Christ in Song of Songs 5:9–6:10: There Is No King Like My King

My love is fit and strong,
notable among ten thousand.

His head is purest gold.
His hair is wavy
and black as a raven.

(Song of Songs 5:10–11, HCSB)

“[A]mong the lampstands was One like the Son of Man, dressed in a long robe and with a gold sash wrapped around His chest. His head and hair were white like wool —white as snow —and His eyes like a fiery flame. His feet were like fine bronze as it is fired in a furnace, and His voice like the sound of cascading waters. He had seven stars in His right hand; a sharp double-edged sword came from His mouth, and His face was shining like the sun at midday.”

(Revelation 1:13–16, HCSB)

The vision our bride has of her husband (5:10–16) is almost apocalyptic. It draws us to consider another vision in the last book of the Bible, the Revelation. There in 1:13–16 we see a vision of “One like the Son of Man,” our Great Shepherd-King, the Lord Jesus. Schwab notes we have here in our Song “an almost theophonic picture similar to Revelation 1:13–16. The young man is larger than life” (410). I think he is exactly right. The young man is larger than life because he points us to Christ! Comparing Song of Songs 5:10–16 to Revelation 1:13–16, we see a magnificent description of Christ’s head and hair (1:14), his eyes (1:14), his face (1:16), and his mouth (1:16). He is majestic and awesome, much like our Bridegroom in the Song of Songs, but so much more. Interestingly, one can count ten features of the one being described both in Song of Songs 5:10–16 and Revelation 1:13–16. There is no King like this King. He is larger than life and other-worldly. Israel must have wondered, “I know the song is poetry, but will there ever be such a man, such a King, on this earth? The good news of the gospel is yes! His name is Jesus!

And, what about the Bride? Oh how this King loves His bride. She is unique, his special possession. His praise for her is unparalleled. Why? Because he sees her as he has made her, He has imparted his life to her. He has given his heart to her and received hers in return. She is “my perfect one, the only one” (ESV, 6:9). He has sacrificed for her and sanctified her. He has been sensitive to her and he is satisfying to her. This is the love that this man has for his wife. This is the love that Christ has for his Bride. Ephesians 5:25–33 runs through this Song, but it is especially evident here.

In our Song, the Garden of Eden has been regained, but it anticipates even more. We wait for a King like no other. We long to be a Bride loved like no other. For those who know Christ, what we long for has already arrived (Rom 5:10–11).