Today's Video Devotion

Today's Church Service

Sunday 3/17/24

Biblical Courtship

📺️ Song of Solomon 2 🔊

¹I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.

 ²As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.

 ³As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

 ⁴He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.

 ⁵Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.

 ⁶His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.

 ⁷I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.

 ⁸The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.

 ⁹My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.

 ¹⁰My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

 ¹¹For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

 ¹²The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

 ¹³The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

 ¹⁴O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.

 ¹⁵Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.

 ¹⁶My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.

 ¹⁷Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: Solomon

Date Penned: (971-931 BC)

Overview: The Love Between the Bride and the Bridegroom (c 1-8)

Theme: The Wedding Day (c 1-2)

Message: The Rose of Sharon (v 1-17)

Song of Solomon 2 Commentary 

(2:1) The Rose - The rose (likely the spring crocus) and lily are flowers commonly found in Israel. Perhaps the young woman was saying, "I'm not so special; I'm just an ordinary flower," to which Solomon replied, "Oh, no, you are extraordinary--a lily among thorns." Solomon used the language of love. Nothing is more vital to a lasting relationship than encouraging and appreciating the person you love. Be sure to tell your spouse "I love you" every day, and show that love by your actions. 

(2:3-4) A Loving Marriage - The relationship displayed between the young woman and young man in these songs is an artful representation of how God intends for men and women to relate to each other in marriage. In marriage, God wants us to nurture the desire for each spouse to give wholeheartedly to the other. Husband and wife should watch out for each other, strengthen each other, and find delight in simple acts of love. When was the last time you provided something for your spouse that brought him or her great delight? 

(2:7) A Romantic Relationship - The young woman encourages her friends not to "awake my love, till he please" because she wants to warn them against leaping too quickly into an intense romantic relationship, like the one she shares with the young man. The joy and excitement of new love can cause our emotions to quickly spin out of control and get ahead of the healthy development of a committed relationship. It's easy to let our feelings and desires run away with us, but God, as the ultimate author of his Word, expresses this charge to be patient and deliberate three times in this book (see also 3:5; 8:4). Unmarried men and women should not rush into marriage and sex before they've allowed a relationship to develop healthfully and in the company and counsel of wise peers and mentors. 

(2:7) Romantic Love - Romantic love creates emotions that can overpower reason. Young people are too often in a hurry to develop an intimate relationship based on their strong feelings. But feelings aren't enough to support a long-lasting relationship. This verse encourages us not to let the feelings of love grow faster than the commitment needed to make love last. Patiently wait for feelings of love and commitment to develop together. 

(2:8-17) Solomon’s Bride - In this section, Solomon's bride reflects on her courtship with Solomon. The young man speaks candidly about how he delights in her beauty and wants to be with her. The young man wants to spend time with her, not just for her physical beauty, which he eloquently celebrates, but also for her delightful companionship. 

(2:12-13) God’s Gift - The lovers celebrate their joy of being in love during springtime, when nature comes alive again. God created the world, the beauty we see, and the joy of love and sex--and he gave us senses to enjoy them. Never let problems, conflicts, or the ravages of time ruin your ability to enjoy God's gifts. Take time to enjoy the world God has created. 

(2:15) Little Foxes - The "little foxes" are an example of the kinds of problems that can disturb or destroy a relationship. The woman's brothers wanted anything that could potentially cause problems between the lovers to be removed. Often the "little foxes" cause the biggest problems in marriage. These irritations must not be minimized or ignored but rather identified so that, together, a couple can deal with them.

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today, we continue in the Book of Song of Solomon with Chapter 2. In our text today, we see the memories of Courtship as one falls in love with the other. In making the application, we see many pictures of Christ and the Church. Still, in keeping with our theme, I see a Biblical Courtship between 2 in love as one expresses His love to the other. In this Courtship, the two abstain from physical contact and seek to know the other through talking and spending time with one another. How about you? Do you see how God has designed Courtship? Let us learn from our text today to see that God has a plan for Marriage, which has the pattern of 2 falling in love through a non-physical courtship of getting to know one another.

Closing Prayer

Father in the Name and through the Blood of Jesus we pray that we would Take Today's Reading of Your Word and Give Us Understanding of Its Text, that You Apply this Word to Our Lives, and that you would help us grow in You. Father, Finally we Pray for Your Kingdom to come, that Your Will to be Done here on Earth as it is in Heaven. That You would Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen

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