DEALING WITH DISTANCE
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Opening Prayer
Mighty God, help me to remember that every battle I face belongs to you. No matter how great the opposition, in you, there is victory.
Read SONG OF SOLOMON 5:2–6:3
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
She
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.
Reflect
Do you have a strained love relationship or friendship?When the honeymoon is over, life’s realities take over! He gets home late at night—perhaps royal duties had delayed him. Although he is eager to reconnect (5:2), she’s grown tired of waiting, and her greeting is cold (5:3). By the time better sense prevails, he has withdrawn (vv. 5, 6). There’s not merely physical distance but a painful emotional chasm between them.
In the best of marriages, seasons of distance are inevitable, and it takes intentionality and effort to rekindle closeness. The young wife reaches out to the daughters of Jerusalem (v. 8). True friends will never be complicit in a run-down-your-spouse rant! These friends’ searching questions compel the wife to reflect on what makes her beloved so special (v. 9). Her recounting of his charms (vv. 10–16) closely parallels his description of her on their wedding night (4:1–7). He had said, ‘You are altogether beautiful;’ she now affirms, ‘He is altogether lovely’ (v. 16). She also affirms the deep friend- ship that underlies their relationship (v. 16). In the natural ebb and flow of feelings, a solid friendship of a couple can steer and steady their marriage through varying seasons. Finally, she reaffirms the bedrock commitment on which their marriage is built: ‘I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine’ (6:3; compare 2:16).
Apply
How can we nurture and grow our own friendships? Think of a valued friend and recall the qualities you appreciate.
Closing prayer
When I have conflicts or disappointments with people I love, Father, please lead me to remember why I valued our relationship and push me to seek restoration.
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