Like the book of Esther, Song of Songs does not mention God directly and its sensual nature puts many off reading it. But all Scripture is God-breathed and useful to us (2 Tim 3:16) and Dave spoke tonight from Song of Songs 3:1-4 about the need for God’s people to seek Him.
The book is an allegory and parable, showing on one level the love relationshp between a man and a woman (‘Lover’ and ‘Beloved’) and the struggles which they must overcome to enjoy true love. The allegorical nature of the book points to the church as the Beloved of God, the Bride of Christ. Jesus died for us so that we could be reconciled to God; the joy set before Him was that of presenting a spotless bride one day (see Heb 12:2). We may be like the woman in the story, doubting whether the Lover will return as he promised. In chapter 3, we see how she misses meeting her lover and longs to find him, even roaming the streets at night in her search for him. We too can sometimes feel that we have lost the intimate presence of Jesus and need to search for Him, for He is our passion and our delight.
When we cannot feel God’s presence with us, we must search the Scriptures, continue in prayer and stay in fellowship, for nothing is more important than our personal relationship with the Lord. We have to do hold on to Him when we do find Him, by faith, trusting in Him and resting in Him. We have to pursue God with all our hearts, for we love because He first loved us. Nothing is more important than seeking the Lord, and those who seek Him will be found by Him.
