Song of Solomon series,
Watercolor, ink, 300g paper.
illustrations and commentaries copyright by Aleona Isakova
1
“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth – for your love is more delightful than wine.”
(Songs 1:2)
Behold, the King of my Soul!
The Beloved has found the Savior but she can only guess at the wonderful radiance of God’s glory. “Here we possess without seeing, whereas there we will see what we possess.” Jane Guiyon.
The Soul is dressed in a rainbow – the sign of God’s eternal Covenant with man. She is wearing a belt of gold edged with the redeeming blood of the Lamb – this is the price paid by Christ so that the Soul may be in God’s presence. White tulips are blooming on a golden field – a hope for a new and righteous life in Christ. The olive branches that decorate the Bride’s dress have no fruit yet; the Soul is just beginning its walk in God.
2
The Lord is the King of glory! He is the consuming fire. But for the Beloved the flame of the judgment is covered by the turquoise cloak of grace. Jesus is reaching out His right hand to our Soul and there are wounds caused by nails on His hands – the signs of His sacrifice for our sins. They will remain on the Lord’s body forever. With the left hand He is holding a double-edged sword – the Word of God that will touch the Soul dividing Spirit and soul. The banner behind Him is redemption and salvation; it has words from Isaiah 55:1 written on it. “Come all who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”
3
“He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love. Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love. His left hand is under my head, and his right arm embraces me.”
(Songs 2:4-6)
How could the Soul live on this sad Earth if the Lord did not reveal just a bit of His beauty to her, when she for a short time falls into the divine embrace and tastes the first fruit of the joy that will one day overwhelm her. The flying banner contains the words from Isaiah: ”After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.”
(Isaiah 53:11)
The beloved Soul is at rest in the Lord’s arms enjoying the fruits of Redemption. The pomegranates symbolize love and unity. This unity is purchased at the cost of Christ’s blood. White lilies are blooming on the scarlet field – the purity of righteousness given to us by God.
But the Beloved soul is not looking in her Lord’s eyes; she is pleased and satisfied with His gifts. She does not feel like moving further and she falls asleep.
4
“My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.”
(Songs 2:14,15)
The purple color of the Bride’s dress tells us of her first love growing cold. The Beloved covers her tenderly (the vine is the Church, the scarlet lining means redemption).
On the Lord’s shoulders we read the verses form Isaiah: ”The government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
The Soul is under God’s protection but the little foxes (minor temptations) roam in the twilight, ruining the garden, and the Beloved Soul is about to slip out of God’s arms.
5
“Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does of the field: do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.”
(Songs 3:5)
Having lost His presence the Soul desperately searches for the Lord. Only on completing her own work of searching for God does the Beloved get fellowship with Him again. Now she is at rest on the turquoise carpet of grace with golden letters of verses from Psalm 23 on it:
“He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters” (Ps.23:2)
On her clothes flowers are blooming, flowers of hope for the Lord, and deer are grazing in safety.
Sleep, Beloved Soul. Muster strength for a new day.
6
“Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, come with me from Lebanon. Descend from the crest of Amana, from the top of Senir, the summit of Hermon, from the lions’ dens and the mountain haunts of the leopards.”
(Songs 4:8)
The Lord is moving towards your heart, inevitably, like an armada of ships being carried by a fair wind!
Who can stop the Lamb on the way of His holy love?
He calls the Beloved from the mountains where she has climbed: “You are beautiful, your gardens are in blossom, and the first fruit of maturity are ripening for Me. But will you follow Me? Are you ready to look Me in the eyes and trust Me fully? Are you ready to follow me to the valley of sorrow?” One of His sleeves is decorated with Glory, the other – with the shame of the cross. If we follow the Lord into His glory we have to drink from His shame too. Are we ready? Or will the Soul remain on its mountains (the heights of comfort already reached) and will the garden of our soul wither fruitless?
He calls: “Beloved, it’s dangerous to stay there; the enemy is hunting for your heart. Run with me from the lions’ dens and the mountain haunts of the leopards.”
7
“Awake, north wind, and come, south wind! Blow on my garden, that its fragrance may spread abroad. Let my lover come into his garden and taste its choice fruits.”
(Songs 4:16)
It is difficult for the Soul to lose the height of comfort reached, even though all her sacrifices are like tiny beads slipping through her fingers in comparison with the divine reward of His love. The good works the Soul does for Him are not what delights God, but her herself when she remains in Him. The Bride answers to her Beloved: “Whatever wind is blowing: dry north, burning my garden, or gentle south breeze, whatever hardships enter my life, I say – Come, my Beloved, the garden belongs to You only. I will follow You wherever You call me. Let my life be like a table generously laid for You and Your friends.”
8
“I slept but my heart was awake. Listen! My lover is knocking: “Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.”
I have taken off my robe – must I put it on again? I have washed my feet – must I soil them again?”
(Songs 5:2-3)
The Soul rests on roses. Scarlet roses represent God’s love, given to us by grace.
The Beloved does not want to put down her feet and touch the ground where the thorns of problems and concerns await her. But this is the only way she can get the white roses of a holy and transformed character which shows itself only when we take a thorny path of serving our neighbor.
The Lord calls His Bride because He needs Her, His head is all wet with the dew – tears for dying souls that do not know His love. The scarlet sash of the blood of the covenant reminds the Soul of redemption’s high price.
9
“I am my lover’s and my lover is mine; he browses among the lilies. You are beautiful, my darling, as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, majestic as troops with banners. Turn your eyes from me; they overwhelm me.”
(Songs 6:3-5)
At last the Soul – Bride looks the Lord in the eyes. Her heart fully belongs to the Beloved. Her clothes are a scarlet covering of His blood. The Soul does not need any other source of life; all her idols are burned up. The Bride’s sash holds the expectation of the Heavenly City, the Kingdom of God. Those whose eyes are still closed cannot see the glory of the Lord; but for the Beloved Soul, He is the only source of life, and only He is the center of her hope and trust.
The Lord’s robe has the verses from Isaiah 53:2 written on it:
“He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.”
The Royal Bridegroom is kneeling down before His Beloved, having humiliated Himself and become a Man, in order to see the eyes of the one He loves.
10
“Come, my lover, let us go to the countryside, let us spend the night in the villages. Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vines have budded, if their blossoms have opened, and if the pomegranates are in bloom – there I will give you my love.”
(Songs 7:11-12)
The time has come for the fruit and harvest. Remaining in God, the Soul brings a cornucopia of good fruit. The Beloved wears a dress decorated with precious stones – these are the gifts of the Holy Spirit, reflecting the glory of Christ. The palm branches on her garment are the praise and worship from her heart to the Lord. She hugs a sheaf of ripe wheat – taking care of the harvest of souls. On her banner proclaims the scripture from Hosea: “O Ephraim, what more have I to do with idols? I will answer him and care for him. I am like a green pine tree; your fruitfulness comes from me.” (Hosea 14:8)
11
“Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned.”
(Songs 8:6-7)
Sometimes life is so grueling that the flame of problems seems like it will incinerate the Soul. But don’t lose heart, Beloved Soul, the Lord holds you tight in His arms. God’s angels encamp around you; their wings gleam with the precious blood of redemption.
The Bride’s clothes are all the color of blood, blooming in the red roses of unconditional Agape love. True love grows in us only when the soul goes through the fire of trials.
The words of Psalm 97 grace the Lord’s garment: “The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side.”
(Ps. 97:1-3)
The black lining of the Groom’s scarlet cloak is the shadow of death defeated by His love. The Bride’s black pendant is the seal of her choice to follow the Lord to the end.
12
“Come away, my lover, and be like a gazelle or like a young stag on the spice-laden mountains.”
(Songs 8:14)
The Bride is covered with a cloak the color of shadow – it is the covering of humility chosen by the Beloved Soul so that all the glory would belong to the Bridegroom.
But if you look under the hood, you will see the beauty of the righteous Soul. The Bride’s head is decorated with white lilies – her thoughts are clean. The inside of her clothes contains a fruitful vineyard, the fruits of a righteous life in God.
The foundation of her life is the Blood of Jesus and the Word of God. Here are written the verses from Revelation 22:4: “They will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads.”
Fruitful olive branches grow from this foundation. They are the fruit of peace with God and of the gospel. The Bride’s dress is decorated with a picture of Heavenly Jerusalem, which is the future of the Beloved Soul’s life. Her heart is winged; the Soul freely follows the Lord.
13
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
(John 3:16)
The Lord reaches out to the Soul; His hands bear the signs of crucifixion. His word flows down to earth bringing blessing: Isaiah 62:10-11 “Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations. The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: “Say to the Daughter of Zion, “See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.””
Four angels with the heads of an eagle, an ox, a lion and a man represent the four Gospels. The olive branches on the robe of the King of Glory are in bloom. It is springtime. Who will respond to His call and bear fruit into the Kingdom of God? God’s eyes are fixed on His Beloved Bride – the Church.
The Beloved Soul has given up her selfishness. She says: “Run, my lover, run to those who do not know You. Let every soul taste Your love and believe that she is really the Beloved of Christ!”
