“He has brought me to his banquet hall,
And his banner over me is love,” (2:4).

Song of Solomon depicts God’s Gift of Gifts in the love given between a husband and wife; and while it is not meant to be interpreted as an allegory, there are other passages of Scripture that definitely convey a direct comparison between the relationship of marriage and the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God is compared to a wedding feast given for the Son.

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying, ² “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son,” (Mathew 22:1).

The Kingdom of God is compared to virgins who are preparing to meet their Bridegroom.

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom,” (Mathew 25:1).

The Kingdom of God is compared to the mystery of the union of a husband and wife and specifically relates that with Christ and His church.

Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord…. ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her…³² This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church, (Ephesians 5:22-32).

And the book of Revelation speaks of the time when the marriage of the Lamb to His bride comes.

“Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready,” (Revelation 19:7).

Love between a husband and wife is unlike any other, and perhaps this is exactly why the Lord compares this human relationship to His great and mysterious love for us. Because truly, it is beyond our ability to grasp how great is His love. And in His patience and faithfulness, He provided an observable and experiential example to enlighten our understanding.

And in these comparisons, we see the bride getting ready for her Love, and we are prompted to look forward to the day Jesus spoke of, the day when He would bring us to His banquet hall to be united with Him in the Father’s kingdom.

“But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom,” (Mathew 26:9).

“He has brought me to his banquet hall,
And his banner over me is love,” (2:4).

In our modern vernacular, we don’t talk of being under someone’s banner. So it will be helpful to look at the two Hebrews words translated as banner, flag, standard signal, or sign.

From Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance:
“1714. דֶּגֶל deg̱el: A masculine noun denoting a flag, banner, standard. It depicted banners or standards to identify the various tribes of Israel (Num. 1:52; 2:2). It represented the tribe to which a group belonged (Num. 2:3, 10). It depicted the attitude and intent of the lover toward his bride (Song 2:4).”
“5251. נֵס nēs: A masculine noun indicating a banner, a standard. It refers to a symbol or sign representing a cause, a person, God: a standard, a representation of the Lord (Ex. 17:15); and the name of an altar dedicated to the Lord. It indicates a pole on which to display something (Num. 21:8, 9). It signifies a sign representing Zion (Isa. 31:9; Jer. 4:6); or a tragedy that could serve as a nēs, a warning or a sign (Num. 26:10). It indicates a flag or a symbol to rally around (Ex. 17:15; Isa. 18:3). The Root of Jesse will stand as an ensign, a signal for the people (Isa. 11:10).”

Let us ask Him to show us the great significance in this as we consider His Gift of Gifts in the relationship we have with our Bridegroom and His Banner of Love Over Us.

Consider His Banner of Love Over Us

• His Banner of Love Over Us, raised to protect us.
  •  Moses built an altar and named it The Lord is My Banner; ¹⁶ and he said, “The Lord has sworn; the Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation.” (Exodus 17:15).

• His Banner of Love Over Us, raised to direct us in His ways.
  • Now the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, ² “The sons of Israel shall camp, each by his own standard, with the banners of their fathers’ households; they shall camp around the tent of meeting at a distance… ³⁴ Thus the sons of Israel did; according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so they camped by their standards, and so they set out, every one by his family according to his father’s household, (Numbers 2:1-2, 34).

• His Banner of Love Over Us, raised to display His Truth.
  • You have given a banner to those who fear You,
    That it may be displayed because of the truth, (Psalm. 60:4).

• His Banner of Love Over Us, raised to equip us for warfare.
  • “You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling,
    As lovely as Jerusalem,
    As awesome as an army with banners,” (Solomon 6:4).

• His Banner of Love Over Us, raised to invite others to come.
  • He will lift up a banner to the nations from afar,
    And will whistle to them from the end of the earth;
    Surely they shall come with speed, swiftly, (Isaiah 5:26).

How do we respond to His Banner of Love Over Us?

His Banner of Love Over Us is seen in Jesus, His Gift of Gifts, Who was given to save us and give us eternal life.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life,” (John 3:16).

And His Banner of Love Over Us raises us to walk in the new life we have in Him.

Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life, (Romans 6:4).

Oh, let us stay under His Banner of Love Over Us, for He has provided all we need. Let us live by faith that we would depend on His protection, His direction, His Truth, and His equipping so that others would not only hear of His Love from our lips, but they would see His Love in our lives, and also desire to know His salvation.

I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation;
Behold, I will not restrain my lips,
O Lord, You know.
¹⁰ I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart;
I have spoken of Your faithfulness and Your salvation;
I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great congregation, (Psalm 40:9-10).

Oh, let us live in eager anticipation of the day our Bridegroom will come again for His bride to bring us to His banquet hall and celebrate the marriage supper of the Lamb of God Who has taken away the sins of the world.

The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” ⁸ It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. ⁹ Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.” (Revelation 19:7-9).

Oh, that we would makes ourselves ready for Him. May we never get over His Banner of Love Over Us, that we would make ourselves ready as His betrothed beloved who will one day be presented to Him in purity.

For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin, (2 Corinthians 11:2).

And may we never forget, it is His work, not our own. If we place all our confidence in Him, He will be faithful to grow us until He perfectly completes His work in us and we are presented as His holy and blameless bride who has dwelt by faith under His Banner of Love Over Us.

just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love… (Ephesians 1:4).

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus, (Philippians 1:6).

Let’s Grow Together!