Slices
Prepare
‘Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her … that is how husbands ought to love their wives’ (Ephesians 5:26,27, The Message). Who brings out the best in you?
Bible passage
1 Solomon’s Song of Songs.
She
2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth –
for your love is more delightful than wine.
3 Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;
your name is like perfume poured out.
No wonder the young women love you!
4 Take me away with you – let us hurry!
Let the king bring me into his chambers.
Friends
We rejoice and delight in you;
we will praise your love more than wine.
She
How right they are to adore you!
5 Dark am I, yet lovely,
daughters of Jerusalem,
dark like the tents of Kedar,
like the tent curtains of Solomon.
6 Do not stare at me because I am dark,
because I am darkened by the sun.
My mother’s sons were angry with me
and made me take care of the vineyards;
my own vineyard I had to neglect.
7 Tell me, you whom I love,
where you graze your flock
and where you rest your sheep at midday.
Why should I be like a veiled woman
beside the flocks of your friends?
Friends
8 If you do not know, most beautiful of women,
follow the tracks of the sheep
and graze your young goats
by the tents of the shepherds.
He
9 I liken you, my darling, to a mare
among Pharaoh’s chariot horses.
10 Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings,
your neck with strings of jewels.
11 We will make you earrings of gold,
studded with silver.
She
12 While the king was at his table,
my perfume spread its fragrance.
13 My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh
resting between my breasts.
14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
from the vineyards of En Gedi.
He
15 How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how beautiful!
Your eyes are doves.
She
16 How handsome you are, my beloved!
Oh, how charming!
And our bed is verdant.
He
17 The beams of our house are cedars;
our rafters are firs.
She
2 I am a rose of Sharon,
a lily of the valleys.
He
2 Like a lily among thorns
is my darling among the young women.
She
3 Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest
is my beloved among the young men.
I delight to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
4 Let him lead me to the banquet hall,
and let his banner over me be love.
5 Strengthen me with raisins,
refresh me with apples,
for I am faint with love.
6 His left arm is under my head,
and his right arm embraces me.
7 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
do not arouse or awaken love
until it so desires.
Explore
Notice the crackling chemistry between this couple! She longs for his kisses (1:2) and is ‘faint with love’ (2:5); he finds his ‘darling’ absolutely ‘beautiful’ (v 15) – as desirable as a solitary mare among Pharaoh’s stallions (v 9). But there’s more than attraction at work here. There’s mutual admiration and appreciation: his name – representing character – ‘is like perfume poured out’ (1:3); her ‘eyes are doves’, which might signify a ‘beautiful personality’.* This relationship extends from chemistry to character.
There’s also public pride. This couple are happy and proud to be seen together: ‘let his banner over me be love’ (2:4). And within this secure circle of commitment, this young woman dares to confess self- doubts and insecurities to her royal fiancé (2:1). He responds lovingly, building up his beloved with sensitivity and commendable creativity (2:2).
Desire burns strong as this couple eagerly anticipate greater intimacy (1:4a; 2:5,6). Yet, they remain respectful of God’s boundaries, keenly aware of the need for restraint, as implied by the repeated caution: ‘do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires’ (2:7; 3:5; 8:4). Love flourishes as it trusts in God’s timing.
*GL Carr, The Song of Solomon, IVP, 2003, p86
Respond
Reflecting on your relationships at church and beyond, what do character and commitment look like? Are there boundaries which need revisiting?
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Daniel 1–3; Psalms 132–134
Pray for Scripture Union
Please pray for God to give Mel clear guidance as she tests out new ways of building connections and relationships with both children and parents in her New Forest communities. (This week's prayers relate to this article.)
