‹ Back

Song of Solomon 5:14 "His arms are rounded gold, set with jewels. His body is ivory work, encrusted with sapphires." 

 

The lover in the Song of Solomon is desperately seeking her beloved. After she delayed opening the door to him, he has left, and she is asking everyone who might see him to tell him she is sick with love. (Song of Solomon 5:2-8) When they ask how her beloved is better than all others, she launches into a rapt description of him that includes this verse (Song of Solomon 5:9-16).

 

While it's not my style to compare physical beauty to gold and jewels, I know the feeling this verse describes. She is describing her lover the way those newly in love feel about each other. Everything about him is perfect to her, there's nothing too over the top to use as a comparison. Of course, he's better than another beloved, what a stupid question!

 

With human love, this feeling eventually fades into a steadier, more long-term feeling, but the point of the Song of Solomon is to show us how God loves us, and how we can love Him back. God is this crazy over us, absolutely besotted! It is so strange to think about that, but it is true. And when we realize it, as the lover here did belatedly, we are overcome with the same kind of love for Him. He truly is the perfection of everything, there is nothing too over the top to which to compare Him. And this feeling for Him will not fade, it is not meant to, it is the ecstasy we are meant to live in forever. This is how God loves, and how we are meant to love Him.