UNIQUE
Opening Prayer
Lord, in our eyes there is none like You.
Read SONG OF SONGS 6:4 – 7:7a
He
4 You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling,
as lovely as Jerusalem,
as majestic as troops with banners.
5 Turn your eyes from me;
they overwhelm me.
Your hair is like a flock of goats
descending from Gilead.
6 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep
coming up from the washing.
Each has its twin,
not one of them is missing.
7 Your temples behind your veil
are like the halves of a pomegranate.
8 Sixty queens there may be,
and eighty concubines,
and virgins beyond number;
9 but my dove, my perfect one, is unique,
the only daughter of her mother,
the favorite of the one who bore her.
The young women saw her and called her blessed;
the queens and concubines praised her.
Friends
10 Who is this that appears like the dawn,
fair as the moon, bright as the sun,
majestic as the stars in procession?
He
11 I went down to the grove of nut trees
to look at the new growth in the valley,
to see if the vines had budded
or the pomegranates were in bloom.
12 Before I realized it,
my desire set me among the royal chariots of my people.[a]
Friends
13 Come back, come back, O Shulammite;
come back, come back, that we may gaze on you!
He
Why would you gaze on the Shulammite
as on the dance of Mahanaim?[b]
7 [c]How beautiful your sandaled feet,
O prince’s daughter!
Your graceful legs are like jewels,
the work of an artist’s hands.
2 Your navel is a rounded goblet
that never lacks blended wine.
Your waist is a mound of wheat
encircled by lilies.
3 Your breasts are like two fawns,
like twin fawns of a gazelle.
4 Your neck is like an ivory tower.
Your eyes are the pools of Heshbon
by the gate of Bath Rabbim.
Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon
looking toward Damascus.
5 Your head crowns you like Mount Carmel.
Your hair is like royal tapestry;
the king is held captive by its tresses.
6 How beautiful you are and how pleasing,
my love, with your delights!
7 Your stature is like that of the palm,
and your breasts like clusters of fruit.
Footnotes
- Song of Songs 6:12 Or among the chariots of Amminadab; or among the chariots of the people of the prince
- Song of Songs 6:13 In Hebrew texts this verse (6:13) is numbered 7:1.
- Song of Songs 7:1 In Hebrew texts 7:1-13 is numbered 7:2-14.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
‘I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made’ (Ps 139:14) becomes ‘I was made distinct in an awe-inspiring way’ in The Bible for Everyone. Linger over that miracle.
Think Further
Have you noticed how new parents cannot take their eyes off their baby? Gazing at its little scrunched-up face, they search for a smile. They count fingers and toes again and again. They assume that all visitors will be gobsmacked by what love has produced: bones, skin, nails and a hair or two. A little person, a one-off personality has arrived on earth. In a planet of billions, of overflowing mega cities, swarming streets, teeming refugee camps, Love celebrates the exceptional uniqueness of one. ‘… my dove, my perfect one, is unique, the only daughter of her mother, the favorite of the one who bore her’ (6:9).
As the poetic images mount up, this attentive focus on one person is a long lingering stare of amazement. No longer a baby, this girl is rediscovered to be matchless. An anatomist might declare that her body is like that of all other women. Yet in her lover’s opinion, all the queens and supermodels in the world have to admit that they come nowhere near her. While we may chuckle at his overt bias, his gasps carry profound truths. Each of us is special. Our bodies are not simply shells. Body, mind and spirit combine to make us who we are and who we become. In our fleshiness and our frailty, we are distinctive and irreplaceable. And Love rejoices in the gift that we are to this world.
Physical perfection is unreal. The epidemic search for body image satisfaction is a desperate distraction from good news. Our Creator, who forms each in love, looks on us with pride. As we bask in his delight, He calls us to reach out to others, especially to those who have not experienced His tender touch.
Apply
Pray that Your church may be Christ to those who feel unlovely and unlovable.
Closing prayer
Lord, Your people feel so privileged to be the apple of Your eye. Thank You for redeeming us.
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