“Come with me from Lebanon, my bride,
come with me from Lebanon.
Descend from the crest of Amana,
from the top of Senir, the summit of Hermon,
from the lions’ dens
and the mountain haunts of the leopards.
You have stolen my heart, my sister, my bride!
You have stolen my heart with one glance of your eyes,
with one jewel of your necklace.
How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride!
How much better is your love than wine;
the fragrance of your perfume is better than any spice!
Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride,
honey and milk are under your tongue.
The fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.”(The Song Of Solomon 4.8-11, NET)
Solomon continues to praise the virtues of his bride and earnestly desires for them to be together in perpetuity (v.8). Describing his great love (vv.9-11) as both a sister and a bride may be confusing for some but the term sister was a culturally affectionate term for one’s wife. The beloved is also saying that simply one way of describing his partner is not enough: their relationship is so multi-faceted that he must talk of it in many terms.
The same is true for you and for me, isn’t it? We often describe our relationships and the people therein in multiple ways:
‘My wife…my parter…my best friend…my great love…‘
‘My son…my little guy…my best buddy…‘
Some descriptions are literal, some affectionate, and some just plain fun.
The same is also true in Scripture when we read of the many ways we relate to God. He is, to name but a few;
Our Father (Matthew 6.9),
Our helper and advocate (Job 16.19),
Our wise counsellor (Isaiah 9.6),
Our deliverer (Psalm 124.8),
and our saviour (2 Samuel 22.3).
Far from a strange relationship here in The Song Of Solomon 4.8-11 we see another example of a crisp and clear teaching about God: through His great love for us we relate to Him on many levels and in many ways.
I’d love to hear how you have been relating to Almighty God recently, share and encourage below!
James Travis 
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