Yearning For Love
Opening Prayer
Eternal Creator, Lord of this and every place, of this and every time, teach me something new today from Your Word.
Read SONG OF SONGS 1:1—2:7
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.
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
When you’ve been in love, have you thought, “She/he can’t love me! I’m too (list your fears)”? Do you ever think this about God?
Think Further
The Song of Songs begins with a declaration of passion by the woman, who is the main speaker throughout and the one who usually takes the initiative. The Hebrew word for “love” in 1:2 refers to its physical expression. She wants passionate kisses and physical embrace. She adores her lover, whom she refers to as “king,” but she lacks self-confidence. Her suntan (5) marks her as a worker not a lady and she has neglected herself (her “own vineyard,” 6). She compares herself to common wildflowers (2:1). Can the man who attracts the admiration of other women (1:3,4) really want her? In an exchange of mutual appreciation (1:7—2:2), after some teasing words about arranging a tryst, he declares his admiration of her. The GNB is better than the NIV at getting the sense of 1:9: “You, my love, excite men as a mare excites the stallions of Pharaoh’s chariots.” In 2:3–6 she is probably imagining how she hopes things will develop. However, she realizes the wisdom of letting love blossom naturally, without forcing it (2:7).
There are some striking words in the middle of 1:4. Suddenly there is a change to the plural. The phrase “We rejoice and delight…” occurs in identical form in Hebrew elsewhere in the Old Testament to refer to God and God’s acts of salvation (e.g., Psa. 118:24; Isa. 25:9). Moreover, the poem then says, “We will remember (praise) your love.” Israel is frequently called on to “remember” what God has done for her. Is this the poet’s way of pointing to another level of meaning? God’s people ought to long for God the way this woman does for her lover—a challenging thought. Equally challenging is, do we believe that God loves and longs for us, for me, despite our unworthiness? Yes, the Bible tells me so.
Apply
Ponder God’s yearning for Israel, as expressed in Hosea (Hos. 11:1–9). Then think of God as the father in the parable of the prodigal son, longing for you (Luke 15:11–32).
Closing prayer
Loving Lord, I want to yearn for You with a passion. Excavate in me an emptiness that only You can fill.
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