God’s Story... For My Life
Happily Married
Read Song of Songs 1:1–2:7
Young Woman
Kiss me and kiss me again, for your love is sweeter than wine. How fragrant your cologne; your name is like its spreading fragrance. No wonder all the young women love you! Take me with you; come, let’s run! The king has brought me into his bedroom.
Young Women of Jerusalem
How happy we are for you, O king. We praise your love even more than wine.
Young Woman
How right they are to adore you.
Young Woman
I am the spring crocus blooming on the Sharon Plain, the lily of the valley.
Young Man
Like a lily among thistles is my darling among young women.
Young Woman
Like the finest apple tree in the orchard is my lover among other young men. I sit in his delightful shade and taste his delicious fruit.
He escorts me to the banquet hall; it’s obvious how much he loves me. Strengthen me with raisin cakes, refresh me with apples, for I am weak with love. His left arm is under my head, and his right arm embraces me. Promise me, O women of Jerusalem, by the gazelles and wild deer, not to awaken love until the time is right.
(Song of Songs 1:2-4; 2:1-7)
Reflect
The Song of Songs is a series of seven poems, not necessarily in chronological order. It is part of the canon of wisdom books because of the advice concerning love. It reflects upon the first meeting of Solomon and the peasant woman, their engagement, their wedding, their wedding night, and the growth of their marriage after the wedding. There is debate, however, that the Song of Songs is an allegory of God’s relationship to Israel and Christ’s relationship to his bride—the church.
The vivid description of a love relationship begins with a picture of love itself. Love is “sweeter than wine”; it makes the lovers rejoice. We can enjoy love. God created it as a gift to us and a delight for all our senses.
Respond
The rose of Sharon and lily of the valleys were flowers commonly found in Israel. Perhaps the girl was saying, “I’m not so special. I’m just a crocus, an ordinary flower,” to which Solomon replied, “Oh, no, you are extraordinary—a lily among thistles.” Solomon used the language of love. There is nothing more vital than encouraging and appreciating the person you love. Be sure to tell your spouse “I love you” every day, and show that love by your actions.