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Longing for Her Beloved
8 Oh that you were like a brother to me
who nursed at my mother’s breasts!
If I found you outside, I would kiss you,
and none would despise me.
I would lead you and bring you
into the house of my mother—
she who used to teach me.
I would give you spiced wine to drink,
the juice of my pomegranate.
His left hand is under my head,
and his right hand embraces me!
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.
Who is that coming up from the wilderness,
leaning on her beloved?
Under the apple tree I awakened you.
There your mother was in labor with you;
there she who bore you was in labor.
Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm,
for love is strong as death,
jealousy is fierce as the grave.
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
the very flame of the LORD.
Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it.
If a man offered for love
all the wealth of his house,
he would be utterly despised.
Final Advice
Others
We have a little sister,and she has no breasts.
What shall we do for our sister
on the day when she is spoken for?
If she is a wall,
we will build on her a battlement of silver,
but if she is a door,
we will enclose her with boards of cedar.
She
I was a wall,and my breasts were like towers;
then I was in his eyes
as one who finds peace.
Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon;
he let out the vineyard to keepers;
each one was to bring for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver.
My vineyard, my very own, is before me;
you, O Solomon, may have the thousand,
and the keepers of the fruit two hundred.
He
O you who dwell in the gardens,with companions listening for your voice;
let me hear it.
She
Make haste, my beloved,and be like a gazelle
or a young stag
on the mountains of spices.
(ESV)
Song of Solomon 8 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
As Hank has written, this chapter is the 1 Corinthians 13 of the Old Testament. In these verses, we find four essential qualities of love.
- It is unstoppable and inevitable within a Godly marriage
- It burns brightly as a reflection of God
- It perseveres all things, even when storms and floods overwhelm
- It is a priceless gift which cannot be bought or coerced, but only given away
What I appreciate about this story in Song of Solomon is that it is not a perfect love story. No marriage is perfect, and I would argue that in order to actually possess the type of love the Bible describes, you must experience conflict. True love is not a fairytale ending with all your hopes and desires.
True love means sacrificing when you have nothing left. It’s continuing to trust and believe in someone despite how they may treat you. It’s a commitment that goes far beyond reason and logic. The love that is described in this chapter is a covenant that is sealed until death. It’s a beautiful picture of God’s design for marriage. I believe that if we follow it, we will reap a massive harvest of fruit.