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The Bible Breakdown
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The Bible Breakdown
Song of Solomon 05: Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
Is absence truly the key to a fonder heart? Let's unravel the mysteries of love and longing as we traverse the poetic landscapes of Song of Solomon, chapter 5. Explore how temporary separation can intensify love in marriage, as illustrated in the ancient Hebrew poetry of the young bride and her husband. Through the rich tapestry of these verses, we'll discover how God's enduring love mirrors the complexities and beauty of human relationships. This journey invites us to reflect on the benefits of distance and the ways it can enrich our connections, both spiritually and romantically.
But the journey doesn't end there. We venture into the paths of mending relationships with "Path to Reconciliation," diving deep into the art of forgiveness and the courage to heal old wounds. Whether you're facing strains in friendships, marriages, or family ties, this discussion offers insights and encouragement to nurture understanding, inspired by the resilient love depicted in Song of Solomon. Let us guide you through heartfelt prayers and reflections that illuminate the way toward rekindling connections and strengthening the bonds that matter most. Join us as we embrace the enduring nature of love, reminding ourselves of the immense love God holds for each of us.
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The More You Dig. The More You Find.
Back to the Bible Breakdown podcast with your host, pastor Brandon, today. Song of Solomon, chapter 5, and today's title is Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder. Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder. We're going to jump into all of that in just a moment. But, as always, if you like what we're doing here, make sure you like, share, subscribe to YouTube channel and the podcast, make sure you're leaving us a five-star review it really does help the channel out a lot and, as always, make sure you're going to the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook because, man, the more we dig, the more we find, and they're doing an amazing job over there writing devotions and you know they're working on it with this one. All right, but it's good and it's awesome and God is good. So if you have your Bibles, you want to open up with me to Song of Solomon, chapter 5, don't forget that this is ancient Hebrew love poetry and so they're not saying it just straightforward. I went to the place, I did this and then I left. They're not doing that. They're wrapping it up in poetry and an allegory and all this kind of stuff, because they're writing about the love that a young bride has with her husband and we're talking about the idea number one that proper, innocent, pure love between a husband and a wife is a good thing, and that's what the Song of Solomon is celebrating is the pure love that God has made. And then, when we look at that, we realize that it illustrates in an imperfect way, the pure, amazing love that God has for all of us, and so we celebrate all of that. Well, as we said a minute ago, the title of this is Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder, because, it's true, there's just something about familiarity that breeds contempt. It's just the idea of you know, like one of the things is is not for all of us, but for a lot of us. We have someone we might consider to be a close friend, maybe even a best friend, but even our best friend after we spend several days with them. We need a little space, because something about that familiarity, the closeness, it starts to break down the relationship. It's very difficult. That's why being married can be hard is because you're so familiar with one another and you have to learn to love each other despite all those different things, right? Well, in this chapter there's this separation that happens between the young man and the young woman, and we'll read about it and we'll see how there's this separation that happens with them, and then we'll get all of it in the next chapter that more things will happen. But after we read this, I want to maybe challenge us a little bit when it comes to some of the area of just the love relationships in our life. So let's read this together and see what God's word will say to us. You ready?
Speaker 1:Song of Solomon, chapter 5, beginning. The young man says in verse 1, I have entered my garden, my treasure, my bride. I gather myrrh with my spices and eat honeycomb with my honey. I drink wine with my milk. The young women of Jerusalem say oh, lover and beloved, eat and drink, yes, drink deeply of your love.
Speaker 1:The young woman says I slept but my heart was awake when I heard my lover knocking and calling open to me my treasure, my darling, my dove, my perfect one. My head is drenched with dew and my hair with the dampness of the night, but I responded. I have taken off my robe. Should I get dressed again? I have washed my feet. Should I get them soiled? My lover tried to unlatch the door and my heart thrilled within me. I jumped up to open the door for my love. My hands were dripping with perfume, my fingers dripped with lovely myrrh and as I pulled back the bolt I opened to my lover. But he was gone and my heart sank and I searched for him but I could not find him anywhere. I called to him but there was no reply. The night watchmen found me as they made their rounds and they beat and they bruised me and they stripped off my veil. Those watchmen on the walls make this promise O women of Jerusalem, if you find my lover, tell him I am weak with love.
Speaker 1:The young women of Jerusalem say why is your lover better than all the others? O woman of rare beauty, what makes your lover so special that we must promise this? The young woman says my love is dark and dazzling better than 10,000 others. His head is fine as gold. His wavy hair is black as a Raven. His eyes sparkle like doves beside springs of water and they are set like jewels washed in milk. His cheeks are like gardens of spices giving off fragrance. His lips are like lilies perfumed with myrrh. His arms are like rounded bars of gold set in barrel. His body is like bright ivory growing with lapis lazuli. His legs are like marble pillars set in sockets of finest gold. His posture is stately, like the noble cedars of Lebanon. His mouth is sweetness itself. He is desirable in every way. Such a women of Jerusalem is my lover, my friend, wow is my lover, my friend, wow.
Speaker 1:So you got this situation where the young man is trying to come to see his wife, but she don't want to get up. Look, I done got tired. I got rollers in my hair, I am I done. Put on my beauty mask, done, took my melatonin, I'm ready to go to bed, let me in. And so, finally, she's like all right, I do want to see you too. But when she gets up to let him in, and so finally, she's like all right, I do want to see you too. But when she gets up to let him in, he's not there. Well, now she goes out looking and the neighborhood watch finds her, hits her upside the head what you doing out here, I don't know, you fool. She's like no, no, it's me, I'm looking for my husband. She can't find him. So she calls all the neighborhood watch and she's like hey, look, if you find my husband, can you tell him? I didn't mean to lock him out, I want him to come back in. Well, what's he look like, girl? He is tall, dark and handsome. He is all of that drink of water. I mean, he is everything. I mean. She just goes on and on, but because she didn't take the opportunity, now there's an absence.
Speaker 1:Can I tell you, in life that happens so many times. There's times in life when we can feel separated from those we love. Now, my hope for you is that, as you are watching or listening to this today, you are in one of those sweet moments in your relationship. If you're married and we'll broaden this in a moment if you're married, my prayer is that you are in one of those sweet spots in marriage where, man, you are getting along. You guys are on the same page, you're in the same season. At the same time, man, it is clicking on all cylinders. Praise the Lord, and if that's the case, then remember seasons when there was separation there between you two. What I mean? Just not on the same page and celebrate what is. Maybe you're in one of those seasons where you're not quite seeing eye to eye, maybe you're still sleeping in the same room, but in reality you're in different pages of life. You're struggling.
Speaker 1:Can I tell you that throughout time, we always go through different seasons where we have to find each other again. There's times when every major experience in life right. You have a kid, you become empty nesters, your kids start school, or you change a career, you move Anytime something like that happens, it changes everybody, and sometimes it'll change one person more than it will change the other, and you can look at that as an opportunity for separation. Maybe this isn't going to work out, or you can look at it as an opportunity for separation. Maybe this isn't going to work out. Or you can look at it as an opportunity to fall in love again. What does that look like in your life? And that's for married couples Position where you're basically just roommates right now, maybe because a season has happened and you've changed a little bit.
Speaker 1:What would it look like if you guys started on the journey to try to find each other again? You know what can be hard. Maybe the hardest is to take the first step. Maybe you're the one who said no, no, we've been through this before. I'm always the one who tries to put out the olive branch. I'm always the one who tries to meet someone halfway. I'm always the one I get that, and I know what it feels like to sit with somebody who says I just don't know if I can go first again, but is all the time you have invested worth doing it again? Just think about it.
Speaker 1:What would it look like if you started the journey to try to reconcile that relationship? Maybe it's broader. Maybe you're in a situation where you used to have a best friend but through time and situation and maybe some breach of trust and all these different things, there's a separation. Now what would it look like for you to extend, maybe, some forgiveness? I don't know, maybe it was a bridge too far and you can forgive but you can't trust again. I don't know what that looks like, but think about that relationship in your life. What would it look like to start trying to find that reconciliation? Because there may be a time when you wish you could have said something. You wish you could have extended that type of forgiveness. So, instead of waiting until it becomes a regret, do it today, when it can become a reconciliation.
Speaker 1:Let's pray together right now. God, I'm so thankful that you give us the opportunity to have friendships and relationships all around us. Lord, I pray for every marriage that may be listening to this Lord. My prayer for them is that they're in the greatest season of their life. But if they're in a strained season, I pray, holy Spirit, that you will speak to both of them and that they will both begin to not fight to be right, but fight to resolve, fight to come together again, fight to find each other again, to go on the adventure of falling in love all over again. Lord, I pray for those.
Speaker 1:Maybe it's not about marriage relationships, it's about friendships, it's about husband and daughter or mom and son, those types of relationships, and maybe there's some issue there. There's some things there. I pray, god, that you will begin a reconciliation process there as well, because your hope for us is to find healing and to find reconciliation in all things. And, lord, that's a long journey, but I pray the first step will start today. In Jesus' name, we pray Amen. You know what God's word says in Song of Solomon, chapter 8, many waters cannot quench your love, nor rivers can drown it. As much as we love one another, god loves us even more. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow for Song of Solomon, chapter 6.
