Christ In Song Of Solomon
Christ in Song of Solomon
Bro Yeow Chin Kiong | 11 October 2026 | Song of Solomon 6:3
"I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine." — Song of Solomon 6:3 (NKJV)
The Song of Songs
The book of Song of Solomon — also beautifully titled "The Song of Songs" — is one of the shortest books in the Old Testament, just eight chapters long. And it stands as one of the three books of the Bible attributed to Solomon, alongside Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. (By comparison, David wrote only a part of the Psalms — many of them, but not the whole book.)
Why do we have such a book from Solomon? Remember what Solomon asked of God when God invited him to make any request he wished — he asked for wisdom. And wisdom was given to him in a measure renowned throughout all the earth. Alongside that wisdom, Solomon had something else: time. He did not go to war the way his father David did. He had time for romance, for reflection, for marriage — and he gave himself to all of these abundantly throughout his life.
Out of that life came this short, remarkable book. Summarised simply, Song of Solomon is about a woman expressing her emotions — either toward King Solomon himself, toward her lover, or set within a love triangle (scholars have debated the setting for centuries). The woman is called the Shulamite — a name that may refer to a specific land area in Issachar, or possibly to Jerusalem itself, the city from which Solomon ruled.
The Love Language of Another Age
The language of this book can sound strange to a modern reader. The lovers praise each other with comparisons that would make us smile today — "your teeth are like a flock of shepherd sheep," "your nose is like a tower of Lebanon," "your hair is like royal tapestry." But in the setting of Solomon's day, these were tender compliments — poetic ways of saying you are strong, you are regal, you are beautiful, you are beloved.
The infographic below helps us appreciate how deeply affectionate the poetry really is when we understand the cultural setting:
"Awkward Compliments" — a visual map of the lovers' tender words in Song of Songs, with each metaphor tied to its chapter and verse.
Source: The NIV Quickview Bible · www.thequickviewbible.com
How Do We Find Christ in This Book?
This is the question that stops many readers. Jesus is never named in Song of Solomon. How then do we find Him here?
Begin with how Jesus is identified in the New Testament. Our Lord is called:
The Son of God
The Son of Man
Rabbi — the great Teacher
But there is yet another title the New Testament gives Him — one that unlocks this entire book:
Jesus is called the Bridegroom. And both Jesus Himself and the writers of the epistles acknowledge Him by this title in many places in the Bible.
Jesus Himself Spoke of a Bridegroom
Consider the places Jesus openly identified Himself as the Bridegroom.
When John's disciples came asking why Jesus' disciples did not fast, Jesus answered:
"Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast." (Matthew 9:15)
And in His own parable of the ten virgins, Jesus pictured Himself returning as the Bridegroom coming for His bride:
"At midnight a cry was heard: 'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'… And those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut." (Matthew 25:6, 10)
And John the Baptist, when his own disciples became concerned about Jesus' rising popularity, pointed them away from himself and said:
"He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled." (John 3:29)
Who, Then, Is the Bride?
If Jesus is the Bridegroom — who is His bride?
The bride is the church.
Look at how the apostle Paul tenderly draws this out:
"For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ." (2 Corinthians 11:2)
And in the most well-known passage on this theme — Ephesians 5 — Paul teaches husbands how to love their wives by holding up before them the love of Christ for the church:
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5:25–27)
And in the closing visions of Revelation, the picture reaches its glorious climax:
"Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, 'Write: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!'" (Revelation 19:7–9)
"Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." (Revelation 21:2)
The Love That Song of Solomon Pictures
When we open Song of Solomon with these New Testament eyes, we begin to see what we could not see before. The passionate language of a bride for her beloved — "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine" (Song of Solomon 6:3) — becomes a picture of the love between Christ and His church. The devotion of the Shulamite becomes a shadow of the devotion the church is called to have for her Lord. And the delight of the bridegroom in his bride foreshadows the delight Christ has in those who have been purchased by His own blood.
Christ loves His church with a love so great He gave His life for her. And the church, in return, is called to love Him with a devotion that leaves nothing held back.
The Whole Book at a Glance
To see how the book moves from beginning to end, consider this overview — four movements that trace the whole arc of love from first attraction to deepening devotion:
Source: Rob O'Lynn, "Preaching on the Song of Solomon." Christianity Today — www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/content/preaching-on-song-of-solomon/
Original diagram: © Pastor Steve Walker, 2018
Notice the shape of the whole book — Falling in Love → United in Love → Struggling in Love → Deepening in Love. And the anchor verse of the whole book is Song of Solomon 8:6:
"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death, jealousy as cruel as the grave; its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame." (Song of Solomon 8:6)
That is the love Christ has for His church.
Take This Home
When you read the Song of Solomon this week, read it not merely as an ancient love song. Read it as a window into the greatest love story ever told — the love of the Bridegroom who came down from heaven to lay down His life for His bride, and the bride He is preparing to present to Himself without spot or wrinkle on the day of His appearing.
If you belong to Christ, you belong to the Bridegroom who loved you first, who gave Himself for you, and who is coming again for you.
I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine. May every one of us be able to say that with our whole heart.
