Wait for Love

Song of Solomon 2:7 (ESV) I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or the does of the field, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases.

This passage in Song chapter 2 is a very important warning for young women. The writer (who in this case is the voice of Solomon's love interest) is warning young girls to keep themselves away from premature sexual expression until the right person arrives. 

But the eternal question is this: How do we know the right person?

The previous and following verses paint a picture for us. 

In the first verse of this chapter, the woman calls herself this:

Song of Solomon 2:1 (ESV) I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.

But in the next verse, her lover, the king elevates her status:

Song of Solomon 2:2 (ESV) As a lily among brambles, so is my love among the young women.

Brambles are thorns. While she saw herself as singular among others, he sees her as far better than all others. He esteems her worth more than she does herself. The right person sees you not simply as one among many from which they choose, but as none other. 

So too to the woman, the man is the only one who offers her sweetness of taste:

Song of Solomon 2:3 (ESV) As an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men. With great delight I sat in his shadow, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

Notice she sees none other. The rest of the men are forest. He alone provides nourishment with a sweetness that delights her life. The right person stands apart in our eyes, time with them is sweet as well as satisfying. 

Song of Solomon 2:4 (ESV) He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.

Notice the destination, not the bedroom, but the dinning room. He has come to feed her. And the term, "his banner" means, "his intention." That is, his only intention is to love her. He does not come to use her or simply explore her body. He wants to care for her in meaningful ways that cost him something. The right person has the right intentions, LOVE, not lust. 

Song of Solomon 2:6 (ESV) His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me!

Notice where he puts his hands. He loves her with gentle care. He holds her close to Him. This is not aggressive, self-seeking love. This is love that seeks the good of the other. 

Song of Solomon 2:8–9 (ESV) The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills. 9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, there he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, looking through the lattice.

Notice here the pursuit of her lover. He comes to her quickly, longing to be with her. He will look at her even if through the windows and lattice that separate them. 

Song of Solomon 2:10 (ESV) My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away,

Again in verse 13, the lover will call her to himself to come away. This is not only pursuit, it is private intimacy rooted in separation from others for one another. The right person cuts off all other attachments for you. They have eyes not wandering around but focused on the desire of their heart. 

And this is the kind of person that you are made to love. So wait for it. Because all others will never satisfy, nourish or care for you. 

Sadly, most fear they will not find it. Some do not find it in another human. But we can HAVE this kind of love in Jesus Christ. He is the singular man among men who makes all others look simply like trees. He is the one who produces fruit in us and nourishes us, bringing us to the dining table. He is the one who cares for us and seeks us out, finding us among the people and bringing us home to paradise. 

Amen.