SECOND INQUIRY BY THE
DAUGHTERS OF JERUSALEM
Chapter 6. Song of Solomon 6:1
Whither is thy beloved gone,
O thou fairest among women?
Whither is thy beloved turned aside?
That we may seek him with thee
Result of Shulamite’s description of her beloved on the women of the city. Their sympathy excited, and a desire awakened partly to aid her in her search, and partly to see so beautiful and excellent a person for themselves. Shulamite supposed to know something of her beloved’s haunts. Observe—
1. The faithful and loving tetimony for Christ not always unsuccessful. Often made the means of awakening in others the desire to seek Him and become acquainted with Him. ‘Encouragement to be ready to commend a precious Christ.’ Good for preachers and ministers to dwell on the beauty, excellence, and preciousness of the Saviour.
2. Earnest and loving seekers of a known Christ likely instruments in awakening the interest of others in regard to Him. A holy zeal for Christ the natural means of provoking many (2 Corinthians 9:2). Preachers, to be of use in winning others to Christ, must be in earnest about Him themselves, and be able to commend Him both as the Friend of sinners and their own.
3. One end of Christ’s dealings with His people, that they may be the means of leading others to the knowledge and possession of Him. The troubles and afflictions of believers, spiritual as well as physical, often designed for the good of others as well as their own.
4. Every exhibition of Christ’s preciousness and excellence to excite the desire to become personally acquainted with Him, and possess Him for ourselves. Description not to satisfy. ‘Come and see.’ Testimony to issue in personal knowledge. ‘Now we believe, not because of thy saying; for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world’ (John 4:42).
5. Earnest seekers of Christ, bearing faithful testimony of Him to others, not likely to be alone in seeking Him. ‘With Thee.’ Thorough earnestness sympathetic. Hence Zechariah 8:20-21. Apparent in extensive revivals of religion. The nature of enthusiasm, like fire, to extend itself. One heart kindled by the warmth of another.
6. Christ most likely to be found when sought in connection with the Bride—His living people. Good to seek Him alone; still better to seek Him with others who are able to help us.
7. ‘With Thee,’ an indication of the mystical and spiritual nature of the Song; otherwise an unacceptable compliment to the Bride.—Henry. Christ’s true lovers and possessors, desire to see their number multiplied as much as possible. Joy in the possession of Christ by one, not diminished but increased, by the possession of Him by another. The Spouse of Christ one body, consisting of a multitude of individuals.
8. Earnestness required in seeking Christ. The earnestness of the ‘daughters’ seen in their repeated inquiry: ‘Whither is thy beloved gone?’ &c.
9. Knowledge of Christ and His ways to be sought with a view to seeking and professing Him. The inquiry of the women made with a practical object: ‘That we may seek Him with thee.’ An unpractical and uninfluential knowledge of Christ of little value. A knowledge of Christ merely ‘after the flesh’ to be renounced (2 Corinthians 5:16).
10. Believers expected to know where Christ is to be found, and to be better acquainted with His ways than other people, to as to be able to guide them in their search after Him.
11. In regard to believers, Christ’s absence only a temporary ‘turning aside,’ not a final departure. ‘In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment’ (Isaiah 54:7-8). The covenant made with believers an everlasting covenant. ‘I will betroth thee unto me for ever’ (Hosea 2:19). ‘The Lord will not cast off His people’ (Psalms 94:14; 1 Samuel 12:22).
12. A soul never fairer than when earnestly seeking Christ. The earnestly seeking spouse addressed four times as the ‘fairest among women.’
The inquiring ‘daughters of Jerusalem! represented historically by the Greeks at the Feast, Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, the women that followed Christ to the cross and observed the place of His interment, and by the inquirers on and after Pentecost—‘devout men dwelling at Jerusalem, out of every nation under heaven’ (Acts 2:5; Acts 2:14).