Year 5, Day 347: Song of Songs 5

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Song of Songs 5 is an interesting chapter to read because at first it sounds like it has no place in a love poem like Song of Songs.  However, one of the key understandings in this chapter is that the first half of it is a dream.  The bride is asleep, but her heart was awake.

In the dream, the husband comes to his bride seeking intimacy.  Yet the wife has established barriers to her husband’s intimacy.  She’s already taken off her cloak.  Her feet are already washed.  In other words, how can she be bothered by intimacy in her life?  Perhaps the most condemning evidence is that her door is locked and her husband doesn’t even have a key to the door! The wife as established emotional barriers against her husband and especially against intimacy with him.

However, what makes this an interesting chapter is its humanity.  The woman wakes and realizes her mistake.  She immediately thinks upon her husband and remembers him fondly.  She doesn’t desire the barrier that she’s established.  Rather, she desires company with her husband.

In other words, she repents.  She needs to be forgiven of her selfishness.  She recognizes her error and needs to make amends to repair the relationship that has become barred.

Shouldn’t that be our approach to all that should have our love?  Even in Christian community, should we not seek to make amends with those against whom we’ve created barriers?  Just as this wife wakes up and recognizes her error, so should we examine our life and ask where it is that we’ve created barriers against the people that God has placed in our lives.

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