Song of Solomon 2 Devotional

Love Worth Guarding

“O daughters of Jerusalem, I adjure you by the gazelles and does of the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until the time is right.”Song of Solomon 2:7 (BSB)

Song 2 is full of spring. The woman is a lily among thorns to him (2:2), and he is an apple tree among the trees of the forest to her (2:3). Her beloved comes bounding over the hills like a gazelle and calls her to come away, because winter is over, flowers are blooming, and the fig tree is ripening (2:8-13). The two belong to each other (2:16).

In the middle of all this delight comes a solemn charge to the women of Jerusalem: do not stir up love before its proper time (2:7). The poem treats love as powerful enough to need guarding, like vineyards in bloom that must be protected from little foxes (2:15). God's good gifts come with good timing. Love that is awakened too early or carelessly can be damaged, while love that waits for its season can flourish. Whether you are waiting or already married, the boundaries God sets around love are not there to shrink your joy. They protect it.

To think about: What would it look like to guard love wisely in your current season, whether you are waiting or married?