Romantic Scriptures--Song of Solomon 4:9

Day 4

St. Valentine’s Day +2!

How many days in a row AFTER St. Valentine’s Day is a guy supposed to consider ROMANCE and LOVE in his life?

Not many more, I’ll tell you.

Maybe one more. 🙂

Reading through the Song of Solomon (where this penultimate romantic Scripture is found) should really be required reading for St. Valentine’s Day.

Start reading when you first see St. Valentine’s Day chocolate in Kroger. That should be enough runway to get in the romantic mood.

Reading through the verses is kind of like eating an entire cereal bowl of M & Ms.

It’s fun at first, even yummy.

Then, my eyes glaze over, as the treacle in my blood rises. Too much Song of Solomon at one time is not good for you.

When I read about romance and passion in literature, I invariably compare the florid descriptions to my own thoughts and feelings.

And I feel lacking.

Where literature, and even Solomon describe temples and Taj Mahal’s of passionate love, I sometimes feel like I’m sitting in the middle of a pile of cinder blocks and some odd scraps of wood wondering what to do.

But I did recognize myself in some of Solomon’s descriptions. This verse caught my eye, so to speak:

Song of Solomon 4:9 You have enchanted my heart, my sister, my bride; You have enchanted my heart with a single glance of your eyes, With a single strand of your necklace.

This verse resonates with me because I do like to gaze at Karen and memorize the small details of her in my life and I DO like how she looks at me (when she’s not frustrated with me).

(I had to dig in a little on this verse because “my sister” threw me some. I was hoping that this wasn’t ANOTHER paean to incestuous love. Turns out, “my sister” isn’t incestuous at all–but just a term of endearment for someone close to you. WHEW!)

Really, there is nothing more romantic than the eyes of your beloved.

Greg Morse emphasizes this romance of love as a gift from God in Lift Her Chin With Love:

“He is a connoisseur of fine art, and, in the glorious confines of lifelong covenant, God has given him a masterpiece to enjoy. Such is not just a husband on his wedding day, but on the day he wheels his wife down the hallway towards chemotherapy.”

Even in the tough times, the scary times, we look at each other and what we see rolls all of Shakespeare’s sonnets, Solomon’s horny wisdom, and Hallmark’s entire vault into one eternal second of a glance.

God’s love really is perfect.

Which naturally led me to that cornball Ed Sheerhan song, Perfect, which then when I looked at the lyrics realized the song is shot through with verse 9:

"And in your eyes, you're holding mine”

"I see my future in your eyes"

"When I saw you in that dress, looking so beautiful"

"I have faith in what I see, now I know I have met an angel in person"

I don’t think Sheerhan is particularly religious, but there you go. 🙂

Lord, teach us to love as You love, with patience, with passion, and with delight for the beloved. May our eyes reflect Your light when we gaze upon each other.

Lord, may we cherish each other as You cherish us and remind us that we are seen by You as we try to see You in our lives.

Amen.