Song of Songs 2: 1 – 17
Peeping Tom
I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. 2 Like a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. 3 Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down in his shade with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. 4 He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. 5 Sustain me with cakes of raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am lovesick. 6 His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me. 7 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the does of the field, do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases. 8 The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. 9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, he stands behind our wall; he is looking through the windows, gazing through the lattice. 10 My beloved spoke, and said to me: “ Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. 11 For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. 12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. 13 The fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away! 14 “ 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.” 15 Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes. 16 My beloved is mine, and I am his. He feeds his flock among the lilies. 17 Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag upon the mountains of Bether.
How did you like chapter 1? Did it have any benefit on your personally? Has it affected your view towards your marriage? If so, great! Let’s continue to look at how you can determine if you are in love. As we begin to look at chapter 2 it will be good to just look at the last couple of verses from chapter 1. Now remember the couple is out in the field overlooking the beauty of God’s creation. When you are in love everything looks great.
My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blooms in the vineyards of En Gedi.
The area of En Gedi is an oasis. She is telling him that he is refreshing to her. Are you refreshing to you lady, guys?
Solomon is moved by her and declares how beautiful she is by repeating the statement twice.
15 Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair! You have dove’s eyes.
Now he is not saying that she has birds’ eyes. What he is beautifully describing an attribute of her character. This triat in a person was important to the lady in the beginning of this chapter and Solomon is wise enough to know that he thought well of her character also. You see guys if one of your characteristics is important to your beautiful lady than write this down. Your evaluation regarding the same category of her characteristics is important to her.
Doves’ eyes do not move around in the bird’s socket it only looks straight at where it faces. Solomon saw that she had only eyes for him and that meant a lot to him. How does this mean to you guys?
16 Behold, you are handsome, my beloved! Yes, pleasant! Also our bed is green. 17 The beams of our houses are cedar, and our rafters of fir.
Now sitting on a nice green hillside looking around her surroundings Abishag again complements his love and points out to him the beauty of the landscape. The trees of the woods together with every sensory item just add to the beauty of being in love. Let’s get that back in our lives, shall we? This is not just a one-time experience for us to be allowed to enjoy.
I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
The woman calls herself this term. We have come to love the beauty of this verse. Many have printed this verse and use it on valentine cards and for all other kind of uses. However, this verse is not so lovely as interpreted. The Rose of Sharon or lily of the valley is a wildflower. What we see here in the maiden is a picture of humility. There is no overwhelming color associated with this flower. It just blends in with the rest of the valley with no special attention being drawn to it. What the woman is saying is that she feels that she is no one special and that she came from no where special. Solomon, on the other hand had all the splendor that money could buy plus he came from royalty. Can you picture yourself in this same type of circumstance that the young woman was in?. How would you feel in the same predicament?
Our Precious Lord Jesus in His great humility described this in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 6, 28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”
Like this young woman we also can find it too difficult to become comfortable at our Beloved’s Awesome Royalty. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Yet, He, like Solomon, discerns our need for reassurance. Our Holy Lord and Savior came to us on our level and assures us of His Love over and over.
Like a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
The first good characteristic that he displayed was being a good listener. The woman felt ‘second class’. He heard her lament and responded wisely. He contrasted her with all other women. To him all other women are but thorns. She is the only flower. He continues to comfort her with more encouraging words, ‘so is my ‘love’ among the daughters.’
In the book of Jeremiah chapter 31 we hear from the one Who created love. He speaks about His love for His people, 3 The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying:“ Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” What An Awesome Loving God we have.
Please note guys that if you listen correctly you will have a higher probability of ministering to your love as Solomon did. Look at the results of his words in her response to him;
3 Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons.
She delights in his attention to her needs. It affects her. He had understood her heart and by her answer she responds the same words back to him in a more fulfilling comment. The woman spoke of being just a no body in a huge field of other women. Solomon corrected that statement and said that she was a unique beauty that stood out among all other flowers [referring to other women]. She informs him that out of all the trees [other men] in the woods he stands out as an apple tree. This in affect was saying that he is fruitful What are the fruits that the Holy Spirit impart to us from His Grace? They are as explained to us in the book of Galatians chapter 2, ‘22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.’ He is all of these to her.
In addition she expresses to him that he arouses her. How is that shown/ Well, the apple is a symbol of sexual content. Now guys, if your lady flirts with some of these words in your direction, how will that make you think and feel?
I sat down in his shade with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
Not only does she convey to him that he arouses her but also he attracts her. For one thing she is drawn by his ‘shade’. How do you spell relief as the old commercial asks? It is not ‘ROLAIDS’. She finds relief and refreshing under the shadow of his covering. David was the great psalmist who knew how to put in writing this beautiful picture of our God’s love, care, protection, and provision. Look at these verses;
Psalm 17: 8, ‘Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings.’
Psalm 36: 7, ‘How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.’
Psalm 57: 1,’Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by.’
Psalm 63: 7, ‘Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.’
The other great attribute that he has displayed to her is his ‘sweetness’. It is time for inventory taking - gents. Analyze your own interaction with your wife. How do you measure up? If you have a failing grade then you know that this is an area to turn over to our Great and Wonderful Counselor to help you correct this deficiency in your marriage. Once you do this then great things can happen. Are you willing to step out in obedience and sincerity to be all of these qualities to your partner? If you invest in doing this you will reap the rewards as did Solomon. She desires greatly to make love with him.
4 He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
In case you are not grasping this location, it is the bedroom. Our Lord instructed His people who were traveling in the wilderness to set up flags or banners. For example, the banner of those from the tribe of Judah was a Lion. So, if you were looking for where you belonged you would look for this sign. How great are these passages then;
Exodus 17: 15,’And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-LORD-Is-My-Banner.’
Psalm 20:5, ‘We will rejoice in your salvation, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the LORD fulfill all your petitions?’
Besides the protection that she felt in his arms, she was fully taken in the passion.
5 Sustain me with cakes of raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am lovesick. 6 His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me.
It is amazing where words rightly spoken can get you. Weather in business or personal interaction the words which we speak can open up endless benefits. In the book of Proverbs chapter 25 we read of the correlation between apples and words, ‘11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.’
She is so enmeshed with him that everything is great. His words, touch, and all other actions are taken in by her in totality. Boy, is that great! Who doesn’t want this as both men and women in your daily relationships? Is something like this just a pipe dream? Or can it happen again in your lives? I know that you are aware of the correct answer. It takes time, effort, and work, but the outcome is beyond the norm.
Now we come to a unique statement. It almost seems out of place. However, it fits in greatly. The woman having reached a full ecstasy flashes back to her virginity. She remembers now that it was fully worth waiting for what she now is experiencing.
7 I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the does of the field, do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases.
She now understands that the less you do or refrain from the greater is your joy. I have young couples come in to see me about getting married. One of the questions on their form is whether they have been sexually active. That is a tough question to go over. I inform them that I am not about to beat them up but I ask them to consider what will make their honeymoon special - because they are going to go to some tropical island? The honeymoon is called the ‘unveiling’
Here you get to see and physically ‘know’ your lifelong partner. To a large degree these young people have robbed themselves of probably one of the greatest moments in their lives.
Sex is a great gift from our Loving Creator God. He endorses sexual interaction between a man and a woman who are committed to each other for a lifetime in the bonds of marriage. Our Great Maker wants sex to be generated by love and commitment not lust. He designed it for mutual pleasure and not for selfish self-fulfillment.
The intense power of love as our Magnificent Jehovah Jireh – The Lord our Provider gives affects our hearts, minds, and bodies. Because it is so powerful it cannot be regarded casually. We therefore, cannot and should not manipulate others into loving us and should not be prematurely encouraged in any relationship. .
We now come into an new portion of these two young lovers. There is a change in the action. In this part we see how the young man can’t wait to see her again. It is so interesting when you are in love as to the amount of time and effort the guy will spend in order to see his lady. He will forego sleep and forego spending restrictions in order just to spend time with her. He will travel great distances and constantly be grooming himself in style and neatness in order to win the girl of his dreams. He can’t wait to get his hands on her.
In this portion the man asks the maiden to come away with him. During this time in history and in this culture that wasn’t appropriate so the women has to decline the invitation. This action, however, has caused the young woman to dream that she might lose him so in her dream she is going all out to find him. In truth she desires to get away with him yet she is fighting the temptation to submit to the pressure and give her all, body, soul, and spirit to him prior to the marriage. Does this same condition not happen to women also today? The guy puts pressure on the woman to not withhold herself from sexual intimacy. Many women fear that if they do not concede then the will lose the guy so they submit.
In another situation the guy will lie to the woman that he loves her and that he wants to marry her. Her reasoning is that since the man will be her husband then why withhold the affection and intimacy he seeks. I have seen that approximately 98% of these situations end without marriage. After the guy gets what he has been yearning for, he is no longer so bent on having the woman as his lifetime companion. Who do you think loses in the long run ladies? Anyway, back to our two lovers.
8 The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. 9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, he stands behind our wall; he is looking through the windows, gazing through the lattice.
Look at the verses again. Can you interpret the woman’s excitement and enthusiasm about her love coming to see her? Let me cut in here real quickly and ask you ladies to do your own inventory? How enthusiastic are you regarding your husband coming home to be with you? If you hesitate in your response then you got some problems and need the Lord to fix your perceptions, thoughts, and heart.
What are some of the reasons the young woman is so fired up about seeing and being with her guy? For one thing she is moved by the thought of just hearing him talk to her. Look at what it says, ‘The voice of my beloved’. She loves to talk with him. She loves to hear him speak with her. How so? It is because of his speech. He is interesting, encouraging, complementary, and pleasant in his every conversation. What has happen to us guys? We need to stop and think about this. In some cases we need to clean up our act and the way we talk to our women. It is not to late. We must begin anew to allow the Lord to control our thoughts, temperament, and how we communicate with our women. Do I hear an ‘Amen’ from you ladies?
Another significant point that impresses the woman is the way the man displays his desire to see her. Look at what it says, ‘Behold, he comes leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. 9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, he stands behind our wall; he is looking through the windows, gazing through the lattice.’ He can hardly wait to see her. He is leaping up and down in anticipation of being with her.
She sees the anticipation and his eagerness to see her. First he is behind the wall. She watches him as he hops and skips, maybe humming a song as he is heading toward her house. His eyes are focused on her house looking around trying to perhaps see his love. He is gazing through the open window, not as a peeping Tom, but with a desire to see his love. He catches her looking back at him and a smile covers his whole face. She takes in all of this excitement of his love and it pleases her. Would it not also do the same for you ladies?
10 My beloved spoke, and said to me: “ Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. 11 For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. 12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. 13 The fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away! 14 “ 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.”
Here he entices her to get away with him. He can’t wait to hold, hear, see, and just plainly be with her. Note to couples – it is sad when a couple doesn’t want to be together. This is a big time major concern almost like a cancer and needs to be addressed and rectified quickly.
The invitation he extends to her is due to the fact that being in love with her has caused him to see things differently. It’s is though he feels that he is wasting time that they can’t be together. Life is passing them by and he can’t stand the wait. That is why he said, ‘Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. 11 For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. 12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. 13 The fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.’
He express his desire in what he communicates to her. The turtle dove gives off a pleasant ‘cooing’ sound. He is saying by natural reference to her that he loves hearing her voice. To him it is the sound of this lovely ‘cooing’ that the gentle turtle dove imparts. When he refers to ‘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.”, he draws attention to her purity and gentleness. The turtle doves made their nests in the clefts of the high mountain rocks which are away from predators. Here he is seeking to get his love away from the world and everyone in it and to be able to be alone with just her.
Notice how he constantly is speaking in complements to his love. Note to couples – the principal number one issue in marriage counseling is the lack of communication between the husband and the wife. The men just clam up and refuse to talk with their wives. This is a leading problem with infidelity. Why? -because the woman needs to talk. If she is not receiving this from her husband, she will find someone who will listen. I believe this message is pretty clear.
15 Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes. 16 My beloved is mine, and I am his. He feeds his flock among the lilies.
With all this nice representation described by the man, why do we see this new verbiage? Since the man used nature to describe things and his feelings, she responds to his invitation to get away with him prior to their marriage. The big issue here is problems. The fox is real pains in the you know what. They will ruin a vineyard in a very short time. Here she is explaining to him that she is also enticed by his companionship yet she doesn’t want to give in to her desires prematurely. She says in affect, ‘Let us stop while it is still safe before we go off and do something that we will both regret’ For the after effects will be worse than the temporary satisfaction of fulfilling their lusts for each other.
This woman has all the right ideas. Over time problems will creep into their lives. They need to be walking the walk of their Godly lives not just talking the talk. Through the proper communication they both can see this problem along with other life situations to a satisfactory end. We can see that although he needs a cold shower, he knows that what she is saying in right. That is why she responds that she knows that they belong to each other.
17 Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young stag upon the mountains of Bether.
The word ‘Bether’ means separation. The woman understands that her love must leave for now but in encouragement she shares with him her desire to be with him totally. This definitely will help him run back to her with the speed of a gazelle. Wow! Love is amazing.
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