In the tale of the Beauty and the Beast the horrible looking
creature with 7 horns in his forehead begs the beautiful
young maiden he has carried away to kiss him. She, of
course, refuses to kiss such ugliness, and the beast goes away.
She saw it no more until one day she found it lying dead
under a bush in the garden. She wept and cast herself down
on the beast and kissed it. Suddenly it returned to life and
was transformed into the handsomest prince her eyes had
ever beheld. He then explained that he had been bewitched,
and could never be delivered unless a maid fell in love with
him and kissed him. That kiss she gave him removed the
curse, redeemed him from death, and restored him to his
original state.
What a fantastic story of the power of a kiss. It is only a
fairytale, but the truth it relates is the very truth of the
Christian Gospel. The beast represents man under the
curse. He became ugly as he fell from his state of perfection.
He was restored and transformed by the power of God's kiss,
which was the cross. Jesus reconciled God and man by the
power of His kiss of peace at Calvary. In this Song of Songs
we see the Shulamite girl longing for the kisses of her
Shepherd lover, and God answered that longing in the souls
of men to be united with the lover of their souls by sending
His Son in the flesh.
God reached down and embraced His people in Christ.
"He touched me and now I am no longer the same" is the
testimony of those who have responded to His love. But
there is more to a kiss than touch, and that is our theme for
this message. All of the senses are involved in romance and
kissing as we see in this song. Many lovers may never think
of it, but the ears are important in kissing, for no kiss is
complete without sound. Most married people have been in
situation where they have tried to be quiet as they kiss, and
they have discovered that it is hard to kiss right without
noise.
A kiss without sound is like an egg without salt. Most
kisses in a marriage ceremony are not up to par because the
atmosphere is such that the nervous couple feels
conspicuous, and they want to keep the whole thing as quiet
as possible. They aim for a silent kiss, and they quickly learn
that a silent kiss is a crippled kiss. Shakespeare refers to a
groom who took full advantage of his wedding kiss, but he
was an exception. In the Taming of the Shrew he writes,
This done, he took the bride about the neck,
And kissed her lips with such a clamorous smack
That at the parting, all the church did echo.
Sound is a part of a good kiss, and this is true in the spiritual
realm as well. Faith comes by hearing. It is by means of the
ear that we receive the good news, and the sound of that kiss
of reconciliation whereby we are united to Christ. This kiss
is the means by which we become a part of His bride.
The sense of taste is also involved. The Shulamite girl
says, "Your love is better than wine." We will look at love
and wine in greater detail in another message, but we just
want to point out here that love and kissing like all enjoyable
things should taste good. Psa. 34:8 says, "O taste and see
that the Lord is good." Psa. 119:103 says, "How sweet are
thy words unto my taste." Romantic and religious love is to
be sweet to the taste, and be sweeter than wine.
The poet writes,
O lady, there be many things
That seem right fair, below, above;
But sure not one among them all
Is half so sweet as love.
The fact is, if we had more loveaholics in the world there
would be fewer alcoholics, for true love is always better than
wine. The intoxication of love is delightful rather than
disgusting. Dante wrote about the first time that Beatrice
spoke to him. "Because it was the first time any words from
her reached mine ears, I came into such sweetness that I
parted thence as one intoxicated."
The sense we want to focus on in greater detail is one that
we seldom think of, but it is a primary factor in both
romantic and religious love, and that is the sense of smell.
Your nose has much to do with love. Even taste is largely a
matter of smell. Some of you may recall that when you first
began to kiss the one who is now your mate that there was a
distinct smell involved. A kiss, like food, is not as good when
you have a cold, and it is because smell is cut off or
diminished. Even wine is enjoyed, not just for the taste, but
for its smell. In Hos. 14:7 God promises this blessing to His
restored people. "...they shall flourish as a garden; they
shall blossom as the vine, their fragrance shall be like the
wine of Lebonon."
References to the fragrance of love run all through the
Song of Songs. Here is verse 3 in the Amplified Version.
"The odor of your ointment is fragrant; your name is like
perfume poured out; therefore do the maidens love you."
Then in verse 12 to 14 we read, "While the king sits at his
table, she said my spikenard (my absent lover) sends forth
his fragrance over me. My beloved is to me like a scent bag
of myrrh that lies in my bosom. My beloved is to me a
cluster of henna flowers in the vineyards of Engedi.
(Famous for its fragrant shrubs)." The Bible is literally
filled with references to perfumes, aromatic gums, oils, and
woods. Two of the three gifts the wise men brought to Jesus
as the new born king were frankincense and myrrh, which
were two of the oldest and most expensive perfumes in
history.
We need to remember that the biblical world was a hot
world. The climate was one in which perspiration would be
a daily problem. The result was that they were even more
concerned about perfume and deodorant than we are today.
The Shulamite girl said her Shepherd lover smelled so
fragrant that he was a real hit with all the girls. If you
attract the attention of the nose and nose is given pleasure
by what it smells, you have begun the first step in kindling
the flame of romantic love. Studies show that a man notices
a woman's perfume even is he doesn't notice her dress orhair.
Fisherman are using a type of bait that attracts the fish
by odor. Women have been doing this for thousands of
years with men, and men likewise with women, for in the
ancient world perfume was used as much by men as by
women.
Never underestimate the role of the nose in love. In
many parts of the world lovers actually kiss with their nose.
This is not just among the Eskimos, but it is a custom in
other parts of the world as well. In these cultures they do
not say give me a kiss, but they say, smell me. Their very
word for kiss means smell, and they get great pleasure in
breathing in the odor of those they love. Visitors to
Madagascar laugh at this custom, but there is a very refine
idea behind it. They believe that every soul has its own
unique perfume, and when they kiss they breathe in the odor
of their loved one, and they are mingling their souls. This is
to them a very intimate experience by which they achieve a
oneness that is more spiritual than that which comes by the
mere physical touch of the lips.
In the Philippine Islands the sense of smell is so refined
that by sniffing a pocket handkerchief they can tell if it
belongs to their lover. When they are separated they send
bits of their linen to each other so they can keep each other
in mind by inhaling each others scent. This is far more
meaningful to them then an x on a piece of paper, for the
odor of a lover is a real part of the lover. What appears
foolish to us is really not so foolish after all, but a rather
refined romantic use of the nose.
The Bible gives evidence to support the idea that each
person has a unique odor. In Gen. 27:27 after Jacob put on
the clothes of his brother Esau, he went to deceive his father
Isaac. Isaac was somewhat skeptical, but finally he called
him closer and sniffed him and said, "The smell of my son is
the good smell of the earth and fields that Jehovah has
blessed." By tricking his nose Jacob got the blessing. Smell
plays a greater role in life and love than we realize. There is
even a science of smell called Osmics. This is a vast and
fascinating subject, and so I have a more complete study of
the Fragrance of Love in another message. Hopefully this
brief introduction will make you want to sniff out the deeper
message and get a more powerful whiff of the perfume of
love.
