Jesus is lovely.

In Song of Solomon 5:16 the Bride says to Solomon, “he is altogether desirable.” Thomas Watson called this book “a divine marriage song” and so it is. And while I don’t think we ought to allegorize it, I do believe that the New Testament shows us plainly that the marriage relationship is a picture of Christ and the Church.

Thus, I do not think it unbiblical or unreasonable to consider this text in such a way that causes us to consider the altogether desirableness of Christ in an even greater way than the Bride admires Solomon in her love song. The King James translates the word “desirable” as “lovely”. The Hebrew word has the connotation of “desirable,” “pleasant”, “precious treasures,” or “valuable.”*

So, my devotional question today is, if Solomon is lovely, how much lovelier is Christ? In Song of Solomon 5:10 the Bride says Solomon is distinguished among 10,000. It’s like the hymn we sing, “I have found a friend in Jesus, He’s everything to me, He’s the fairest of 10,000 to my soul.”

And really, if Solomon is distinguished among 10,000, Christ is distinguished among 10 trillion. For there is none as lovely as our blessed Jesus. I have for you then, 29 thoughts on why Jesus is lovely. I won’t spend a whole lot of time on each thought, but I just hope for you to consider Christ today and worship Him as the infinitely lovely one.

Why is Jesus lovely?

  1.   His Divinity

Jesus is lovely because He is fully God. He is the epitome of beauty (Psalm 27:4).

  2.  His Relationship to the Father and Spirit

Jesus is the eternally begotten Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father and Spirit and yet distinct from them in person. Jesus is lovely because of His eternal relationship of love and delight with the other persons of the trinity.

  3.  His Titles

Oh the manifold titles of our blessed Jesus in the Scriptures! Consider just a few:

Master • Lord • King • Friend • Wonderful Counselor • Mighty God • Bridegroom• Author and Finisher of our Faith • Alpha and Omega • The First and the Last • Bread of Life • Son of God • Son of Man • Cornerstone • Good Shepherd • Immanuel • Judge • Lamb of God • Messiah/Christ • Prophet • Priest • Savior • I AM • The Resurrection and the Life • The Last Adam • The Consolation of Israel • The Only Begotten Son • The Holy One of God • Man of Sorrows • Mediator • Word of God • Son of David • The Truth

  4.  His Bible

Song of Solomon 5:16 begins with, “His mouth is most sweet.” This references not merely the physical mouth of Solomon, but his words. And how lofty and wonderful were the words of Solomon! Oh, but how much more lovely are the words of Christ!

And not just the “red letters.” But the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation. The Words of Christ are lovely because Christ is lovely and one of the reasons Christ is lovely is because He has given us such a wonderful Bible.

  5.  His Holiness

Thomas Watson wrote, “[H]oliness in God is unchangeable; he never lost a drop of his holiness; as he cannot have more holiness because he is perfectly holy; so he cannot have less holiness because he is unchangeable holy.”

Isaiah saw Christ’s glory upon the throne in Isaiah 6 as the seraphim called one to another, “Holy, holy, holy!” Christ’s holiness permeates all that He is and all of His attributes are qualified by the word “holy”. He is perfect and pure and completely separated from His creation in His resplendent holiness.

  6.  His Incarnation

As Spurgeon said, “The infinite became an infant.” This glorious holy One, fully God, took on full manhood in the womb of the virgin Mary. This hypostatic union of the Divine and human nature in the one person of Jesus Christ is one of the most marvelous mysteries in all of the universe. How lovely is His incarnation!

  7.  His Active Obedience

Jesus humbled Himself by taking on the form of a servant and in His humanity, He was perfectly obedient to the Father in every way. He knew no sin. He did not come to abolish the Law of God but to fulfill it in every way. Every commandment of God was His delight. The God-Man loved both God and man perfectly.

  8.  His Teaching

How wise was the teaching of Solomon. But in Christ, One greater than Solomon is here! The ministry of Jesus was one of preaching and teaching (Matthew 4:17). Jesus loves doctrine and He loved to teach it to His disciples while on earth.

  9.  His Miracles

Even the wind waves obeyed this Jesus! He turned water into wine. He raised the dead. He healed the lame. He exorcised demons. He cured the ill. He walked on water. Oh how lovely is Christ for His many miracles! These miracles remind us of His inauguration of the New Covenant, beginning the “already” of His Kingdom, and that the days of the curse are numbered.

  10.  His Example

True, Jesus is not just an example. But He is an example. And a lovely example at that. How gracious and humble was our King on this earth. He served, loved, prayed, preached, and lived in a way that His followers should seek to imitate when appropriate. Oh to love the Bible like Jesus did! Oh to serve others like Jesus did!

  11.  His Suffering

He was the man of sorrows. He was born into a poor earthly family. He had no place to lay His head. He was betrayed, thought crazy by his kinfolk, and ridiculed by the elite. But how lovely is His suffering! For God Himself entered into our suffering and walked with us.

  12.  His Substitution

Of course, Jesus didn’t merely come to suffer with us. He came to suffer for us. And He came to suffer as us. His crucifixion, though grotesque, is also lovely. For on the cross, as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied. He who knew no sin was made sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God.

  13.  His Blood

The Lamb of God spilled His blood. We have redemption through His blood (Eph. 1:7). We are justified by His blood (Rom. 5:9). Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. But oh! What a blood wrought sacrifice was Christ out Lord. He is lovely because His blood cleanses us (1 John 1:7).

  14.  His Burial

Jesus is lovely because He really died. His human body ceased to breath. His heart stopped beating. And He was laid in the tomb. Paul reminds us that His burial is part of the gospel (1 Cor. 15:4).

  15.  His Resurrection

It is important that Jesus really died, because He really rose again bodily from the grave (1 Cor. 15:12-58). His restriction is the guarantee that all His work on the cross really was effectual. He was raised for our justification (Rom. 4:25). His resurrection is the means by which we are able to be born again (1 Peter 1:3).

  16.  His Ascension

Jesus told His disciples that it was better for Him to go away so that He would send the Holy Spirit (John 16:7). Jesus didn’t resurrect to just keep roaming the earth but to ascend back to the Father.

  17.  His Coronation

Jesus is lovely because He is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty (Colossians 3:1). He rules and reigns this universe as the resurrected and ascended God-Man. One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).

  18.  His Imputed Righteousness

Oh the loveliness of Christ’s imputed righteousness! On the cross our sin was imputed to Him as He drank the foaming cup of God’s wrath down to the last dreg for His people (Psalm 75:8). And now, by grace alone through faith alone in Him alone (Gal. 2:16) we are imputed with His righteousness. We are justified. We are treated like Jesus because on the cross He was treated like us.

  19.  His Intercession

Before the Throne of God above, I have a strong and perfect plea,
a Great High Priest whose name is Love, who ever lives and pleads for me

How wonderful to know that Christ lives to make intercession for us (Heb. 7:25). And when we do sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1). “If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.” Robert Murray M’Cheyne.

  20.  His Church

Jesus is lovely because He has ransomed His Bride. His Church is precious to Him. You can’t love the Bible more than Jesus does. And you can’t love the church more than Jesus does! And those who don’t love His Bride, don’t love Him (1 John 3:14).

  21.  His Love

This lovely Christ is Himself full of love. Perhaps you see a flower blooming in the Spring and consider its loveliness. But it has no love for you in return. Not true of Jesus! He is both lovely and full of love. In Song of Solomon 5:16 the Bride calls Solomon her beloved and her friend. And how much truer this is of Christ to His own! He is our beloved and our friend and we cannot fully fathom His great love.

  22.  His Continued Spiritual Presence

Though His glorified body is in heaven, Christ has not abandoned His people. He is with them always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). He is with the church as she gathers in her local assemblies and makes use of the means of grace.

  23.  His Enemies

Yes, Christ is lovely because of His enemies. You see, you can see the worthiness of some by those who are opposing them. And how much truer this is of Jesus! He has enemies because His is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). It is because His loveliness is so great that He is so hated by many.

  24.  His Grace

Consider the kindness of our Lord! Consider His kind command in Matthew 11:28-30. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Consider that He is full of grace! Consider that He is ready and able to bestow His grace upon sinner.

  25.  His Promise to Return

Jesus physically died, physically rose, physically ascended, and one day, He is physically returning to gather His own. This lovely Jesus is coming again.

  26.  His Judgment

He is lovely because He is righteous. When He comes again, He comes to judge the world. “From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.” (Rev. 19:15). He is desirable because He is just.

  27.  His Sovereignty

His kingdom is forever. He rules and reigns over all and He upholds the universe by the word of His power (Heb. 1:3). He is not a weak, pathetic beggar pleading to be let in out of the cold. He is the magnificent One. All-powerful, wholly sovereign, King of kings and Lord of lords.

  28.  His Present Lordship

Though His enemies still seem to flourish, this Jesus is Lord now. His true followers have joyfully surrendered to His Lordship.

  29. Jesus is Lovely!

The question is not “Is Jesus lovely?” But, “Will you see His loveliness?” Will you see that you don’t come to Him to get a treasure, but that He is the treasure?

These points really haven’t even scratched the surface of Christ’s infinite loveliness!

Since Christ is lovely, shouldn’t you admire Him? Shouldn’t your life be one of adoration of His infinite desirableness? Oh may the days perish where we accept professions of faith from people who have no tangible interest in the things of Christ.

If Jesus is lovely to you, so is His Word. So is His church. So are His ways. So is spreading the fame of His name. Since Jesus is lovely, you must follow Him. You must feel your need for Him. There is nothing in you or about you that deserves this blessedly lovely Christ. Your sin only cries out for justice. And yet, this Lovely One, full of matchless grace, offers His pardon to you that you may know Him, and be united to Him, and love Him.

Worship Him today.

*Robert L. Thomas, New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries : Updated Edition (Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998).