10 “I am my beloved’s,
And his desire is for me.
11 “Come, my beloved, let us go out into the [l]country,
Let us spend the night in the villages.
12 “Let us rise early and go to the vineyards;
Let us see whether the vine has budded
And its blossoms have opened,
And whether the pomegranates have bloomed.
There I will give you my love.
13 “The mandrakes have given forth fragrance;
And over our doors are all choice fruits,
Both new and old,
Which I have saved up for you, my beloved.
The bride calls to her beloved (Solomon) in the latter verses of the chapter, and it’s an interesting request she makes. They live in the city, in the palace, and could have anything delivered to their door. Yet she asks him to go out into the country with her, into the villages, the vineyards and the orchards. What could they possibly gain by that?
She desired quiet, solitude, and rest. Not unlike our culture, the life of the palace was frenetic, constant demands on the kings time, requests for this, and that, entreaties from foreign nations, visitors coming and going. It was no wonder she wanted to get away. It reminds me of something very important that most of us take very much for granted. That is, the need for rest.
It was so important, that God made it number four in his first ten commandments to the Israelites. Every seventh day was dedicated to rest… and every seventh year, and every fiftieth (two years in a row, if you’re following the pattern). We get so focused on doing, even on doing good things, and forget we must rest. Not we “should” rest, or it’d be nice, but we must. Our bodies need the downtime, and no doubt that was a part of the queen’s request to Solomon.
But there is more to her motives than that. Away from all the noise, the busyness, and the distractions, she desires her husband to focus on her, and she to focus on him. The she will give him her love, and they can enjoy the fruit of their labor.
So yes, we need rest, we need to hit pause, and not just a couple times a year, but weekly. That’s a difficult challenge in our society, but it is essential. In that time, we can gain focus. We can focus on what is important, our family, our spouse, even friends, and also it lets us listen for God’s voice. Elijah didn’t hear Him in the tumultuous earthquake, or the blazing fire, but in the quiet that followed.
Find rest, find space in your life, and let God speak to your heart, and stoke the fire of your relationships that they not die and fizzle out. See if the flowers are blooming, and the orchards bearing fruit. Do something that is nothing, but everything for your relationship(s), and do it together.