“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth- for Your love is more delightful than wine” (SS 1:2).
“If only You were to me like a brother, who was nursed at my mother’s breasts! Then if I found You outside, I would kiss You, and no one would despise me” (SS 8:1).
The song starts abruptly with a strong, intoxicating passion, the desire for a kiss. The Beloved has seen a glimpse of the Lover and the attraction is instant and magnetic. This is a love that has no fear, no second thoughts of danger or doubt. We can see the movement forward, closer to the Lover, desiring intimacy from the very beginning.
What is a kiss? The dictionary gives us the meaning of the word ‘kiss’ and helps us to have a greater revelation of this verse. A kiss is a gentle contact or touch, especially with the lips, as a sign of affection. A contact is a union, a joining of two surfaces. In the field of electricity a contact is a junction of wires thru which the current passes. We see then that the kiss is a superficial touch that expresses a deeper connection, establishes the reception of significant signals from another. The kiss then is part of a coded system of signals or symbols, ‘a body language’, a behavior with the intent of establishing communication. There is no kiss without a meaning. Nobody desires a kiss by accident. The kiss communicates an idea, there is an exchange of information between two people; both understand and cooperate with the meaning.
The kiss is the symbol of unity, of forgetting self in the fire of love. There is no regret, to fear, no doubt. To an outsider, this desire expressed in the kiss, is a terrifying act to behold. Spiritually it is the heart desire to become one with Christ, to be like Him, to feel His embrace. The kiss is the desire of all true believers, born by the Spirit. I have seen people who call themselves Christians, who have all the correct doctrine in their head, but never feel comfortable with the passion of the kiss. There are only two explanations for this; this people are either not born again or they are just very much baby Christians.
In my own experience, the moment I gave my heart to Jesus, I could not rest again until I came closer and closer to Him. I never had the desire to rest apart from Him, not to feel the fire of His presence. In a way I became addicted to His kisses on my soul. The older I get, the more I desire Him and nothing else makes sense to me apart from Him. Just in case someone reads these notes and thinks that I am talking of just an excited imagination. Far from it! The Kiss of the Lover is a real touch on the soul and nothing else can compare with it. It gives instant strength and joy from heaven. Something happens in that very moment. Things may look so dark, life may feel so sad, and yet, with just a touch from God, the spirit and even the body quickens at once. What a miracle!
I want to make it as simple as possible for you dear reader, who has never felt the kiss of love from Jesus. One reason may be ignorance of the best God has for you. That is why is good to study the book of the Song of Songs. I praise God that ‘the Song’ is part of the Bible. It makes my work so much easier. If you love the word of God, there it is! Our Lord died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and to reconcile us back to the Father. That is the greatest price any one had to pay for a man in the whole universe. Don’t you think that salvation is more than a little bit of religious feelings and going to church? ‘Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends’ (Jn 15:13).
God the Son is the most romantic person in the whole universe. Can you imagine that some people, even among believers, think that Jesus is a boring, hard master? The devil has deceived so many, especially about the character of God. From the time of Adam and Eve, the enemy of God has tried to convince men that he, the devil, is the one who loves and cares, the one who really understand us. The tragedy is that people do not want to know the truth; so few believers are willing to pay the price for spiritual maturity. I look around me in the church and I see so many ‘baby Christians’. They like to come to a church where there is a little preaching combined with a lot of music and excitement. Much effort is spent in creating ‘the right atmosphere’ or ‘the right sound’; but at the end of the service the hearts of men remain unchanged. It is in fact a double tragedy because the people do not even know that they are unchanged, at least not for a long time. The emotions are swelled with the personal charisma of the preacher or of the singers. People cry and ‘worship’ and all along they are ignorant that they do not touch the heart of the Father.
The bride cries for a ‘holy kiss’. We are commanded to desire and to kiss the Lord. It is the antidote to God’s anger on sin. We see in the Bible that there are only two options; to kiss Jesus means life and to refuse to kiss Him, to ignore Him, means death. ‘…you kings be wise…Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for His wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him’. We see here that to kiss the Lord Jesus is life, is wisdom and protection; it is an eternal blessing. The reward is authority over the nations of the earth. ‘Ask of Me and I will make the nations your inheritance…’ (Ps 2:8-12). The only other option is to ignore His love for us and to be foolish enough to resist Him. That option is surely death. Even as I write these lines I ask myself, do I long for this passionate touch? I am really ready to pay the prize for such a holy kiss? There are so many people who see passion as foolishness, completely unnecessary for a ‘successful’ Christian life.
As I write these words the easiest way for me to concentrate to go on is to do it only for the sake of my Lord. I can’t really imagine what type of men will appreciate these words. But for me, they are words from my heart and soul. These are words that were conceived in me with many tears along the way. I know the touch of Jesus. I know that He desires intimacy with the believers. I know the power and the life of a kiss to Him and from Him. O, Lord, I need more anointing, the utterance of spiritual truths wrapped in spiritual words. Holy Spirit please come and help me! You encourage me to write what seems impossible to me! Fill me I pray! Amen!
There is similar scene recorded in heaven by the prophet Isaiah. He became spirit and ‘saw the Lord seated on the throne, high and exalted’. He heard the voices of angels crying “Holy! Holy! Holy! Then the prophet discovered that he is the only stranger there, so different than them all. He saw that the only words that could come out of his lips were words of woe and ruin. Then he saw the mercy of the Lord in sending a seraph with a live coal taken from under the altar of sacrifice. The fire touched his lips and suddenly the guilt and shame of sin removed (Is 6). What a touch! What a kiss of fire! I may not understand everything about it but I feel my spirit saying ‘yes’ to it. I need the fire, I need the passion, I need the kiss of life! Then I can go in the name of the Lord and preach to my last breath.
There are two types of ‘kisses’ in the Bible. The first category is the kiss of the traitor, the kiss of the seducer and adulterer. ‘…an enemy multiplies kisses’ (Pv 27:6). This type of kiss is the mark of the pain of betrayal and goes together with the ‘flattering tongue’. ‘A lying tongue hates those it hurts and a flattering mouth works ruin’. ‘Whoever flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his feet’ (Pv 26:28; 29:5).
There is in the bible a classical scene of seduction and capture played million times in the history of man. Sin starts with a kiss and like a snake; it entangles its victims and crushes the breath out of them without mercy. ‘At the window of my house…I noticed among the young men a youth who lacked judgment. He was going down the street near her corner…at twilight…Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent…She took hold of him and kissed him…with persuasive words she led him astray…All at once he followed her like an ox going to slaughter…’ (Pv 7). You may think that the devil has improved in his technique since then and today there more sophisticated methods of falling into sin. The word of God can’t be broken. This passage in the Bible is still the way he operates. The heart of man is still the same. This is the kiss of death. Every Samson has his Delilah. ‘So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man…’ (1Cor10:12, 13).
Just in case you taught that this is the worse that can happen to any man, there is in the Bible the most infamous kiss of all; it is the kiss of the devil himself. In other words the devil used his lips to stain the face of Christ who is the image of God (2Cor 4:4). Do you remember the last day on earth in the life of our Lord? ‘…As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered him. What you are about to do, do quickly, Jesus told him…As soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out. And it was night…Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: The one I kiss is the man; arrest him. Going at once to Jesus, Judas said: Greetings, Rabbi! And kissed him. Jesus replied: Friend, do what you came for. Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him…’ (Jn13:27-30; Mt 26:48-50).
Even as I write these words my fingers are shaking. I can see the scene, I can hear the sounds, I can feel the emotions as Jesus was troubled in spirit (Jn 13:21). Since that night of betrayal the kiss of man has been sold forever to the devil. There is no innocent kiss anymore in this world. Like everything else, the kiss had to be redeemed at the cross. The blood of Jesus has been shed to reconcile us to God and to one another in Christ. There is now no condemnation for us in Christ. All members of our bodies that were used for sin before have to learn the new way of conduct, as slaves to righteousness. We are to use our lips to praise God, to worship Him. And we are to show love and appreciation to one another, with a holy embrace and a holy kiss (Ro 16:16, 1Cor 16:20, 2Cor 13:12, 1Thess 5:26, 1Pet 5:14).
What is that ‘a holy kiss’? Many believers quote the above scriptures; many of them greet, embrace and ‘hug’ one another. But the question still remains; what is a holy kiss? I have seen many kisses in my life, but I can’t really tell how many of them were holy. The word ‘holy’ means something that is like God, it belongs to the realm of heaven. It means something different than the ordinary, it is uncommon, special. It also means something that is pure and also has the power to purify what it touches, life fire purifies the gold. A holy kiss then is the kiss of Jesus if He was here on earth. We know that words spoken under the anointing of the Spirit have the power the touch people’s lives and change hearts. Just the same way, a holy embrace imparts something of the presence of God, His comfort and strength.
The best example I can think of is the touch, or let’s say the kiss of the woman of the issue of blood (Lk 8:43-48). She was sick for so many years. She needed healing but more than that, she needed the Healer. She was desperate to kiss the feet of the Master, or even the ‘hem of His garment’. The touch was of faith, of desperation, of love, of worship. Many around were close by, pushing from all sides. Only one really touched Him in worship. ‘Who touched Me?’ Jesus asked. The kiss of worship made the connection and virtue came out of Him into the woman. There was a transfer of virtue, like electricity passed at the joining of wires. It was not an accidental kiss. It had a meaning. Jesus felt it, He stopped because of it. The woman was there, in His presence, made whole. That means she was not just healed in her body, but freed to worship the King forever. What a kiss! What a touch! From death to life eternal!
To the world this type of passion stirs up anger and judgment. The world knows nothing of the power and purity of a holy kiss. ‘If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is-that she is a sinner…Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house…You did not give Me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet… for she loved much…’(Lk 7:36-50). He then said to her ‘Your faith has saved you; go in peace’. What was her faith? She knew the Song of Solomon of long ago and she believed the word. Remember that faith is the response of the human spirit at the preaching of truth. She was a ‘sinner’ but save by grace. She knew the word and acted on it. ‘Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth…If only you were to me like a brother…then, if I found you outside, I would kiss you, and no one would despise me…’ (SS 1:2, 8:1). Every scripture has to be fulfilled in Christ. That is why He came. That is why He died.
O, blessed are they who have faith to worship God in Spirit and in truth!