The Beautiful Song

The Beautiful Song

When I began this series of sermons under the title *The Beautiful Song*, I wondered whether I could take the love of Solomon and the Shulammite and open it out as the beautiful love of God. But then I thought: if we, who are receiving a one-sided love from God, cannot open this love out, we will never hear the beautiful song Solomon and the Shulammite sing. Once I had stepped into *the Song of Solomon* and opened my heart to their love, I began to hear the beautiful song. The song of love the two of them sing together showed me how great the love of God is, and what a deep and mighty watercourse it is.

As you read these sermons one by one, you will come to see the love of God, and to see how honored you are, receiving that love and rejoicing in it. Believers are people who have been given a particular blessing: by meeting Christ they became children of God. Without that meeting with Jesus we would never have dared to call God our Father, and we would never have received eternal life. Christ paid for our sins and died on the cross, and that is the love of God toward us, who are sinners. He went as far as putting his only Son to death for the sake of loving sinners lower than worms. Hold that costly love in your heart while you look at Solomon’s love, and you will see that you are the Shulammite, the one who is loved.

The Shulammite received Solomon’s love with her whole self, and she loved him and boasted of him. In the same way you too must receive the love of Christ with your whole self and boast of the Lord’s love before the whole world. The Shulammite was a vineyard keeper, and Solomon loved her regardless of that, protected her, and lifted her up. That heart of Solomon’s is the heart of God. He called us while we were sinners, loved us first, protected us from the evil spirits, and lifted us up as the bride of Christ. Now it is our turn to answer that love. The Shulammite danced before Solomon with joy; may you too dance the dance of faith, in thanks for the love of God. That dance will go on forever, and through it the Lord, your bridegroom, will love you all the more.

Turning the pages of *the Song of Solomon* one by one made me truly happy, as though I were watching Solomon and the Shulammite look at each other and laugh. I know how warm the hearts of believers are when they receive the love of God, and that is how I knew how warm the love between the Shulammite and Solomon was; and because I felt that love while I was writing, I think I heard the beautiful song more loudly. I felt the deep love of God through these sermons, and I hope you too will become the Shulammite, enjoy the love of God to the full, and listen to Solomon’s beautiful song.

I have gathered some prayers together and added them as an appendix. As you carry on a conversation of love with God, you too will come to understand the Father’s heart and turn back from the road that was taking you out into the world. While I was praying, I received words of grace and words of rebuke. They were given to me, of course, but I wanted to share them with you, so I have chosen a few to set out here. From them you will see how great a love God has as he looks at believers.

The Shulammite lived for Solomon alone. May you too love God alone, and through a good heart and good choices be loved more and more deeply.

Cho Chun-sook, Pastor of Watercourse Church