Song of Solomon 7

The Explanation

Song of Solomon is a book full of poems about love. A man and a woman are in love, and they sing about each other. In this chapter, the man describes how beautiful he finds the woman. He starts at her feet and works his way up: her feet in their sandals, her body, her neck, her eyes, her hair. He compares her to all kinds of things you would not expect in a love poem today. Her neck is like an ivory tower. Her eyes are like calm pools of water at the city gate of Heshbon. Her hair reminds him of Mount Carmel, a tall, majestic mountain.

That sounds strange to us. If someone told you your nose was like a tower, you would probably laugh. But in those days, towers and mountains were signs of strength and beauty. The man is saying: you are dignified, you are strong, you are stunning. He compares her to a palm tree standing tall, and he says her breath smells like apples and her voice is sweet like the finest wine.

Then the woman speaks. She says something short but powerful: "I am my beloved's. His desire is toward me." That means: I belong to him, and he really wants me. She invites him to go out with her into the fields, to walk through the vineyards early in the morning, and to see whether the flowers are blooming and the pomegranates are opening. She tells him she has saved up all kinds of precious fruits for him, new ones and old ones.

What Does This Mean?

Maybe you feel a little uncomfortable reading a chapter like this. That is honest, and it is okay. This is a love poem between a husband and wife, and the Bible does not hide that people love each other with their whole selves: heart, mind, and body.

The message is that love between a man and a woman is not dirty or silly. God made it. He thought it up. In many parts of the Bible, love and marriage are treated as something serious and beautiful. This poem shows us that God is not embarrassed about love. He put a whole book about it right in the middle of the Bible.

Notice too that the man and the woman speak kindly about each other. They see beauty. They belong to each other. Nobody is being used. That matters.

The Common Thread

Many Christians throughout history have read Song of Solomon in two ways at once. First, it is about a real man and woman who love each other. Second, it also gives us a picture of how much God loves His people, and later, how much Jesus loves His church.

The woman says, "I am my beloved's. His desire is toward me." That sentence could be spoken by anyone who belongs to Jesus. He wants you. He is not far away, tired of you, or annoyed with you. His desire is toward His people. In the New Testament, the church is even called the bride of Christ.

So this chapter, strange as it sounds, quietly points to a big truth: being loved by God is not cold or distant. It is warm, personal, and deep.

For You

At your age, you are starting to notice things about love. Maybe you already think someone in your class is nice. Maybe you find all of this awkward. Both are fine.

What this chapter can teach you now is that love is worth waiting for and treating well. The man in the poem does not grab or take. He admires. The woman speaks freely because she feels safe. That is how love is meant to be.

And you can already learn to say what the woman said: "I am my beloved's." If you belong to Jesus, that is true of you too. He knows you, He sees you, and His heart turns toward you. That is something you can hold onto, even on days when you feel invisible or not good enough.

Talk About It

Why do you think God put a love poem in the Bible? What does that tell you about Him?

The woman says, "I am my beloved's." What would it mean for you to say that about Jesus?

Praying Together

Lord God, thank You that You are not ashamed of love. Thank You that You made it. Help me to think well about love, and to believe that Your heart turns toward me. Teach me to belong to You, today and always. Amen.