The Lover,

A Type of the Lord as Israel’s Bridegroom

The lover is a picture of the Lord as Israel’s husband. “I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters” (Song of Solomon 2:1, 2). This love-song of Solomon and his bride is a symbol of the relationship between Jehovah as the Bridegroom and Israel as the Bride. This thought is contained in many Old Testament passages. It is a favorite expression of the prophets. “For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name” (Isaiah 54:5). Jehovah loves His people and is married to them.

As the bridegroom once withdrew himself from the bride, so Jehovah withdrew His favors from Israel as a nation. “I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer” (Song of Solomon 5:6). The Lord withdrew Himself from Israel because of her many sins. Israel had broken her covenant, her marriage vows to the Lord, her Husband. This explains His withdrawal from her. “Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:32).

As the bride was restored to fellowship with the bride groom, so the Lord will restore Israel to her position as His wife. “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is toward me” (Song of Solomon 7:10). This pictures restoration to former fellowship.

And one day Israel as a nation will again be in the position as wife in relation to the Lord as her Husband. The prophets predict that this will happen in connection with the coming of Messiah to redeem His people from their enemies. “And I will betroth thee unto me forever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving-kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord” (Hosea 2:19, 20).

The Lover,

A Type of Christ as the Church’s Bridegroom

The bride’s position like a dove in the clefts of the rock suggests the love of Christ for the Church as demonstrated on the cross. “O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock” (Song of Solomon 2:14). The lover compares his loved one to a dove hiding away in the clefts of the rock. And this thought inspired the words of the familiar old hymn of the church:

Rock of Ages cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee.

This pictures the Bride of Christ hidden away in the wounds of Christ, which were made on Calvary’s cross. It was His wondrous love that made possible this place of refuge for those whom He loves so much. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (Ephesians 5:25).

The bridegroom was jealous of his bride, that she be true to him, even as Christ is jealous of the Church as His Bride. “Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame” (Song of Solomon 8:6). The lover wanted to be sure of the love of his bride, and so suggested that a picture of him be stamped like a signet upon her heart. For it is a cruel thing for a bride by her unbecoming actions to make her lover to be jealous of her. “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ” (II Corinthians 11:2). How cruel it is for the Church by her love for the world to make Christ as her husband jealous of her!

The bridegroom prepared the marriage banquet for his bride, even as Christ is making ready His marriage supper for the Church. “He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love” (Song of Solomon 2:4). A banquet was always considered the most important part of the Oriental wedding festivities. And Christ, the Church’s Bridegroom, is preparing for the wedding supper to be celebrated in Heaven after Christ comes for His Bride. We should be sure that we are ready for that glad event. “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:7-9).

The Lover,

A Type of Christ as the Bridegroom of individual Believers

Even as the bridegroom and the bride were united in marriage, so is Christ married to the individual believer. “My beloved is mine, and I am his” (Song of Solomon 2:16). The typical meaning of Canticles has an individual aspect, and it is important not to overlook this. Saints of God through the ages have received rich spiritual benefit from this book of the Bible when it was studied devotionally from this viewpoint.

There is plenty of New Testament warrant for such a study. “Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are be come dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God” (Romans 7:4). The apostle Paul spoke of Jesus as his Lover, “Who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Peter refers to Christ thus, “Whom having not seen, ye love.” And the well-known hymn begins:

Jesus, Lover of my soul, Let me to thy bosom fly.

Even as the bride had the experience of losing the sense of her lovers presence, so this same thing sometimes happens to believers in relationship to Christ. “By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not . . . It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go” (Song of Solomon 3:1, 4). Losing the presence of her lover caused the bride to seek him until she found him. And when a Christian loses the sense of his Saviour’s presence, it often causes him to seek that presence, and difficulties in the way are removed and the beloved presence is restored. Jesus told us that a failure I to keep His commandments would cause us to lose the sense I of His presence. “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me I shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will I manifest myself to him” (John 14:21).

When the bride was in communion with the bridegroom, she loved to tell of his loveliness to others; and so believers in right relation to Christ will testify to others of His preciousness. “Yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend” (Song of Solomon 5:16).

This was the bride’s testimony to the daughters of Jerusalem. And it should be our testimony to those around us concerning our Lover. “To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed I indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious” (I Peter I 2:4).

He is our precious Bridegroom.