Better Than Others
Opening Prayer
Thank You, Lord, for what You do in my life each and every day. Help me to share Your love with others.
Read Song Of Songs 5:2—6:3
2 I slept but my heart was awake.
Listen! My beloved is knocking:
“Open to me, my sister, my darling,
my dove, my flawless one.
My head is drenched with dew,
my hair with the dampness of the night.”
3 I have taken off my robe—
must I put it on again?
I have washed my feet—
must I soil them again?
4 My beloved thrust his hand through the latch-opening;
my heart began to pound for him.
5 I arose to open for my beloved,
and my hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with flowing myrrh,
on the handles of the bolt.
6 I opened for my beloved,
but my beloved had left; he was gone.
My heart sank at his departure.
I looked for him but did not find him.
I called him but he did not answer.
7 The watchmen found me
as they made their rounds in the city.
They beat me, they bruised me;
they took away my cloak,
those watchmen of the walls!
8 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you—
if you find my beloved,
what will you tell him?
Tell him I am faint with love.
Friends
9 How is your beloved better than others,
most beautiful of women?
How is your beloved better than others,
that you so charge us?
She
10 My beloved is radiant and ruddy,
outstanding among ten thousand.
11 His head is purest gold;
his hair is wavy
and black as a raven.
12 His eyes are like doves
by the water streams,
washed in milk,
mounted like jewels.
13 His cheeks are like beds of spice
yielding perfume.
His lips are like lilies
dripping with myrrh.
14 His arms are rods of gold
set with topaz.
His body is like polished ivory
decorated with lapis lazuli.
15 His legs are pillars of marble
set on bases of pure gold.
His appearance is like Lebanon,
choice as its cedars.
16 His mouth is sweetness itself;
he is altogether lovely.
This is my beloved, this is my friend,
daughters of Jerusalem.
Friends
6 Where has your beloved gone,
most beautiful of women?
Which way did your beloved turn,
that we may look for him with you?
She
2 My beloved has gone down to his garden,
to the beds of spices,
to browse in the gardens
and to gather lilies.
3 I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;
he browses among the lilies.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
What does God’s love mean to you?We’ve all had the experience of thinking about something (or someone) so much that our mind just continues on the same subject in our sleep. It’s hard to tell here where the dream ends and reality takes over. Possibly she only half wakes when her lover tries to enter, and so responds in a way that makes him leave. By the time she realizes her mistake, he is gone.
Like so many people in love, the beloved cannot stop extolling the virtues of her lover. The friends get rather more than they bargain for when they ask what is so special about him. I wonder how we would answer this question about our God. Would we use the gushing praise of verses 10–16? Or would we lapse into drily theoretical lists of his attributes?
The woman’s description of her lover has two outcomes. First, it so attracts the friends that they want to seek him with her. This challenges us: are others encouraged to seek our God because of the way we talk about him? Second, as she describes him, she realizes where he must be and is reminded of the exclusive intimacy of their relationship.
Telling others what the Lord has done in my life has often left me encouraged, and has renewed my love for him.
Apply
Make a list of the attributes that made you fall in love with Jesus. How can you share some of those with others today?
Closing prayer
Jesus, remind me again today of all of the reasons I first fell in love with You.
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