The Song of Songs begins with “let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth.” Most of us can remember the longing we had to be kissed by the one with whom we were falling in love — Oh! That we would desire intimacy with the Lord like that. And truly, we should — for nothing compares to His touch. Now the Song turns from an analogy of physical intimacy to an analogy of wine! Why do you think the love of Jesus is said to be better than wine? Think about the accusation made against the disciples at Pentecost. What do you think wine represents in Scripture? What effects does it have? Have you ever felt overwhelmed by His love? If so, share your stories. I know The Song of Songs is challenging. I’m praying for some brave women to take a risk and explore and share their hearts.
24 comments
Dee, I’m not very brave, and I am surely unlearned in the Song of Solomon, but this is what I believe. I believe that wine represents the Holy Spirit. I think that is what Peter taught when they were accused of being drunk with new wine. But I don’t know exactly how to relate that to ” your love is better than wine.” What I do know, though, is that the Lord brought Psalm 63:3 to mind in connection with that verse. KJV says, “Because thy lovinkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.” Better than wine – lovingkindness better than life – who wouldn’t desire to be loved like that? And we are! When my marriage ended in divorce, I was devasted, and I felt every ugly and negative adjective. That is I felt ugly, stupid, fat, undesirable, unlovable. But God! Praise Him. He is faithful to love me with an everlasting and unfailing love that is beyond my wildest dream. He showed me and made me believe that I am accepted in the Beloved. That verse has become my life verse. I am overwhelmed with His love. He is the Lover of my soul, and I desire to be passionately in love with Him.
Deidra — that’s beautiful. His love is better than wine, better than life, better than the love of any human, even the most faithful humans — and certainly better than an unfaithful husband. And yes, the wine and the Holy Spirit. And oh, how He loves you Deidra — I love the argument between the Shulamite and Solomon — she feels dark, he sees her as lovely. You are lovely in His eyes.
Thanks for being brave — you are doing great!
I’m going to show my lack of understanding by saying it reminds me of the verse “Taste & see that the Lord is good” It is only the Lord our God who can meet the depth of our hunger, our thirst, the longings of our heart on a daily basis. I have to admit I can tend to argue with Lord the about him really knowing what I’m like to love me in such a way but then this is why He has given us the Imagery in the Songs of Solomon, using the taste of wine, fragrant oils etc as tangible things to remind us of His love?.As for the wine, it was apart of every day life in Solomon’s time, so is the Holy spirit to be apart of & is apart of our everyday life revealing the depth of this intimate love the Lord wishes to have with us….Does the Holy Spirit draw that reponse from us as He reveals to us the many aspects of the Lord’s love to us ? The Songs of Solomon reveals such an intimate love which again I think I keep at a distance because I’m not sure what to do with it or how to allow the Lord to love me in such a way. I think I just need to surrender to His love but I’m getting caught up in the mechanics…
Elizabeth — I so enjoy your thoughtful ponderings. Taste and see is a great verse to go with the wine. Philip Yancey believes the reason the first miracle was turning water into wine had to do with joy — instead of rituals it was relationship, instead of the chains of religion, it was being set free — to live by the Spirit instead of legalistically.
Yes — the symbols are to penetrate our hearts that was are His, that we are loved.
Piper says that beholding is becoming, and I believe as we behold our Bridegroom, we fall more in love, and then we become more of what we long to be. Just as when you are deeply loved by an earthly man, you want to please Him.
I hope you can bask in His love. I’m going to continue for a while in the Songs unless I am getting very little response. It’s such a neglected book and can absolutely help us believe His love.
I’m not a scholar when it comes to Song of Soloman either, but here are my thoughts when I read “Your love is better than wine.” Wine is a stimulant. It has the effect of making you feel cheerful, peaceful, confident, brave, etc. It gives a false sense of security. All of these feelings are temporary and the alcohol serves to mask the real us. When the alcohol is gone, we are left with our feelings of loneliness, insecurity, inferiority, unhappiness, and the list goes on. On the other hand, when I grasp hold of the fact that God loves ME, really loves me as a person–little old me, with all my imperfections, failures, and hang-ups; when I understand that He planned and brought me into this world to have a personal, intimate relationship with me and fulfill His purposes through me–there is no feeling that can compare with that!! And it’s not some “high” that goes away and leaves me feeling empty! His love really IS better than wine!
That is so good, Susan. I think that is definitely right. Wine, in moderation, can be a good thing — a gift — but temporary and fades — just as you said. Very good sharing.
It’s years later but this comment is so edifying to me and rings with absolute truth. A great encouragement for those who have or still are struggling with addiction.
Bless you ❤️
Elizabeth and Susan — I was JUST asking the Lord: Is Song of Songs too hard? Should I give up on this direction? And then each of your beautiful replies. I will respond to each of you when I get a chance. But thank you!
Hi Dee! Hi all! I was just thinking about this discussion and I would agree with all the ladies here, but one more thought I had as you asked us to think about what the accusation was of the disciples at Pentecost – the people thought they were drunk! But they were not drunk – they were overcome (filled to overflowing) with the Spirit!!! It makes me think of that verse – “Be not drunk with wine, but be filled with the Spirit.” Two other verses I think of. One is found in Galations 2:20, it says, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.” The other verses are found in Romans. Romans 6:12,13, ” Therefore do not let sin reigh in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.” When I think of being filled with the Spirit, I think of a cup. If there are other things in my cup, I cannot be filled all the way up, because there are other things in my cup preventing me from being filled all the way up!
Fellowsojourner — that’s wonderful! Thank you!!!!!
Powerful!
Thank you Dee for your wise & encouraging reply.It is greatly appericated. “Beholding is becoming” is an amazing thought, I can grasp that & will endeavour to do that. The thought comes.. “how can I not”. To please the Lord would be a wonderful thing too.Thanks again. It would be great to explore more of the Songs of Solomon if possible Dee.
Thanks to the other women too for giving such insightful replies…such nourishment.
rich blessings
Elizabeth
You’ve encouraged me to keep on. Pray that others will dare. I fear so many think that Christianity is about stopping the things that displease Him, not realizing that we cannot stop unless we start falling in love with Him — and the Song of Songs can help us. Thank you, Elizabeth.
Hi, Dee! Love, love, just LOVE your ministry and the fact that you are so interpersonal with us! I thank God for you! As many of the other listeners, I certainly don’t profess to be an expert in the Songs either. But I agree with Fellowsojourner as well as Susan in their descriptions of being, basically (my words),”intoxicated with the fullness of Christ by His Spirit.” I hope you nor the listeners mind while I share a very personal and real, yet intimate experience I’ve had with the Lord in experiencing His “love that is better than wine.” I became close to the Lord, first of all, by surrendering my life to Him and reading and obeying His Word. Then as I began to mature in my love for Him, finding out that He really does draw nigh to us when we draw nigh to Him, I began setting aside 2 Friday nights (I know, not enough) a month to have “date night” with the Lord. I’d go out to McNamara or Enflora and buy fresh rose petals by the bags. I’d shut out contact from outside sources, perfume up, wash my face and anoint my head with anointing oil. One night as I did this, I came before the Lord in prayer and let Him know, “I’m not here to ask for anything..just please allow me to be in Your presence.” Then I began to play a worship song and began to meditate on being in heaven with Him, walking down those streets paved with gold holding His hand. I even saw myself as the Mary who wiped His feet with her tears and her hair. As “our” night began to wind down, I thanked the Lord for spending time with me and I looked out my window and blew a kiss towards heaven. As I began to lie down in bed and settle in for the night, I felt this forceful pressure beside me like someone getting out of my bed. (Now ladies, I’m a single woman and no one was in the bed but me..just for the record, lol). When I felt the pressure, it scared the daylights out of me! I snatched those sheets back and whispered a scared, “Jesus?” Just then the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart as gentle as you please, “Fear not. Be of good cheer. It is I.” True story. Nothing fabricated at all. The Lord will draw as near to us as we desire to draw nigh to Him. I don’t share this experience often, because I know in the Christian “field” there are a lot of skeptics, but let me assure you we serve a real God who is also a very personal God.
Wow. I love love love it. Thank you, Jan.
This is the kind of story I’d like to share if I do write a book. Could I?
You certainly may use it, Dee. Thanks!
`Hi Jan Elizabeth,
While reading your account between you & your Lord & the thoughtful & beautiful way you prepared yourself for Him & surrendered yourself to enjoy His company….I keep thinking wow, wow, wow how amazing it would never of entered my head to do that. What an amazing way in which the Lord to came to you like that. Thank you for sharing such an intimate thing..it will stay with me.
rich blessings
Elizabeth
God bless you, Elizabeth! Please keep me in your prayers
Love hearing the stories. Here’s one from me. It’s from my book, The God of All Comfort:
On what would have been our fortieth anniversary,
I sobbed a good part of the day. I was packing up the house to move from a home of sweet memories that I did not want to leave. The littlest things like finding Steve’s white surgery coat with his initials, SGB, on the pocket could cause me to crumble.
When I went to bed that night, I was fretful. Though I tried to sleep, anxieties multiplied, leaping over my pillow like bleating sheep.
I turned over on my side, looking at the vacant place where Steve used to be. Oh, my darling — how could this have happened to us?
Steve and I used to call each other “codependent insomniacs.” If one of us awoke in the night, he (or she) would whisper to the other, “Are you awake?” When it was me, I knew that even if Steve was asleep, he would rouse to keep me company. If I was worried about something, he would listen to me pour out my heart while stroking my back and empathizing with his deep masculine voice, his calming ways.
Sometimes he would help me laugh about a trouble. Other times, when he knew there was no humor in a situation, he’d simply pray over me and hold me. If sleep still eluded me, he’d start quoting our favorite nursery rhyme:
Winkin’, Blinkin’, and Nod, one night sailed
off in a wooden shoe;
sailed off on a river of crystal light into a sea
of dew . . .
Safe in Steve’s arms, our bed became a wooden shoe sailing off into a sea of dew and I was lulled to sleep.
But Steve was not there. His side of the bed was achingly empty.
All of us have times of feeling alone, misunderstood, or betrayed. So often the psalmist, David, felt that way and cried out: “How long, O LORD, how long?1 All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.”2
My cry that sleepless night was not nearly as eloquent as David’s. I simply sobbed: Help me, help me, help me, God! I knew I needed God to be my Comforter, my Counselor, and my Husband — but that understanding exploded into a question: “But how do I connect with Someone who is not flesh and blood?” When I couldn’t immediately sense God’s presence, I curled up in the middle of our king-sized bed and wept.
Without even realizing it, I had prayed a prayer of lamentation. The lament, which is modeled in the book of Psalms, is speaking the truth of your sorrowing heart to God. While I was lamenting in that fetal position, a scene from my past came to my mind: I was twenty-one, trying to calm our firstborn in the middle of the night. He would awaken, hungry and howling. Though I would run to him and lift him from his crib, unbuttoning my nightgown as we settled in the rocker, he was too fretful to latch onto my breast. He would root about, but if he didn’t find me in two seconds, he would rear back, his face red and contorted, his fists flailing. If I stroked his cheek, like the nurse in the hospital had told me to do, trying to coax him to turn toward me, he would erupt in anger, bursting into a horrific wail, one that I knew carried through our thin apartment walls. A mother’s breasts respond to her baby’s cry and my milk let down, ready for my baby — but his fretful state kept him from connecting with me. I kept thinking, I’m right here, I’m right here! A very long ten minutes later, he’d finally find me and nurse greedily. His perspiring face would relax, his eyes closing at half-mast in contentment. I would think, Oh my, Pumpkin what was all that about? I was right here
.Suddenly, I identified. I was that baby, concentrating more on my distress than on the One who was right there. I sensed the Lord saying: Dee, I am right here. I am right here.
Gradually, my soul began to calm, my body began to relax, and my eyes went to half-mast
When I woke the next morning, much more rested, I opened my Bible to pray through a psalm, as was, thank God, already my habit. My psalm that morning “happened” to be Psalm 131. When I read it I knew that God was “kissing me.” (“A kiss from the King” according to rabbinic tradition, is a living word from God.) God’s living Word was confirming to me exactly what I had experienced from His Spirit the night before.
I have stilled and quieted my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother,
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
Psalm 131:2
We are more than blessed to have such a kind God!
I feel “overwhelmed” by his love when I consider the depth that He would go to to rescue us, to rescue me. There is no darkness in which He is not there. There is no place deep enough or dark enough where we could hide from His presence. He is our Hero, our deliverer! I think about myself and the places that I would fear to go to rescue someone, but He does not fear, and it does not stop Him! He is our beloved! And with that we can say, I am his, and He is mine!
Hmmmm, I’ve always thought it to be a book for quotes during weddings but the latest development in my understanding has it has an expression of the passionate relationship Christ offered His blood to propose to man. No wonder this love is as strong as death. How like David I desire just one thing according to Psalm 27, to dwell in the presence of my Lord all the days of my life to behold His beauty and inquire of Him. God bless u dear sisters.
I believe the wine in songs of Solomon relates to intoxication of alcohol in contrast to intoxication with Gods love through the constant Infilling of the Holy Spirit. Alcohol can be intoxicating but at the same time harmful if taken in excess. God is imploring us to be intoxicated with his love instead of alcohol which has no negative side affects. Being an alcoholic previous to being born again this scripture speaks to me massively!