Song of Solomon 8

“(Shulamite: To the Daughters of Jerusalem) His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me. I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases. (A Relative Speaks) Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? I awakened you under the apple tree. There your mother brought you forth; there she who bore you brought you forth.” Song of Solomon 8:3-5 (NKJV)

We all have that awkward “relative” who shows up, seemingly out of nowhere, and makes an uninvited statement.  Clark Griswold had cousin Eddie in Christmas Vacation.  Napoleon Dynamite had Uncle Rico.  Today’s chapter ends the Song of Solomon with a powerful statement about the importance of legacy.  And that statement comes out of the blue from a person described simply as “Relative.”  

As the Shulamite is exhorting the daughters of Jerusalem (for the third time) concerning the utmost importance of not stirring-up or awakening love until it pleases, her relative speaks up, “Hey!  I remember the day you were born!  Look at how godly you have grown up and how joyful you are because your relationship with the Lord has remained intact!”  No, the relative does not say it that plainly.  We must recall that the Song of Solomon is poetry, so it compels us to think more abstractly with Scripture, as did the parables Jesus told.  But a major theme of the last chapter underscores the importance of the Shulamite being “sealed” on her heart and arm, a direct Scriptural reference to being governed by God’s Word.

“And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”  Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (NKJV)

Furthermore, the talk of beautifully adorned walls and towers, matched with the Shulamite’s exhortation/warning to the daughters of Jerusalem (including her own sister), are further indicators that the “love of loves” is not a chance thing; rather, it is the product of discipleship, passed down through the generations.  The Shulamite is acting as a “watchman” for future generations of Israelite girls.

“So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.” Ezekiel 33:7-9 (NKJV)

The ”Love of Loves” is obtainable to ANYONE who will seek the Bible and live it out!