At several points in the Song of Songs, the King, who signifies Christ, praises the beauty of the Seeker, who signifies us.

In his praise at the beginning of Chapter 4, he speaks of the beauty of the Seeker’s teeth. In the poetry of the Song of Songs, which is all about our love relationship with the Lord, the “teeth” here signify our ability to partake of spiritual food.

As C.A. Coates points out below, by likening her teeth to sheep that have “come up from the washing,” the King is indicating that the Seeker has allowed the word to work in her being, and that is why she is able to partake of spiritual food and receive its nourishment in such a healthy way. For the King to praise the Seeker in this regard shows that this is something within us that is very attractive to the Lord.

In contrast, if we open the Bible outwardly, in our hand, and yet do not open to the word of God inwardly, in our heart, so that it can do its work to deal within us and wash us from all the negative things in our being, we will receive very little of its nourishment.

C.A. Coates on
“Coming Up from the Washing”

“Behold, you are fair, my love!
Behold, you are fair!
You have dove’s eyes behind your veil.
Your hair is like a flock of goats,
Going down from Mount Gilead.
Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep
Which have come up from the washing,
Every one of which bears twins,
And none is barren among them.”
— Song of Songs 4:1-2 —

The next feature brought before us in the king’s description of the spouse is her teeth, and this would set forth ability to avail oneself spiritual food….Under grace, we acquire ability to feed, and this is attractive to the Lord. He furnishes food supply in abundance, but His pleasure is found in seeing us able to make use of it. There are many forms of spiritual food, typified by the Passover lamb, by manna, flesh, corn, bread, etc., but unless we have ability to feed on them, they do not sustain or strengthen us….

Then there is a further thought of the sheep going up “from the washing.” Many wonder why they do not get more at the meetings, or in private reading, but the secret is that they do not come up from the washing. “The washing of the water by the word” [Eph. 5:26] is for cleansing from all that is unsuitable to Christ or uncomely in His sheep. If we do not submit ourselves to this sanctifying and purifying process, our ability to feed will be seriously impaired.

— Outline of the Song of Songs, pages 88, 90