Draw Me Away! Pt. 4

Song of Solomon chapter 4 – “Ravished”

Now we are starting to see the Beloved’s single eye towards the Shulamite. The chapter begins with

“Behold, you are fair, my love!
Behold, you are fair!
You have dove’s eyes behind your veil.” (v.1a)

His complete and undivided attention is now toward her. He said she had “dove’s eyes” behind her veil. As we have noted in past articles dove’s mate for life. They have a single eye toward their spouse if you will. The Lord is very interested in our spiritual vision. In fact, He is very jealous about what we allow our eyes to gaze on. The Shulamite should be very encouraged by this and so should we be when the Lord speaks this to us.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.” In other words if our vision (perception) is good (healthy) then our whole body will be full of light. Oh Lord, we ask for dove’s eyes.

A little farther in the chapter the Beloved gives another similar complement, although this time more complete.

“You are all fair, my love,
And there is no spot in you.” (v.7a)

She may have heard that statement and said to herself “Do you even know me? Don’t you see my many flaws?” But did you know God sees us as perfected because of what Jesus did on the cross? He has wiped clean ALL f our guilt and through the cross there is no spot in us. Now, that is how God sees us positionally. There is an outworking of course. Nevertheless, Jesus sees us the spotless bride. Please see it. And now a verse to help confirm this.

“and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” (2 Cor 2:10, emphasis mine)

Now we see those dove’s eyes are ravished the heart of the Beloved.

“You have ravished my heart,
My sister, my spouse;
You have ravished my heart
With one look of your eyes,
With one link of your necklace.” (v.9)

The word “ravished” is a powerful word. It is a bit tough to translate in this case. But the root of the Hebrew word for lāḇaḇ means “properly, to be enclosed (as if with fat).” Our English definition carries a violent tone. In a sense the Beloved is saying that she violently stole his heart. She grabbed a hold of it and enclosed it. Remember in chapter 3 what she said when she finally found the Beloved after frantically searching for him?

“Scarcely had I passed by them,
When I found the one I love.
I held him and would not let him go,
Until I had brought him to the house of my mother,
And into the chamber of her who conceived me.” (Song of Solomon 3:4, emphasis mine)

She “held him and would not let him go.” The Shulamite, if you will allow, forced herself upon him. This was in fact what the Beloved desired all the time. This caused a ravishing of his heart. So it is with our walk with Jesus. He is a passionate lover and is ravished when we grab ahold of Him and refuse to loosen the grip!

Now, the Beloved gives her a compliment that comes with a gentle yet compelling challenge.

“A garden enclosed
Is my sister, my spouse,
A spring shut up,
A fountain sealed.
Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates
With pleasant fruits,
Fragrant henna with spikenard,
Spikenard and saffron,
Calamus and cinnamon,
With all trees of frankincense,
Myrrh and aloes,
With all the chief spices—
A fountain of gardens,
A well of living waters,
And streams from Lebanon. (vv.12-15)

He talked about all the wonderful fruits, spices and wonderful delights of the Shulamite’s garden. No longer can she say she hasn’t kept her own vineyard. But now it is time for others to enjoy its wonderful bounty and delight.

The same is with our walk with Jesus. Spending time connected to the vine (Jesus) will produce wonderful fruit of the Holy Spirit. If we are careful though we can find ourselves with a “garden enclosed” and a “fountain sealed.” The Lord is a giver by nature and so must we be also. Now hear the response of the Shulamite and prayerfully make it your own:

“Awake, O north wind,
And come, O south!
Blow upon my garden,
That its spices may flow out.
Let my beloved come to his garden
And eat its pleasant fruits.” (v.16)

This “wind” represents the Holy Spirit blowing on our lives, allowing others to enjoy the fruit of the Spirit. Yes Holy Spirit, blow upon our gardens! Awake, oh winds!