Who is this who shines like the dawn --as beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun, awe-inspiring as an army with banners?

“We will make you ornaments of gold with studs of silver.” Songs 1:11

Proverbs 25:11 says, “Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a ruling rightly given.” It speaks of a word in due season being divinely ordered, pure and right, of great value and treasured.

Silver and gold were what was taken up as offerings from the exiles brought together and set on the head Joshua the high priest in Zech. 6:11 as the high priest was set on His throne to rule. The crowns were to reside in the Lord's temple as a memorial of the peaceful counsel between the two of them – priesthood and kingship (Zech 6:14).

Gold and silver were materials from genuine heartfelt offerings used in building the temple (1 Chronicles 29:3-5) and were associated with both divinity and purity. In Malachi 3:3, the Lord promises to come to his priesthood as a refiners fire and purify them as silver and gold so they can present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.

In Song of Solomon, the daughters of Jerusalem who were onlookers to romance between the Shepard – King and the Shulamite woman saw her and insisted on making her ornaments of gold with studs of silver to acknowledge her as they proclaimed her to be “most beautiful of women”.

It is unfortunate we do not have the same understanding as when the poem was written. Poems are meant to capture the heart. They often use a play on words and symbolism to speak of the deeper reality of what is going on using an understanding of the day.

In this case the ornaments are the Hebrew word tore, Strongs #8447, also translated as a circlet circlet or open crown kind of like a tiara that was worn by a royal bride, Strongs #8448. The word was also used as a term of endearment, “ring-dove” like “turtle dove”, Strongs #8449. [1]

She was being acknowledged as the one who had the heart of the Shepard-King. While she was just in the beginning stages of courtship, she was publicly acknowledged and called out by the daughters of Jerusalem as His beloved that was to be his royal priestly bride.

Makes me think of David when he was a little shepherd boy Samuel called him out and publicly recognized him in front of his family as going to become the next king, anointing him with oil.

Ever had someone see the gifts and/or calling inside you and call it out of you by acknowledging it? Acknowledging the calling you see inside of someone and/or calling their giftings out of them by blessing them and inviting them into what God has for them can have a powerful impact.

At least it did with me when my first boss out of college encouraged me, saw my gifts and made room for me to use them. Made me want to become like him and go into leadership so I could do the same for others.

Taking the word tore a little further, it is the root of torah, Strongs #8451. The Strongs concordance identifies the Torah as a “body of prophetic teaching”; “instruction in Messianic age”; “body of priestly direction or instruction”; and “body of legal directives.”[2]

What is interesting is that at the root of the Torah is a reference to a crown that is worn by a royal bride and a term of endearment representing a 'ring' of sorts to the one who has captured the heart and eye of their Beloved.

Song of Song, is a beautiful poem that was written more like a play. It has a succession of scenes that draw one through the story and to the eventual conclusion.

Some people refer to ones spiritual walk as being portrayed in the Song. It starts with one who discovers love, and out of that discover begins to understand her identity as beautiful and lovely rather than just “dark” from ones past misfortune. As she is intoxicated with love, she is drawn deeper in the love story and maturity.

She has some incredible encounters with love where she begins to see how deeply she is loved. Then there is a seeking, letting go of, and then realizing that her life's meaning is wrapped up in this intoxicating love story. She is compelled to chase after this love that has gripped her heart. As she does, it is changing who she is.

“I wasn't made for anything else but to be loved by You” sings.

I think about in my own life, I used to struggle with bouts of severe depression. Often in my life I felt a lack of meaning. It was this incredible undeserved love that woke my heart up and gave me purpose. When I came to know the Lord, my life was suddenly flooded with a new sense of purpose. Even the things of nature such as grass and trees seemed to suddenly change color and have significance.

Brother David Steindle-Rast notes that the heart is the center of our aliveness and the focal point of our communion with God. It is where we meet God. [3] And I would go on to say that in meeting God in the place of our heart gives our life meaning and purpose. We awaken to this incredible drama and song of seeking, chasing, and knowing an intoxicating love.

The Song of Songs as a poem and a drama gets right to the heart of the meaning of life – this intoxicating love story of a bride and Her Beloved. Outside of love, anything we do ends us feeling like chasing after the wind. Yet inside of love, we come alive.

Brother David Steindle-Rast writes, “Meaning is no thing. It is more like the light in which we see things. Another Psalm calls out to God in the thirst of the heart: 'With you is the fountain of life, and in your light we see light' (Ps. 36:9). In thirsting for the fullness of life, our heart thirst for the light that lets us see life's meaning, we know it because our heat finds rest. It is always through our heart that we find meaning.” [4]

Brother David Steindle-Rast notes that true religion starts and ends with the heart. [5] Intoxicating love is the center of meaning in the Song of Songs. It is the relationship of the Beloved and the Shulamite that make life full, alive and filled with purpose.

This intoxicating loves leads the Shulamite woman to a place of commitment, taking vows and then to consecration of this love. Reminds me of a poem I wrote for a man standing in front of me in worship when I first started coming to Open Door. I am pretty sure he was a minister of some sort. Anyways, here is the poem I wrote:

Run The Race
(For the guy lost in God’s presence who sat in front of me during worship at church)

A chosen vessel consecrated to you
With passion in his heart he will run after you
When he is weary and the road is hard
He will push forward another yard
Not for anything the world has to give
But with his eyes on you, he will come forward and live
Laying it all down at the foot of your throne
Pouring it out with his eyes toward home.

You are the treasure worth it all
You are the One worth answering the call
To lay down our lives and pick up the cross
Running hard after you, not counting the cost

With love at the center of it all
We lay down our lives and answer the call
To give ourselves expecting nothing in return
In unrestrained love, for you our hearts burn.

Run the race before you now
His mighty hand will show you how
With strength and courage, passion in your heart
From his face let your eyes not part.

As a poem, the Song was written to capture the heart expressions and passions. But as a play it was written for onlookers to be drawn in to the story that is unfolding.

Song 5:1b proclaims, “Eat, friends! Drink, be intoxicated with love!”

This love in the Song of Songs is so overpowering that it not only influences the Shulamite woman to arrange her life around her Beloved, but the fragrance from this lovesickness intoxicates all who are around.

“We want to burn with the passions of Your heart” sings.

Love that is intoxicating cannot help but impact those around. Ever been in the presence of someone who is totally intoxicated with love and not be at all stirred or changed in some way? I recently was with a young woman like this who often stays up late in the night to sing worship songs to the Lord with all her heart. It is her only opportunity to be alone with the Lord and rather than complain about it, she treasures it as a gift.

She is so in love. She is intoxicating to all who are around her even in her worst moments. She recently ended up in a women's shelter due to a series of difficulties and rather be dismayed, she was telling me with excitement how her roommate came to know the Lord through seeing her love and passion. Her roommate, a previous prostitute, broke down one day in tears admitting she needed to be healed from her past. So she said they prayed together for her to know Jesus.

Ultimately, this intoxicating love lead the Shulamite woman to face any circumstance that comes along with a steadfast heart. She acknowledges the unrelenting power of this love to take her through anything. Nothing --not death, fiery flames, for the fiercest of all storms or mighty waters cannot extinguish it or sweep it away.

In this poem, there is also a progression of how the Shulamite identifies her relationship with her Beloved. She starts by proclaiming, “My love is mine and I am his” (Song 2:16). Then she moves from a place of possession of Him to recognizing His love for her as first and proclaiming, “I am my love's and my love is mine” (Song 6:3). She then recognizes she is totally possessed by this passionate love that has taken over her life as she proclaims, “I belong to my love, and his desire is for me” (Song 7:10).

Besides being a picture spiritually of this intoxicating love, it also captures the ideal for romantic love between a husband and wife. One commentary notes, “Since the Song captures ideal love in its reflection of God's love for Israel, its romance also reflects the ideal love that God intended for husband and wife. We see a return to paradise in courtship that blossomed in the uncluttered beauty of nature (1:15-2:3,2:8-14), in a wedding night consummated with allusions to the garden of paradise (4:12-5:1), and in a marriage that delights in innocent lovemaking (4:1-5:1; 7:1-8:3).”

In either case, this lovesickness is passionate, gives meaning and purpose and guides ones actions. It is through the heart that two lovers connect and communicate. And it is through the heart that we connect with God. It is in this heart connection that we share our Beloved's heart and desires.

The poem ends with the Shulamite longing for her love to come return to her. She proclaims, “Hurry to me, my love, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.” (Song 8:14)

Many years ago I had a dream of Jesus returning. In my dream, as He began to return and He began to reveal Himself in greater ways, people were overcome with lovesickness and longed for Him to return. It was this intercession in the place of lovesickness that drew Him to manifest Himself in greater ways and bring His Kingdom to the earth.

God most often uses intercession to bring about His purposes. Even when He came to earth as a baby, there was intercession of His people behind His purposes coming forth. Anna and Simeon (Luke 2:25-39) were intercessors recognized for their labors in participating in bringing forth the purposes of God of salvation to His people.

As Jesus prepares for His return, I believe it will be through His lovesick bride longing for His return and our intercession that He will usher in the full manifestation of His presence and Kingdom. And as His kingdom comes, I believe it will no longer be 'business as usual'. Just as when He came the first time, He will turn upside down the world systems of power and control and bring true justice with an overflow of His mercy.

As the song sings, “Come quickly oh Lord!” Fill us with lovesick longing for more of You and Your Kingdom in our lives.

1-2. Strong, James: The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible : Showing Every Word of the Text of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurrence of Each Word in Regular Order. electronic ed. Ontario : Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996, S. H8451

3-5.   Steindl-Rast, Brother David.  Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer: An Approach to Life in Fullness. Paulist Press, Mahwah, New Jersey.  1984.