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D.the watchmen: In the spiritual interpretation they represent spiritual leadership. The watchmen were the keepers of the walls, who guarded the walls of the city to protect the people. Initially, the Bride seeks their help (3:3), but eventually they strike and wound her (5:7). The fourth group is the watchmen who represent spiritual leadership. They are the ones watching the wall. We have a little bit more on that. They are spiritual leadership.
E.
The Song of Solomon has two primary sections: chapters 1-4 and 5-8.
1. The first four chapters of the Song focus on the Bride’s inheritance in Christ. These chapters emphasize how God views and desires her and what we seek in Him. 2.
The last four chapters of the Song focus on Jesus’ inheritance in the Bride. These chapters emphasize what He seeks from His people. He wants us to love Him with all our heart. The focus of the book makes a dramatic shift in the middle (4:16-5:1). There are two primary sections in this book.
Of course we will unpack it in these twelve sessions. We are going to have twelve evenings on this. We are not going to break down verse by verse, but we are going to get to the key themes. The first four chapters, oh, this is glorious! I love this. The first four chapters focus on the Bride’s inheritance. It is our inheritance in Him, how He feels, how He loves us, how He woos us. When we understand who we are to Him, it is the Bride’s inheritance.
Section number two, the last four chapters shift gears. It is Jesus’ inheritance in you. Beloved, you have an inheritance in Him, but He has an inheritance in you. He gave you everything. I mean the finished work of the cross—it is done. But it is not the end of the story that you have an inheritance in Him. Some people say, “He went to the cross. I have an inheritance. It is finished.” I respond, “No, He has an inheritance in you. This should empower us to give ourselves fully back to Him.” Is that not amazing that He actually wants an inheritance in you and me? I look at myself and think, “Why would You want me to be Your inheritance? I mean Lord?” You know, in my early days when that first dawned on me, I felt like apologizing to the Lord that the Father made me the gift. I would think, “Sorry, Jesus. I did not know He was going to choose me for Your gift.” You have no need to apologize! You are the inheritance—the whole Body of Christ through history is what He longs for.
IV. TURNING THE SONG INTO PRAYER DIALOGUE WITH JESUS
A. To receive the full benefits of the Song, we must turn it into an ongoing dialogue with Jesus. Learning the truths of the Song is only our starting point; the truths transform us as they become part of our prayer life and conversation with God.
No one goes to a famous restaurant to study its menu; the menu is there to help them obtain a good meal. Likewise, we are missing out if we are just “connoisseurs” of the Song of Solomon; it must get into our conversation with God.
Again I have more on this, in the additional notes. In order to receive the full benefit of the Song of Solomon, you have to turn this song into dialogue. It is not enough to learn the phrases and understand the symbolism. We have to turn it into conversation with the Person. Learning the truths, which the class is about, is only a starting point.
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I mean you do not go to a famous restaurant to study the menu. “Oh, did you hear about that one restaurant? It is so amazing! The food is amazing. I mean, I just go there for hours and study the menu! I just study it.” “Do you ever eat there?” “Well, no, but I love the menu.” Some people are connoisseurs of the Song of Solomon, but they do not actually talk to Jesus about it. It does not become personal. It becomes a theory and an idea that excites them, but it is not something that actually moves them, those connoisseurs of the menu. B.
I observe two general categories of truth in relation to meditating on the Word. The first category is related to truths that exhort us to believe something about God and/or His promises. The second category is related to truths that exhort us to obey God’s Word. There are two general ideas, two general truths, related to meditating on the Word. I talk about this a lot, and I have several documents on the website about it. The first category is related to truths that exhort us to believe something about God. There are truths in the Bible we are supposed to believe. God loves you, God forgives you, God will direct you, God will provide for you, you believe those, that is what you are suppose to do. There is a second category of truths that exhort us to obey. C.
Here are two ways to pray-read the Scriptures that exhort us to believe God’s Word. See *additional study material on this session for more on how to pray-read the Song. 1.
First, we thank God for the particular truth set forth, by turning it into a dialogue that includes taking time to say, “Thank You, Jesus” in a specific way. For example, when reading, “You have ravished my heart,” we respond by thanking God for this truth by praying, “Thank you, Jesus, that I ravish Your heart, that you delight in Your people.” 9You have ravished My heart, My sister, My spouse. (Song 4:9) 2.
Second, we ask for understanding of the truth as we seek to believe more. Ask God to release revelation that causes us to know and feel the power of specific truths (Eph. 1:17).
For example, when reading, “You have ravished my heart, my bride,” ask Jesus for more insight by praying, “Show me how I ravish Your heart and fill you with delight.” Now when we come to a truth, it is very simple. I urge you to use this simple, little principle. When I come to a verse that exhorts me to believe, like in Song of Solomon—I will just use Song of Solomon—it says the Lord is speaking, “You have ravished My heart,” so I am suppose to believe that I have ravished His heart, that I have moved His heart.
So what I do is I thank Him. Have you ever stopped and thanked Him when it says, for example, God forgives you or God loves you? Do you say, “Thank You, Jesus, for loving me?” I tell you something will happen if you pause and actually say that.
I do not mean every time, but when you approach the Bible and it says something like, “you have ravished His heart,” you stop, and instead of just underlining it, you say, “Thank You,” and you talk for just a few seconds. Then you add more than “Thank You.” You say, “Show me more.” That is simple. “Thank You that You love me. Show me more.” When I do that, “Thank You that You will provide for me. Show me, Lord.” “Thank You that You will lead me. Show me.” “Thank You, Abba, for the glory of Your Son. Show me.” I tell you, it is amazing how that simple little dialogue will change your Bible study time.
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D.here is two ways to pray-read the Scriptures with truths that exhort us to obey God’s Word.
1. First, we commit to obey Jesus in the way described in a particular passage. We turn that specific truth into a simple dialogue with God that includes declaring our intention and commitment to obey Him according to the exhortation in that passage. For example, when He exhorted the Bride to “rise up and come away” to leave the comfort zone and follow Him, we commit to obey this truth by praying, “Jesus, I will rise from the comfort zone to meet You on the mountains of costly obedience (according to Song 4:6).” 10My Beloved…said to me: “Rise up, my love…and come away.” (Song 2:10)
2. Second, we ask for God’s help to obey a particular truth in a passage. Ask the Spirit for help to obey specific exhortations in a passage. For example, when the Lord exhorts the Bride to “arise and come away” and follow Him in obedience to the mountains, we ask the Spirit to help us obey by praying, “Jesus, empower me to obey You as I arise from the comfort zone to meet you in costly obedience.” There is the second category of scriptures in the Song of Solomon or the whole Bible. They are exhortations to obey. So when it is time to obey—I mean a passage to obey—number one, we stop and commit to it. Number two, we ask God for help. Like in Song of Solomon it says to rise up. In other words, challenge the comfort zone. When I read that passage, and we will look at that in a few weeks, I stop and say, “Lord, I commit myself to obey You when I am challenged, when You are challenging the comfort zone in my life.” I pause, and I actually say something to Him, and then I ask Him for help. E.
Take time to journal and write down your thoughts, prayers, and meditations as you pray-read through the Song. This will help you to capture the truths that the Lord puts on your heart. Be patient, speak slowly and softly, then journal your thoughts. You may be surprised how the Spirit will give you revelation, strengthen your obedience, and tenderize your heart as you do this. V.
THE GREATEST SONG
A. Solomon was a prolific songwriter, writing 1005 songs (1 Kgs. 4:32). The Spirit inspired him to name this song using a superlative, the Song of Songs (like King of kings, Lord of lords, etc.,). The Song of Solomon is one of the greatest songs in redemptive history. I refer to it as the Song.
1The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s. (Song 1:1) Solomon was a prolific songwriter. Okay, somebody, without looking in your Bible, how many songs did Solomon write? Does anybody know?
This is IHOPKC! Come on, we do songs. You are right, 1,005. He wrote 1,005 songs. That is remarkable, but only one song out of 1,000 songs did he title “The Song of all Songs.” He says, “This is my absolute chief song,” but it was the Spirit who inspired him to title it that. The Spirit used the superlative like, King of kings, Lord of lords, meaning the ultimate.
B. The advice I offer to those writing songs from the Song is to interpret the meaning of a passage and then sing the truth extolled in it, instead of using its exact symbolic language. For example, instead of singing of Jesus as being “like a cluster of henna blooms in the vineyards of En Gedi” (1:14), sing of His beauty as “matchless, perfect and beyond compare.”
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VI.THE THEME OF THE SONG: TO ENCOUNTER JESUS IN HIS WORD
A. The maiden made her request to the One with authority over the king, instead of directly asking the king. She said, “Let Him...” She asked the One who could influence the king in personal matters. We cry, “Father, let Him kiss me with the kisses of His Word.” This is a prayer request for grace to love Jesus with all our heart so as to walk out the first commandment (Mt. 22:37-38).
2Let him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth [Word]. (Song 1:2) The theme of the song is right here at the beginning. We will look at this next week in more detail.
She cries out, “Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth.” Of course I have made a rule in IHOPKC, literally fifteen years ago, even right before we starting, and we were getting everything organized in the spring of 1999. As I began to talk about Song of Solomon, I said that we were not going to talk about or sing about kiss with “the kisses of His mouth” but “the kisses of His Word” because that is what it means.
The rabbis for 3,000 years have used this passage to talk about the kisses of the Torah, the kisses of God’s Word. She is asking the Father, “Father”—she asking one in authority over the King. She is talking to One that has authority over the King. “Hey, ask Him, tell Him, let Him…” So in New Testament words, we are asking the Father about the Son. “
This is what we long for, Father.” The kisses of His word is the Word of God that awakens understanding in our heart about His heart, His glory, His beauty, His love for us, our love for Him. We want the Word to touch us and awaken our hearts.
B. The Word of God proceeds from God's mouth. Our hearts live by the Word that comes from God’s mouth. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 during His temptation in the wilderness (Mt. 4:4). For 3,000 years, rabbis have referred to these “kisses of the mouth” as the “kiss of the Torah.”
3.that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD. (Deut. 8:3)
It is the word that proceeds out of God’s mouth. That is why it is called the kisses of the mouth. It is the word that comes out of the mouth of God. The Torah. For the word shall proceed from God’s mouth is what the scripture says.
C. Kiss of the Word: This refers to encountering the Word in a way that reveals God’s love and emotions for us. It is a metaphor for spiritual intimacy with God. We think of the Spirit touching our heart with the Word to expand our capacity to receive His love and to respond in love. Do not think of kissing Jesus on the mouth—such a perverse idea is not from God. We reject all interpretations of the “kisses of the Word” that relate to human sensuality. The “kisses of the Word” is talking about encountering the Word. I am talking about reading the Bible and the Holy Spirit touching us in a way that reveals God’s love and God’s emotions—which are really the same, God’s love and God’s emotions. The kiss of the word is a metaphor for spiritual intimacy. Think of Jesus touching your spirit, touching your heart, and warming your heart. One man said, “I do not want to kiss Jesus on the mouth.” I said, “That is good! You are not supposed to.” Do not imagine, ‘let Him kiss me’ and you know put your lips up like that. No! If you want to picture something, picture the Spirit like fire touching your heart when you are reading the book of Romans, reading the Gospel of John, reading the book of Psalms.
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D.there are three metaphors of spiritual intimacy with God in the Song—the Divine kiss (1:2), the Divine seal (8:6), and the Divine embrace (2:5; 8:4). The Bride’s journey starts with vision to receive the kisses of God’s Word (1:2), and ends by her heart being sealed by God’s love (8:6).
E. Solomon writes this love song in a way that is reminiscent of his own experience with God. In his early years as king of Israel, God visited him in a dream to test him (2 Chr. 1; 1 Kgs. 3). The Lord allowed Solomon to make one supreme request, to ask God for anything.
7God appeared to Solomon, and said to him, “Ask! What shall I give you?”…
10Now give me wisdom and knowledge…for who can judge this great people of Yours?”
11God said to Solomon: “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life--but have asked wisdom and knowledge…
12wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you.” (2 Chr. 1:7-12) Solomon wrote this song in a way—this is my opinion—that is reminiscent of what he experienced. In his early days as a king he had a dream, and in the dream right here in 2 Chronicles 1:7, God appeared to him and said, “Solomon, ask for anything you want.” Beloved, this is borrowing from the New Testament when Jesus said, “Pray for anything that you want, believing you will receive it.” When I say God is borrowing from the New Testament, I mean He offered that truth to Solomon. Solomon said, “I want wisdom. I want knowledge.” I want to serve You with excellence is the meaning. Verse 11, God said, “Because it was in your heart to get wisdom”—in other words, to be more useful in My purposes with My hand on you—“You could have asked for riches, honor, long life, but instead you asked to be more useful and to be a blessing to My people.” So He said, “Now I am going to give you a double portion of everything.”
F. Over the last fifty years, the Holy Spirit has emphasized various truths in the Bible that some call the “faith movement.” They are truths related to blessings that are released by praying in faith.
15The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. (Jas. 5:15) 23“Whoever…believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says.” (Mk. 11:23) I believe over the last fifty years plus, the Holy Spirit has emphasized truths in the Bible that are related to how we can receive blessings related to faith. If we pray the prayer of faith, we have blessing. Some people call this emphasis “the faith movement.” I remember in the seventies and eighties, people were talking about the faith movement. People were talking about that there were these guys and gals saying, “If you understand what God promises to give, your faith is stirred, and you can get more.” The Holy Spirit anointed this truth of “ask anything you want, and you can have it.”
G. God calls us to pray the prayer of faith that He might release the highest things in His heart to us. The prayer to receive the kisses of the Word is to ask for grace to love God with all our heart.
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what happened is the Lord really anointed that truth—it is a real truth—but most people use the truth of the prayer faith for getting anything they want by asking for riches, honor, and long life. They ask for the opposite of what Solomon asked for. God told Solomon, “I was testing you when I gave you that offer.” I believe for fifty years God has anointed this message of faith, and many people under that anointing have asked for riches, honor, and long life. Those are good things, and those are things to ask for, but we are better to first make the request, “Lord, I want the anointing to walk in the first commandment. I want to love You like the Father loves You. I am going to use the prayer of faith to press into that.” If the Lord appeared to you in a dream and said, “Anything you want,” what would you ask for? Again, most people ask for riches, honor, and long life. Solomon did not, and God said,” I was testing you.” I believe God has been testing a generation by that real truth. It is a real truth, that He really will answer the cry of our heart, but He would that the primary cry of our heart would not be for riches, honor, and long life. Those are good blessings, but those are second. We do ask for those, but those are second. We ask for the supreme request, that He would release the highest things in our heart.
H.
This is the most important prayer of faith for our personal lives. The Lord continues to test His people by allowing them to ask for anything, to see who will prioritize loving Him with all their heart over other blessings of God that may include receiving riches, honor, long life, etc.
22“And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Mt. 21:22) I.
The Spirit’s first priority and emphasis for the Church and for every believer’s life is to cultivate love for Jesus. Jesus referred to loving God as the first and greatest issue in the life of a believer. The grace to receive God’s love and to love Him in return is the greatest work of the Spirit in us. The greatest calling for anyone is to walk out the first commandment as they receive and express God’s love. This is to be the primary dream of our heart.
37“You shall love the LORD
…
38This is the first and great commandment.” (Mt. 22:37-38) The Holy Spirit’s first priority and the Holy Spirit’s first emphasis is that we ask for the grace of God to walk in the first commandment. That is what He wants us to do. That is the kisses of His Word. That is the cry. If the Lord says, “Ask anything,” I want the kisses of His Word. I want to walk in the revelation of God’s heart and have my heart stirred by the love of God. Amen and amen.
J. We are to define our primary success in life as being ones who are loved by God and who love God. This is what determines our personal worth. We are to be anchored in this truth as the basis of our success and worth, rather than in our accomplishments, recognition, or possessions.
VII. PRACTICAL APPLICATION A.
Praying for the “kisses of God’s Word” (1:2) or for God to seal our heart with His love (8:6) points to asking for more insight into God’s emotions (how He loves, desires, delights in His people) and growing in grace to faithfully walk out the first and second commandments.
B. One way to receive the kisses of God’s Word is by pray-reading God’s Word as we set our heart to grow in grace to understand God’s love and to faithfully walk in love.
C.we must learn to live before an audience of One and receive our approval from our Master, which is more powerful than the approval of all others, and empowers the hearts of those who love Him.
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