Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; for your love is better than wine.
Song of Solomon 1:2
I must have been in high school the first time I attempted to read through the Song of Solomon. I remember thinking, “This is in the Bible!” I admit I found it a bit disconcerting to find such sensual language and imagery in the Holy canon. Somehow I knew that God still had something to say to me through this book, but I just couldn’t sift through it at that time. I decided to focus on the gospels. Since then, of course, I have read through the book numerous times and found myself weeping at the imagery that so intimately discloses this love relationship that the Savior desires with me.
I don’t doubt that my first encounter with the Song was not unlike that of many others, and perhaps you too were challenged with words like the ones we find in verse two of the Song’s first chapter. . .
“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth . . .
Kisses are intimate expressions of affection. A kiss is a face-to-face encounter. The Hebrew word for kiss, “nashaq,” means to be joined mouth to mouth, to be attached. Only those close to you are deigned worthy to kiss you or have that kiss reciprocated. Our Shulamite maiden is longing for that close, intimate relationship with the king. She is asking for a face-to-face encounter.
There comes a time in the life of the believer that we are no longer satisfied with what has become the “normal Christian life.” We know there is more; we sense the wooing of the Lord to draw closer to Him. We desire to move from a “heaven-when-I-die” salvation to the “love-of-lifetime” relationship. There is no other that can satisfy; we cannot be satisfied to know about Him. We want an “in-your-face” relationship. As we cry out, “Kiss me with the kisses of your mouth,” we are declaring that we want to know Him in the most intimate of ways. We are ready to move from the outer court in our relationship with Him to that place in the Holiest Place where it is just Him and no one else. We recognize that no one kisses from a distance, just as one cannot worship from a distance.
But what are “the kisses of his mouth”? What does it mean to be kissed by the Lord?
I am sure there are many interpretations of that phrase. Let me offer one to you. I discovered in my studies that rabbis consider a kiss from God to be a prophetic word. It is through His word -- both logos and rhema – that we come to know the Lord’s heart, His mind, His desire and His love for us. God is ever speaking to us, singing over us, revealing His heart and character to us. He desires to kiss us through every word written in scripture, through every word spoken through His prophets, through every word whispered to our spirits as we spend time with Him. He daily kisses us! He wants to be in your face even more than you desire to be in His.
Years ago as I was pondering this passage, the Lord asked me a question. He asked, “Who ya been kissin’?” (Yes, God speaks to me like that; He’s not a stickler for marketplace English). Then He spoke these words:
“My Beloved, I never cease to kiss you. I love you and desire to kiss you with the kisses of My word daily, hourly. If you feel un-kissed know it is because you have turned away.
Remember when you were a little girl and your mother would throw kisses at you? You’d pretend to catch it and land it square on your cheek. Then you would reciprocate, throwing a kiss in her direction. Sometimes she feigned dropping it. She’d pick it up, dust it off and plant on her cheek. Know, My Child, that I don’t want to throw kisses in your direction in the hope that you catch them. I want to smother you in kisses. Intimate, up close and personal. Not kisses on the hand; not kisses on the cheek, but from My mouth to yours; from My heart to yours. I long for that face-to-face encounter!
Turn your face toward My face. Stop talking, be still and receive from Me.
One reason why My beloved ones often seek a word from a prophet is because they have too often turned to kiss someone else and miss the kisses I have for them. Others are wooing them, seeking to kiss them as well, and they’ve not grown familiar enough with My touch and My voice to know the difference.
I ask you, Beloved, who have you been kissing lately? Do I truly have all your affections?
Turn your face towards Me and kiss Me with your worship. And then you shall receive the kisses of My mouth—the kisses of My word. They will bring life! They speak always of My love for you!"
