“How is your beloved better than others, most beautiful of women? How is your beloved better than others, that you charge us so?”
– Song of Songs 5:9
Hi James and Ellen,
What do you think is the most pleasing, precious and priceless earthly gift that God gives to most guys and gals for them to enjoy during their lifetimes on planet Earth? A spouse is the most superb, satisfying and significant earthly gift that God gives to most guys and gals to enjoy during their lifetimes on planet Earth. Why do you think that God gives a life partner to most guys and gals as the most excellent, exquisite and exciting earthly gift for them to enjoy during their lifetimes on planet Earth? Are you hoping that God has it in His will for you to have the special blessing of one day being in a matrimonial relationship with the most brilliant, beloved and blissful earthly gift that God gives most guys and gals for them to enjoy during their lifetimes on planet Earth? Solomon – through the eyes and emotions of a guy and a gal, descriptively portrays in a missive that he scribed – that is known by the name of Song of Songs, an overt growing and intense relationship that the guy and gal have with each other. Solomon uses suggestive words and evocative phrases to describe a developing, physical intimacy between the guy and the gal. The imagery that Solomon uses in Song of Songs 5 has the guy calling his beloved a dove, garden, sister and bride. The beloved – who may have been an outcast Shulamite gal, describes her lover – who may have been Solomon, depicting himself in his ‘drama of love’ as a young shepherd and as the guy who stood out alone among all other guys. Solomon used words like myrrh, spice, honeycomb, honey, wine and milk to describe the gal. Solomon used phrases like ‘his head is purest gold’, ‘his eyes are like doves’, ‘his hair is as black as a raven’, ‘his cheeks are like beds of spice’, ‘his lips are like lilies’, his body is like polished ivory’, ‘his arms are like rods of gold’ and his legs are pillars of marble’ to describe the guy.
This chapter’s scene unfolds with the lover deciding one night to visit his beloved. The beloved is already in bed – dreaming about her lover. After being awakening by her lover’s knocking on her door, the beloved debates with herself about the merits of putting on her robe versus staying in bed. The beloved does not want to get her feet dirty again after having washed them before going to bed. It is when the lover sticks his hand through the latch opening to . . . that the beloved decides to get out of bed to open the door for her lover. By the time that the beloved gets to the door to open it for her lover, the lover takes off to who knows where. The beloved is really disappointed that she has missed spending time with her lover. Instead of going back to bed and even though it is dark outside, the beloved decides to go out to look for her lover. As the beloved – in the dark of night, is wandering about the city in which she was living looking for her lover, the city watchmen find her, beat her, bruise her and take away her cloak. The beloved then goes to some of her gal friends to ask them for their help to find her lover. The beloved’s friends’ response to the beloved’s request is verse 9, “How is your beloved better than others, most beautiful of women? How is your beloved better than others, that you charge us so?”
It is possible while reading Solomon’s ‘drama of love’ to contrast the love relationship that Solomon centered on in a provocative way between a guy and a gal to the kind of love relationship that God has with each one of his specially chosen and elected guys, gals or kids. God visits day and night with His specially elected guys, gals and kids. God has His specially elected guys, gals and kids dream dreams about Him. There are wicked dupes who are night watchmen – who do not know God and can be found everywhere on planet Earth, who are looking for any excuse to intimidate God’s specially elected guys, gals and kids. God imprints in the hearts of His specially elected guys, gals and kids a visual of what His physical appearance might look like if . . . God always fills the hearts of His specially elected guys, gals and kids – when a guy, gal or kid is led by God – as God the Spirit, to make the decision of faith to believe wholeheartedly in what God – as God the Son, did through His horrific suffering that led to His malevolent death after being cruelly hung on and brutally nailed to a cross, with the confident, fixed knowledge that He – as the lover, sees each guy, gal and kid who God – as God the Father, specially elected to be like the beloved. Your grandpaa is inclined as he reads through Solomon’s very evocatively illustrated love saga that the main actors in his play are honestly being played out what real life love feelings are for a guy and for a gal when they find that they have become physically and emotionally intrigued with each other. Romancing begins between a guy and a gal when a guy finds himself so indelibly smitten by a gal that he is motivated to do whatever he can to capture the gal’s heart which in turn will induce the gal to claim the guy as her prized catch. If a guy becomes blessed with a spouse, romancing or courting his wife – who is now his lifelong helpmate and companion, is never ever to end for the guy. When your grandmaa and grandpaa – over 45 years ago, (now over 61 years ago as of the editing of this missive) in late afternoon of February 14, 1964, exchanged marriage vows, your grandpaa knew – as he watched your grandmaa approaching him at the front of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware – as she walked down the aisle with your dad’s Uncle Drew, that your grandpaa’s life was about to change forever for the best – and it has!
Song of Songs 5 (1019)