Commentary - Song of Songs 4:16

Bird's-eye view

This single verse is the pivot upon which the entire chapter, and perhaps the whole book, turns. The Bridegroom has just concluded an extended, lavish description of His bride, comparing her to a locked garden, a sealed spring, full of exotic and fruitful plants. His praise is overwhelming. And here, in verse 16, we have her response. It is not a response of demure silence or bashful agreement. It is an active, prayerful, and passionate invitation. She takes His description of her as a garden and makes it the basis of her prayer. She calls upon the winds, representing the work of the Holy Spirit or divine providence, to come and work upon her so that her garden might produce a pleasing fragrance. The ultimate purpose of this preparation is so that her Beloved might come and enjoy the fruits of His own garden. This is a glorious picture of the Church, having heard the praise of her Savior, responding with a heartfelt desire for the Holy Spirit to sanctify her, making her a pleasing offering for Christ's enjoyment and delight.

In short, this verse is the bride's "Amen" to the groom's praise and her "Come" to his presence. It is a model of how the believer, and the Church corporately, ought to respond to the grace and love of Jesus Christ. We do not make ourselves a garden; He does. But once He has planted us, we are to actively pray for the Spirit to work in us, through all circumstances, so that we might be a delight to our King.

Outline

Context In Song of Songs

Chapter 4 opens with the Bridegroom, Solomon, speaking. From verse 1 to verse 15, he pours out a torrent of poetic praise upon his bride, the Shulamite. He praises her beauty from head to toe, and then, in a masterful shift of metaphor, he describes her inner character and chastity as "a garden locked up... a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain" (v. 12). He then inventories the contents of this garden, listing pomegranates, henna, spikenard, saffron, calamus, cinnamon, frankincense, myrrh, and aloes. He declares her to be a source of life, "a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters" (v. 15). After this breathtaking declaration of who she is in his eyes, there is a profound silence. How will she respond to such love? Verse 16 is her response. It is the first time she speaks in the chapter. Her words are not directed back to him initially, but are a prayerful cry, an invocation. This then flows directly into the Bridegroom's response in the next verse (5:1), where he joyfully accepts her invitation. This verse, therefore, is the crucial link between the groom's praise and the consummation of their love.

Key Issues

The Winds of the Spirit

It is no accident that the bride calls upon the wind. Throughout Scripture, wind is a primary metaphor for the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself tells Nicodemus, "The wind blows where it wishes... So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit descended with the sound of a "mighty rushing wind" (Acts 2:2). The bride understands that for the spices in her garden to release their fragrance, something must act upon them. The plants do not exude their scent in a vacuum. They need to be stirred, agitated, and moved upon. This is a profound theological insight.

She calls for both the north and south winds. The north wind in Palestine was often a cold, harsh, and sharp wind, bringing wintery weather. The south wind was a warm, gentle, and pleasant breeze, bringing rain and warmth. In calling for both, the bride is essentially praying, "Lord, work in my life through all means. Send the harsh winds of trial and discipline, and send the warm breezes of blessing and comfort. Use both hardship and prosperity, sorrow and joy, to accomplish your sanctifying work in me, so that my life might produce a pleasing aroma for my King." This is mature faith. It is the faith that understands that all things, the north and south winds alike, work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

Verse by Verse Commentary

16a “Awake, O north wind, And come, wind of the south;

The bride begins with a command, a summons. "Awake!" This is not the language of a passive recipient of grace, but an active participant. Having been declared a beautiful garden by her King, she now takes ownership of that identity and prays for the elements to make her what he has declared her to be. She is praying for the Holy Spirit to come and work in her. She doesn't specify how He should work, but rather invites Him to work in all His manifestations. The north wind represents the trials, the difficulties, the chastisements of God that strip away our dead leaves and cause us to cling more tightly to the rock. The south wind represents the blessings, the comforts, the encouragements that cause us to grow and blossom. The mature believer does not pray for a life of only south winds. She prays for whatever wind God sees fit to send, because she trusts that the Gardener knows what is needed to make the garden flourish.

16b Make my garden breathe out fragrance, Let its spices flow forth.

Here is the purpose of the winds. The goal is not the experience of the wind itself, but the effect of the wind. She wants her garden to "breathe out fragrance." The Christian life is meant to be a sweet-smelling aroma to God (2 Cor 2:15). This fragrance is the character of Christ being formed in us: love, joy, peace, patience, and all the other fruits of the Spirit. These "spices" do not "flow forth" on their own. They are released when the winds of the Spirit blow upon our lives. Patience is released in the midst of trial. Joy flows forth in the midst of sorrow. Love is made manifest when we are pressed by difficult people. The bride is praying for her sanctification, not for her own benefit, but so that she might be pleasing to another. This is the essence of true worship.

16c May my beloved come into his garden And eat its choice fruits!”

This is the glorious climax of her prayer. The preparation has a goal, and the goal is communion with her beloved. Notice the possessive pronouns. She had just said "my garden," but now she says "his garden." This is a crucial covenantal confession. She recognizes that she ultimately belongs to him. She is his property, his possession, his inheritance. The Church is Christ's garden, purchased with His own blood. And because she is his, she invites him to come in and enjoy what is rightfully his. "Eat its choice fruits!" This is an invitation to the deepest level of intimacy and fellowship. She is not offering him defective, second-rate fruit. She is offering the very best, the "choice fruits," that have been produced in her by his grace and the work of his Spirit. This is the heart of the gospel. God works in us, by His Spirit, so that we might have something to offer back to Him, which He then receives with delight. He is both the author and the object of our faith.

Application

This verse provides a profound model for our own Christian lives. First, we must learn to see ourselves as Christ sees us. He calls His church a beautiful, fruitful garden, not because of what we are in ourselves, but because of what He is making us. We must believe His word about us over our own feelings of inadequacy.

Second, in response to His grace, we are to become active participants in our sanctification. This primarily takes the form of prayer. We are to pray like the bride, asking the Holy Spirit to blow upon our lives. We should not fear the north winds of trial, but see them as God's instruments to produce a fragrance in us that would not otherwise be released. We should not take for granted the south winds of blessing, but see them as God's kindness meant to lead us to repentance and growth.

Finally, the ultimate goal of our Christian life should be the pleasure and glory of Christ. Our prayer should be, "Lord, come into your garden." We should desire His presence in every part of our lives, our families, and our churches. And we should long to offer him the "choice fruits" of a life lived in obedience and love. We do not clean ourselves up to make ourselves presentable to Him. Rather, we receive His declaration that we are a garden, and then we invite Him to come and tend us, cultivate us, and enjoy the fruit that He Himself produces. This is the joyful liberty of the gospel.