This section is the key to the whole book. All the spiritual principles are contained in this section. It foreshadows all subsequent experiences. The lessons that follow are not new; rather, they are old lessons repeated in a deeper way.
The spiritual experiences in the first section are smooth and easy. The first consecration and revelation always appear to be smooth and easy. However, this consecration and revelation may not be very dependable; there is the need for these experiences to pass through the fire. This section foreshadows the spiritual experiences that are coming. After this section, everything will be tested until it becomes real. The first time a person experiences something, the impression may not be very deep; the second time, the experience may be more advanced and more sure. Yet the second experience may not be as sweet as the first. In the end the experience is the same as that which was encountered at the beginning; the banner is still love.
The experience in this section is equivalent to the "Path of Light" in the book Spiritual Torrents; it is also equivalent to the "revival stage" in the book Four Planes of Spiritual Life. Our personal experience can surely testify to this.
Verse 2 says, "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine." The kisses that one seeks after here are different from the kiss of the Father upon the neck (Luke 15:20). That kiss was a sign of forgiveness, and everyone who belongs to the Lord has received that kiss already. The emphasis in the Song of Songs is the love relationship between the believers and the Lord. As such, forgiveness is an implicit fact. Therefore, there is no mention of forgiveness. The Song of Songs does not speak of how a person turns from the position of a sinner to the position of a believer; rather, it speaks of how a believer turns from a position of thirst to a position of satisfaction. We must remember this fact before we can understand the way the book begins.
After a person is saved, we do not know how long it takes before there is a longing within him. However, we do know that a longing arises when a saved person is awakened by the Holy Spirit and begins to seek after the Lord.
Because the seeker is full of hunger and thirst, her mouth spontaneously utters, "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth." She does not say who "him" is. But in her mind, there is only one "him"; it is the One she seeks after. Prior to this, her relationship with the Lord was general, and she was deeply dissatisfied with it. Now she hopes to have a more personal relationship with Him. Therefore, she longs for a "kiss," which is a personal expression of love. No one can kiss two people at the same time. A kiss is an expression of a personal relationship. Furthermore, these kisses are not on the cheek, as were Judas's (Matt. 26:49), nor on the feet, as were Mary's (Luke 7:38, 45). They are the "kisses of his mouth," a sign of personal affection. A general relationship can no longer satisfy her. She wants a personal relationship which no one else has. This inward urge is the beginning of all progress. Spiritual edification can never be separated from a pursuit that is based on hunger and thirst. If the Holy Spirit has not put a real dissatisfaction with a general relationship and a pursuit for personal affection within a believer, he can never expect to have an intimate experience of the Lord. This pursuit is the basis for all future experience. If we do not have such a hunger and thirst, we will only have a poetic song, and it will not be the Song of Songs.