A wild rose, despised in the land of Judea. Here the lover humbly realizes that she is but a small person, living on the one hand a pretty but despised life (rose) in the common world (Sharon — see note S.S. 2:1^2a), and on the other hand a pure and trusting life (lily — Matt. 6:28) in the low place (valleys).

Meaning plain.

Here Christ appreciates her as His love among the world-loving adulteresses (daughters — James 4:4), as one who lives a pure and trusting life (lily — Matt. 6:28) among the filthy and unbelieving people (thorns).

The lover appreciates Christ as the source of rich provision (apple tree) who supplies her in a timely way. She is satisfied with her delight in resting (sitting down) under Christ as an overshadowing canopy in the day (shade — Isa. 4:5-6; 2 Cor. 12:9) and with her tasting Him as the sweet, timely supply (sweet fruit).

Lit., house of wine. Here the lover is satisfied with triumphant love (banner of love — cf. Rom. 8:31-39) spread over her in the enjoyable church life (banqueting house), in which she is sustained with Christ as the bread of life (raisin cakes — John 6:35) and refreshed with Him as the fruit of life (apples — Rev. 2:7; 22:2) to heal her lovesickness in her longing for her Beloved. Christ in His death is signified here by the raisin, a dried grape (the juice of which signifies the shedding of blood — Matt. 26:27-29), and Christ in His resurrection is signified by the fresh apples.

The initial result of the mutual gain and enjoyment of Christ and His lover is a feast (S.S. 1:12), and the consummate result is the banqueting in the banqueting house, the church life.

Considering His lover as one who is easily stirred up (gazelles or hinds of the fields), Christ solemnly charges (adjures) the meddling believers (daughters of Jerusalem) not to awaken His lover from her present experience of Christ in resting in Him. In her Christian life she has reached the goal of resting in and experiencing Christ and being satisfied in the church life. He allows her to remain at rest until she is pleased to enter into the second stage of her pursuing after Him (until she pleases).

This leaping and skipping signifies Christ’s power to overcome difficulties and barriers, which are signified by the mountains and hills. Christ’s being like a gazelle and a young hart (v. 9) signifies that His power is the power of resurrection (see note on superscription in Psa. 22).

In the first stage of her progressive experience of Christ, the lover of Christ pursues Him (S.S. 1:2-4a), receives help in the fellowship in the inner chambers (S.S. 1:4-6a), and enters into the church life (S.S. 1:6-8), where she experiences transformation (S.S. 1:9-16a; S.S. 2:1-3a) and enters into the rest and enjoyment of Christ for her full satisfaction (S.S. 1:16-17; 2:3-7). These attainments result in a situation in which she overcares for her spiritual condition before Christ, being too concerned about whether or not she remains in the perfection she has attained. This causes her to fall into introspection, which becomes a seclusion as a wall that keeps her away from the presence of Christ. Every spiritual person who reaches a situation of satisfaction in Christ eventually falls into introspection, not only examining the self but also analyzing it (cf. Heb. 12:2). If such a condition persists, the self becomes stronger and eventually becomes the center of everything in the lover’s life.

The windows and the lattice signify the openings set up by God for Him to fellowship, to commune, with His lover. The conscience of man is the window with a lattice, which is open for God to come in to contact fallen man (cf. John 16:8).

Indicating that the lover of Christ failed to respond to Him in His fellowship, making it necessary for Christ to speak to her again (cf. v. 8a).

Because of the lover’s self and introspection, she is down in her situation. Hence, Christ encourages her, in His appreciation of her, to rise up and come out of her low situation to be with Him.

This indicates that the time of dormancy (winter) and trials (rain) is over and that the time of resurrection (spring) is coming.

The flowers, singing, voice of the turtledove, ripened figs, blossoming vines, and fragrance (vv. 12-13a) indicate the flourishing riches of Christ’s resurrection. The life of the cross (see note S.S. 2:14¹) is lived by the power of resurrection (Phil. 3:10) and is encouraged by the riches of resurrection.

This repeated word (cf. v. 10) indicates Christ’s eagerness in asking His lover to come away from her introspection of the self to be with Him. See note S.S. 2:10^2a.

Here Christ, considering her His simple lover (My dove), wants to see His lover’s lovely countenance and hear her sweet voice in her oneness, union, with the cross, signified here by the clefts of the rock and the covert of the precipice. This is Christ’s call for His lover to be in oneness with the cross (cf. Luke 9:23). Only the cross of Christ can deliver her from the situation caused by introspection.

Christ wants His seeker to remain in the cross, in a crucified condition, continually (Gal. 2:20a; 1 Cor. 15:31; 2 Cor. 4:10-11). However, to remain in the cross is a difficult matter, like entering into the clefts of the rock and the covert of the precipice high in the mountains by a rugged road. In order to empower and encourage His lover to rise up and come away from her low situation in her introspection of the self, Christ empowers her by showing her the power of His resurrection (vv. 8-9a), and He encourages her by the flourishing riches of His resurrection (vv. 11-13). It is by the power of Christ’s resurrection, not by our natural life, that we, the lovers of Christ, determine to take the cross by denying our self (Matt. 16:24). It is also by the power of Christ’s resurrection that we are enabled to be conformed to His death by being one with His cross (Phil. 3:10). The reality of resurrection is the pneumatic Christ (John 11:25), who as the consummated Spirit indwells and is mingled with our regenerated spirit (1 Cor. 6:17 and notes). It is in such a mingled spirit that we participate in and experience the resurrection of Christ, which enables us to be one with the cross to be delivered from the self and to be transformed into a new man in God’s new creation for the fulfillment of God’s economy in the building up of the organic Body of Christ.

Christ charges His lover to be aware of her peculiarities, habits, and introspections (little foxes) that ruin the flourishing resurrection of Christ in the churches (our vineyards in blossom).

Here Christ’s lover realizes that Christ belongs to her and she to Christ according to her inner feelings, yet He is not with her but is away feeding His pure and trusting followers (pasturing His flock among the lilies). At this point the lover and Christ are not one but are separated. There is a controversy between her and Christ. The lover cares only for her satisfaction, not for His will, intention, or goal.

Here Christ’s lover rejects Him. Instead of responding to His call to rise up and come away from her introspection through the cross and be with Him (vv. 13-14), she asks Him to wait until her low situation is over (until the day dawns and the shadows flee away) and then to turn to her in His resurrection, like a gazelle or a young hart (see note S.S. 2:8¹), during the time of their separation (the mountains of Bether — see note S.S. 2:17²). In her view this mountain, this separation between her and Christ, can be removed only by Him.

Meaning separation.