I Give You Freedom (The Whippoorwill Song) [Barf Alert]

[Gamecock]

In the tradition of shallow, insipid, diabetic coma inducing "Christian" music, ladies and gentlemen, from Pensacola Christian College:

The Joy Quartet

[P-Marlowe]

Mathew Henry's Commentary

Song of Solomon -

An Exposition, with Practical Observations, of The Song of Solomon

All scripture, we are sure, is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for the support and advancement of the interests of his kingdom among men, and it is never the less so for there being found in it some things dark and hard to be understood, which those that are unlearned and unstable wrest to their own destruction. In our belief both of the divine extraction and of the spiritual exposition of this book we are confirmed by the ancient, constant, and concurring testimony both of the church of the Jews, to whom were committed the oracles of God, and who never made any doubt of the authority of this book, and of the Christian church, which happily succeeds them in that trust and honour. I. It must be confessed, on the one hand, that if he who barely reads this book be asked, as the eunuch was Understandest thou what thou readest? he will have more reason than he had to say, How can I, except some man shall guide me?

The books of scripture-history and prophecy are very much like one another, but this Song of Solomon's is very much unlike the songs of his father David; here is not the name of God in it; it is never quoted in the New Testament; we find not in it any expressions of natural religion or pious devotion, no, nor is it introduced by vision, or any of the marks of immediate revelation. It seems as hard as any part of scripture to be made a savour of life unto life, nay, and to those who come to the reading of it with carnal minds and corrupt affections, it is in danger of being made a savour of death unto death; it is a flower out of which they extract poison; and therefore the Jewish doctors advised their young people not to read it till they were thirty years old, lest by the abuse of that which is most pure and sacred (horrendum dictu - horrible to say!) the flames of lust should be kindled with fire from heaven, which is intended for the altar only.

But, II. It must be confessed, on the other hand, that with the help of the many faithful guides we have for the understanding of this book it appears to be a very bright and powerful ray of heavenly light, admirable fitted to excite pious and devout affections in holy souls, to draw out their desires towards God, to increase their delight in him, and improve their acquaintance and communion with him. It is an allegory, the letter of which kills those who rest in that and look no further, but the spirit of which gives life, 2Co_3:6; Joh_6:63.

It is a parable, which makes divine things more difficult to those who do not love them, but more plain and pleasant to those who do, Mat_13:14, Mat_13:16. Experienced Christians here find a counterpart of their experiences, and to them it is intelligible, while those neither understand it nor relish it who have no part nor lot in the matter. It is a song, an Epithalamium, or nuptial song, wherein, by the expressions of love between a bridegroom and his bride, are set forth and illustrated the mutual affections that pass between God and a distinguished remnant of mankind. It is a pastoral; the bride and bridegroom, for the more lively representation of humility and innocence, are brought in as a shepherd and his shepherdess.

Now, 1. This song might easily be taken in a spiritual sense by the Jewish church, for whose use it was first composed, and was so taken, as appears by the Chaldee-Paraphrase and the most ancient Jewish expositors. God betrothed the people of Israel to himself; he entered into covenant with them, and it was a marriage-covenant. He had given abundant proofs of his love to them, and required of them that they should love him with all their heart and soul. Idolatry was often spoken of as spiritual adultery, and doting upon idols, to prevent which this song was penned, representing the complacency which God took in Israel and which Israel ought to take in God, and encouraging them to continue faithful to him, though he might seem sometimes to withdraw and hide himself from them, and to wait for the further manifestation of himself in the promised Messiah.

2. It may more easily be taken in a spiritual sense by the Christian church, because the condescensions and communications of divine love appear more rich and free under the gospel than they did under the law, and the communion between heaven and earth more familiar. God sometimes spoke of himself as the husband of the Jewish church (Isa_64:5, Hos_2:16, Hos_2:19), and rejoiced in it as his bride, Isa_62:4, Isa_62:5. But more frequently is Christ represented as the bridegroom of his church (Mat_25:1; Rom_7:4; 2Co_11:2; Eph_5:32), and the church as the bride, the Lamb's wife, Rev_19:7; Rev_21:2, Rev_21:9.

Pursuant to this metaphor Christ and the church in general, Christ and particular believers, are here discoursing with abundance of mutual esteem and endearment. The best key to this book is the 45th Psalm, which we find applied to Christ in the New Testament, and therefore this ought to be so too. It requires some pains to find out what may, probably, be the meaning of the Holy Spirit in the several parts of this book; as David's songs are many of them level to the capacity of the meanest, and there are shallows in them learned, and there are depths in it in which an elephant may swim. But, when the meaning is found out, it will be of admirable use to excite pious and devout affections in us; and the same truths which are plainly laid down in other scriptures when they are extracted out of this come to the soul with a more pleasing power. When we apply ourselves to the study of this book we must not only, with Moses and Joshua, put off our shoe from off our foot, and even forget that we have bodies, because the place where we stand is holy ground, but we must, with John, come up hither, must spread our wings, take a noble flight, and soar upwards, till by faith and holy love we enter into the holiest, for this is no other than the house of God and this is the gate of heaven.

[jude24]

Once again, why do I care what Gill or Henry wrote?

Modern conservative evangelical scholarship has pointed out the cultural blindnesses which have led to that being forced on the text.

I will not put up with a church that does that, and forces me to sing "Jesus is my boyfriend" songs.

I will leave first. I already have.

[P-Marlowe]

Once again, why do I care what Gill or Henry wrote?

How about Spurgeon?

Starting Text	Title
Song of Solomon  1: 13	"A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  1: 16	"Behold, Thou art fair, my Beloved." - Charles Spurgeon
Song Of Solomon  1: 2	Let Him Kiss Me With The Kisses Of His Mouth! - Don Fortner
Song of Solomon  1: 2	"Thy love is better than wine." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  1: 2	"Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  1: 4	"The upright love Thee" - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  1: 4	"We will remember Thy love more than wine." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  1: 4	"We will be glad and rejoice in Thee." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  1: 7	"Tell me . . . where Thou feedest, where Thou makest Thy flock to rest at noon." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  1: 7	"Thou whom my soul loveth." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  2: 1	"I am the rose of Sharon." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  2: 10	"Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  2: 12	"The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  2: 15	"Take us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  2: 16-17	"My Beloved is mine, and I am His: He feedeth among the lilies. Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my Beloved, and be Thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  2: 3	"His fruit was sweet to my taste." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  2: 8	"My beloved." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  3: 1	"I sought him, but I found him not." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  3: 4	"I found Him whom my soul loveth: I held Him, and would not let Him go." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  4: 12	"My sister, my spouse." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  4: 12	"A spring shut up, a fountain sealed." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  4: 16	"Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  4: 7	"There is no spot in thee." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  4: 7	"Thou art all fair, my love." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  5: 1	"I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  5: 11	"His head is as the most fine gold, His locks are bushy, and black as a raven." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  5: 13	"His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  5: 16	"Yea, He is altogether lovely." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  5: 2	"I sleep, but my heart waketh." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  5: 4	"My Beloved put in His hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for Him." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  5: 6	"I called Him, but He gave me no answer." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  5: 8	"I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  7: 11-12	"Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field . . . let us see if the vine flourish." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  7: 13	"Pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  8: 13	"Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to Thy voice: cause me to hear it." - Charles Spurgeon
Song of Solomon  8: 6	"Love is strong as death." - Charles Spurgeon

[P-Marlowe]

Once again, why do I care what Gill or Henry wrote?

How about Jonathan Edwards?

Christ and his church rejoice in each other’s beauty. The church rejoices in Christ’s divine beauty and glory. She, as it were, sweetly solaces herself in the light of the glory of the Sun of righteousness; and the saints say one to another, as in Isa. ii. 5. “Oh house of Jacob, come ye, let us walk in the light of the Lord.” The perfections and virtues of Christ are as a perfumed ointment to the church, that make his very name to be to her as ointment poured forth; Cant. i. 3. “Because of the savour of they good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.” And Christ delights and rejoices in the beauty of the church, the beauty which he hath put upon her: her Christian graces are ointments of great price in his sight, 1 Peter iii. 4. And he is spoken of as greatly desiring her beauty, Psalms xlv. 11. Yea, he himself speaks of his heart as ravished with her beauty, Cant. iv. 9. “Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister, my spouse; thou has ravished my heart with one of mine eyes, with one chain of thy neck.”

22Christ and his church, as the bridegroom and bride, rejoice in each other’s love. Wine is spoken of, Psalms civ. 15. as that which maketh glad man’s heart: but the church of Christ is spoken of as rejoicing in the love of Christ, as that which is more pleasant and refreshing than wine, Cant. i. 4. “The king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine.” So on the other hand, Christ speaks of the church’s love as far better to him than wine, Cant. iv. 10. “How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse! How much better is thy love than wine!”

Christ and his church rejoice in communion with each other, as in being united in their happiness, and having fellowship and a joint participation in each other’s good: as the bridegroom and bride rejoice together at the wedding-feast, and as thenceforward they are joint partakers of each other’s comforts and joys: Rev. iii. 20 “If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me.” The church has fellowship with Christ in his own happiness, and his divine entertainments; his joy is fulfilled in her, John xv. 11. and xvii. 13. She sees light in his light; and she is made to drink at the river of his own pleasures, Psalms xxxiv. 8, 9. And Christ brings her to eat and drink at his own table, to take her fill of his own entertainments; Cant. v. 1. “Eat, oh friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, oh beloved.” And he, on the other hand, has fellowship with her; he feasts with her; her joys are his; and he rejoices in that entertainment that she provides for him. So Christ is said to feed among the lilies, Cant. ii. 16. and vii. 13. she speaks of all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which she had laid up, and says to him, in verse iv. 16, “Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits,” and he makes answer in the next verse, “I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice, I have eaten my honey-comb with my honey, I have drunk my wine with my milk.”

And lastly, Christ and his church, as the bridegroom and bride, rejoice in conversing with each other. The words of Christ by which he converses with his church, are most sweet to her; and therefore she says of him, Cant. v. 6. “His mouth is most sweet.” And on the other hand, he says of her, verse 2:14., “Let me hear thy voice: for sweet is thy voice.” And verse iv. 11., “Thy lips, oh my spouse, drop as the honey-comb: honey and milk are under thy tongue.”

Christ rejoices over his saints as the bridegroom over the bride at all times: but there are some seasons wherein he doth so more especially. Such a season is the time of the soul’s conversion; when the good shepherd finds his lost sheep, then he brings it home rejoicing, and calls together his friends and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me. The day of a sinner’s conversion is the day of Christ’s espousals; and so is eminently the day of his rejoicing; Sol. Song iii. 11. “Go forth, oh ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.” And it is oftentimes remarkably the day of the saints’ rejoicing in Christ; for then God turns again the captivity of his elect people, and, as it were, fills their mouth with laughter, and their tongue with singing; as in Psa. cxxvi. at the beginning. We read of the jailer, that when he was converted, “he rejoiced, believing in God, with all his house,” Acts xvi. 34.—There are other seasons of special communion of the saints with Christ, wherein Christ doth in a special manner rejoice over his saints, and as their bridegroom brings them into his chambers, that they also may be glad and rejoice in him, Cant. i. 4.

Works of Jonathan Edwards, Volume Two (iii.ii) — Edwards, Jonathan (1703-1758)

[P-Marlowe]

Hymn 57

John Newton

8,6,8,6

The name of Jesus.Song of Solomon 1:3

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds

In a believer’s ear?

It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,

And drives away his fear.

It makes the wounded spirit whole,

And calms the troubled breast;

’Tis Manna to the hungry soul,

And to the weary rest.

Dear name! the rock on which I build,

My shield and hiding place;

My never–failing treas’ry filled

With boundless stores of grace.

By thee my prayers acceptance gain,

Although with sin defiled,73

Satan accuses me in vain,

And I am owned a child.

Jesus! my Shepherd, Husband, Friend,

My Prophet, Priest, and King;

My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,

Accept the praise I bring.

Weak is the effort of my heart,

And cold my warmest thought;

But when I see thee as thou art,

I’ll praise thee as I ought.

’Till then I would thy love proclaim

With every fleeting breath,

And may the music of thy name

Refresh my soul in death.

[Gamecock]

***Are you saved, Gamecock? How do you know?***

Saved from what?

***does not reduce us all to mindless automatons.***

Nor does God’s election.

[P-Marlowe]

WHO IS THIS FAIR ONE IN DISTRESS?

“Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?” Song of Solomon 8:5

---

Isaac Watts (1674-1748)

Words:Isaac Watts, Hymns and Spir­it­u­al Songs, 1707.

Music: Sho­el, in A Com­pil­a­tion of Gen­u­ine Church Music, by Joseph Funk (Win­ches­ter, Vir­gin­ia: J. W. Holl­is, 1832) (MI­DI, score).

Who is this fair one in distress,
That travels from the wilderness?
And pressed with sorrows and with sins,
On her belovèd Lord she leans.

This is the spouse of Christ our God,
Bought with the treasure of His blood;
And her request and her complaint
Is but the voice of every saint.

“O let my name engraven stand
Both on Thy heart and on Thy hand;
Seal me upon Thine arm, and wear
That pledge of love for ever there.

“Stronger than death Thy love is known,
Which floods of wrath could never drown;
And hell and earth in vain combine
To quench a fire so much divine.

“But I am jealous of my heart,
Lest it should once from Thee depart;
Then let Thy Name be well impressed,
As a fair signet on my breast.

“Till Thou hast brought me to Thy home,
Where fears and doubts can never come,
Thy countenance let me often see,
And often Thou shalt hear from me.

“Come, my Belovèd, haste away,
Cut short the hours of Thy delay;
Fly like a youthful hart or roe
Over the hills where spices grow.”

[Gamecock]

One of the great hymns of Christendom, unlike the The Whippoorwill Song.

(BTW, Newton was a Calvinist)

[P-Marlowe]

One of the great hymns of Christendom, unlike the The Whippoorwill Song.

Agreed. But the argument at this point is not the worship of freedom of will (as proclaimed in the Whippoorwill song), but in the meaning and inspiration of the Song of Solomon (and other Love Songs to Jesus).

(BTW, Newton was a Calvinist)

So was Edwards and Spurgeon and Watts.

[jude24]

in the meaning and inspiration of the Song of Solomon (and other Love Songs to Jesus).

Show me some Biblical authority verifying that interpretation.

[Gamecock]

***So was Edwards and Spurgeon and Watts. ***

And they still are. And one day you will be one too! ;-)

[Gamecock]

Luke 24:27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

All the scriptures?

[jude24]

That verse doesn't mean every verse refers to Christ. It is the typical Lucan exaggeration ("All Jerusalem"). The time wouldn't permit Christ to explicate every verse in the Old Testament during a walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus.

What Luke is saying is that both Torah and Prophets predicted Christ. He's not claiming every chapter or every book did.

[P-Marlowe]

And they still are. And one day you will be one too! ;-)

I suspect that I am much more of a Calvinist than many of the people on your list.

[Gamecock]

***That verse doesn’t mean every verse refers to Christ.***

Correct.

So which parts of said book are about Christ and which are not?

[jude24]

So which parts of said book are about Christ and which are not?

None.

[xzins]

(BTW, Newton was a Calvinist)

Ohhh.............fig!

[Gamecock]

;-)

[xzins]

Which parts of the book are about Christ?

There are scripturally based allegories and there are devotionally based allegories.

The first are directly stated in scripture. The 2nd are realized because of associations Christians can make with text, language, symbology, etc.

Sunrise and Sonrise are examples of devotionally based allegories. Another is “Easter” which is the direction in with the Sun rises (SonRise.)

A scripturally based allegory is the potter and the clay.

I do not recall a scriptural recognition that the Song of Solomon refers to the bride of Christ...but I am open to correction. I can see how it can be a legitimate devotional parallel.

[Seven_0]

I do not recall a scriptural recognition that the Song of Solomon refers to the bride of Christ...but I am open to correction. I can see how it can be a legitimate devotional parallel.

John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

I am inclined to think that "Song of Solomon" testifies of Christ, unless you can give scripture that shows otherwise.