Song of Solomon 4:9-15. The Song of Solomon is a love poem from God to us. Here God tells us how much he loves us "You have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride... How sweet is your love." He goes on to compare us who love him to all the wonderful things of nature: nectar; honey and milk; an orchard of choicest pomegranates; henna and nard and saffron and calamus and cinnamon; frankincense, myrrh, and aloe; a garden fountain, a wellspring of living water.

This book is a love poem, yes, but love is only this intense when it is requited. So this is talking about the love between us and God when we love him back - God tells us that we have ravaged his heart and how sweet our love is. Love begets love. When we love God back, it kindles this kind of intensity - we love him like a bride and he loves us like a lover. How amazing!

But what if we don't love him this way? Well, of course he still loves us, but it is not this kind of love, it is not love with this intensity where we gaze at each other in loving rapture. In that case, his love for us is more like the unrequited love of a jilted lover. God is pining for our return, but our mutual love cannot be inflamed to this level unless it is, in fact, mutual. Once it is, though, watch out! It is so intense and wonderful!

Also, as I read the wonders of nature to which God compares us, I'm struck by how nothing we can create can hold a candle to his creation. If you want to compare someone you love to something to show your adoration and appreciation, you have to resort to things of nature - perfect fruits, flowing waters, rare spices, gems, etc. We tend to value things like our cars, phones, collections of things, but we would never compare our love to them. There is a lesson here for us on true beauty and true value - it is shown in the things that he has created.