• Song of Solomon 5 | “I Opened, but My Beloved Had Gone”

    The Banquet of Love “I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride;I have gathered my myrrh along with my balsam.I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey;I have drunk my wine and my milk.” “Eat, friends; drink, and drink deeply, lovers.” The Beloved’s Withdrawal I was asleep, but my heart was awake.A voice!…

  • Song of Solomon 4 | “Behold, You Are Beautiful”

    The Bride’s Beauty Praised “How beautiful you are, my darling,How beautiful you are!Your eyes are like doves behind your veil;Your hair is like a flock of goatsThat have descended from Mount Gilead. Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheepWhich have come up from their watering place,All of which bear twins,And not one…

  • Song of Solomon 3 | “In the Night and in the Day”

    The Longing in the Night On my bed night after night I sought himWhom my soul loves;I sought him but did not find him. I must arise now and go around in the city;In the streets and in the public squaresI must seek him whom my soul loves. I sought him but did not find…

  • Song of Solomon 2 | Love’s Awakening, Security, and Timing

    Love’s Identity and Worth “I am the rose of Sharon,The lily of the valleys.” “Like a lily among the thorns,So is my darling among the young women.” “Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest,So is my beloved among the young men.In his shade I had great desire and sat down,And his fruit…

  • Song of Solomon 1 | Desire Awakened and Worth Named

    “May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!For your love is better than wine.” “Your oils have a pleasing fragrance,Your name is like purified oil;Therefore the maidens love you.” “Draw me after you and let us run together!The king has brought me into his chambers.” “We will rejoice in you and be glad;We…

  • From Ecclesiastes to the Song of Solomon: When Wisdom Finds What It Longs For

    There comes a moment on the path of wisdom when the questions become too heavy to carry any farther. Ecclesiastes is that moment. It is the place where every pursuit is tested and found wanting, where the strongest human efforts dissolve like breath on a cold morning. For twelve chapters the Preacher invites us to…

  • Ecclesiastes 12 | Remember Your Creator Before It’s Too Late

    Remember God in Your Youth “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth,before the evil days come and the years approachof which you will say,‘I have no pleasure in them’;” The Decline of Old Age (Poetic Metaphor) “before the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars are darkened,and clouds return after the…