Is God A Good Kisser?

I am aware that the very question will offend some people. But according to the main character of the Song of Songs, God is indeed a good kisser! She says:

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine. (Song of Solomon 1:2KJV)

Of course she was speaking of King Solomon's romantic prowess; but long ago both Jewish and Christian scholars alike came to understand that the Song of Songs is much more than a mere love poem. It is a deeply spiritual and prophetic allegory in which the passionate affections of Messiah for His bride are revealed. Viewed through this lens, the Song displays a side of God's love not often considered - His romantic side!

As an allegory, Jesus Christ is represented in the character of King Solomon. His love interest, called the “Shulamite,” represents the spiritual Bride of Christ. With this in mind, it stands to reason that the “kisses” of Solomon represent the spiritual affections of Jesus which belong to those brave souls who dare to desire them for their own. Sadly, I’m afraid, the vast majority of Christendom knows little or nothing of this "kissy-feely" side of God and in fact often rejects it. But I've discovered that it is true!

Our Song
Most couples in love can identify with a certain love song. When they hear it played it instantly evokes their feelings of love for each other. It becomes “their song.” I believe that is exactly what the Song of Songs is meant to be to every believer. When read and contemplated, it can evoke deep emotional longings in our heart for God. Unfortunately, however, the Song has long been neglected by much of the church because it seems oddly out of place in the Bible. With its sizzling (albeit metaphoric) depictions of Solomon and his bride’s lovemaking, it does seem a bit difficult to understand what God had in mind when He tucked the little book of eight chapters in among the other Scriptures. In fact, the book was almost excluded from the Jewish canon of Scripture precisely because of its blushingly erotic tenor.

Today, a renewed interest in the Song of Songs is presently sweeping through the Church. As one would expect, while many are re-discovering the forgotten romantic side of God within its verses, there are others who are aghast that believers would even dare to think of Christ as a passionate lover. But it begs the question - if the Bible presents Jesus as our Bridegroom, should we not be willing to accept Him in that role? And what bridegroom and bride do not seek to delight themselves with passionate kisses? Indeed, a bridegroom who possessed no interest in consummating his love with his bride would be deemed dysfunctional would he not? I think our discomfort with the idea of a "romantic Jesus" really reveals our own dysfunction with issues of intimacy.

The Far Distance
When I was a young boy, I was riding my bicycle in front of the house where I lived one evening. The sun had breathed its last and my friends had all made their way home one-by-one in answer to their mother's call to end their play. Once left alone, I laid my bike on its side and stretched myself across the cool, green grass. With my hands clasped behind my head, I gazed up into a cloudless night sky and experienced my first encounter with God. The Hebrew word olam means "in the far distance." This word is often used to describe the concept of eternity or to express the grandeur of the universe. It is meant to convey to man a sense of Divine awe, mystery, and one's connectedness to it all. Looking back, I realize now that what I felt that starry night was my first brush with the mystery and romance of God. It was my first "olam moment" when the "far distance" that separated me from God came very close. I felt inexplicably drawn somewhere and to Someone. I wanted to run as hard and as fast as I could into the arms of the Mystery who was standing behind the night sky of His Creation. But as suddenly as my "olam moment" appeared it slipped away again as my own mother's voice called me inside.

Fast Forward
Almost five decades later I found myself at a crossroad. Being in the ministry for almost half of my life had left me spiritually fragile and dangerously brittle. I needed a break and so I removed myself from preaching and teaching for a full year in order to seek the Lord for a renewal of my soul. It was during that time that I experienced another "olam moment." This time it came as I began to read the Song of Songs. As I read each verse, the sense of mystery I had felt that night so long ago came within my reach. The unknowable was making Himself known. This was the call to divine romance my heart had always yearned for. And this time I knew to Whom I needed to run. I think all of us have our own "olam moments" throughout our lives. These are moments when God draws unexpectedly and intimately close and beckons us to run away with Him. In the Song, the bridegroom comes to his bride and entices her with these words:

My lover spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves." (Song of Songs 2:10-12 NIV)

Nothing speaks romance like the cooing of doves! In the same way God called Abram to leave everything and everyone he knew in order to find his destiny in God, there is a season in our own journey with God when He comes to each one of us and calls us away from the safety of what is known to run away with Him. The word "arise" is a unique Hebrew word. It is the word quwm
and it was the specific word used by the High Priest when he commanded the Levites to take the Ark upon their shoulders to move it along their journey. The word was also used as a supplication for the Lord to return to the Ark as His place of rest. In Psalm 132:8 we read the command:

Arise (quwm), O LORD, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength.

The Ark of the Covenant is a type of the Bride of Jesus. She is the place where the weight of His glory rests. The word for glory in Hebrew is kabod and it means “to feel the weight.” A wife can know her husband’s presence in many ways, but only when they make love does she feel the “weight” of his presence upon her. It is not widely known, but Jews around the world incorporate lovemaking into their celebration of the Sabbath because lovemaking is considered the ultimate expression of God’s rest. When Solomon spoke to his bride, he was beckoning her to come and become his place of intimate rest. The same invitation is ours today if we will arise and answer the call of this Divine romance.

The Theology of Romance
C. S. Lewis wrote: "A romantic theologian does not mean one who is romantic about theology, but one who is "theological about romance." Today, Christian believers all over the world are awakening to a "theology of romance." It is no longer enough to dutifully "believe in beliefs." The passionless, emotionless, orderly type of Christianity the world has witnessed in the past is being replaced by the Gospel set on fire with the untamed flame of divine romance! Believers around the world are coming alive to the revelation that God not only loves them - He is IN love with them! Men and women alike are discovering their identity beyond being merely a "sinner saved by grace." They are arising to the realization that they are God's beloved - His chosen Bride.

Amongst the seemingly dry theology of the Bible from beginning to end lies a consistent theme of burning passion and breathtaking romance! God is not only a God of compassion. He is also a God of passion. In addition to the Song of Songs, the love stories of Isaac and Rebecca, Ruth and Boaz, Esther and the King are but a few of the stories brimming with romance which serve to reveal the deepest longings of God's own heart to possess a Bride. We should remember that mankind's story does not begin with Adam's fall from grace. That part of the narrative is preceded by a happier story - the story of a wedding. In fact it was the first "garden wedding" and it took place in Eden. The Father formed a beautiful bride for His son, Adam. The final book of the Bible portrays a similar event called the Marriage of the Lamb. All of human history will reach a breathtaking climactic moment when the Father will present His Son, Jesus with His own beautiful Bride. Yes, the world began with romance and it will end with romance!

A Generation of Lovers
I believe that from among our generation God is calling for His Bride to "arise" and run away with Him. We have entered into that special period of time the Song calls the "season of the cooing of the doves" in which God's romantic nature is finally being revealed in all it's glorious passion just when we need it the most. As the deep spiritual darkness spoken of by the prophet Isaiah (60:2) threatens to overshadow our world from every direction, the most blazing demonstration of God's love is beginning to burst onto the scene. The Song calls this final revelation of God's love the "most vehement flame" (Song 8:6.) Indeed, God has saved the best for last!