Chapter 3

Verse 1 — This on the surface is a very simple passage because the key to the next five verses is the fact that the woman’s soul loves the shepherd lover. The soul is especially emphasised because all category #2 love begins, continues, and exists in the soul. This can never be changed. So we have the principle of soul love. But this phase of category #2 can be very frustrating and very disastrous at times and the Shulamite woman goes into her frame of reference and recalls an incident. This incident is designed to protect her from Solomon and all of his glory. The last part of chapter three is the glory of Solomon. Every experience which the Shulamite woman declares in this passage is designed by God the Holy Spirit to teach certain principles.

We must understand the phrase “whom my soul loveth.” This is important because it is the soul that is so critical at this point.

“By night on my bed” — the principle of loneliness. She is not with her shepherd lover. It is night and it is dark and this amplifies loneliness. People are not nearly as lonely in the daytime even though they may be alone. The real problem comes ‘by night on my bed.’ Loneliness is a stimulant to memory, the same as certain kinds of music would be, certain types of scenery, even certain types of drama.

“I sought him” — this is strictly memory. Loneliness brings up memories of her shepherd lover, her right man. At this time he happens top be in the same town. She is recalling an incident where he is actually in the same area; “whom my soul loveth” — a case of right man, right woman.

“but I found him not” — there are intrusions upon memories. Loneliness is the time for it. Mental attitude sins, negative emotion. Adultery becomes an intrusion, and social stimulation. If it had been stated why she couldn’t find him in her memory then it wouldn’t be necessary to compile a list. Other things stimulate memory. We are dealing with principle here. Whatever the reason she couldn’t bring him into her memory at that point, here memory failed. The reason is not stated because, again, we are dealing with principle. Because of this she determined to see him in person because obviously all memory is stimulated by personal vision.

Verse 2 — “whom my soul loveth.” Category #2 love continues to exist even when there is absence and even when memory centre does not work properly.

“I sought him but I found him not” — a further frustration. Notice: “I will seek him, I sought him, I found him not.” These are decisions of the volition to take up for a temporary breakdown of right lobe. This is a volitional thing, positive volition toward the lover exists even when the right lobe breaks down. So category #2 love is a very permanent thing, it even survives loss of pleasant memories and absence. This woman is giving from her own volition. The same volition right now is saying no to Solomon.

Notice that the woman is the aggressor. What kind of aggression is this? This is responsive aggression. She is still a woman, still very much a lady, but she is aggressive at this point. Her aggression comes from her volition. There are three ways she can respond to him. She can respond when he initiates love, that is direct response. She can respond to the fragrance of the memories, that is a direct response. She can also response when she is not in his presence, when there is not the fragrance of memories, and yet she still has her volition, it is still positive, and her indirect response is aggression on her part. But this is a bona fide aggression.

Verse 3 — “The watchmen that go about the city found me” — the police officers; “Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?” She is now expressing her love under conditions of maximum frustration, she cannot find him. But she persists.

Verse 4 — It was but a little while that I passed from them [the police patrol], but even then I found him whom my soul loveth.”

“I held him” — she ran into his arms; “and I would not let him go” — this is her volition. All the way through she is emphasising her own aggression but this is indirect response.

“until I had brought him to my mother’s house” — to bring to the mother’s house means to go in and to tell the mother that this is her right man [the father is dead].

“and into the chamber of her who conceived me” — in other words, she brought him into her mother’s private chamber to announce that this was her right man and that they were going to get married. This was the memory that she recalls at this point.

Notice some of the general aspects. In verse 1 it starts out with a terrible loneliness and a frustration, a frustration which is increased by the fact that fragrance of memories are not conjured up at this point. The action of volition, a strong decision, a persistent decision in verse 3 even though there had been some lengthy failure. And then in verse 4 the principle of finding him, the happiness, the satisfaction, and then the action, the announcement of their desire for marriage. This, by the way, is what caused the brothers to send her up to the north country.

Verse 5 — the Shulamite woman makes a declaration once again with regard to the fact that all true love involves volition on the part of both, and especially the woman.

“I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field.” A roe is a gazelle, a hind is a deer, and both of them are used to describe symmetry, grace and beauty; “that ye stir not up, nor awake love, till she [love] pleases.” In other words, there is only one person who can awake her love and that is the right man. The awakening is a burning is something which must be distinguished from libido and biological urges. These five verses indicate the very basis by which Solomon in all of his glory is rejected.

Verses 6-11 is Act 2. Act 1 took us from 1:1 to 3:5 and it is in the north country. Now we have a transitional act, a very short one from verses 6-11. This is to take the entourage of Solomon traveling from the north back down to the south, south being Judah and Jerusalem. In this passage we have the glamour of Solomon, the attractiveness of Solomon. The purpose of this passage is to describe Solomon’s glamour in terms of the time in which he lived. Solomon had enough possessions and enough glamour and enough personal beauty to attract almost any young lady. But all the glamour in the world cannot move the Shulamite woman from her occupation with here shepherd lover.

Verse 6 — a guard on the wall speaks as he sights the entourage of Solomon. He was not only personally handsome but he was very well groomed.

Verse 7 — the first bystander. “Behold his bed.” This is not his bed, this is the sedan chair in which he was being carried once he was in Jerusalem. Apparently he rode a chariot up to the gate. He dismounted from his chariot and then was placed in the sedan chair of state.

Verse 8 — a second bystander speaks. He is interested in military, the equipment of the soldiers; “because of the dear in the night” — in other words, Solomon always had a Good bodyguard. He is hard to approach. If the shepherd lover is going to rescue the Shulamite woman he is going to have a job on his hands.

In verses 9,10 a third bystander is interested in vehicles. He describes the beauty of Solomon’s vehicle. It was a beautiful chariot and it would turn the head of almost any young lady.

Verse 11 — the fourth bystander apparently wants some woman to see how handsome Solomon is. He calls for the woman to come out and see Solomon as he passes by.