Vespers on the Wednesday of Populus Zion – December 11, 2024Psalm 1; Song of Solomon 2:8b-14St. Matthew 11:11-15
In the Name of the Father, and of the +
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Song of Solomon, or Song of Songs
as it is sometimes called, is a love poem, written by King Solomon for his
bride, the Shulamite woman. It is written almost like a play or opera, with
some parts spoken by the Shulamite, some by her Beloved, and even some by two
choruses, one of the Shulamite’s brothers and one of the daughters of Jerusalem.
In the text before us this evening, the
Shulamite stands in the house of her parents and gazes out the window. She sees
her beloved, her fiancé, leaping upon the mountains and skipping over the hills
as he comes for her. He is coming to get her for their wedding, to receive her
from her father’s hand and take her into his own household. She compares him to
a gazelle or young stag, animals known for their beauty and dexterity. He is
gentle yet full of strength. He is swift and sure of foot as he bounds through
mountains and hills to come to her.
Her beloved stands outside the walls of
the house and peers in through the window, through the lattice and speaks to
her, assuring her that the winter has passed and it is time to come with him. Complimenting
her with beautiful, poetic language, the bridegroom calls her his love, his
fair one, his dove who is resting safely in the clefts of the rock of her
father’s home. He bids her to reveal her face and speak to him, for her voice
is sweet and her face is lovely.
In a literal sense, we have a
description of both an ideal man and an ideal woman. The man seems singularly
focused on her, bounding great distances while only having eyes for his beloved
bride. He is gentle with her, never presumptuous. He is dexterous, knowing how
to navigate the world and the pitfalls therein. He has great strength, shown in
the horns of a gazelle or the antlers of a stag, but combat is not their first
use. He is capable of violence but does not turn to it hastily. He showers her
with praise and poetry, complimenting her on her femininity and reassuring her
that he has made her new home a safe refuge. He is promising to care for her,
to provide for her, and, in the imagery of new birth in the spring, give her
children.
She too, only has eyes for her beloved. She patiently but eagerly awaits her groom. She watches for him and awaits his coming. She has remained in the household of her father, as is proper, but longs for a new home with her beloved. She pays careful attention to his words, as most of our text is taken up by her recounting what he has said. She finds comfort in him and his words, trusting that he will do as he has promised: provide, protect, and produce children.
Now if this poem was only written to
express the love of the Shulamite and Solomon, it might retain its beauty, but
it would be little different from the thousands of love poems of the ancient
world. Rather, as St. Paul says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction
in righteousness.”[1]
Again, St. John writes, “These things are written,” that is, the
Scriptures, “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”[2]
As such, it is the purpose of the Holy Spirit that we understand the Song to
have a spiritual meaning to serve faith.
We, the church, the Bride of Christ,
are the Shulamite woman. Our Beloved is Christ Himself. He comes leaping from
the mountains, that is, He comes down to us from the Father. He comes to us in
the Incarnation. He becomes man, coming down from His everlasting throne in
heaven that He would bring us into His own home.
He comes also to us this very day,
though He is standing by the wall, that is, we cannot see Him. He speaks
through the window, the Words of Holy Scripture. He speaks through the lattice,
the lips of the Pastor. His presence is real, spiritual and physical, even
though our eyes do not see Him. In fact, Christ sees us through the window and
lattice, but our eyes are not as keen as His. He comes to us and gazes upon us;
upon our bodies and souls. Even as we wait for Him with both patience and expectation,
He comes to us and delivers the consolation of His Word.
In His voice, we hear the call to come
to Him, to come with Him. Rise above the cares of this world. Rise above the
sins of the flesh. Rise above and come away with Him as His beloved. The winter
of our sins, the rule of the Law on our hearts, the death of this world is
past. See now that the flowers appear on the earth, the Holy Sacraments as
visible signs of the presence of Christ and the forgiveness of sins. The voice
of the turtledove is heard in our land, that is the voice of Christians singing
the praises of Christ and extolling His wonderful works as a symphony in the
doldrums of the world that is passing away.
The blooming of the fig tree is a sign
of the coming of Christ and the fruits of faith as they spring forth from the renewed
soul of the Christian. Even as the sinful flesh clings to the Christian, the
Holy Spirit is at work, creating a new will and desire to fulfill the Law of
God and seeks to serve God and neighbor. And as we serve our neighbor, we in
fact, serve Christ.[3]
These tender grapes give a good smell, pleasing to God.
Even now, we are safe in the clefts of
the rock, the secret places of the cliff. On the one hand, this safe place is
the Church. She is the rock which Christ has built for the safe keeping of His
beloved Christians. On the other hand, the rock and cliff are also Christ
Himself. The Church is born from the side of Christ, and we are kept safe
within Him, within His body. This is what it means when the Church is called
‘the body of Christ.’ As Moses and Elijah both stand safe in a cleft in the
rock when God speaks to them, so too do we stand safe in the rock of the
Church, even as we are within the Body Christ, receiving from Him the call to
His side in glory.
Truly, your voices are sweet, and your
faces are lovely in the eyes of Christ.
In + Jesus’
name. Amen.
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