“His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.” (Song of Solomon 5:13)
The Shulamite bride is enthralled completely by her beloved husband. Solomon uses descriptive words of her captivation. The sight of his face is as pleasant as the sight of sweet flowers. His words are sweet to her ear. This description grasps the thought of a perfumery. The scents waft out of it to the mall and if just merely passing by halt just a bit to take in the aroma. There is a saying, “Stop and smell the flowers.” This is what happens outside the perfumery. And this is what happens to the Shulamite bride. Everything stops when she sees her husband. She takes in the sweetness of his face and sweetness of his words.
We know that Solomon’s description of the special and amorous relationship of the bride and her husband has been seen prophetically as the relationship of the church and Jesus. The church has been described in the Bible as the bride of Christ. And Jesus as the groom. Jesus even used this description Himself. There was a question of fasting. The disciples of John ask Jesus why His disciples don’t fast. Jesus tells them that the disciples will fast when their groom is no longer with them. “Then came to Him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but Thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.” (Matthew 9:14-15)
We don’t have an inkling what Jesus looks like. There have been paintings representing Him and sculpture and icons made. And with modern technology even reproductions of what is proclaimed to be the likeness of Jesus. We have the description of some Old Testament prophets who had visions of Jesus. He is glorified in heaven and the descriptions are nothing like any painting or even the likeness reproduced by the latest technology. Daniel describes the vision he had of Him. “Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: His body also was like the beryl, and His face as the appearance of lightning, and His eyes as lamps of fire, and His arms and His feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of His words like the voice of a multitude.” (Daniel 10:5-6) He compared His appearance with things he was familiar with. But even then, we cannot imagine the magnificence and glorious sight of Jesus.
John writes a similar description of Him in Revelation. “And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. His head and His hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and His eyes were as a flame of fire; And His feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and His voice as the sound of many waters. And He had in His right hand seven stars: and out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and His countenance was as the sun shineth in His strength.” (Revelation 1:13-16) If I was attempting to paint a likeness or sculpt a likeness of Jesus, I would refer to these Scriptures. But it can’t be painted. It can’t be sculpted. There is nothing on this earth that could truly represent His likeness. We are dumbfounded by these descriptions. We may ask ourselves if we will know Him. And the answer is “Yes we will.”
Because just as the Shulamite bride saw her husband as sweetness of flowers, we see Jesus in the light of Who He is to us. His cheeks stained with the blood running down from the crown of thorns and bruised with the many slaps and punches of the Roman tormentors. It’s not a clean face but smeared with the spittle of those who taunted Him. His face bleeding where His beard was plucked away in places. Isaiah gives us this picture. “I gave My back to the smiters, and My cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not My face from shame and spitting.” (Isaiah 50:6)
His words are not sweetness of myrrh, but powerful and mighty, able to do what they say. They separate the Truth from lies, the temporal from the eternal and the sacred and divine from the profane and irreverent. John described His words as a two-edged sword. (Revelation 1:16) Paul gives us this description of the Word of God, the Bible, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)
But just as the Shulamite bride stopped mesmerized by the sight of her husband, we will stand enraptured by Him as we attend the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. (Revelation 19:7-9)
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