Theological Commentary: Click Here
Today, the
reconciliation continues. In fact, the
reconciliation grows and brings about maturity.
There is a greater understanding that comes after the reconciliation
that draws us even closer to one another.
Solomon is a new man, looking upon his bride with a new perspective.
One of my
favorite things to do in the latter chapters of Song of Songs is to compare the
changes in what Solomon praises about his bride. Early in the book, when Solomon was still
looking ahead to marriage, he largely praises her physical prowess. He praises her looks and her shape in
anticipation and obsession. Some of that
still remains, but Solomon also looks elsewhere.
For example,
Solomon now lifts up his bride’s belly and compares it to a heap of wheat. That’s an odd comparison. However, a heap of wheat is sustaining. It is nourishing. It is more than just pleasing; it is
useful. Solomon desires his bride not just
for how she looks but what she brings to his life.
As another
example, in this chapter Solomon now speaks about his bride’s head as being her
crown. Before, Solomon spoke about her
hair and lips and the beauty it brings.
Now, he values her mind. Now, he
thinks f her as a queen and not just a trophy.
Solomon has
grown through the conflict to see her in a new and deeper light. There is a maturity here that isn’t present
in the earlier chapters. There is a
perspective here that is new and refreshing, adding layers of depth to the
relationship. The conflict of the earlier
chapter has been able to strengthen the marriage, not weaken it.
To be fair,
though, it is important to understand the danger of conflict in a relationship. We shouldn’t go out looking for strife
because we believe that strife and conflict makes us stronger. Sometimes conflict destroys completely. Sometimes strife kills. Conflict and strife are like hunting
dangerous wild game. Often, the payoff
is amazing. Every once and a while,
though, the hunter becomes the hunted.
We shouldn’t fear conflict and strife because when overcome it makes us
stronger, wiser, and more mature. At the
same time, we should respect the danger of conflict and strife, realizing that it
does also have the power to kill and destroy.
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