THE KISS OF HIS MOUTH - ESCAPING THE CAGES ENTERING JOURNEY OF INTIMACY: (ABIDING LOVE 1)
Series: Abiding Love — A 12-Part Journey Through the Song of Songs
Text: Song of Songs 1:1–7
INTRODUCTION — THE SONG ABOVE ALL SONGS
The book opens with the words:
“The Song of songs, which is Solomon’s.” (Song 1:1)
In Hebrew expression, this title points to supremacy—the song above every other song. It is not merely a human love poem, but a Spirit-inspired unveiling of the divine romance between Christ and His Bride.
Watchman Nee notes in The Song of Songs:
“This book presents the highest spiritual experience possible for the believer—union with Christ in love.”
It is fitting, then, that the book begins with yearning.
1. THE BRIDE’S CRY: “LET HIM KISS ME…” — THE AWAKENING OF TRUE SPIRITUALITY
The bride begins with a plea:
“Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth…” (1:2)
This expression is far from shallow emotion.
It marks the soul stirring from spiritual slumber.
Before God reshapes conduct,
Before He redirects ministry,
Before He alters circumstances—
He first stirs desire.
Every genuine spiritual journey starts with:
- A weariness with empty religious patterns
- An awareness of spiritual barrenness
- A hunger for something deeper, truer, and more intimate
- A cry for something REAL
This longing signals the first movement of revival.
The kiss represents personal revelation. To understand this more fully, we must ask: what are “the kisses of His mouth”?
Early church fathers such as Origen and Gregory of Nyssa consistently taught that “the kisses” point to:
a) The Living Word applied by the Holy Spirit—not Scripture merely read, but Scripture breathed into the heart.
b) The inward communication of Christ—His voice, His impressions, His quiet fellowship with the inner man.
c) Manifestations of divine love—moments when His presence softens the heart, stills anxiety, and awakens worship.
d) A personal unveiling of His beauty and character, echoing Paul’s prayer: “That He may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation…” (Eph. 1:17)
Watchman Nee explains:
“The kisses represent the direct teaching of Christ to the spirit. Not through man. Not through form. But through union.”
Madame Guyon echoes this truth in Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ:
“It is God communicating Himself, not merely information about Himself.”
The bride longs for encounter, not instruction alone.
This is the opening call of the Song:
a summons out of second-hand religion and into first-hand communion.
2. “FOR YOUR LOVE IS BETTER THAN WINE” — THE WAR WITH FALSE DESIRES
She continues her confession:
“…for Your love is better than wine.” (1:2)
Wine symbolizes earthly pleasures—the substitutes we pursue for comfort, meaning, and fulfillment.
Wine represents what we believe will make life satisfying.
Modern forms of this “wine” include:
a. The pursuit of success—relentless striving for achievement, status, influence, and recognition, often leaving the soul drained.
b. Entertainment and escapism—endless streaming, sports, movies, and scrolling that temporarily dull a deeper hunger.
c. Social media—comparison, distraction, fractured identity, and surface-level connection.
d. Technology dependence—constant notifications and digital noise that erode stillness, focus, and devotion.
e. Material comfort and lifestyle pressure—careers, possessions, ambition, image, and status that promise fulfillment but never satisfy.
f. Religious systems and programs—activity replacing encounter, meetings replacing intimacy, structure replacing the Spirit.
Mark Batterson, in Wild Goose Chase, describes these as the “cages” that confine believers:
- The Cage of Routine
- The Cage of Responsibility
- The Cage of Guilt
- The Cage of Failure
- The Cage of Assumptions
- The Cage of Comfort
- The Cage of Fear
These cages prevent us from the wild, intimate, and Spirit-led pursuit of God.
Yet the bride makes a bold declaration:
“Your love is BETTER.”
Better than success.
Better than entertainment.
Better than social media.
Better than human approval.
Better than religious activity.
Better than wine.
Until the heart is convinced that His love is better, true intimacy will always remain out of reach.
3. “YOUR NAME IS OINTMENT POURED FORTH” — THE FRAGRANCE THAT DRAWS THE SEEKER
“Your name is ointment poured forth; therefore the virgins love You.” (1:3)
His name speaks of His nature—
His character,
His attributes,
His revealed presence.
The Bride’s desire is not emotional excitement or spiritual hype; it is rooted in revelation. She has encountered who He truly is.
“Your name” encompasses all that He is:
Savior
Shepherd
Redeemer
Bridegroom
King
Healer
Life
Lord
Truth
Andrew Murray, in Abide in Christ, writes: “Abiding begins with resting in all that Christ’s name means.”
His name is not contained—it is “poured forth,” released like fragrant oil. Having encountered His beauty, the artificial perfumes of the world no longer satisfy.
Christ does not compel devotion; He awakens desire.
He does not pressure the heart; He attracts it.
Andrew Murray continues: “Union with Christ is maintained not by pressure but by attraction.”
It is His beauty that stirs pursuit.
Revelation of the Fragrance of the Broken Alabaster at the Cross
When Mary broke her alabaster jar at Jesus’ feet (Mark 14:3), she was not simply offering perfume. She was prophetically revealing the heart of the Cross. The jar had to be broken for its fragrance to fill the room—just as Christ’s body had to be broken for divine love, mercy, and redemption to be released into the world.
The aroma of the alabaster was costly, rare, and overwhelming. So too is the fragrance of Calvary, where the love of God was crushed and yet released in its fullest power. The beauty of Mary’s act lay not in the perfume itself, but in what it revealed: intimacy requires breaking, surrender requires pouring out, and true worship releases a fragrance that reaches far beyond the moment—it touches eternity.
At the Cross, heaven’s most precious treasure was broken so humanity could breathe in salvation. And just as Mary’s fragrance clung to Jesus through His betrayal and crucifixion, the fragrance of His sacrifice now clings to us, drawing us deeper as we behold the One who loved us to the point of breaking.
4. “DRAW ME AND WE WILL RUN” — INTIMACY BEGINS WITH HIS INITIATIVE
“Draw me, and we will run after You.” (1:4)
This verse introduces a governing truth of the entire Song: intimacy is impossible without divine initiative. Left to ourselves, we drift toward:
- Complacency
- Religious routine
- Lukewarm devotion
- Constant distraction
“Draw me…” (1:4)
Everything begins with His pull.
She cannot come unless He draws.
She cannot love unless He initiates.
She cannot run unless He empowers.
This echoes the words of Scripture:
“No one can come to Me unless the Father draws him.” (John 6:44)
“We love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)
Watchman Nee explains: “Spiritual progress is never self-produced. It is always response to Christ’s drawing.”
The cry “Draw me” is a confession of weakness. The Bride admits, “I desire You, but I cannot reach You by my own strength.”
Such honesty.
Such humility.
Such truth.
5. “DRAW ME, WE WILL RUN AFTER YOU” — THE OVERFLOW OF BEING DRAWN
Notice the shift in language—from me to we.
“Draw me… We will run after You.”
Intimacy always produces influence. Those drawn by Christ naturally lead others toward Him.
This is where authentic ministry begins—not with effort, volunteering, programs, busyness, or church activity—but with being with Him.
Jesus did not say, “Work for Me and I will make you fishers of men.”
He said:
“Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19)
Service flows from communion.
Running follows drawing.
Ministry follows intimacy.
Fruit follows abiding.
6. “THE KING HAS BROUGHT ME INTO HIS CHAMBERS” — THE INVITATION TO THE INNER LIFE
“The king has brought me into his chambers.” (1:4)
This is not a building, a conference, or a program.
She is not summoned to labor in the throne room, but invited into the chambers—to love. These inner rooms are the secret place where Christ unveils His heart.
Andrew Murray, in The Spirit of Christ, calls this “the inner sanctuary of communion… to which Christ draws the believer to share His own life.”
Religion keeps people in the outer courts—routine, ritual, performance.
The Bridegroom brings us into the chambers—silence, revelation, love, and transformation.
This is the call of the Song:
Out of religion.
Out of programs.
Out of institutionalized spirituality.
Into personal union with Christ.
The inner chamber is the place of prayer, meditation, solitude, communion, and heart-to-heart encounter. The King Himself brings her in.
God is not calling you to more activity—He is inviting you into deeper union.
7. THE GREAT HINDRANCE — DISTRACTION AND BUSYNESS
Following the invitation comes the first conflict:
“Do not look at me because I am dark…my mother’s sons were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept.” (1:6)
Her life is crowded with competing demands—work, responsibility, expectations, pressure, busyness.
These are modern cages as well.
Her confession is honest:
“I have tended everyone else’s vineyard—except my own soul.”
Verse 6 exposes the Bride’s inner world—raw, weary, and vulnerable. Her darkness speaks not of sin but of burden, exhaustion, and the hidden cost of relentless labor. She is saying, “Do not judge me by what you see; I am marked by battles you did not witness.”
The burning “sun” symbolizes life’s harsh demands. Her “mother’s sons” represent external pressures—religious expectations, family demands, or oppressive systems—that drove her into overactivity until her inner life was neglected.
This is not a confession of failure, but of fatigue.
Yet she does not hide. She allows the Bridegroom to see her truth. Here, shame turns into honesty—and honesty becomes the doorway to intimacy. Love is not awakened by perfection, but by truth.
Intimacy does not begin with strength; it begins with exposure.
8. CRYING OUT OF DEAD RELIGION, INSTITUTIONALISM, AND PROGRAMS
Nothing suffocates intimacy faster than predictable routines, performance-driven religion, systems without the Spirit, or external Christianity without inward union.
The Bride cries:
“Tell me, O You whom my soul loves, where You feed Your flock, where do you make your flock lie down at noon? For why should I be like one who veils herself by the flocks of Your companions?” (1:7)
Verse 7 marks a turning point. This is not curiosity—it is hunger. Her desire flows from encounter, not obligation.
(I) “Tell Me Where You Feed Your Flock” — The Cry for Pasture, Not Programs
She does not ask about methods, traditions, or systems. She asks for Him.
Andrew Murray teaches that the true believer longs not merely for teaching about Christ, but for the life of Christ within. This is that longing.
She wants His pasture, His voice, His presence—not substitutes.
“I don’t want the shadow.
I want the Shepherd.”
(II) “Where You Make It Rest at Noon” — Rest in the Heat of Life
Noon represents pressure, exposure, exhaustion. She wants to know where Christ rests when life is most demanding.
She desires intimacy not only in quiet moments, but in the heat of responsibility, ambition, distraction, and noise.
This is where many lose communion—with Christ at “noon.”
(III) “Why Should I Be as One Who Veils Herself…?” — Refusing Spiritual Masks
She refuses pretense. She does not want outward religion without inward reality.
This is a cry against performance, against Christianity without Christ, against ministries without presence.
Watchman Nee explains that the veil represents distance created by self-effort. She longs to be free from impressing Jesus so she can simply be with Him.
(IV) “…By the Flocks of Your Companions” — Tired of Second-hand Faith
She no longer wants borrowed revelation or substituted spirituality. Leaders may point to Christ, but they cannot replace Him.
She wants His voice, His table, His rest, His presence.
CONCLUSION — THE JOURNEY BEGINS HERE
Song of Songs 1:1–7 lays the foundation:
- Awakening — a cry for intimacy
- Attraction — sensing His fragrance
- Conflict — competing desires
- Invitation — the King’s chambers
- Decision — escaping the cages
- Direction — pursuing Him above all
This is the first step of the twelve-part journey.
And He is calling still—
Out of routine.
Out of religion.
Out of distraction.
Out of pressure.
Into the chambers of His love.