April 2, 2025 - Song of Solomon 4:6,7 - Espoused to Christ

Song of Solomon 4:6,7

"Until the day break, And the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, And to the hill of frankincense. Thou art all fair, my love: There is no spot in thee."

The book Song of Solomon, also called "The Song of Songs," is a beautiful and intimate picture of love between Solomon and his bride. Yet beyond the earthly romance, it speaks of Christ’s deep and unwavering love for His Church. The sovereign grace of God is seen in these verses, for it is not by any goodness in the Bride that she is declared spotless, but by the gracious work of Christ, her Beloved.

"Until the day break, and the shadows flee away..."

The believer walks in a world where shadows still linger—shadows of sin, sorrow, and suffering. Yet, there is a promise of the coming dawn when all darkness will be dispelled by the full radiance of Christ’s glory. "For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect" (Hebrews 10:1).

When the LORD Jesus came into the world, it was to fulfill all the types, pictures, and shadows of the Law. With His coming, a new day has dawned, and the shadows have fled away. The concept of "the Law as a shadow" is rooted in the New Testament, particularly in the writings of the Apostle Paul and the writer of Hebrews. The Mosaic Law was a precursor or foreshadowing of what the LORD Jesus came to fulfill. He did not come to set aside the Law, but to fulfill it. "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil" (Matthew 5:17).

The Law, given to Israel through Moses, was a temporary and symbolic system pointing to the ultimate redemption and revelation found in Christ. Yet, there is a twofold nature to the redemption that the LORD Jesus obtained for those whom the Father gave Him to be His Bride. Although Christ has accomplished the full salvation of the elect already at the cross, fulfilling all that God's Law required, we still await the fullness of His kingdom at the end of time, when all that pertains to the darkness of this world will be done away. He is now seated on the throne of glory, where He intercedes for His Church even now, abiding in the "mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense," picturing His ongoing work as our High Priest. "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25).

"I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense."

Myrrh and frankincense are symbols of Christ’s work. Myrrh is a bitter yet fragrant resin used in embalming, signifying suffering, sacrifice, and death. It reminds us of Christ’s redeeming death on the cross. "And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight" (John 19:39). Frankincense is a sweet-smelling incense used in priestly offerings, symbolizing Christ’s intercession and mediation for His people. "And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight" (Exodus 30:34).

By referring to the "mountain of myrrh" and the "hill of frankincense," Solomon’s words point us to Christ’s dual role as both our Sacrificial Savior and our Great High Priest.

"The mountain of myrrh" represents a place of elevation, difficulty, and suffering. Just as Christ ascended Calvary to bear the sins of His people, He is portrayed here as going to the mountain of myrrh—symbolic of His sacrificial death. "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:4-5). For the Church, this reminds us that our Bridegroom has fully paid the price for our redemption. His sovereign grace alone has removed our sins, making us "all fair" in His sight. "Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee" (Song of Solomon 4:7).

"The hill of frankincense" represents a smaller elevation than a mountain, suggesting that while Christ's suffering (the mountain of myrrh) was great, His continued work as our intercessor (the hill of frankincense) remains. "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us" (Romans 8:34).

"Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee."

What a stunning declaration from Christ to His Church! In ourselves, we are not fair, but stained with sin. Yet, through the work of the LORD Jesus, accomplished at the cross by His shed blood unto death, we are declared pure and without spot or blemish in Him. "That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Ephesians 5:27).

Awaiting the Dawn

Those in the Old Testament, who were the LORD's elect, awaited the day of Christ's coming just as those in the first century did. "The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:16-17).

Now, those since the first coming of Christ await a new day dawning, when "new heavens and a new earth" shall be ushered in. "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Revelation 21:1-4).

May our eyes ever look to our gracious Lord God, and thank Him for His sovereign grace in Christ, who has made wretched sinners as we are, fair in His sight. May we ever rest in the finished work of the LORD Jesus Christ and long for the day when these earthly shadows will flee away, and we will dwell in His presence forever. May the Spirit of Grace keep our hearts fixed on Christ Jesus, our Beloved Bridegroom, and rejoice in the bridal robe of righteousness whereby we stand spotless and pure before Him.