Slices
Prepare
Think of Jesus as he invites you to come aside for moments alone with him now.
Bible passage
9 and your mouth like the best wine.
She
May the wine go straight to my beloved,
flowing gently over lips and teeth.
10 I belong to my beloved,
and his desire is for me.
11 Come, my beloved, let us go to the countryside,
let us spend the night in the villages.
12 Let us go early to the vineyards
to see if the vines have budded,
if their blossoms have opened,
and if the pomegranates are in bloom –
there I will give you my love.
13 The mandrakes send out their fragrance,
and at our door is every delicacy,
both new and old,
that I have stored up for you, my beloved.
8 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.
2 I would lead you
and bring you to my mother’s house –
she who has taught me.
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
the nectar of my pomegranates.
3 His left arm is under my head
and his right arm embraces me.
4 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you:
do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.
Friends
5 Who is this coming up from the wilderness
leaning on her beloved?
She
Under the apple tree I roused you;
there your mother conceived you,
there she who was in labour gave you birth.
6 Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.
7 Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of one’s house for love,
it would be utterly scorned.
Friends
8 We have a little sister,
and her breasts are not yet grown.
What shall we do for our sister
on the day she is spoken for?
9 If she is a wall,
we will build towers of silver on her.
If she is a door,
we will enclose her with panels of cedar.
She
10 I am a wall,
and my breasts are like towers.
Thus I have become in his eyes
like one bringing contentment.
11 Solomon had a vineyard in Baal Hamon;
he let out his vineyard to tenants.
Each was to bring for its fruit
a thousand shekels of silver.
12 But my own vineyard is mine to give;
the thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,
and two hundred are for those who tend its fruit.
He
13 You who dwell in the gardens
with friends in attendance,
let me hear your voice!
She
14 Come away, my beloved,
and be like a gazelle
or like a young stag
on the spice-laden mountains.
Explore
The drama is reaching its resolution. In response to her lover’s praise and courtship, she commits herself to him alone (‘stored up for you’, 7:13). Of course, as throughout these poems, the symbolic language is romantic and sensual. Yet its inclusion in Scripture allows us to ask ourselves how committed we are in our relationship with Jesus – how does our living demonstrate that we ‘belong’ to him (7:10)?
Her words continue from the man’s earlier description (7:1–9): all that is precious and special about her she offers to him (7:9,10,13). She longs for the day when their love can be declared in public (8:1–4). Her friends’ refrain (8:4; 2:7) hints that it will be soon: they see the couple together, approaching their
wedding (8:5; 6:10).
So, to the moments of declaration. Their relationship is sealed with the ring of their strong love (8:6). Like God’s love for his own people, they will guard it jealously (Exodus 20:5). Their love is an unquenchable fire (8:6,7). No longer a child (8:8–12), the woman makes a mature decision: she gives herself to this exclusive and loving relationship. Like our Christian commitments today, it is witnessed and celebrated within their loving community (8:13).
Called away from the everyday world to relationship with Jesus, let’s celebrate his exquisite gifts of joy and love as we commit ourselves to him (8:14).
Respond
How will you say ‘Yes’ to Jesus today?
Deeper Bible study
‘Let me hear your voice!’1 Lord, amid the noisy challenges and choices of this day, may I hear your voice above all.
A while ago, our church preaching team held its breath and launched into a sermon series on Song of Songs. We were unsure where the journey would take us. Would we be able to sustain weeks of playful frolic and unfamiliar metaphors without becoming repetitive? We were also excited: how might God’s Spirit speak to our sophisticated 21st-century congregation from this ancient collection of poems?
As we read these last verses, it is a bit like turning a kaleidoscope. Fragments and feelings, personalities and protagonists dance across our view. If we want to detect a progression of an idea or story, we may struggle. Instead we see shards of desire and dream, the public and the private, holding back and letting go, memories of the past and an open future. Erotic love, fierce, burning, overflowing, is never just about two people. We are reintroduced to the wider community: the pregnant then nursing mother, the protective brothers, wealthy King Solomon, the chorus of onlookers, the friendly daughters of Jerusalem. Slightly dazed, we stumble to the end, just as the lovers leap off the page towards ‘spice-laden mountains’ (8:14), leaving a trail of colour and energy.
The quest never ends. Our inbuilt need to love, to be touched, to belong is where we can experience the most excruciating pain and the most exquisite delight. No sermon series or daily notes tie up the loose ends, but it is good that we have held them awhile. In a society where sex is used to sell products, the Bible affirms the mastery of God’s creative design and the mystery of human love. Brokenness and healing are the nitty-gritty of the Spirit’s work through his people.
Bring to God those who need to hear God’s voice speaking to them in the complexity of their sexual experiences.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Ezra 3,4; Luke 3
Pray for Scripture Union
Lagger camps, run by Steve Hutchinson, have helped many to meet Jesus. A day of Lagger experiences was originally planned for today to encourage those who come to the mid-week children’s club, Kidzone, to attend the camps. Pray that children who have attended Lagger and Kidzone will continue to grow in faith.
