1^st – Falling in love… vs. 1-7

• 2^nd – Showing love… vs. 8-14
  • 1^st – Actions… vs. 8-9
    • The Shulamite: The voice of my beloved! Behold he comes leaping upon the mountains. 
    • Skipping upon the hills. My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag!
    • Solomon showed his love for the Shulamite in THREE ways…
    • FIRST – in his ACTIONS – he came RUNNING to see her…
    • BEHOLD [הִנֵּה] – he was LEAPING [piel] and SKIPPING [piel] over the mountains to get to her…
    • He was as excited as a ROE or young DEER [in heat]!
    • Ever wonder how people who are so in LOVE – walk down the AISLE with a SMILE…
    • Can devolve over the years into two people who seem to HATE each other…
    • The answer is because couples stop INVESTING in each other…
    • When they are DATING – they are always thinking about one another…
    • They want to spend EVER waking moment together…
    • But once they are MARRIED – they think there is NO longer any reason to INVEST!
    • Matthew 6:21 – “Where your treasure is – there your heart will be also.”
    • Too many relationships start with LEAPING – and end with SLEEPING [loose the excitement]
    • Getting married should NOT stop the pursuit of the women by the man…
    • Husbands – take the time to INVEST in your wife – make her your TREASURE!
  • 2^nd – Looking… vs. 9
    • Behold he stands behind our wall.
    • He is looking through the windows. Gazing through the lattice!
    • Second – he had EYES that were only for the Shulamite…
    • BEHOLD [הִנֵּה] – He stood outside her house – just to STARE at her through the window…
    • Because he was willing to WAIT for her – although he was so excited to SEE her!
    • Men – make no mistake our wives watch our EYES…
    • They know WHAT we are looking at – they take note WHO we are looking at…
    • We should ONLY have eyes for our BRIDE – blind to everyone else…
    • If we find that our eyes begin to WANDER – it is because we are NOT investing…
    • The more we give TIME to our wives – the less we will find our eyes want to go anywhere else!
    • Job 31:1 – “I have made a covenant with my eyes. Why should I look upon a young woman.”
  • 3^rd – Speaking… vs. 10-14
    • Come away… vs. 10
      • My beloved spoke and said to me: Rise up my love – my fair one – and come away!
      • Solomon [beloved] said to the Shulamite – get up [imperative]
      • His friend [רַעְיָה] – his beauty [יָפֶה] – and come [imperative] with him!
      • BEAUTY [יָפֶה] – is the name of the city Jaffa in Israel…
      • It is called that because it sits on the Mediterranean – and is breathtaking!
    • Poetry… vs. 11-13
      • For lo the winter is past. The rain is over and gone.
      • The flowers appear on the earth. The time of singing has come.
      • And the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.
      • The fig tree puts forth her green figs – and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell.
      • Rise up my love – my fair one – and come away!
      • Solomon then flows into POETRY for the Shulamite [take note men]
      • He describes the end of WINTER – the former [October-November] rains were over…
      • And SPRING was in the air – the flowers were beginning to bud…
      • The birds were singing – the fig tree has its first fruit – the fragrant grape were blossoming…
      • Pointing to a NEW season – a NEW beginning on the earth…
      • His point is that it was time for them to start their NEW life together…
      • Therefore get up [imperative] – his FRIEND [רַעְיָה] and BEAUTY [יָפֶה] – come [imperative]!
      • It is true that the one constant in life is CHANGE…
      • No sooner does one season END – than another BEGINS…
      • We go from TODDLERS – to SCHOOL – to a CAREER…
      • We move from Parents to Grandparents – caregiver to being cared for!
      • As we go through those SEASONS – people come and go in our lives [including our kids]
      • But there are TWO relationships that are meant to LAST…
      • FIRST is our spouse – the FRIEND [רַעְיָה] that stands with us to the end – Matthew 19:6
      • SECOND is Jesus – He is the one who NEVER changes – Hebrews 13:8 
    • Best years… vs. 14
      • O my dove in the clefts of the rock. In the secret places of the cliff.
      • Let me see your face. Let me hear your voice.
      • For your voice is sweet and your face is lovely!
      • Solomon did NOT want to only see the Shulamite through the WINDOW…
      • It was like she was HIDDEN from him – behind the rocks – or high up on a cliff…
      • He needed [imperative] to see her face – hear her voice…
      • Because her voice was SWEET – and her appearance BEAUTIFUL!
      • The world paints a picture of marriage being front loaded…
      • The best years are the early years – after that things go downhill…
      • What began with a desire to NEVER be apart – end up apathetically being together!
      • Our MARRIAGES are a reflection of our relationship with Christ – Ephesians 5:32
      • Our BEST years with the Lord are NOT in the beginning…
      • We do NOT have to dread what eternity will be like – apathy…
      • As we INVEST in the Lord – spend time with Him – we get CLOSER…
      • All the more we LONG to spend EVERY day together with our BEST friend!

• 3^rd – The Problem… vs. 15-17
  • 1^st – The Foxes… vs. 15
    • Not alone…
      • Her Brothers:
      • There is some uncertainly as to whom the couple is talking to here…
      • The Hebrew only tells us that they are speaking to a group of people [second person plural]
      • But it is clear that they are pleading [imperative] for help with their marriage!
      • We have a tradition that when we get married: Maninoy and Maninay…
      • Although it has largely become just a way to get MONEY…
      • The true purpose for it is far more powerful – and necessary!
      • We need people who have more EXPERIENCE to help GUIDE us…
      • Marriage is NOT easy – two sinners living as one – causes problems – I Corinthians 7:28
      • And WHEN [not if] those problems arise – we have more mature couples who can help us!
        
    • Spoiled…
      • Catch us the foxes. The little foxes that spoil the vines for our vines have tender grapes!
      • The FOXES [plural]- repeated as LITTLE foxes [just getting started]
      • Are the PROBLEMS that come into EVERY young [tender] marriage…
      • These foxes attack while the marriage is still the most vulnerable…
      • Here is a list [not exhaustive] of FOUR foxes that I have found cause a LOT of damage!
    • Unconditional…
      • The world has volumes of BOOKS available on how to have a good MARRIAGE…
      • There are full time COUNSELORS who make a living dealing with MARRIAGE problems…
      • Yet the BIBLE dedicates very little space to the subject – only a HANDFUL of verses…
      • NOT because it is unimportant – but because it is NOT very complicated!
      • The one command to the wife – SUBMIT [present – imperative] – Ephesians 5:22
      • The one command to the Husband – LOVE [present – imperative] – Ephesians 5:25
      • These commands are NOT contingent on the other person…
      • We do NOT get to choose – only obeying if the other person does their part…
      • YET it is impossible for a wife to SUBMIT to her [flawed] husband…
      • AND it is impossible for a husband to LOVE [perfectly] his imperfect wife…
      • Both are commands are IMPOSSIBLE – to drive us to Jesus…
      • Marriage CANNOT be based on FEELINGS – ATTRACTION – or even COMMITMENT…
      • These things are NOT consistent – because we are NOT consistent…
      • The only CONSISTENT thing we can build a marriage on is Christ!
    • Investment…
      • I Peter 3:7 – “Husbands… dwell with [your wives]!”
      • DWELL [συνοικέω] only here in NT – to live in the same house with their WIVES!
      • As we have already stated – our heart follows our TREASURE – Matthew 6:21
      • If anything else is more important than our marriage – there is a problem…
      • We need to be careful of other relationships [especially the opposite gender]
      • And our hobbies need to be kept in check – all things in proper balance…
      • Do NOT miss time with our wife and kids because of a video game – or cell phone!
    • Provision…
      • Men are taught from youth that their ONE purpose is to PROVIDE…
      • But that is NOT true – God is the one who provides for the family – Luke 12:31
      • The one thing wives NEED – is the LOVE of Jesus from their HUSBANDS…
      • When men do NOT daily show their wives LOVE – they begin to feel insecure…
      • Then they will begin to challenge them – because they are unsure of our LOVE!
    • Differences…
      • I heard story about a man who found a lamp – and when he rubbed it…
      • Out came a genie who offered to grant him ONE wish…
      • He first asked for a road that stretched all the way from Luzon to Mindanao…
      • The genie told him that was an IMPOSSIBLE task – too much red tape…
      • The man reluctantly agreed – and asked to instead understand his wife…
      • To which the genie quickly replied – would he like two lanes or four!
      • Men and women are NOT the same – and we will NOT understand each other…
      • There is always going to be some MYSTERY to our spouses…
      • But the strength of a marriage is found in our DIFFERENCES…
      • When God looked down at Adam and saw he was alone – it was NOT good – Genesis 2:18
      • God gave him Eve – and only together were they COMPLETE!
  • 2^nd – Committed… vs. 16
    • The Shepherd… vs. 16
      • The Shulamite: My beloved is mine and I am his. He feeds his flock among the lilies!
      • Seeing Solomon address the potential FOXES in their relationship…
      • The Shulamite declares her DEVOTION to him…
      • He belonged to her – and she belonged to him [exclusively]
      • He was the SHEPHERD [הָרֹעֶה] over her LILIES [שׁוּשַׁן]!
      • This of course does cause us to raise a question…
      • Because Solomon did NOT stay loyal to the Shulamite [he was not hers]
      • He ended up having a THOUSAND wives – I Kings 11:3
      • But we need to remember that this is ultimately a picture of the Church…
      • And where Solomon was NOT faithful – Jesus most certainly is…
      • We belong to Him – purchased by His blood – I Corinthians 6:19-20
      • He is our good SHEPHERD – who will always be there for us!
      • Psalm 23:1 – “The LORD is my shepherd [הָרֹעֶה]. I shall not want.”
    • Until Daybreak… vs. 17
      • To Her Beloved: Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away.
      • Turn my beloved and be like a gazelle – or a young stag upon the mountains of Bether!
      • The desire of the Shulamite was that until the DARKNESS [shadows] went away…
      • Her Beloved [דּוֹדִי] would continue to chase after her – over the mountains of BETHER…
      • BETHER [בֶּתֶר] – also used to describe the sacrifice of Abraham – Genesis 15:10
      • When he divided [בֶּתֶר] the animals in two – and God promised to be with him!
      • Like the Shulamite – we are NOT yet with Jesus…
      • But we have this PROMISE from Him – until the DARKNESS passes…
      • He will continue to pursue us – He will NOT let us go…
      • Until the day when we finally get to see Him face to face – and He brings us home!