SONG OF SONGS ‘98 – MIKE BICKLE

SESSION 15: The Transcendent Beauty Of Jesus (5:10–16)

SONG 5:10-16

10. My Beloved is white and ruddy, chief among ten thousand.

11. His head is like the finest gold; His locks are wavy, and black as a raven.
12. His eyes are like doves by the rivers of waters, washed with milk, and fitly set.
13. His cheeks are like a bed of spices, banks of scented herbs. His lips are lilies, dripping
liquid myrrh.
14. His hands are rods of gold set with beryl. His body is carved ivory inlaid with sapphires.
15. His legs are pillars of marble set on bases of fine gold. His countenance is like Lebanon,
excellent as the cedars.
16. His mouth is most sweet, yes, He is altogether lovely. This is my Beloved, and this is my
friend, O daughters of Jerusalem!

I. OVERVIEW OF SONG 5:10-16

A. The young Bride in the midst of the ultimate 2- fold test (5:6-7) gives one of the
most powerful descriptions of Jesus and one of the most outstanding expressions
of worship in the Word of God. This is the one time in the Song where she pours
herself out in worship to the King. It is a magnificent, poetic unveiling of the
splendor of Christ Jesus.

B. This is an outstanding statement of love for God. I challenge you to take

sufficient time to learn the language of 5:10-16.

1. It may seem a little awkward at first, but there is much insight to glean
from each of these lines. This is written in poetic language so that we
could ever reach new depths of understanding of it.

2. This passage of Scripture is meant to equip our souls to effectively

worship God in times of testing. That is the principle of this session.

3. This is a "must" passage for us to master while on our journey to

growing in mature bridal affections for Jesus. This is especially true
during times of testing. This is not a passage that we can be content to
read without deep meditation. This is one we must go through over and
over and search out.

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C. The Holy Spirit speaks in parables, as well as, poetically in order to give more to
those who are hungry. The Scripture interprets the Scriptures so as to provide a
guide for this parabolic language.
"Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and
hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. "And in them the prophecy
of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: `Hearing you will hear and shall not
understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this
people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they
have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest
they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.'
(Matt. 13:13-15)

1. God often speaks of deep things in the hidden language of parables in

order to reveal more on the basis of hunger.

2. He taught parables for 2 reasons, to make truth easy and also to make truth
difficult. He taught that way to make things simple and to make them
difficult, so that only the hungry heart of love could experience them.
This is a love song; therefore, He speaks in the poetic language of love.
This provides endless depths to enjoy. Poetry, in some ways, is far deeper
than the normal mode of teaching because it can go deeper in
understanding.

D. In this passage the Holy Spirit uses metaphors of the human body to convey ten
attributes of God's personality. The full meaning is somewhat hidden in the
language of romantic poetry. She gives a very poetic and dynamic statement of
the glory of Jesus. The Bride gives 12 descriptive statements of Jesus. The first
one is a ge neral statement, then 10 distinct attributes of God, and then the last
statement is a summary one.

1. She describes ten attributes of Jesus, each of which have two descriptions.

a. There is much to add to these insights on the 10 attributes. My

purpose is to offer a mere seed of understanding that you may water
over the years through loving meditation. One practical way to grow
in understanding of these 10 attributes and to effectively meditate on
God's beauty is by speaking these truths back to God in worship and
prayer.

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b. I recommend studying books on the attributes of God. A. W. Tozer

has an excellent work entitled, "The Knowledge of the Holy." I also
recommend the books, "Knowing God" by J. I. Packer, "The Nature
of God" by A. W. Pink and the "Pleasures of God" by John Piper.
All of these can be found at our Abounding Grace Bookstore (800-
552-2449 or at www.fotb.com).

E. The daughters asked, “How could you worship Him under such duress?” This
gives us the knowledge she possessed that equipped her to worship God.
Knowledge of these ten attributes stabilizes us in the midst of the storms of life or
the "dark nights of the soul.”

1. This is the knowledge of Jesus' beauty that empowered her to be an

extravagant worshipper under severe testing. Once we see such Divine
beauty we can never draw back from Him.

2. She responds to her season of testing in perfect obedience with the heart
cry, "Jesus is dazzling and chief among 10,000” instead of being offended
with God.

3. It is normal for an immature believer to be easily offended. Many find it

easy to be preoccupied with feeling that God mistreats them. She is
focused on His majestic beauty instead of being preoccupied with her own
pressures.

4. The Bride teaches others to be preoccupied with the splendor of His

beauty. She overcomes her self- focus as she offers this mature expression
of worship.

5. These are the main 12 statements that she spoke back to God with
understanding in her heart as "confessions of faith" to strengthen her heart
during the severe trial of SONG 5:6-7.

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6. These are the actual revelations that the Holy Spirit recorded for us as we
seek to imitate the Bride's responses. These are the ones He purposefully
wants us to know in our journey to be a mature Bride. They were
specifically discerned in the heart of God and given to us to imitate Bridal
love. This passage of scripture is meant to equip our soul to hold on to
God in the inevitable times of testing. In our private prayer life it is good
to proclaim these attributes back to God. Our soul will begin to grow in
the knowledge of God as we consistently magnify Him according to His
excellencies and His perfections.

7. Each one of these 12 distinct statements brings healing. During times of

personal dryness we can imitate the wisdom of the Bride by recalling the
excellencies of Jesus to revive our affections. Each aspect of His
personality has a particular ability to refresh and revive the soul under
pressure.

8. She is fully able to give an in-depth answer as to why He is her consuming

love. She is fully capable of speaking from her heart with depth of insight.
Our prayer is, “Holy Spirit enlarge our capacity to receive from You.”

F. Three purposes are accomplished in this passage.

1. She answers the maiden’s question in SONG 5:9.

2. She gives the answers that heal and strengthen her soul in the midst of
pressure.

3. She is moving the heart of God the whole time, even though she doesn’t
feel anything. She is answering the maidens, her heart is being healed and
she is moving the heart of Jesus in a way she cannot comprehend until He
breaks the silence in the next session and begins to speak to her after the
great test.

G. The mystery of God's beauty must be sought with diligence.

Who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man
has seen or can see, to Whom be honor and everlasting power (1 Tim. 6:16)

1. God dwells in light that is unapproachable. The throne of God is cloaked

in unapproachable light. He clothes Himself in garments of light.
Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment (Ps. 104: 2)

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2. In what sense does God dwell in unapproachable light? In what way are
we limited in how close we can get to Him?

a. The phrase “unapproachable light” seems totally opposite of the

message of intimacy in the Song of Solomon.

b. He is not unapproachable because of His anger over our sin. We can

come boldly to the Father in Jesus.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb. 4:16)

c. Nor is He unapproachable because of His lack of desire for intimacy

with us.

d. We are limited in how close we can get to Him because our spiritual
capacity to receive is so limited. He is unapproachable in the sense
that our human capacity is so small that we cannot yet receive of the
fullness of God.

e. For example, it does not work to plug in a 110-volt machine into a

million- volt electrical current. Our human spirit is unable to receive
God's fullness. Our spiritual capacity increases in this age and even
throughout eternity. The Holy Spirit wants to enlarge our capacity so
that God is more approachable to the ones He so dearly loves. So that
He can give more of Himself to us

H. Jesus is the most majestic, indescribably lovely Person that the human heart can
behold. Seeing His soul-satisfying beauty is the greatest source for holy passion.

1. Jesus' full beauty is incomprehensible. It is impossible to fully

comprehend or communicate His beauty with the limitation of the five
natural senses. The Holy Spirit uses the word, "like" when referring to
Jesus' splendor, because nothing is adequately comparable to it. The 3
main metaphors in creation depicting the splendor of Christ Jesus are the
mountains, the sky and the sea.

2. Any metaphor used is inadequate and significantly deficient in conveying

the beauty of Christ Jesus. His beauty far exceeds any metaphor used by
the Holy Spirit from the natural created order.

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3. Jesus has no rival in the affections of people who think accurately of Him.
He is so compelling in His beauty, that even when He draws back His
Presence, those that have seen even dim, brief glimpses of His splendor
are loyal to Him through the desert seasons (5:6).

4. Jesus is not anxious about His Bride during this 2- fold test, because He
knows the power of the revelation of His beauty on her heart will keep her
loyal through the difficult times.

I. The specifics of Jesus' beauty are not easily discerned by the natural mind. The
depths of God are communicated by the Holy Spirit to spiritually hungry people.

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all
things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man
except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things
of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received…the Spirit…that we
might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things
…the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the
natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are
foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned. (1 Cor.2:10-14)

1. There is nothing more vital to the soul of a believer than to more fully
discern the depths of God's personality. Therefore the Bride used the
revelatio n of God's personality as a means to awaken others to maturity.

2. The Holy Spirit arranged this meeting with the daughters so she could
witness Christ in depth. This caused her to refocus her soul on His
indescribable beauty, which reinforced her affection for Him. The enemy
was seeking to make her forget the excellencies of Christ, and focus on her
mistreatment. This occasion to speak of Christ brought pleasure to her
soul in the midst of great trial and affliction. A heart that enjoys the Lord
is significantly protected against offense towards God and added
temptation.

J. The splendor of Christ Jesus brings significant pleasure and delight through
meditation. This is why David said in Ps. 145:5, "I will meditate on the glorious
splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works."

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K. The Bride is describing Jesus, using the imagery of the temple with gold,
precious stones, ivory and the cedars of Lebanon. The Holy Spirit is portraying
the majesty of Jesus Christ in the language of the temple. The Bride is describing
Jesus, using the imagery of the temple and the imagery of the human body, etc.
Why? These were symbols that people of her day would have been familiar with.

1. The Holy Spirit uses these metaphors in other parts of Scripture so that we
can interpret them according to His intention. Remember, the Holy Spirit
is describing the beauty of Christ's personality, not His physical features.
The context of this passage is the excellency of Jesus as being "above all
other beloveds."(SONG 5:9)

2. Compare Rev. 1:12-18 and the Rev. 2-3 descriptions of Jesus with this
passage to find many comparable attributes.

L. In SONG 6:4-10, He answers her with a statement as dramatic as this statement of

the Bride. Being who He is, He speaks with even greater extravagance about her.

Verse By Verse Study of SONG 5:10-16

She starts with a general statement of His beauty in SONG 5:10, which she thoroughly
develops in SONG 5:11-15. Then she sums up His beauty again in a general way in
SONG 5:16. The following ten attributes of His personality illustrate the truth that He is
chief among ten thousand. Each of the ten attributes has two descriptions.

II. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF JESUS (5:10)

A. She maintains her adoration of His excellence throughout the recent season of
testing.

"My beloved is white and ruddy, chief among ten thousand" (5:10)

1. The daughters of Jerusalem asked, “Why do you love Him so much?

Look at what you are going through. “Who is your Beloved?” SONG 5:9.
She wants them to know His magnificence.

2. Jesus is her beloved. She is lovesick for Him.

If you find my Beloved… tell Him I am lovesick! (SONG 5:8)

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a. She maintains her love for Jesus through the recent season of testing.
She is not offended at Him.

b. She is not saying “the Judge of my soul,” she is saying “my Beloved.”
She maintains the position of a lover of God in the midst of the most
severe testing.
3. There are seasons of testing where it is difficult to say, “my Beloved.”
Rather it is easier to complain, “My heart is hurt. I don’t trust You
anymore.” In her first confession, she starts right off stating where her
heart is, “My beloved”. There is no offense in her heart. She has this
spiritual reality. She postures her soul in this way. She is not offended or
stumbling over Him.

"And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." (Matt. 11:6)

a. In other words Jesus is saying, “Blessed is the one that is not offended
at me when I don’t do what they think I should do.” She is blessed
because she is not stumbling.

b. Instead, our relationship with God can become wounded in the sense
that we become offended at God; because we can not see that
everything works together for good.

c. God wants us to open our spirit to Him in the midst of trials without
being guarded toward Him. If our trust in Him is wounded in a trial,
then our relationship with God becomes wounded. The devil is called
the accuser. He lies to us about God’s power, love, and wisdom.

d. She calls Him “my Beloved” which reveals that her relationship with
Him is not wounded. It is not a small thing that she starts with, “my
Beloved.” She already has the victory.

4. “He is white” or as the NIV translates "He is radiant." NAS translates "He
is dazzling"; other versions translate "He is brilliant".

a. The Hebrew word translated as white means either radiant, dazzling,

brilliant or “shining white.”

b. The idea is that Jesus is stunning and dazzling to her, being "brilliant
in His loveliness" or "radiant in His splendor", abounding with
unapproachable light that dwells around His throne.

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c. She is talking about the dazzling splendor of His person. She is

emphasizing the "dazzling splendor" of God's Person. The very
colors, lights, fragrances, power, sounds, and music expresses splendor
that surrounds His Person.

d. The house of an interior decorator has a certain excellence and

symmetry. Every color is set in proper contrasts. God is the ultimate
interior decorator. His throne is the ultimate place of excellence. The
ambiance around God's throne is perfect. His city is dazzling like a
celestial diamond shining with brilliance.

B. Revelation 4:3 describes the Father’s throne as being like a sardius and a jasper
stone. A jasper stone is a transparent green gem. A sardius is a deep red gem.
There is also an emerald rainbow encircling the throne. It is good to study the
brilliant, fantastic colors associated with the person of God. Jesus' fragrances are
real and not just metaphors (2 Cor.2:15). The Throne of God is drenched with
His lovely fragrances. These awesome fragrances fill the eternal city. The whole
city of God is filled with these fragrances. The power of God's energy releases an
invisible but discernible feeling of His manifest Presence. God's discernible
power flows from His Throne. The sounds around the Throne of God are also
majestic and wonderful. The sounds include musical instruments and voices as
well as thunder, the sound of many waters, citywide applause with prophetic
proclamations, choruses, and mighty winds, etc. From the throne proceeded
lightnings, thunderings, and voices (Revelation 4:5). Thunder and lightning and
voices and sounds come out of the throne of God. They are probably terrifying as
well as sweet and beautiful. These fragrances and sounds are associated with the
idea of Jesus being dazzling and stunning. We can feel the presence of God
discernibly in this age, but think of the kind of energy we will feel in the very
court of God.

C. The Bride cries out that “He is ruddy”. Ruddy means a red complexion. King
David was ruddy in appearance. This spoke of his reddish hair and reddish
complexion. When somebody is healthy on the inside, their cheeks are ruddy and
their appearance appears healthy. David’s ruddy complexion indicated that he
possessed internal health.

1. The combination of everything inside of Jesus’ personality is healthy. The

combinations of Jesus’ attributes are in spiritual balance. She is saying,
“All of His attributes are working together in harmony”.
2. The combinations of all of Jesus’ attributes are in healthy balance.

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3. Ruddy does not refer to one characteristic, but rather a combination of the
ten attributes that form His "spiritual complexion."

4. He is dazzling and He is ruddy. He possesses brilliant splendor and yet

has complete balance and perfect health in His inward qualities. In the
fullest sense of the word, He is the only whole person who ever walked
the earth. He has perfect balance in every attribute.

a. The point emphasized is His perfectly balanced personality, making

Him incomparable to all others. For example, Jesus has a perfect
balance of mercy and judgment.

b. He is not ruddy because of the perfect unity of all His parts. But He is
balanced because of His absence of parts. He possesses each of His
attributes 100%. He is 100% righteous and 100% merciful. It is the
"absence of parts” that distinguishes Him.

D. White and ruddy, are the two different colors that she highlights in SONG 5:10.
There are five colors in the overall description

E. A secondary meaning of white and ruddy is that He is fully God and fully man.
The white speaks of His Divine nature. He is fully God. The ruddy speaks of His
blood or His human nature. As a human high priest, He offered His blood. He is
fully man.

1. His glory is so unique because He combines both Divine and human

attributes. He is the Only One in heaven or on earth that has (at the same
time) the fullness of humanity and the fullness of Deity. God the Father is
not like that, neither are the angels, or any apostles. He is the Only One.
He stands completely unique. There will never be another that is the full
combination of both, except for Him. He is in His own category.

2. His beauty springs forth from the balance of the two. He is both the lion
and the lamb at the exact same time. He perfectly expresses all the
elements of His personality without any contradiction. He serves in the
meekness of a lamb and He roars in the authority of a lion. We are limited
human beings. We do not have the capacity to be the lion and the lamb at
the same time. His capacity is infinite. He perfectly expresses both as He
gives His heart to His Bride.

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F. "Chief among ten thousand" -

1. Chief - is translated "distinguished" in the margin of NKJV meaning a

"banner that distinguishes." He is lifted up as a banner or is "distinguished
as a banner among a multitude." He is the One that stands out among the
masses. He is the center of attention as a large banner (flag) in a marching
army. He is incomparably superior to all people. He is so excellent He
could be instantly distinguished when compared to all other of the created
order. He is the One carrying the banner that you can instantly recognize
in a crowd. It would take no discernment to figure out He is the greatest
of all.

2. The phrase ten thousand means incomparable greatness. The number

10,000 is not to be understood as literal. It means an extremely large
number. Chief among 10,000 is a metaphor saying He is the greatest of
all. He has no rival. The point is that nobody else could compare to Him.
God has given Him the preeminence above all things.

And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the
firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
(Col. 1:18)

III. HIS HEAD – HIS SOVEREIGN LEADERSHIP OVER ALL

His head is like the finest gold (5:11a)

A. The head is the most prominent part of the body. It is what sets the direction.
The head speaks of two different things. No. 1) it speaks of His Father. No. 2) it
speaks of His personal sovereignty.

1. His Father - the head of Christ is God.

But I want you to know that…the head of Christ is God. (1 Cor. 11:3)

a. The head of Jesus is God the Father and His relationship to the Father.

b. The head can speak of the trinity. This also implies the relationship of
the Trinity in perfect affection and unity.

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2. Jesus' sovereignty speaks of His headship over all creation (Eph. 1:10-21).

a. The head of gold on the statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dreams spoke of

"sovereignty" (Dan. 2:32-38).

b. In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream about the future of four

worldwide kingdoms. The statue had four parts to it. The first part
was a head like gold; it spoke of his kingdom. It meant that he would
have sovereignty over the whole world.

B. "Gold" speaks of Divine nature or Deity. Gold is the material of the highest value
and the highest quality Gold is the most valuable of all building material,
therefore the streets of the eternal city are of gold (Rev. 21:1).

1. It is more than gold; it is “finest gold.” It is a rare kind of gold. Only a

very small percentage of gold was finest gold. It was refined in a very
intricate process that was expensive. Finest gold is the highest description
of superlative quality.

2. His relationship to His head, God the Father is of the finest quality
imaginable.

3. Jesus' leadership is valuable to His people. She said, “His leadership is so

excellent, it is of the finest gold imaginable. It is perfect, Divinely
inspired wisdom.” Finest gold speaks of the highest excellence without
mixture. There is no impurity in His leadership.

4. The eternal city is made secure and happy because of the excellency of
His golden headship. She has no more fitting illustration of Jesus'
headship than "finest gold."
C. Total power totally corrupts in the human arena. A man with total power will
eventually be corrupted by it. However, total authority does not corrupt Jesus
Christ because His head is finest gold. Nothing can be added to His leadership. It
cannot be improved.

D. She speaks her first confession in her trial that His perfect leadership is of the
highest quality. “He was no t overlooking anything when He turned His face from
me.”

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IV. HIS LOCKS - HIS DEDICATION TO GOD AND THE CHURCH

A. His hair speaks of His dedication to God and to His people.

His locks are wavy and black as a raven (5:11b)

1. NIV translates "His locks" as "His hair." The hair speaks of the Nazarite
vow of dedication. The Nazarite vow of consecration forbids the cutting
of ones hair.

a. Samson and the prophet Samuel made Nazarite vows. They could not
cut their hair.

b. When Samson cut his hair it meant that he violated his dedication to
God.

c. Hair enhances the beauty of one's head. Jesus' dedication enhances

His beauty to God and to His people.

2. NIV translates "Wavy" hair as "bushy" hair. She understands that Jesus’
hair is thick and wavy. Bushy or wavy hair is thick.

a. Thick, wavy hair is the hair of a young man in the prime of life, as
contrasted to an old man whose hair has lost its vitality and fullness.
Baldness is the opposite of wavy hair.

b. She understands His dedication as wavy hair full of vigor. His

dedication to God and the church has vigor in it. God does not have
bad moods. We never have to be concerned if it is a good time to
approach God. Children want to know if their parents are in a good
mood before they approach them.

3. Ravens have black hair as in contrast to the gray hair of old men. Black
hair speaks of His youthful energetic zeal which is opposite of decay and
lack of vigor.

a. His dedication to us is eternally vigorous. Jesus forever flourishes as

in His prime. His youthfulness and vigilant dedication continues
forever.

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b. Jesus' hair is also described as white, which speaks of eternity, or of

His eternal nature (Rev. 1:12). The Father's head is also described as
white (Dan. 7:9).

The Ancient of Days was seated; his garment was white as snow, and
the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery
flame, its wheels a burning fire; (Dan 7:9)

B. Summary - His dedication never grows old. It is always wavy and vigorous. His
hair is always wavy and black, which speaks of His dedication to God and the
church being always filled with the energetic zeal of youthfulness. God never
grows emotionally weary (Isa. 40:28). He never changes (Heb. 13:8). All other
"beloveds" decay and eventually die. He never grows old. His Bride is secure
because she has no fear that His dedication will grow old or will die. His hair is
eternally black. His dedication is fresh, as well as, vigorously beautiful. His
dedication is vigilant, youthful, and continues to flourish through all eternity. He
is forever in His prime. He is always at the highest place of His love and passion
and dedication.

1. This is her second confession when His presence was lifted from her. She
knows that He has not changed the way He feels. She says, “impossible.
His dedication is black, it is wavy. He is fully energetic.” That is what
she would say to her own soul as well as what she said to the daughters of
Jerusalem. The Lord Himself heard her and it moved His heart. She
would not receive the accusations that He was no longer dedicated to her
in the way that He said He would always be.

2. We don’t ever imagine that He is not dedicated to God, but it is a

wonderful thing to be able to speak in prayer and confess back to God,
“Your Son is dedicated to me forever.” The security of the eternal city is
this quality of relationship. His dedication never grows old. It is always
vigorous, energetic, the zeal of youthfulness. We never have to concern
ourselves that He is losing His heart for His people. This is a very healing
confession of faith to say when we are going through the dark night of the
soul.

3. When our heart is cold and circumstances are disappointing we are

vulnerable to the accuser. We need to speak to our own soul and to God
and to the devil, “It is written, His hair is as black as a raven. He is
eternally vigilant in His dedication to me.” The Holy Spirit will give us
more as we use this truth.

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SESSION 15 –The Transcendent Beauty of Jesus (5:10-16) Page 15

V. "HIS EYES" - HIS OMNISCIENCE

A. His eyes speak of His omniscience.

His eyes are like doves by the rivers of waters washed with milk, and fitly set"
(5:12)

1. Eyes speak of the ability to see or discern. His eyes speak of His
omniscience, which is His ability to know everything. Omniscience
means perfect knowledge and perfect wisdom.

2. He has total clarity and fullness of insight into every dark secret. Every
thing is totally clear and discernible to the Lord. The all-seeing eye of
God discerns both our negative and positive qualities. His eyes see the yes
in our spirit when we fail, even more clearly than we do. God sees the cry
in our heart to obey Him.

"No creature is hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and
open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account" (Heb. 4:13).

"The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and
the good" (Prov. 15:3).

"For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He ponders
all his paths" (Prov. 5:21).

"The Son of God has eyes like a flame of fire" (Rev. 2:18).

"All shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts" (Rev.
2:23).

3. "His eyes are like doves" speaks of His singleness of vision. He rejects
everything displeasing to His Father. He gave her the same affirmation in
v. 1:15 and 4:1. He had those loyal eyes of a dove. His eyes were loyal to
God the Father. His eyes are loyal to His bride.

4. His eyes are like doves by the rivers of waters. This is speaking of the
waters where the doves bathe themselves and become clean. They go to
the water by the rivers and bathe themselves. Doves are clean after
washing (bathing) themselves by the rivers. His eyes view things through
the cleanness of His heart.

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5. Jesus' eyes are not just all seeing, but they are pure and innocent like clean
doves that have just bathed. He interprets knowledge through the
cleanness of His heart. A judge may know all the facts about a case. But
if he has an unclean heart, he will misinterpret the information. The
interpretation of what Jesus sees has no distortion. Jesus’ eyes are clean
like a dove bathed by the waters of milk. His interpretation of what He
sees is not like a wounded, dysfunctional, sinful judge. His ability to
interpret His information is through the cleanness of His heart. His vision
is completely clean. He has doves’ eyes. He has pure, loving motives.

6. His eyes are like doves by the rivers of waters washed with milk. Milk
means pure, white and clean. This speaks of the purity of His
discernment. Obviously, there is no such thing as rivers that have milk in
them. This is a poetic phrase. This speaks of purity of discernment. Milk
is the simplicity and the innocence of childlikeness. He is not childish, but
He has that ability to be infinitely complex while maintaining the
simplicity and the innocence of childlikeness.

7. His eyes are “fitly set.” This metaphor refers to a jewel that is fitly set by
the most skillful artist who is constructing a very expensive piece of
jewelry. An artist skillfully sets a diamond in a necklace. It is unique and
costly to fitly set a gem into a necklace.

8. Eyes fitly set means there is no deformity in them. His eyes are perfectly
set. They are not set too deeply, nor do they protrude in an unlovely way.
There is no exaggeration. This speaks of beauty and order in His
discernment instead of deformity with exaggeration. His eyes are perfectly
set. There is no exaggeration, but rather absolutely perfect discernment.
They were set perfectly, not too much, not too little. With the skill of
God, He discerns perfectly with great skill and understanding.

2 Chron. 16:9, "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the
whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is
loyal to Him."

9. The Lord carefully takes notice of His friends as well as His enemies.
This aspect of His personality is hated by the ungodly, but is exceedingly
pleasing to those who are sincerely His. He is always watching us and
calling us beautiful. He can see the sincerity of our heart through each
stage in our progression to holy passion.

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B. In John 21:17 Peter had to say this healing statement that broke the power of
shame in his life when the Lord asked him three times, “Do you love me?” Every
time he answered, “You know I love you.” “Lord, you know everything and you
know that I love you.” The thing that Peter was appealing to was the omniscience
of Jesus. He knew that though he denied Jesus, there was a love that was not
observable to the others, but it was truly real in his heart.
1. Our knowledge of His omniscience persuades us against evil because it is
vain to attempt to hide evil before the eyes of our omniscient King. God
sees our every private act of righteousness. He sees when we endure trials
without giving up. He not only sees the negative, but He sees the positive.

a. Paul teaches us that we can't fully see our own sincerity in the way
God does. God will give us praise on the last day for things that we
don't see about ourselves now (1 Cor. 4:5).

b. He rewards every small act of obedience especially those hidden from

the eyes of others (Mt.6:1-6, 16-18). He remembers and rewards all
because He sees all (Heb.6:10). Even small acts, as giving a cup of
cold water, do not go unnoticed by the Lord (Mt. 10:42).

2. One of the unique strengths in King David's life was his knowledge that
God understood him. When we have revelation of "His eyes," then we
don't have to tell our own glory stories. Many people feel that no one
understands them or their pressures. He alone knows our frame and the
way we feel great pressures.

C. SUMMARY— Jesus' perspective is pure like a dove bathed by waters of milk.

His eyes see skillfully and His vision is perfect, being neither farsighted nor
nearsighted. Jesus knows all the strategies of the enemy. He knows all things
that are important to His people. Our knowledge of "Jesus' eyes" is a source of
security in times of trial. We say, "Oh, God, Your eyes are fitly set, they discern
all things perfectly." Part of the confession she can say back to the Lord is,
“Lord, Your eyes are like doves by the rivers of waters.” She is saying, “You
have not overlooked me. You have skillful discernment to know where I am. It is
very important to know His omniscience. This keeps us from sin, but it also
encourages us in times of tribulation and trials. She knows that His discernment
about her frame and her makeup of what she needs is absolutely perfect.

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VI. "HIS CHEEKS - HIS DIVERSE EMOTIONAL MAKE-UP

A. His cheeks reveal His emotional beauty. This is the fourth attribute.

His cheeks are like a bed of spices, like banks of scented herbs (5:13a,b).

1. His cheeks reflect the countenance of the face that reveals the emotional
makeup. The cheeks are the windows to the emotions. The cheeks enable
us to discern whether a person is joyful or sad.

2. When you meet a person you can tell by the cheeks if they are mad, sad or
glad. It reveals the internal emotional state of a person unless of course
they are hiding it.

B. Jesus’ emotional life is like the garden beds of beautiful fragrant spices.

“They are like beds of spices”

1. As a garden filled with delightful fragrances, so is the condition of Jesus’

emotional life. His affections are fragrant and refreshing to our soul as
long as we can discern them. We have to have a right image of God. We
need to see the pleasures and passions in His heart for us. A bed of spices
brings a tremendous fragrance to those that are near.

2. The delights of God are as abundant and diverse as banks of sweet

smelling herbs (spices). "Like banks of scented herbs" speaks of the
extravagant fragrance in Jesus' affections. His cheeks are not just like
beds of spices; they are like banks, like heaps of scented herbs. It is an
extravagant amount and diverse in all different types of scented herbs.

3. There are so many different types of emotions that are fragrant, that are
pleasing to us. A lot of people think the only emotion God has is joy
when they get saved, which is followed by anger and wrath. But His
emotions are heaps of diverse, sweet fragrances to us.

a. Jesus’ emotional makeup is filled with passion, delight and longing for
you. Jesus also has passion for His Father, His creation, His holiness,
His kingdom, His truth, His angels’ etc.

b. His inward emotional state is like a bed of spices. There is a diversity

of passions, pleasures and delights.

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c. His emotions are tremendous and dignified yet also with effervescent
joy coming out of Him in the smile on His face. I picture a smiling
Jesus who is dazzling with splendor, but also He is filled with
delightful emotions. He is the most pleasant person you could ever be
around.

d. He is the chief among ten thousand. There is no one else like Him.
He was the one that the children wanted to be with. He is the one that
the crowds wanted to hear, not just for His miracles, but because of the
kind of person that He was. He was called the friend of sinners in
Matthew 11:19. Sinners wanted to be in His presence before they ever
saw His miracles. They wanted to see what was going on and invite
Him to their homes to feast with Him.

e. It says in Luke 15:20 that He runs towards the son and embraces him
and kisses him. These are the scented herbs in the emotional makeup
of God.

C. SUMMARY— His cheeks speak of His inner beauty that is revealed through His
emotions. Jesus' inner beauty is like fragrant spices. His emotions are sweet like
scented herbs. His affections are fragrant and refreshing to those who can discern
His personality.

VII. "HIS LIPS - HIS WORD

His lips are lilies, dripping with liquid myrrh (5:13c,d)

A. His lips speak of the power of His words. This is the fifth attrib ute she is talking
about. There are two different features of the lips that are highlighted.

1. "His lips" - speak of the power of His words. This includes the Scriptures
as well as the words spoken directly to our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Jesus
has unique ability to speak gracefully and precisely to the need of our
hearts. Jesus also praised the Bride's lips or words (4:3,11).

2. His lips speak of His speech or His word. This can refer to either the
logos, which is the scriptures, or to the prophetic word the Holy Spirit
speaks. This prophetic word can be spoken directly to us, or it can come
through someone else. His speech comes in the prophetic ministry as well
as in the ultimate prophetic ministry, which is the written word of God.

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You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips;
therefore God has blessed You forever. (Ps. 45:2)

"So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which
proceeded out of His mouth. (Lk. 4:22).

"The officers answered, 'No man ever spoke like this Man!" (Jn. 7:46).

"The words I speak to you are spirit and life" (Jn. 6:63).

"The Lord God has given Him the tongue of the learned, that He should
know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. (Is. 50:4).

3. His lips are like lilies; they are sweet and satisfying.

a. Lilies speak of fragrance, innocence and purity. Jesus' affirming

words are tender and sweet like a lily. The words of most people are
harsh, undermining and filled with anger.

b. The Bible is alive and His speech (Word) is affirming when we have
the intention to obey Him. If we have no intention to obey Him, His
word loses it is sweetness to our ears.

4. They are “dripping liquid myrrh.” He knows how to speak tough love as
well. There are no lilies in nature that literally drip myrrh.

a. "Myrrh"- is a burial spice that speaks of suffering and embracing death

to self. There is nobody who speaks with the kind of tenderness and
kindness as Jesus. Yet, at the same time, He is at total war against that
which hinders our life growing in love. He speaks directly to areas
that need correction.

b. "Dripping" - Dripping refers to consistent, small quantities that

eventually lead to abundance. For example, a beehive that drips honey
eventually fills the entire jar with an abundance of honey.

c. "Liquid myrrh" - The phrase "dripping liquid myrrh" is also used in

5:5, saying the Bride's hands drip with liquid myrrh.

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B. SUMMARY—"His lips" - speak of the power of His word. His word is sweet
and satisfying like lilies. Strong meditation on the Word leads to strong affection
for Jesus, which leads to strong obedience. Weak meditation on the Word leads
to weak affection and obedience. How many people are unfamiliar with the
words of His lips, causing their soul to be weighed down with added temptation,
distractions and pains? We must deeply value the “lips of Jesus”, the words from
His lips. His words have the fragrance of lilies, but it also has the dripping myrrh.
When we greatly value His word, our souls will be filled with the honey of His
word. We also fight the fight of faith by the written Word of God (Matthew 4:4).
When they say to her, “He is abandoned you, life has no pleasure, no meaning.”
She would say, “His lips are sweet, Yes, the Word of God is dripping with liquid
myrrh.

VIII. "HIS HANDS - HIS DIVINE ACTIVITY

A. This refers to His activities and the way He accomplishes His work.

His hands are rods of gold set with beryl (5:14a,b)

1. His hands or arms refer to the way He accomplishes His work. His hands
the NIV translates as His arms. His hands are skillful in doing everything
good with perfect power. He is omnipotent, possessing the ability to
accomplish anything He pleases, both in the natural creation and in the
spiritual realm.

2. “His hands are rods of gold,” which speak of Divine character

accomplishing His work. Gold often speaks of Divine character. All His
work is accomplished with the strength of Godliness and purity. The
works of Jesus in our personal lives, throughout all history, in natural
creation and spiritual creation, are skillful and filled with Divine power,
purity, and wisdom.

B. “Set with beryl". Beryl is a jewel. A specific, designed activity is required when
something is "set." Being deliberately "set" by the hand of God is in contrast to
arbitrary activities. All His works are skillfully set like beautiful jewels on gold.
The work of the cross was done with infinite skill. The Eternal City shines
brilliantly like diamonds (Rev. 21). Throughout eternity, we will magnify the
excellence and skill of all His kind activities (Eph. 2:7).

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1. The works of Jesus in our lives and in all creation throughout all of history
are skillful, precise, and filled with Divine power, purity and wisdom. Her
confession, again, could be that, “what He is doing is for my own good.”
(Romans 8:28) “It is not accidental. He didn’t forget me. No, He is
deliberately allowing this to happen. He is skillfully bringing forth my
heart in bridal love. He is doing it with great wisdom. His hands are like
gold, Divine wisdom, set with great strategy and the skill of a great artist.
He is not forsaking me.”

2. She trusted in the invisible work of God. She said, “All of His actions are
rods of gold set with beryl.” That was the confession of her heart. I will
be more mature in love and more humble, leaning on my beloved in a
greater way at the end of this dark trial.” What a confession to say in the
midst of a trial. The daughters of Jerusalem were awed.

C. SUMMARY—The combination of His full power and skill results in goodness

for His people. She had the ability to see His works as rods of gold. The Bride
has the grace to speak with discernment and affection, about the wisdom, skill and
beauty of His works.

1. Discerning the beauty of His activity is refreshing to the soul of the

mature. Young believers must become more familiar with His abilities.

2. When there is revelation of His activity, there will be affection for Him.
Rev. 15:4 says, "Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord, God
Almighty." Jesus is praised by His servants for His works of judgment
(Rev. 19:1-6). The ability to see His works as beautiful and lovely is a
sign of maturity. Wherever there is lack of discernment of His activity,
there will be lack of affection for Him. Unbelievers at the end of the age,
blaspheme God's works of judgment instead of rejoicing in Him (Rev.
16:7, 9, 11, 21).

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IX. "HIS BODY" - HIS TENDER COMPASSION

A. She is magnifying God's tender mercy towards weak, sinful people. This speaks
of His tender compassion.

His body is carved ivory Inlaid with sapphires (5:14c,d)

1. "His body" – KJV translates "His belly." The belly speaks of tender
compassion. The Hebrew word used here communicates the idea of
yearning or compassion. We find it here in the passages that say, “Where
are the yearnings of your heart?” It is the same word as “His body” or
“His belly” or “His deep tender compassion”. The same Hebrew word is
used and is translated "heart yearned" in the following passages:

a. "The yearning of Your heart and Your mercies toward me" (Is.
63:15).

b. "My heart yearns for him (Ephraim); I will surely have mercy on him,
says the Lord" (Jer. 31:20).

c. "My heart yearned for Him" (Song 5:4).

2. Some of the greatest distinguishing features of Jesus are His feelings

towards those who are weak, sinful, and incompetent. He has such feelings
of compassion. Compassion is more than just His emotion in general. It
is specifically the yearning of His heart towards weak people. It is natural
for the kings of the earth to be intolerant with the sins and weakness of
their subjects. In the midst of their important tasks, they have impatience
with the incompetence and impure motives of their subjects (disloyalty).
They have a natural impatience with incompetence. But our king is so
totally different than all other kings. They kill or punish such subjects.
However, the King of Kings delights and rejoices in mercy towards His
people (Micah 7:18).

a. God has extravagant compassion in His dealing with His people (Ps.
103:10-14).

b. The Lord is merciful...longsuffering, and abounding in goodness...

keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving...sin (Ex. 34:6).

3. “His body is carved ivory.” KJV translates "bright ivory"; NIV translates
"polished ivory." Ivory is clean and white, yet expensive because it si
rare. Carved and polished ivory is even more unique. His compassion
and patience is described as rare and expensive like ivory.

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a. "The greatest of all is love" (1Cor. 13:13). How remarkably true this
is of the personality of God. Carved ivory is but a dim shadow of the
uniqueness of the compassion of God.

b. God's ways of mercy is as high above man's as the heavens are above
the earth (Isa. 55:7-8). There is no one on the earth that forgives weak
people like God does. His ways of forgiving weakness are as high
above man's as the heavens are above the earth.

4. "Inlaid with sapphires" -

a. "Sapphires" - a stone in Aaron's breastplate and the foundation of the

New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:19). The way sapphires are used in God's
design reveal the extent of their beauty and how precious the stone.

b. "Inlaid" - Mounting inlaid jewels, like sapphire stones, in ivory takes

great skill, creativity and precision. He has great discernment in the
administration of His compassion (Phil.1:9,10). He possesses a
skillful mercy that brings us to purity and wisdom. This mercy is not
an unsanctified mercy, but one that has godly fruit. Jesus' compassion
is not arbitrary or random, but it is skillfully manifest like ivory inlaid
with sapphires.

c. The compassion of God is very lovely to look upon, as ivory inlaid

with sapphires would be. Many of the great revivals in history were
centered around this truth of the deep mercies of God.

5. We need a new paradigm to understand this aspect of God's personality. It

is so unique, that nothing on the earth compares.

a. Paul taught that the love of Christ passes our knowledge (Eph. 3:19).
This love passes our knowledge in the sense that it is "beyond our
ability" to fully comprehend. Also, often this love bypasses our
knowledge in the sense that it is "overlooked."

b. We are exhorted to behold the depth of the Father's love (1 Jn. 3:1).
Jesus desires to more fully release the revelation of His heart to His
people. This is the revelation of the ravished heart of God. The
ravished heart of God is restated in this verse as "His body is carved
with ivory inlaid with sapphires."

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B. SUMMARY— It is as strategic, skillful and purposeful as the process of

mounting inlaid jewels. He has great tender compassion, yes, but He also has the
skill of putting the sapphires in the ivory. He has that kind of discernment and
skill in His mercy. The Lord forgives things in a skillful way that produces
righteousness in our hearts. In other words, He forgives that which is repented of
and He breaks our heart with it. His tender passion is rare and expensive like that
of carved and polished ivory. It is also skillfully inlaid with sapphires. He is
very, very precise in His compassion. God's affections are pure, rare, precious
and creative. Nothing reveals His beauty like His tender kindness to fallen
people. Sometimes His love does not appear to our darkened minds as ivory
inlaid with sapphires. The Bride had a Holy Spirit given ability to see Jesus'
compassion and mercy in a greater measure. This gave her new passion in and
confidence in spite of her failures.

X. "HIS LEGS" - HIS WALK AND ADMINISTRATION OF HIS PURPOSES

His legs are pillars of marble set on bases of fine gold. (5:15a,b)

A. God's plans are executed with strength, dignity and order. This is the eighth
attribute.

1. "Legs" - speak of the way to walk forward in order to fulfill one's

purposes. Ps. 147:10 says the Lord takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
Man's legs speak of his strength to fulfill his activities.

The Lord revealed His ways to Moses (Ps. 103:7).

How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways are past finding
out! (Rom. 11:33).

As you do not know the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the
womb, so you do not know the works of God who makes everything
(Eccl. 11:5).

2. "Are pillars of marble" - God's ways are strong, lovely, permanent,

orderly, durable. God's ways do not fail or vacillate. He does not waiver.
Rev. 2:19 says His feet are like fine brass, this is similar to feet like
marble.

a. "Pillars" speaks of great strength, dignity, and orderliness or endurance

under pressure. Pillars of silver are mentioned in relationship to the
gospel (3:10).

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b. "Marble" is a strong, beautiful and permanent type of building

material. It is a beautiful type of rock. His strong legs are like marble
(rock) which cannot be manipulated or overpowered. They are sure
and can be counted on. Moses said, "He is the Rock, His work is
perfect; for all His ways are justice (Deut. 32:4).

3. "Set on bases of fine gold" - Gold speaks of divine character. Fine gold is
the most pure and valuable because it has been refined by fire. These
pillars are set on bases of most fine gold. The ways and the activity of
God are portrayed as setting on refined gold (divine character). The
Lord's way in the midst of His people is always refined like pure gold.
His ways are just and true (Rev. 15:3). All the paths of the Lord are truth
(Ps. 25:10).

B. SUMMARY— God’s plans are executed with strength, dignity and order. They
have endurance. They do not fail under pressure. How He proceeds forth or
administrates His sovereign will is like pillars of marble. God's plans are
executed with strength, dignity, and order. They have endurance. They do not
fail under pressure. His head (5:11), His hands (5:14), and His legs (5:15), are of
fine gold. God's legs, head and feet in unity in His personality. His character is
golden from head to toe. God never suspends one attribute to exercise another.
He can never ignore one feature of His personality to manifest another feature.
Ps. 2 describes how foolish it is to stand against the way of the Lord. Rev. 6:17
asks who can endure standing in the way of the Lord?

XI. "HIS COUNTENANCE" - HIS IMPARTATION TO HIS PEOPLE

His countenance is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars. (5:15c,d)

A. His countenance" – speaks of the impartation of God to His people. David

prayed, "Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us" (Ps. 4:6). This
prayer is for a "discernible impartation" of God's light to shine upon His people.
This is a prayer that God would intervene with the impartation of discernible
manifestations of Himself to His people. When the light of God shines on the
human heart, God is imparting things into the heart. Peter spoke of the "times of
refreshing" that come from the manifest Presence of God (Acts 3:19).

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1. The Father wants to impart the graces of godliness. He has an infinite

power to impart to you godly traits like wisdom, purity, and passion. He
especially wants to impart His affection for Jesus. He wants us to love
Jesus like He does. The wonderful power of the countenance of God on
our souls is satisfying, excellent and pleasurable.

a. Only God has the unique ability to leave a godly deposit in the core of
the human heart.

b. We cannot impart anything unless the Holy Spirit moves. The devil
cannot impart holy things to us. Nor can we impart them to other
people.

2. "Like Lebanon" - speaks of being pleasing and strong. Lebanon is

symbolic of that which is glorious, stately, and honorable. See 4:8,11,15.

3. "Excellent as the cedars" - Cedars are tall, strong trees with excellent
fragrance (4:11). The pleasure and power, which comes from the
countenance of God, is as strong and excellent as the cedars.

B. SUMMARY— When God shines His countenance on your heart, He is imparting

His manifest Presence. There is nothing more satisfying and pleasurable to the
human makeup as the release of the countenance of God on the soul. The devil
cannot impart divine and holy things. We can’t even impart them. Only the
countenance of God can actually release something into the center of somebody’s
heart. It is a very powerful and unique thing that only God can do in terms of
righteousness. Obviously, the devil can release torment, anxie ty and fear, but the
impartation of God is “like that fragrant cedars of Lebanon” that are “excellent as
the cedars”. His impartations are always good.

XII. "HIS MOUTH" - INTIMACY WITH HIM

His mouth is most sweet (5:16a)

A. “His mouth” speaks of the communication of intimacy. His mouth does not refer
to His words or His speech as signified by His lips in v. 13.

1. His mouth speaks of the intimate communication because she longed for
the kisses of the mouth. Mouth was defined at the very beginning of the
book as related to the kisses of intimacy.

2. Lips are related to speech and communication of words. She not being
redundant.

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B. "His mouth is most sweet"— He wants to enlarge our capacity to receive more of
God. This is the tenth and final attribute that she is extolling here. This is a
statement of her desire for intimacy with Him, being greater than everything else.

C. His mouth is first defined at the very beginning of the Song. “Let me know the
kisses of His mouth,” speaks of the communication of the deepest things that He
has. The lips speak of His word to us but in the language of the Song. The mouth
is initially defined as related to the kisses, the giving of the deepest things that
God has. This statement parallels her earlier cry in 1:2, where she asks for kisses
from the mouth because "His love is better than wine."

1. "His mouth" - speaks of intimate communication with Him as in "the

kisses of the mouth" not the kisses of the lips (1:2). The mouth is the
vehicle of kissing as expressed in the Song. His mouth does not refer to
Jesus' words as signified by His lips in the Song (5:13). The expressing of
His desires for spiritual intimacy is associated with the mouth.

2. "Is most sweet" - such a manifest union of our hearts with Christ, is the
sweetest, most pleasing experience to the human makeup. Nothing
delights her soul more than spiritual intimacy with Him. It is literally the
"most sweet" experience that we can have. She says, “Intimacy with you
is the sweetest thing in the human experience. When the Spirit touches
our human spirit, it is more powerful than physical, emotional and mental
pleasures. The Spirit of God causes us to cry out like David, "It is sweeter
than honey" (Ps.19:10). It is not an accident that this comes right after the
countenance being like the cedars of Lebanon. “When You impart Your
heart to me,” she said, “It is the sweetest thing.”

3. In a long dry season our times of waiting on God in prayer and fasting and
denying the lusts of the flesh by going “without” some of the stimulus that
is so prevalent in the western world. We're so stimulus driven. Turn the
music off. Put the food away. Take the phone off the hook. We are in
isolation and quietness. You will be surprised. You will soon discover His
mouth is most sweet.” Our lives are kept stimulated by so many good
things. We're afraid of raw silence and isolation. All alone with nothing
beside the Word to listen to, or to eat, look at, read or to make us feel
good. if we will just persevere then we begin to discove r what the saints
through history found, His mouth is most sweet

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SESSION 15 –The Transcendent Beauty of Jesus (5:10-16) Page 29

D. How blessed is the one to whom God chooses to draw near to (Ps. 65:4). Blessed
is the one to whom God releases the nearness of God. Oh, those seasons that
make our hearts tender when He draws near! How precious to have tenderness for
God on our soul. It is wonderful! It is sweet. We always have legal access to the
throne of Grace but this speaks of prayer times when we experience the nearness
of God.

E. She is ending it with this crescendo of saying, “Intimacy with God is the most
sweet thing I can know.” That is how she ends her description of His attributes.
The sweetness of Christ is communicated directly to the heart of the believer. It is
called the kisses of the mouth. It is not called the kisses of the lips. It is called
the kisses of the mouth specifically. She says, “Your mouth is most sweet.”
There’s nothing that delights her soul more than intimacy with Him. This was
like a rocket statement shot right back to satan’s heart when they said, “He is left
you.” She said, “Even the remembrance of former communion, even the
remembrance of it stabilizes my soul. His mouth is most sweet. Thus says the
Lord; His mouth is most sweet. I will not deny Him because I’m in a difficult
time. I will not go for immediate carnal, false comforts and pleasures to satisfy
my heart or to attempt to in a false way. His mouth is most sweet. There’s
nothing else that I’m going to give into under the pressure of this great trial that
I’m under.” She was remembering former times of intimacy because at this hour
the presence of God had lifted from her, the discernible presence. She was
speaking of her remembrance of it. Even the remembrance of it held her steady
and that was her confession.

F. SUMMARY— The most immediate response to His countenance shining on the

soul is desiring the kisses of His mouth. The more a person feels the countenance
of God on their soul, the more they desire the sweet kisses of His mouth. The
sweetness of Christ communicated to our hearts, is the most powerful experience
a human being can have. There is nothing more powerfully penetrating than
when God allows the human spirit to see even a dim view of Himself. There's
nothing more pleasurable than when the Spirit releases revelation of God to the
human spirit. It is most sweet.

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SESSION 15 –The Transcendent Beauty of Jesus (5:10-16) Page 30

XIII. "HE IS ALTOGETHER LOVELY" - HIS COMPREHENSIVE BEAUTY

Yes, He is altogether lovely. This is my Beloved, and this is my friend, O

daughters of Jerusalem! (5:16b,c,d,e)

A. The Jesus depicted by the religious world is so different that the Jesus depicted by
the Bride. She has given ten attributes of His beauty and now she offers her final
summary statement.

B. All of His attributes flow together in perfect unity comprising the loveliest person
imaginable.
"Yes, He is altogether lovely"

1. This is who Jesus is in reality. The Jesus depicted by the religious world
is so different than the Jesus depicted by the bride. It is impossible to fully
comprehend His matchless beauty.

2. We desire to see all of Jesus' different faces; He is affectionate, silent,

awesome, terrifying, humorous, playful, happy, grinning, aggressive,
aloof, parabolic, etc.

3. She magnifies Christ after the question, “What is your beloved?” (5:9).

"This is my Beloved"

a. With overflowing gladness she presented Him as the glorious answer

to their question. In essence, she says, this is the One that you asked
about and I have described Him for you. You can now see why I am
not offended at Him in times of difficulty. She ends with “my
beloved”, which is the same way she began, “my beloved.” “I am not
offended. I love Him.” She magnified Jesus Christ after the question
of v. 9 when they said, “Who is He? Where is He? What is He?” She
says, “This is my beloved.”

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SESSION 15 –The Transcendent Beauty of Jesus (5:10-16) Page 31

b. She answers; my Beloved is dazzling, He is outstanding, He is totally

balanced. His leadership is like finest gold. His dedication is eternal
vigorous. His knowledge is perfect with no deformity. His emotions
are like banks of scented herbs. His word has the sweetne ss of lilies
and yet it woos me out of a life of self absorbed carnality. His actions
are golden. His tender yearnings are like carved ivory, rare and
expensive. The way He operates His eternal plan and the way He
fulfills His Divine purpose are durable and stable and beautiful like
pillars of marble. His countenance is so important because it releases
the impartation of God. Above everything, there is nothing sweeter
than His mouth in intimacy with Him. This is my Beloved. This is
why I want Him. This is why I'm lovesick and I'm not taking anything
less than Him as a substitute. No substitute will answer the cry of my
spirit.”

4. "And this is my friend" - He is not only infinitely magnificent as the

sovereign God, but He condescends to embrace us as friends (Jn.15:14).
Blessed is the person whose friend is the Lord. The relationship of “my
beloved” and “my friend” are never unrelated relational realities. They
always go together, friend and beloved. She said, “He is my husband, He
is my lover and He is my good friend.”

5. "Oh" - She is speaking of Him with great passion, urgency and feeling.

C. "Daughters of Jerusalem!" - The daughters asked her a question (5:9) and she has
completed her answer from 5: 10-16. This is the answer she gives to the daughters
of Jerusalem. The daughters asked her a question in v. 9 and she has now
completed her answer. She does not point out the carnality of the daughters, but
rather she focuses on how beautiful Jesus is as the way to awaken them. There’s
no condemnation. She doesn’t look at them and say; “Who are you to ask me a
question like this?” She just gives this beautiful exposé of the loveliness of Christ
Jesus and that is her strategy to awaken the daughters. Of course, then we know
the daughters in 6:1 say, “Where is He that we might seek Him with you?” It is
totally effective.

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SESSION 15 –The Transcendent Beauty of Jesus (5:10-16) Page 32

D. SUMMARY— She personalizes her relationship to Him by saying, He is my

Beloved and my friend. Jesus is both dearly beloved and faithful friend. Blessed
is the person whose friend is the Lord. The relationship of "my beloved" and "my
friend" are never unrelated. You cannot be one without the other with Jesus. Any
other friend that you trust in will disappoint on occasion except for Him. He is
the only reliable friend. She has given bold statements of His loveliness. She
does not point out their carnality, but rather focuses on how beautiful He is as the
way to awaken them. There is no condemnation or accusation in this approach.
In Phil. 3:8, Paul stated that the knowledge of the excellency of Jesus was the
most powerful motivation for his life of total obedience, sacrifice and hardship.

E. The daughters of Jerusalem say 6:1 Where is He? We want to know Him too.”

F. I believe this to be one of the most magnificent descriptions of Jesus in the Word
of God. It is a mini- manual of worship. Statements of faith to speak back to the
enemy when He says, “Just curse God and die.” Statements of faith when we're
wavering, thinking of getting substitute stimulus that is out of the will of God. we
live by the Word of God not by other things.

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