Solomon's Garden

Speaker: Pastor Steve Byrens

Song of Solomon 4:1a, 12 (NLT), “You are beautiful, my darling, beautiful beyond words… 12 You are my private garden, my treasure, my bride, a secluded spring, a hidden fountain.”

LIFEPOINT: If you have been united with Christ, you are the object of His love. No matter how far you have wandered into the barren wilderness, He promises to bring you back to the Garden, where your heart will find what it truly longs for!

Today we are going to study a passage found in the Song of Solomon that has caused a great deal of controversy over the years. The imagery used to describe marital intimacy and love, is very explicit. However, it is not crass. It is designed to convey the depth of passion and love that exists between a man and his wife. It uses well-known images and language to help the reader understand deeper spiritual realities.

At its most basic level, Solomon is describing the beauty of his beloved bride and his passionate desire to be intimate with her. He’s praising her for her exquisite beauty. But he does this in a language that is also filled with important historical and theological imagery. One beautiful part of that imagery is his description of their love as a fruitful garden. This points back to a time of perfection and intimacy that originally existed in the Garden of Eden. He also uses language pointing to the Promised Land, which the Scriptures sometimes describe as a garden overflowing with milk and honey. This poetic garden imagery can also be seen as a picture of the covenant relationship between God and the Israelites in the Old Testament, and Christ and the Church in the New Testament.

Through this study we will discover a powerful truth: If you have been united with Christ, you are the object of His love. No matter how far you have wandered into the barren wilderness, He promises to bring you back to the Garden, where your heart will find what it truly longs for!

In His Service,

Pastor Steve