Matthew Henry Commentary Song Of Solomon 4:8-15

"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:

1. 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.

2. 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.