2 “[a]I am the [b]rose of Sharon,
The lily of the valleys.”2 “[c]Like a lily among the thorns,
So is my darling among the [d]maidens.”3 “[e]Like an [f]apple tree among the trees of the forest,
So is my beloved among the [g]young men.
In his shade I took great delight and sat down,
And his fruit was sweet to my [h]taste.
4 “He has brought me to his [i]banquet hall,
And his banner over me is love.
5 “Sustain me with raisin cakes,
Refresh me with [j]apples,
Because I am lovesick.
6 “Let his left hand be under my head
And his right hand embrace me.”7 “[k]I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
By the gazelles or by the hinds of the field,
That you do not arouse or awaken my love
Until [l]she pleases.”8 “[m]Listen! My beloved!
Behold, he is coming,
Climbing on the mountains,
Leaping on the hills!
9 “My beloved is like a gazelle or a young [n]stag.
Behold, he is standing behind our wall,
He is looking through the windows,
He is peering through the lattice.
One could about get whiplash as the comparisons go here, there, and everywhere! The bride is a lily or rose, and then the groom is an apple tree, but wait, he’s like (v. 9) the very gazelles spoken of in v. 7. In all seriousness, this passage reminds me (sadly) of how our society takes what is good and twists it to be evil.
A rather trite example is the shade in this passage. It is seen as cool and refreshing, and so it ought to be. Yet in the slang of our day, “casting shade” is to shame someone, or to speak ill of them. And sure, I get what they are saying, but there are bigger examples. Love itself, romance, and sex. Yup, I said it, and not apologizing one bit.
God made all these things… he made the whole earth, and everything in it. He said it was good, and so it should be, unless we stray from his design and corrupt that which was meant for good. Even then, like in Joseph’s story, God can turn something meant for evil into something good (Genesis 50). It’s what He does, all day, every day.
So don’t let your flesh get the better of you and get your mind all in a twist. Embrace the goodness of God, in whatever form it comes. Let His eyes help you see through the lies of this world, to find what is good, like the relationship between a man and a woman. It ought to be sweet, refreshing, and delightful, even though we sometimes misunderstand (Eph. 5:22-33 for instance). Don’t let that hold you back, but dig in, and find the good that God intends for you, in marriage, in life, and in serving Him.