Jesus, Whom My Soul Loves
From Hollow Nicknames to Holy Affection
I never like it when a server calls me honey, hun, or sweetie.
I think a lot of us object to being called these things because, first, this is the kind of language we might use with small children, not with adults or peers. Second, when these words come from a stranger, they empty these words of their best meaning. Here’s what I mean:
Name-swaps like honey, dear, and babe are at their best sense in marriage. The usage is rooted in intimacy. Affection, romance, and attraction give rise to this economy of words. But when it comes from someone bringing you pepperoni pizza, it’s like those calories: empty.
Nicknames in romance have a long history. One scholar studied the various terms of endearment in the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary and listed many of the names used between lovers. Terms like:
Darling (earliest usage: year 888!)
Dear (year 1230)
Beautiful (year 1534)
Honey (year 1375)
Daisy (year 1485)
Dove (year 1386)
If we leave the English language behind and go back to ancient Hebrew, we find King Solomon employing terms of endearment in the Song of Songs.
Throughout the Song, the Bridegroom calls his bride:
“my love” (1:9, 15; 2:2, 10, 13; 4:1, 7; 5:2; 6:4)
“my dove” (2:14; 5:2; 6:9)
“my beautiful one” (2:10, 13)
“my bride” (4:8-12; 5:1)
We could spend a lot of time meditating on the Lord Jesus using these theological terms of endearment toward us. And maybe we will in future installments. But for today, I want to draw our attention to one of my favorite titles the Bride uses in the Song toward the Groom.
Five times in the Song, the Bride refers to her Husband as the man “whom my soul loves” (1:7; 3:1–4).
Throughout this prophetic poem, she calls him this directly, “You whom my soul loves” (1:7). She also thinks of him this way internally (3:1–2), and she calls him this publicly to other men (3:3). In public and private speech, and in personal thinking, this is “him whom my soul loves.”
This is a wonderful way to think of Jesus, to speak of Jesus, and speak to Jesus—“you whom my soul loves.”
Here are four insights we can take from this text.
First, this teaches us that Jesus welcomes our proclamation of love.
The Song gives us the model of expressing our love directly to him, “You whom my soul loves.” He loves to hear it. Wants to hear it. It is the greatest command to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Luke 10:27). I can’t help but think of Jesus asking Peter three times, “Do you love me?” We can say, “Yes, you are whom my soul loves!”
Second, when people hear you talk about Jesus, is there an obvious and evident sense of your love for him?
Our words about Christ ought to have the flavor of love, delight, enjoyment, gratitude, and priority. It should not be any surprise to anyone that we love Jesus, that we are Christians.
Third, there is a personal flavor to this expression—“you whom my soul loves.”
No one else can say this for you. The personal dimension of our spirituality is on display here. Think of the ways you have experienced his love, personally, and how you can express your love for him, to him.
He is more to us than a doctrine, a factoid, or even a hero (which is most certainly is!). Jesus is: the one we love from our souls. We abide in him, listen to him, obey him, trust him, glorify him, honor him, follow him, believe him, adore him—we love him.
Spurgeon drew out the importance of loving Jesus from this verse. Notice the contrast and comparisons he makes:
Mark well that it is not “You whom my soul believes in.” That would be true, but she has passed further. It is not “You whom my soul honours.” That is true too, but she has passed beyond that stage. Nor is it merely “You whom my soul trusts and obeys.” She is doing that, but she has reached something warmer, more tender, more full of fire and enthusiasm, and it is “You whom my soul loves.”1
Spurgeon struck the spirituality we long for toward Christ—affectionate, experiential, and real. This is why he said in another sermon, “Every single instance of a spiritual union with the Lord Jesus is founded on real affection towards his blessed person. Each and every believer can say to Jesus, ‘You whom my soul loves.’”2
Fourth, the reasons for loving Jesus are endless.
He loved us first. He incarnated. He died for our sins. He conquered the grave. He reigns over the universe. He is kind. He forgives. He gave us his righteousness. He is truly God and truly man. He is powerful. He frightens demons. He is merciful. He welcomes us. He is for us. He helps us. He prays for us. He is ours. Jesus is so incredible and lovely that our love for him blossoms as we behold him.
Why do you love him? I leave you today with two practical points for the spiritual life:
Use this title for Jesus in your prayers, thoughts, and worship.
Use this simple prayer prompt. Pray this way:
“Lord, you are the one my soul loves because. . . “ List as many things as you can. Go until your soul stirs. Express your love for him to him. He doesn’t view us the way I view a server—we are his bride, his church, his people.
If you are new to my spiritual commentary on the Song of Songs, check out these articles:
C. H. Spurgeon, “The Good Shepherdess,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 19 (London: Passmore & Alabaster, 1873), 315.
C. H. Spurgeon, C H Spurgeon’s Sermons beyond: An Authentic Supplement to the Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit: Forty-Five Forgotten Sermons Compiled from the Baptist Messenger, ed. Terence Peter Crosby, vol. 63 (Leominster: Day One, 2009), 149.
Dude, go write your book. The Treasury of Solomon, the Love Song of C H Spurgeon, or whatever. It will be brilliant, Carl Truman or Peter Kreeft will write the foreword to it, and Banner of Truth will publish it.
Loved this. Very well written