Holding Captive

Song of Solomon 7:5-8

Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, and the hair of thine head like purple; the king is held in the galleries.

Now I know some of you will say, 'it sounds rather like a hostage situation.' But it really does not. I must point out some choice differences between the text. If you remember before, the king was held by her beauty admiring even from afar. For so Solomon admired the beauty of his little Song. It is a good thing indeed for the husband to love his wife after this fashion. See, Solomon here still leads the text as he had before. He tells everyone who will listen all about this fair and beautiful woman. Her hair is like purple because of her richness and her close relationship with him. See, in that day purple was a color related to royalty. It came from ancient Phoenicia even across the high seas. They had learned the art of making certain dyes and of trading. Solomon had visitors coming in from all places and certainly would have favored such a deal. Indeed Proverbs 31:18, 22 speaks of the coverings of purple made from such a lady's trading deals. Here is a beautiful businesswoman who also has been well-seasoned with much wisdom upon her.

But if you look closer, the king has indeed been held within the galleries much against his will. There are two sides to this story we have heard. Even now at Carmel, Solomon speaks of how his little Song was beaten. Some of you might remember what Mount Carmel was in 1 Kings 18, even the mountain of testing. Once it was the place of a fierce standoff with Ahab, Jezebel, and the prophets of Baal. There also had God been put to the test with fire coming down from Heaven upon the altar, the salvation of the prophets' lives, and his provision for them in the face of great wickedness. The little Song's head "is like Carmel" because she has been through some things; she has seen much. She too faced a similar test of God keeping her alive, providing for her, and proving himself during this time. Some of you have been through some things. You might even be able to understand and appreciate the situation. Some of you would not even be here but for God. Some of you would have nothing but for God. Some of you would not even be redeemed but for God. Somebody give the Spirit his best praise. For this cause is the little Song's hair also purple upon her. It is even from the blood dried upon her head in the light of the fading sun. Her Solomon could not help for he himself was being held within the galleries. After the situation was over, she has a different head because of all that God has done. Today we talk about how we wear purple for the survivors of domestic violence. Here the Song also wore purple upon her head in her day as a testimony of the goodness of God and a witness to man.

How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!

Despite all that had happened, here we see the little Song as very fair indeed. Some of you might be wondering if a magic mirror will also tell you how fair you as it did for the evil queen of Snow White's tale. Unlike the daughters of Jerusalem, who had enough space for their ugly to come crawling out, the Song is all fair. So, she is also pleasant. In fact, Solomon says he could sit down under her as under a tree. There he would enjoy both her Song and her shade. I know some of you might be wondering at this sudden change. Remember before, the Song lived within the confines of the rock and the secret place of the stairs. So also, her Solomon had flown from the daughters to the secret place of the garden to find rest in the trees by the river. Rather than doing what some of you would have, the Song has handled the situation with much fairness and pleasantry. Even as she spake and acted, so also was she. We have spoken before of the oil of anointing which ran from Aaron's beard in Psalm 133:2. But have you not seen the unity of the brethren which makes up this oil. Some of you do not yet know of this beauty. You only know of the hair salon, nail parlor, and the company of some rather loose ladies. For Solomon, he could have had a thousand of these any time he chose. Yet, for him there was only one Song he chose to sing, even that of his love. It is for this inner pretty that he admires her. In her shadow he sits and finds peace. As a woman it is good to have a man like this. One such as Solomon who sits in peace, safety, and spiritual wisdom is good indeed. Here I find I must agree with the Lord of Genesis 2:18; it is not good for man to be alone. For as she has been taken from him, so is she of him. Sometimes the best witness to the character of a man is his woman. In this we also see the goodness and character of God displayed.

This thy stature is like to a palm tree, and thy breasts to clusters of grapes.

How the little Song indeed has grown from a bird hiding in the rock to planted beside Solomon as a righteous woman. Her spirit creature of the dove has indeed grown into a tree. So was the tree of the Song planted by the still waters of Psalm 1:3. You might not have noticed how silently God is working in between the drama with her husband and with the daughters of Jerusalem. But rest assured, God was indeed at work to bring the little Song at last to a place of rest; it is a place beside her Solomon. I know some of you might want to ask the therapist which of the two moved: Solomon or his Song. The answer is neither; God is moving in the situation. How many of you know this; when he is done it will be a situation no more for, he is in the midst as Matthew 18:20 states. She is no little Song no more, for now even as the palm tree, she is all grown up. It is not for no reason that Solomon chooses this sort of tree from which to speak. Nor do I believe he did it out of spite. Being human, you might be tempted to feel that way at first. Especially when you consider the fact that these are hard to climb, have little shade, grow in tropical places, and sometimes spit coconuts from above.

Nor is Solomon speaking of her as his favorite tropical get-a-way stocked with coconut and plenty of rum. Well, maybe a little. He compares her to a palm tree because of where she has come. Even from the far away land of Egypt long ago was she. More recently she has come away from the valley of nuts as one seeking her Solomon. How fitting then to have a coconut tree growing up in God's house between the vineyards her family made her tend. There seems to be some connection here between the coconut and the wine. See, had it not been for God's mercies even they might have been consumed as in Lamentations 3:22-23. His tender "compassions fail not" as in another place. Thus, we see the breasts are even as the long-suffering of God. Here is tender nourishment even for the foxes which like to nip and play. So also, there is wine for the people's drink not yet ripe and not yet mixed as in the Lord's hands of Psalm 75:8. Here the vine grows alongside the coconut waiting for the day of the Lord. How he will yet use it remains to be seen.

I said, I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of the boughs thereof: now also thy breasts shall be as clusters of the vine, and the smell of thy nose like apples;

Herein we see Solomon and his Song moving ever so closer together. He sat under her shade for a little while seeing also it was pleasant. It seems he has some Genesis 3:6 criteria for so she sheltered and fed him. Now even as a bird from his spirit to hers, he longs for intimacy with her. See, intimacy is simply more than shimmying up the trunk like two bodies that sometimes go thump in the night. How many of you know those living like two ships in the uncharted waters of the night. Even Solomon with all his wisdom knows that such a situation would be silly indeed. Nor should each be so lofty to be rendered unreachable by the other. Then would the Song be looking down her nose as if from a great height on her Solomon. How many of you know those who try to lure their spouses this way. I have met none that successfully did so, that is for sure. Still others read this verse and come as if to snatch their lover by their very hair. There is deep love and tenderness to be seen for the Song in this text. Solomon says he will fly up her as her spirit bird which knows her. Even if the branches of the palm are high, so will he grasp them. Nor does he break them as do some which seek to damage much. He holds even her boughs as would her spirit dove. When he does so, he finds the view from this height to be changed. He looks down her trunk to see the clusters of the vine upon her breasts and even the smell of apples among her branches. My, this is such a sweet Song. She could feed the nations' as it were from her and rule the people's justly with her Solomon as promised in Revelation 2:27. But look, how many of you know that these two are in the presence of the tender, nourishing God. He has caused them to grow and to prosper; now they have come into their own season, even one of plenty as Ecclesiastes 3:1 promises. My, God is good indeed.