The One Whom my Soul Loves (Song of Solomon 3:3)

 The One Whom my Soul Loves (Song of Solomon 3:3)

I’ve never preached a sermon series on Song of Solomon. I actually get a little nervous just reading it. The Puritans saw it as a poetic tale that led to adoration of Jesus. Modern commentators have been almost unanimous in saying that it was written to improve your love life. I’m firmly on the side of the Puritans. Seems as if I was born about four centuries too late.

Nonetheless, I chose one question from this little book as a “Critical Question of the Bible:” “Have you seen Him whom my soul loves?” (Song of Solomon 3:3). By capitalizing “Him,” I’m emphasizing the One whom I believe is the focus of the book, and the question.

In context, the young woman is looking desperately for the man she loves. Where did he go? In a human story, one would wonder if the young man, in fact, wants to be found. But in a spiritual account, any person seeking the Lord is involved in a process that God designs to test and develop our hunger for Him. He does not always make Himself apparent to us, even though He is most assuredly always present with us. He is in charge of refining our spiritual senses, and growing our spiritual dependency, which will then guide all of our senses and dependencies. And so it is a good question with which we could begin each day, or ask in the midst of the day when we are a bit confused and don’t know how to respond to a situation: “Where is the One whom my soul loves?"

But I think the question as it appears in the text can also be an evangelistic question; a question that would guide us in sharing Christ with others, and do it well. Have you seen Him whom my soul loves? It guides us in our evangelism in that we are not selling an idea, but sharing a Person with others. So much of our efforts are rationalistic, as though we can “convince” people into being Christians. And there are indeed points to make and objections to overcome. But being a Christian is a relationship with a Person with whom we have come to love for all of His perfections, and most dearly for His love for us that led Him to give Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Who would do that for us? Scarcely anyone. And if anyone did, who could deliver the benefits to us that we have found in Him, including the forgiveness of sins and bringing into right relationship with God. In that case, the answer is not “scarcely no one.” It is “no one.” Jesus is the One whom our soul loves. May we love Him more each day.