A Love Story

September 04, 2021

Song of Solomon 2:10

A Love Story

“My beloved speaks and says to me: ‘Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.’” - Song of Solomon 2:10

Who doesn’t like a good love story? It may be a book or a movie or something that occurs in our lives. A happy ending can bring a sense of well-being to our day or even tears of joy. The Song of Solomon is such a story. It is a passionate, descriptive story of lovers.

No other book of the Bible has caused such radical differences of opinion as the Song of Solomon. You hear outraged exclamation from some folks: “Why is this book in the Bible?” Others value the beauty of the poetry. Love is the overarching theme of the book. Most of today’s scholars see it as the love between a man and a woman, but initially it was celebrated as the love of God for his people. The writing is attributed to Solomon.

It is a story of seeking: the lover looks for the beloved. He describes the object of his devotion. The lover is calling out: “Arise, my love, my beautiful one and come away.” At its most basic level, it is the story of human love. There is a mutual enthusiasm between the woman and the man. They seek each other, long to come away and enjoy one another. There is a faithfulness between the two. However, it is also the story of God’s relationship with each of us.

It takes us back to creation and the garden of Eden. Mankind was to be the beloved of God, to live in harmony with him, but the relationship was broken by disobedience. God continues to be the seeker in Israel’s story. He leads them out of Egypt to become his people in a new land. But sin once again destroys the relationship.

Finally, God sends his Son, the beloved, to save mankind. Once again, we hear the story of God’s love through the heart and words of Jesus. “Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away.” That is the invitation to each of us. It is our love story with God. He invites us to “come away” to spend time with him, to recognize ourselves as his beloved.

It is a love story for all time.

Reflection:
Do you picture God’s love surrounding you every day? Can you see yourself as the beloved? Why or why not? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Related Resource:

Let's face it, the Christian life is hard. Relationships take work. Christians forget. Sometimes it is tempting to go back to the days when God was not the center of our lives - to backslide. We are all faced with tremendous pressures to drift away from intimacy with Jesus and the community of the Church. However, the Lord invites us to pay attention, to move forward, to draw near, and to live lives of worship. Draw Near: Hebrews on Christian Worship is a small group Bible study on the Book of Hebrews intended to lead participants into a deeper intimacy with the living God in the context of New Testament worship. Draw nearer to God in authentic worship today!