Day 143 – Song of Songs: The blueprint for a relationship

“You are beautiful, my darling, beautiful beyond words. Your eyes are like doves behind your veil. Your hair falls in waves, like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead.” Songs of Songs 4:1

The Song of Songs is a wedding song that honours the union between the groom and his bride. The most explicit statements on sex in the Bible can be found here. It has often faced criticism over the centuries due to its sensuous language and imagery. However, the purity and sacredness of love represented here are greatly needed in our day, where distorted attitudes towards love and marriage are commonplace.

Song of Songs can be divided into 7 main themes focusing on love, marriage, and all that goes with it:

• The wedding day (1:1 to 2:7)

• Memories of the courtship (2:8 to 3:5)

• Memories of the engagement (3:6 to 5:1)

• A troubling dream (5:2 to 6:3)

• Praising the bride’s beauty (6:4 to 7:9)

• The bride’s tender appeal (7:10 to 8:4)

• The power of love (8:5-14)

Within these themes, we see the interaction of husband and wife, not just intimately but also in communication, respect and understanding of one another. Allow this poem to minister to your heart for your marriage, and ask God how you can honour Him.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the 101 on marriage. We often feel we do not have an instruction manual for our marriages, but Your Word gives us exactly what we need. Thank You for giving us an entire book dedicated to this special covenant with You. Amen.