A Duet of Christ and Church
An Interpretation & Commentary on Song of Songs
by
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1:2
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; for your love is better than wine.
This is the expression of the love of the lady for her beloved. It's necessary to express our love for our spouse in real life because it is written that, “Better is open rebuke than hidden love” (Proverbs 27:5). When we express our love, it gives strength to our relationship. It is also necessary to express our love for God. When we worship, we express our love for Him and when we obey His commands we give proof of our love. If we love Him, we will obey Him. The lady in this verse wants her beloved to kiss her. She is not asking for one or two kisses, she is asking for many kisses; she wants a continual expression of love from her beloved. A kiss in the Bible represents love and respect (Proverbs 24:26). When Judas the Iscariot came to Jesus, he kissed Him to show his respect (deceitfully). It was their custom to show respect by kissing. For others there, this kiss was a sign to attack. The kisses of unfaithful people hurt Jesus’ feelings and the real church.
The bride wants her bridegroom to show His love. She wants intimate love which may last for a long time because she is asking for many kisses. This is the love church should have for Jesus. She wants to continually stay in touch with Christ. Christians shouldn’t stay from Jesus even for a short while. The love of Christ is more delightful than wine. The people who love wine don’t want to live without it. Whether they have something to eat or not, they prefer wine more than anything else. The bride is so deep in the love of the groom that her love is deeper than any other thing in this world. The kisses of the bridegroom show the love for His bride and the words of the bride show her love for the bridegroom, which is Jesus Christ our Lord and savior.
1:3
Your oils have a pleasing fragrance. Your name is oil poured out, therefore the virgins love you.
The bride is praising the fragrance of the perfumes used by the bridegroom. Normally in the Bible, a fragrance used by humans in the presence of God represents worship but the fragrance of perfumes of the bridegroom here represents different kinds of anointing, describing aspects of Jesus (Isaiah 11:1-3). Each fragrance shows a different anointing and ministry of Jesus. The works we see in His life, like teaching, healing, deliverance, etc represent different kinds of anointing. At one place He is teaching, other places He is healing, and then on some other place, He is showing miracles. Every aspect of His life is wonderful. The fragrance of a man comes when a man is physically present somewhere. So the fragrance of Christ also represents His presence somewhere. In Mark 16:20, “They went out, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed. Amen.” The signs and wonders which were taking place were tangible proof of Jesus’ presence, power, and authority. In this way, Jesus’ fragrance is spreading all over the world. This fragrance is still the same because Jesus’ power never declines. He is the same today, yesterday, and forever. It is still the case that when His people, pray miracles do happen. His name is like perfume poured out because when we call upon His name, His presence comes and wonders started taking place.
Mark 16:17-18
These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new languages; they will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will in no way hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.
Luke 10:17-19
The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” He said to them, “I saw Satan having fallen like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will in any way hurt you. Nevertheless, don’t rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
In Mark 16:17-18, Jesus commanded his disciples to pray and perform miracles in His name. In Luke 10:19, we see the practical impact of the words of Jesus in the life of disciples. This impact is still as powerful as it was during the earthly life of Jesus. There isn’t any human who can perform true miracles in his own name or in any other name than that of Jesus. When we call upon His name, His presence comes and glorifies His name by performing the miracle we need. In this way, His name carries the very fragrance (presence) of Jesus.
The man’s fragrance is experienced only by the people who come near him. The young women are crazy about His fragrance. At many points in the Bible, women represent nations. God’s salvation plan is not only for one nation or tribe. It is for nations. He is the God of nations. His house is the house of prayer for all the nations. Today the solution for the problems of the world is only one name, and that is Jesus. Jesus sent His disciples to all the nations, not to a single nation. His name, His fragrance, is wonderful and that’s why women (nations) are longing for Him.
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About the Book
Song of Songs is a great book to understand God’s love but many people have difficulty in understanding it. Some people feel it shouldn’t be in the Bible. If you read it without understanding it, you will consider it not more than a worldly literature. But this book is much deeper than many people think it is. This book doesn’t only talk about the love of God, it also talks about worship, spiritual warfare, prayer, second coming of Christ, crucifixion of Jesus, power in the blood of Christ, spiritual gifts and much more.
The interpretation/ commentary I have written explains the “Song of Songs” in depth. You will find a pleasant relationship between the symbolism used in the form of different trees, flowers, vegetation, animals, places, and the church. While writing this book, I had been praying that I may write whatever the Spirit of God wants me to write. So I believe this book is full of revelations given by the Holy Spirit. You will find a new dimension to look at things. While reading, you will not only understand the verses of Song of Songs, but you will also gain the understanding of many other related scriptures in the Bible. I am sure that this book will be a blessing for you and for the people with whom you will share the teachings given in this book.
Stay blessed
Bp. Dr. Imran Bhatti
About the Author
The author belongs to a family where people have been serving Christ for generations. He accepted Christ as his personal savior through the witness of his Sunday School teacher. Later he started the literature distribution ministry among non believers in very challenging circumstances. With the passage of time he served as a Sunday School trainer, Christian drama writer and director, Bible teacher and now serving as a bishop and Dean of a seminary. He is also leading a cell group movement.
The whole Bible is written for our spiritual formation but sometimes a specific verse influences our life more than others. In the life of the author, Jeremiah 33:3, played a significant role. This verse says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know”. This verse teaches us that if we ask God, He will teach and reveal the hidden. The author took hold of this promise and started asking God to teach him the passages of the Word of God, difficult for him. Slowly he started gaining the understanding of the Word. This started 30 years ago when he was in his early twenties. He now knows it is time to share the blessings he received in the form of understanding of scripture with others as well.
In this book he has prayerfully shared the blessings and revelations he received in the remarkable book, Song of Songs.