As my “journey” through the Song of Solomon approached its end, I realized that once again, God had worked His miracles. He had taken me through a book that I really don’t care to read and had made me not only excited to read it, but disappointed to arrive at the last page!
As I think back over this “journey”, I am impressed that there is perhaps one more lesson worthy of noting from this wonderful piece of poetry that so beautifully describes our relationship with Jesus Christ, the Lover of our souls. You see, as I made my way from verse to verse, one theme seemed to stand out to me more than any other: The woman was “showcasing” her lover!
This nearly-hidden underlay of meaning begins in the first chapter. The stage is set in verse 4, when the young women of Jerusalem, who represent the ones who do not know our Lord, call out:
“How happy we are for you, O king. We praise your love even more than wine.” (Song of Solomon 1:4a NLT).
The woman, who represents followers of Jesus Christ, responds like this: “How right they are to adore you.” (Song of Solomon 1:4b NLT). Although this is addressed to her lover, she then turns to the women and says, “I am dark but beautiful, O women of Jerusalem…. Don’t stare at me because I am dark…” (Song of Solomon 1:5a,6a NLT).
It would seem that even in ancient Israel, racism existed. Yet the woman’s response seems to say, “The only important thing here is that my lover thinks I’m beautiful!”
Let’s jump now to Chapter 2, where we see the young women, the onlookers, saying: “Catch all the foxes, those little foxes, before they ruin the vineyard of love, for the grapevines are blossoming!” (Song of Solomon 2:15 NLT). Were they taunting her? Maybe, but take a look at her response to them: “My lover is mine, and I am his. He browses among the lilies.” (Song of Solomon 2:16 NLT). It is as if she is retorting by reminding the women of how faithful her lover is!
In Chapter 3 we see the on looking women asking questions: “Who is this sweeping in from the wilderness like a cloud of smoke?” (Song of Solomon 3:6a NLT; See also verses 7-10). The woman is quick to respond, to take the opportunity to share her lover: “Come out to see King Solomon, young women of Jerusalem.” (Song of Solomon 3:11a NLT).
Jumping forward to chapter 5, we see that the woman can’t find her lover; yet she doesn’t turn from him or fault him in anyway. Instead she says to the on looking women, “Make this promise, O women of Jerusalem—If you find my lover, tell him I am weak with love.” (Song of Solomon 5:8 NLT)
The women seemed to be a bit puzzled at this. Why would she say this when she couldn’t even find him? What was there that was so special about this lover? This is reflected in their next question: “Why is your lover better than all others, O woman of rare beauty? What makes your lover so special that we must promise this?” (Song of Solomon 5:9 NLT)
She then responds in the following 7 verses by expounding on his wonderful attributes:“My lover is dark and dazzling, better than ten thousand others!…His mouth is sweetness itself; he is desirable in every way. Such, O women of Jerusalem, is my lover, my friend.” (Song of Solomon 5:10,16 NLT; See also Vs. 11-15).
Jumping forward again to chapter 8, we see the woman interacting with her brothers. Their comments don’t sound overly complimentary to me, but she responds, once again, by showcasing how wonderful her lover is: “When my lover looks at me, he is delighted with what he sees.” (Song of Solomon 8:10b NLT)
There are many other parts of this piece of poetry that also make me think that she is proud of her lover and wishes to showcase him; but as I think about all of this, I am overwhelmed with the idea that the woman simply doesn’t care what other people think! Every response drips with love for her lover. She praises him continually, and every remark she makes is one that would make someone who didn’t know him want to know him more.
Is this how I respond to those who may be looking out over my relationship with the Lover of my soul? Do I look for every opportunity to showcase my Lord and Saviour? To answer their questions? To entice them into wanting to get to know Him too?
What if I were to look for every opportunity to showcase my Jesus? What if my #1 goal were to entice them into wanting to get to know Him? What if…What if I were to act as if I were proud of my Jesus?
As we close this short series on the Song of Solomon, remember this all-important lesson: Be proud of the Lover of your soul! Live in such a way that people will notice something is different about you! Take every opportunity to showcase Him, and follow the commands given to us in the Word of God: “And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it.” (1 Peter 3:15b NLT).
Hey, I believe it could be said that the Song of Solomon gives us some clues as to how to go about completing the Great Commission!
If you have missed any part of this series, you can access the entire series by clicking here. God bless you as you grow in your relationship with the Lord. Don’t forget to showcase Him, and then always be ready to answer the questions that will ensue!
In His love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderator, Associate Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries.
(To access the entire “Unveiling the Song of Solomon” mini-series, click here)
