Song of Solomon 8:14

New Living Translation (NLT)

Come away, my love! Be like a gazelle
or a young stag on the mountains of spices.

For Meditation

Her eyes locked firmly into his. With sweaty forehead and coquettish smile, the man attempted a conversation, but his tongue locked in his mouth for what seemed like eternity.

“Turn your eyes from me, [my dear]; they overwhelm me” he whispered.

“I belong to [you, my love], and [your] desire is for me. Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for [your] love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame,” the young woman said.

His words poured out like the waters of the Victoria Falls, cascading into the one hundred meter gorge below. The King had found his voice.

“Your teeth are as white as sheep that are freshly washed. Your smile is flawless, each tooth matched with its twin. Your cheeks are like rosy pomegranates behind your veil. Even among sixty queens and eighty concubines and countless young women, I would still choose my dove, my perfect one— the favorite of her mother, dearly loved by the one who bore her. The young women see her and praise her; even queens and royal concubines sing her praises.”

“Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy [my] love with all his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned”, the young woman said. “Come away, my love! Be like a gazelle or a young stag on the mountains of spices.”

The lights dimmed and the stars swirled in his imagination, as their lips met in a luscious embrace.

1. Will the Bible be your first guess for this romantic discourse without foreknowledge and reference to the Song of Solomon as source, as it is here?
2. Why would the Holy Spirit inspire such a romantic dialogue as part of the canon of scripture? Is it not to endorse the purity and beauty of marital love? Can you fathom the wisdom of God?
3. With most marriages bereft of pure romance and intimacy, is it not refreshing to receive their endorsement from the One who instituted the first marriage (Gen. 2:21-25)?
4. If husbands and wives could exhibit such love, devotion, and commitment to each other, what do you think the divorce rate among Christian couples would become?
5. What’s the problem with us? Why do some of us frown on pure romance as sleazy in courtship and, especially, marriage? Why does romance cease for most of us after marriage?

I pray we will embrace romance in our marriages and feel no shame. It is the expression of pure love and means of endearment in our marriages.

So: May your love overflow to your spouse, all the days of your life. May you allow the Song of Solomon to help you loosen up in your marriage, and cause it to blossom with age!

Shalom