Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
He
Behold, you are beautiful, my love, behold, you are beautiful! Your eyes are doves behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead. Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes that have come up from the washing, all of which bear twins, and not one among them has lost its young. Your lips are like a scarlet thread, and your mouth is lovely. Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind your veil. Your neck is like the tower of David, built in rows of stone; on it hang a thousand shields, all of them shields of warriors.
– Song of Solomon 4:1-4
Devotion
The descriptions of beauty found in the Song of Solomon may seem foreign to us; men today do not often tell the women they love that their eyes look like “doves”, that their hair looks like “a flock of goats”, or that their neck resembles a “tower”, but these poetic descriptions were intended to portray the beauty that this man saw in his bride.
People throughout the ages have tried to put their feelings into words. Today lovers describe themselves as “twitter-pated”, “infatuated”, “obsessed”, “left breathless” and “head-over-heels”. They tell their friends that the object of their affection is “off the hook”, “the apple of their eye” and their “soul-mate”. The desire to “tie the knot” and “get hitched” may often follow. The words may have changed, but the feelings remain the same.
Like Solomon, we should be inspired to share our feelings with those we love. After the initial infatuation wears off, married people often forget to remind each other how they feel and assume that their spouse already knows. If you are married, remind your spouse of how beautiful and special they are in your eyes. Remind each other of the moment that you first met, how you fell in love, and the promises that you made before God to cherish, love, and honor each other. Poetry is nice, but there are many other ways to tell each other how you feel!
The Big Question
How do you think the Shulamite woman felt when Solomon shared these words with her? How do you communicate your feelings with those you love? If you are married, how do your words with your spouse reflect the intentions that you had on your wedding day?
Conclude in prayer and silence reflecting on what you’ve learned.