“Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair! You have dove’s eyes behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats…You are all fair, my love, and there is no spot in you.”— Song of Solomon 4:1-7
If you want to hear how much God loves you, read the Song of Solomon out loud. On one level, it is a literal love story between a king and a shepherd girl. On another level, it is a poetic allegory of God’s love for us. As you read, pay close attention and think, “This is how the Lord sees me.”
When I first pictured Solomon saying these words to his love, the Shulamite girl, I thought, well, “dove’s eyes” isn’t a bad start. Peace, tranquility, and quiet beauty. Not bad. Then I tried the next line on my wife: “Your hair is like a flock of goats.” It didn’t quite have the desired effect.
But in the cultural context of this shepherd girl, he had adorned her with praise because a flock of goats represented bountiful prosperity. By the time he finished, he had praised her from the top of her head to her beautiful feet, telling her how much he loved and treasured her, and that in his eyes, she was perfect —“no spot.”
Do you believe that the Lord loves you like that? Do you comprehend His passion and His desire to bless you? At first, the Shulamite girl resisted, saying, “Do not look upon me.” She felt unworthy.
No one is worthy of being loved by a holy God, the King of the Universe, the Master of all Creation. But He asks us to accept His love.
While we might see ourselves as wretched or incapable of comprehending such great love, He looks upon us and says, “I have washed away your sins and imperfections with My blood. I am here to comfort you; the more you let Me bless you, the more you will understand.”
Please don’t read the Bible and miss the greatest truth of all: that God’s Word is a love story, from beginning to end.
“When you read God’s Word, you must constantly be saying to yourself, ‘it is talking to me and about me.’”— Soren Kierkegaard
