I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine . . . Song of Solomon 6:3
I have never been comfortable with The Song of Solomon’s inclusion in the Bible. In a work that is about God and man’s relationship with him, a book about romance and sexuality just seems out of place. It makes me squirm to read repeatedly about Solomon describing his beloved’s breasts.
My discomfort with the topic exposes the difficulty I have in properly enjoying God’s creation without worshipping it above the creator. Solomon repeatedly insists – in Ecclesiastes – that it is appropriate to enjoy that which God has given. My problem, is that once I enjoy something, I indulge in it to the point where it ends up controlling me.
Food is enjoyable, but I find myself enslaved to my appetite. Medicine is a gift from God, but I have abused the very pills meant for good. So, when The Song of Solomon speaks of sexuality, I feel like it’s out of place, because something so fantastic must be a thing that I’ll consume inappropriately.
This though, is the message of the Song of Solomon: God has given us love, romance and sexuality and has meant for us to enjoy those things, in their proper context. It is completely appropriate that my wife and I love each other and that we find fulfillment in our relationship. As long as we keep God above all and as long as we do not rely on each other for our ultimate meaning, we keep that relationship in its proper place and we appropriately enjoy it.
We were created to know incredible intimacy with our spouses, just as we were made to know intimacy with our God. The profound closeness between man and woman is a reflection of the relationship we should have with our creator. In fact, the apostle Paul later used this image to describe our marriage to Christ (Ephesians 5:25-27).
God has given us love, romance and sex for our own good. When we pursue God above all, we can and should find pleasure in those things. I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.