Matthew Henry Commentary Song of Solomon 4
Matthew Henry Commentary
Song of Solomon 4
Matthew Henry Commentary
Song of Solomon 4
"Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; Thine eyes are [as] doves behind thy veil. Thy hair is as a flock of goats, That lie along the side of mount Gilead. Thy teeth are like a flock [of ewes] that are [newly] shorn, Which are come up from the washing, Whereof every one hath twins, And none is bereaved among them. Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, And thy mouth is comely. Thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate Behind thy veil. Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armory, Whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, All the shields of the mighty men. Thy two breasts are like two fawns That are twins of a roe, Which feed among the lilies. Until the day be cool, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, And to the hill of frankincense. Thou art all fair, my love; And there is no spot in thee." — Song of Solomon 4:1-7 (ASV)
If each of these comparisons has a meaning applicable to the graces of the church, or of the faithful Christian, these meanings are not clearly known, and great mistakes are made by fanciful guesses.
The mountain of myrrh appears to mean Mount Moriah, on which the temple was built, where the incense was burned and the people worshipped the Lord. This was His residence until the shadows of the law given to Moses were dispersed by the breaking of the gospel day and the rising of the Sun of Righteousness.
And though, with respect to His human nature, Christ is absent from His church on earth and will continue to be so until the heavenly day breaks, yet He is spiritually present in His ordinances and with His people.
How beautiful and lovely are believers when justified in Christ's righteousness and adorned with spiritual graces! — when their thoughts, words, and deeds, though imperfect, are pure, manifesting a heart nourished by the gospel!
"Come with me from Lebanon, [my] bride, With me from Lebanon: Look from the top of Amana, From the top of Senir and Hermon, From the lions` dens, From the mountains of the leopards. Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, [my] bride; Thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, With one chain of thy neck. How fair is thy love, my sister, [my] bride! How much better is thy love than wine! And the fragrance of thine oils than all manner of spices! Thy lips, O [my] bride, drop [as] the honeycomb: Honey and milk are under thy tongue; And the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon. A garden shut up is my sister, [my] bride; A spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Thy shoots are an orchard of pomegranates, with precious fruits; Henna with spikenard plants, Spikenard and saffron, Calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; Myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices. [Thou art] a fountain of gardens, A well of living waters, And flowing streams from Lebanon." — Song of Solomon 4:8-15 (ASV)
Observe the gracious call Christ gives to the church. It is:
A precept: This is Christ's call to his church to come away from the world. These hills seem pleasant, but in them are lions' dens; they are mountains of the leopards.
A promise: Many will be brought as members of the church from all places.
The church will be delivered from her persecutors in due time, though now she dwells among lions (Psalms 57:4). Christ's heart is on his church; his treasure is in her; and he delights in the affection she has for him—its working in the heart and its works in the life.
The perfumes with which the spouse is scented are the gifts and graces of the Spirit. Love and obedience to God are more pleasing to Christ than sacrifice or incense.
Christ, having clothed his spouse with the white garment of his own righteousness and the righteousness of saints, and perfumed it with holy joy and comfort, he is well pleased with it.
Christ walks in his garden unseen. A hedge of protection is made around it, which all the powers of darkness cannot break through.
The souls of believers are like enclosed gardens where there is a well of living water (John 4:14 and John 7:38)—the influences of the Holy Spirit. The world does not know these wells of salvation, nor can any opponent corrupt this fountain.
Saints in the church, and graces in the saints, are aptly compared to fruits and spices. They are planted and do not grow by themselves.
They are precious; they are the blessings of this earth. They will be kept for good purpose when flowers have withered.
Grace, when it culminates in glory, will last forever. Christ is the source that makes these gardens fruitful—even a well of living waters.
"Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; Blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, And eat his precious fruits." — Song of Solomon 4:16 (ASV)
The church prays for the influences of the blessed Spirit to make this garden fruitful. Graces in the soul are like spices in these gardens, being that which is valuable and useful within them. The blessed Spirit, in His work upon the soul, is like the wind. There is the north wind of conviction and the south wind of comfort. He stirs up good affections and works in us both to will and to do that which is good.
The church invites Christ. Let Him have the honor of all the garden produces, and let us have the comfort of His acceptance of it. We can invite Him to nothing but what is His own already.
The believer can have no joy from the fruits, unless they contribute in some way or other to the glory of Christ. Let us then seek to keep separate from the world, as a garden enclosed, and to avoid conformity to it.
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