To the Soul From God, the Loveliest Song

Read the Song of Solomon, today!, with the knowledge that God has written you a song of love.

BETHPAGE, TN (Pursuing the Summit) - In our graceless age we encounter people everyday, often ourselves, who wonder, "Does God really love me?" The Scriptures probe this question very deeply, and it is through ancient, mystical insights of the Song of Solomon that we discover a love song revealing the violent passion of God for the soul.

We begin with a secret: "O, my dove, in the clefts of the rock,/ In the secret places of the cliff,/ Let me see your face,/ Let me hear your voice;/ For your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely" (Song of Sol. 2:14). How utterly beautiful this verse is, the words somehow a stunning gift, but vague still. What could they possibly mean?

Verse 1 of Song of Solomon begins, "The song of songs . . . ." It is similar in language to "holy of holies." It is superlative, meaning the holiest of holies, therefore the Song of Solomon is the song of all songs, or the loveliest of songs. Delicate poetry about the richest king to ever rule Israel and a common girl who express intense passion and profound love for one another, the young bride regards her love for the lover as a frantic search, while the king expresses pleasure in her entrancing splendor and compares her body to treasures, verdant gardens, and delicious varieties of fruit.

Why the Lord included this intimate ballad in the Bible, was a question that challenged me. It includes no references in it to spiritual disciplines (prayer, fasting, almsgiving, Scripture study, evangelization, etc.), God is never mentioned directly in the entire text, and its sexual content is impossible to ignore. In fact the whole book appears to be about sex, and at times the ancient language and comparisons are enough to make one laugh out loud.

Take chapter four for instance: "Your hair is like a flock of goats going down from Mount Gilead. Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep which have come up from the washing" (1-2); "Your temples behind your veil are like a piece of pomegranate. Your neck is like the tower of David, built for an armory, on which hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men" (WHAT?!); "Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle" (3-5). And chapter seven is little better: "Your navel is a rounded goblet; it lacks no blended beverage. Your waist is a heap of wheat" (2); "Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon" (4). Just what a girl wants to hear! I wonder how she would feel about our being privy to this evaluation of her personal, shall we say, inventory? And who inspects his lover's nose, temples and teeth? The language is admittedly dated and corny, but it veils a meaning almost unbearably splendid, which I believe to be purposeful.

The Lover warns, "Do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases" (8:4). One cannot think to encroach upon this depth on the whim of fancy, for one does not enter into the King's chambers prematurely. He must first be summoned, led by the Lover. Intimacy is only ever forged with dedication, commitment, and monogamous faithfulness. We must penetrate the dimness of the veil, prepared to do His slightest bidding, and ply our Lover with gifts He cannot resist--charity and grace--and intoxicate Him with the wine of sacrifice, the fragrance of prayer.

Only then, does He speak: "I remember you, the kindness of your youth, the love of your betrothal, when you went after me in the wilderness. Israel was holiness to the Lord" (Jeremiah 2:2-3). In chapters 2 and 3 of Jeremiah, we see that historically, while God's people pursued Him, they were considered holy in His sight. He compared their relationship together to a betrothal. Later Israel fell into idolatry and God called her a whore: "You have played the harlot with many lovers" (3:1); "Where have you not lain with men?" (3:2); "You have a harlot's forehead; you refuse to be ashamed" (3:3). Over and over in explicit language God declares that His betrothed is like an animal in heat (2:24) and that she beautifies herself to win other lovers (2:33), though God Himself is her only real beauty (2:32). He goes so far as to say, "backsliding Israel had committed adultery" (3:8) and, "Return, O backsliding children, for I am married to you" (3:14).

These two chapters of Jeremiah illustrate God's relationship with His people. It is compared to a marriage, and the focus of the chapters is the sexual nature of the marriage relationship. Israel's adultery, your adultery, my adultery, makes Him jealous, and Deuteronomy 4:24 gives expression to this jealousy: it is said to be a consuming fire. Incredibly, Exodus 34:14 reveals more, that even God's name is Jealous. The Lord views His relationship to you as exclusive, sacred, and holy. You are His and His alone. His jealousy toward anything that captures your attention and devotion is a consuming fire. He demands that you sacrifice it to Him as a burnt offering, that it would be wholly consumed by His righteous jealousy, whose ". . . flames are flames of fire, A most vehement flame" (Song 8:6).

In what area of your life do you habitually prostitute your love? To what or whom do you give what rightfully belongs to the Lover of your soul? What stands between you and the King's chamber? Only what you allow, because the Lover beckons. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you will never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to Him, you will find both yourself and Him (Matt. 10:39). Read the Song of Solomon, today!, with the knowledge that God has written you a song of love, the loveliest song ever composed or sung.

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Sonja Corbitt is a Catholic Scripture teacher, study author and speaker. Visit her at www.pursuingthesummit.com and www.pursuingthesummit.blogspot.com.

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