When Love Finally Clicks

I am my beloved's,

            and his desire is for me.  - Song of Solomon 7:10

After recently sitting through a Sunday School lesson on the Song of Solomon, this particular verse struck a different chord for me than it ever had before. Jim McKay provided an outline which gave a very sensible progression to the modern reader for this ancient love poem. It is not merely a story of romance, but also a picture of how the love of Christ for His people conquers our sundry insecurities and various crises of belief.

The king in Jerusalem falls for a country girl, and this is not lost on her. She is initially enthralled, but she immediately begins to have doubts. She examines herself and realizes that she looks nothing like the beautifully adorned, alabaster baby-dolls that typically vie for the king's affections. She is dark-skinned, either tanned or sun-burned. For some undisclosed reason, her brothers got mad at her and relegated her to the role of the family's vineyard keeper. Even though Solomon reassures her of her beauty in his eyes, she remains somewhat unsure of why she is the recipient of the king's affection.

"I am a meadow flower, pretty enough I suppose out here in the sticks, but (by implication) nothing compared to the ornate floral delicacies to which you are accustomed in your regal circles. In response, the king makes a play on her own words and reassures her that she is by far the most adored of them all.

SHE: I am a rose of Sharon,

            a lily of the valleys.

HE: As a lily among brambles,

            so is my love among the young women.  - Song of Solomon 2:1, 2

This reassures her for a season:

SHE: He brought me to the banqueting house,

            and his banner over me was love.  - Song of Solomon 2:4

The romance is expressed mutually, but this young woman endures two dreams, one premarital and one after the nuptials, that betray a fear that her lover is not into this romance with both feet (see chapters 3:1-4 and 5:2-8). The latter dream is particularly terrifying. But, they are just dreams. His love is indeed genuine.

A thought recurs in the song that is similar to the text that introduced these thoughts:

SHE: My beloved is mine, and I am his ...  - chapter 2:16

SHE: I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine ...  - chapter 6:3

These declarations suggest the covenant reality of the courtship and marriage, but they are not quite as intense as that final declaration in chapter 7:10, which drops the idea that her lover is simply covenanted to her and replaces it with the certainty that "his desire" is for her. Could it be that she has graduated from her insecurities and doubts about her lover's authentic passion for her? Is she finally able to trust his heart? Is she finally willing to accept that he longs for the same degree of intimacy with her that is so much more than she has thus far been able to fathom?

It's poetry, folks. The analogies are not perfect. The historical Solomon had many serious moral deficiencies and character flaws, rendering him a very imperfect "type" for Christ. (His troublesome penchant for keeping a harem is alluded to within the song itself.)

Still, the Song of Solomon hints at a spiritual journey that can be recognized by many believers. This path leads them from trust in Christ, through personal doubts, fears of inadequacy, and crises of faith - all of which might finally lead them to that rest in Christ and intimacy with Him for which every believing soul craves.