Song of Solomon 2:8-17 - Marriage, Love, and Sex

Song of Solomon 2:8-17 “Listen! My beloved! Behold, he is coming, Climbing on the mountains, Leaping on the hills! “My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, he is standing behind our wall, He is looking through the windows, He is peering through the lattice. “My beloved responded and said to me, ‘Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, And come along. ‘For behold, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone. ‘The flowers have already appeared in the land; The time has arrived for pruning the vines, And the voice of the turtledove has been heard in our land. ‘The fig tree has ripened its figs, And the vines in blossom have given forth their fragrance. Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, And come along!’” “O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, In the secret place of the steep pathway, Let me see your form, Let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet, And your form is lovely.” “Catch the foxes for us, The little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, While our vineyards are in blossom.” “My beloved is mine, and I am his; He pastures his flock among the lilies. “Until the cool of the day when the shadows flee away, Turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle Or a young stag on the mountains of Bether.” 

Message: Marriage, Love, and Sex

Time: Solomon wrote the book during his reign as king of Israel, meaning he composed it sometime between 971 and 931 BC.

What the Lord is Saying:

I think it's always a good reminder that God values the relationship of a man and a woman, which is clearly pictured here in this book. There seems to be a question or concern as to why this book does not directly mention Yahweh, And yet in these times in which I am living, it is supremely important to know that God cares for my marriage. The fact we have beautiful language hear that emphasizes the desire and passion a woman is to have for her husband should be a great encouragement to me.

The commentaries I often consult mostly treat this as an allegory and try to treat Jesus as the lover. I was a little surprised by this. There were only 2 that had it about a man and woman.

The words of Paul that state how the wife is supposed to be submissive to her husband and the husband is to love her wife are both clearly represented in these verses. The husband is seen peering through a window, looking through a lattice, anticipating being with his wife. The spring weather is mentioned in the blossoming of the flowers. The cold is gone and they can enjoy themselves freely in the warmth of the day with each other.

It makes me wonder how much pursuing I do of my wife. Or do I rather just expect her to pursue me and find interest in me. How much courting of her do I do? How much effort do I make in really pursuing her?  Too often I think I simply expect her to fulfill all of my fantasies but do I fulfill hers, realizing that they probably look a lot different than mine. It makes me think. We've been married over 25 years now and it definitely feels like there is less pursuing and more just being comfortable. I get accustomed to living a certain way and I find that I am not making much effort toward improvement.

Promise: From Ligonier Coram Deo: As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:1–5, the husband does not have authority over his body, but his wife does. Similarly, the wife does not have authority over her body, but her husband does. This authority is to be exercised in a loving way, just as Christ exercises loving authority over His bride, the church (Eph. 5:25). The marriage bed must not be a place of abuse or demands; rather, it is a place for intimacy that reflects self-giving love (Heb. 13:4).

Prayer: Lord, in my marriage I see I am off and selfish. I think you for this woman that you have given me. Help me to not take her for granted and to continue to court and pursue her. I praise you for creating and ordaining marriage. It works. It is needed. Help us to not simply survive but continue to love, respect, serve together, and love one another.