Sharper Iron — God's Gift of Marriage - Song of Solomon 5:2-6:10: The Bridegroom's Forgiveness

The bride’s sloth in answering her husband’s knock provides a picture of the Church when she ignores the Lord’s Word. Our heavenly Bridegroom uses His Law for the sake of love in order to draw His bride back to Himself. When others question the goodness of the Bridegroom, the Church recalls with joy who her Lord is, leading others to seek Him as well. The husband’s joy in his bride in Song of Solomon shows the Lord’s great delight over His Church.

Rev. James Preus, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Ottumwa, IA, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Song of Solomon 5:2-6:10.

To learn more about Trinity Lutheran, visit trinitylutheranottumwa.com.

“God’s Gift of Marriage” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that studies the Song of Solomon and other key texts from the Bible concerning marriage. Although the world is terribly confused concerning what marriage is, God’s Word reveals how good a gift marriage truly is and points us to the relationship between Christ, the Bridegroom, and His Church, the Bride.

Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God’s Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org

Sharper Iron is underwritten by Lutheran Church Extension Fund. Together in faith, LCEF helps to start, sustain and strengthen LCMS ministries through financial and strategic partnerships. Visit lcef.org.

Song of Solomon 5:2-6:10

The Bride Searches for Her Beloved

She

²I slept, but my heart was awake.
A sound! My beloved is knocking.
“Open to me, my sister, my love,
    my dove, my perfect one,
for my head is wet with dew,
    my locks with the drops of the night.”
³I had put off my garment;
    how could I put it on?
I had bathed my feet;
    how could I soil them?
⁴My beloved put his hand to the latch,
    and my heart was thrilled within me.
⁵I arose to open to my beloved,
    and my hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with liquid myrrh,
    on the handles of the bolt.
⁶I opened to my beloved,
    but my beloved had turned and gone.
My soul failed me when he spoke.
I sought him, but found him not;
    I called him, but he gave no answer.
⁷The watchmen found me
    as they went about in the city;
they beat me, they bruised me,
    they took away my veil,
    those watchmen of the walls.
⁸I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
    if you find my beloved,
that you tell him
    I am sick with love.

Others

⁹What is your beloved more than another beloved,
O most beautiful among women?
What is your beloved more than another beloved,
that you thus adjure us?

The Bride Praises Her Beloved

She

¹⁰My beloved is radiant and ruddy,
    distinguished among ten thousand.
¹¹His head is the finest gold;
    his locks are wavy,
    black as a raven.
¹²His eyes are like doves
    beside streams of water,
bathed in milk,
    sitting beside a full pool.^[a]
¹³His cheeks are like beds of spices,
    mounds of sweet-smelling herbs.
His lips are lilies,
    dripping liquid myrrh.
¹⁴His arms are rods of gold,
    set with jewels.
His body is polished ivory,^[b]
    bedecked with sapphires.^[c]
¹⁵His legs are alabaster columns,
    set on bases of gold.
His appearance is like Lebanon,
    choice as the cedars.
¹⁶His mouth^[d] is most sweet,
    and he is altogether desirable.
This is my beloved and this is my friend,
    O daughters of Jerusalem.

Others

6 Where has your beloved gone,
O most beautiful among women?
Where has your beloved turned,
that we may seek him with you?

Together in the Garden of Love

She

²My beloved has gone down to his garden
    to the beds of spices,
to graze^[e] in the gardens
    and to gather lilies.
³I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;
    he grazes among the lilies.

Solomon and His Bride Delight in Each Other

He

⁴You are beautiful as Tirzah, my love,
    lovely as Jerusalem,
    awesome as an army with banners.
⁵Turn away your eyes from me,
    for they overwhelm me—
Your hair is like a flock of goats
    leaping down the slopes of Gilead.
⁶Your teeth are like a flock of ewes
    that have come up from the washing;
all of them bear twins;
    not one among them has lost its young.
⁷Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
    behind your veil.
⁸There are sixty queens and eighty concubines,
    and virgins without number.
⁹My dove, my perfect one, is the only one,
    the only one of her mother,
    pure to her who bore her.
The young women saw her and called her blessed;
    the queens and concubines also, and they praised her.

¹⁰“Who is this who looks down like the dawn,
beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun,
awesome as an army with banners?”

Footnotes

Song of Solomon 5:12 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
Song of Solomon 5:14 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
Song of Solomon 5:14 Hebrew lapis lazuli
Song of Solomon 5:16 Hebrew palate
Song of Solomon 6:2 Or to pasture his flock; also verse 3

Rev. Timothy Appel

Although a mathematics degree may not be incredibly helpful to (proudly born-and-raised Texan) Rev. Timothy Appel while hosting Sharper Iron, his love of CFW Walther and the season of Easter will come in handy. His Call is shepherding the flock at Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, Illinois, and he’s also husband to wife Kristin and dad to their growing basketball team of children. When he’s not carrying out pastoral duties, you may find him reading “The Lord of the Rings,” snacking on Reese’s peanut butter cups, playing dominoes with his boys, or studying up on Texas history (including Sam Houston, of course).