Happy Wednesday! Welcome to day 6 of the 21-days of reading scripture. Thanks for following along.

Song of Solomon 2:8–13 (NRSV):

8 The voice of my beloved! Look, he comes, leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills.

9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look, there he stands behind our wall, gazing in at the windows, looking through the lattice.

10 My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away;

11 for now the winter is past, the rain is over and gone.

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

13 The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

Reflection

The Song of Solomon. A love letter? A story describing the relationship between Israel and Yahweh? Probably the latter. We surely see that romantic language is not lost on the God of Israel. It provides helpful insight into the intensity of the relationship. Just like marriage is often used as a description of the covenant between God and his people, so too does the Song of Solomon.

Here is the truth described by this overlooked book. God does not merely put up with you The Father delights in you. God does not wait for you to make mistakes and punish you. The Father waits for you with a longing beyond words and not with a wagging finger of condemnation. When this truth hits home it changes everything about our most important relationship.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for your kindness toward me. Thank you that you call me by name and always have a place at your table for me.