Song of Solomon 2:10-13: Spring Time Lovin'

[10] My beloved speaks and says to me:
“Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away,
[11] for behold, the winter is past;
the rain is over and gone.
[12] The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of singing has come,
and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land.
[13] The fig tree ripens its figs,
and the vines are in blossom;
they give forth fragrance.
Arise, my love, my beautiful one,
and come away.


(Song of Solomon 2:10-13 ESV)

This passage is a delight to read.  For a single guy, it's like a how-to manual of for how to romance a woman in the dating realm of life.  So men, if you've ever wanted to improve your game, or if you're just learning romance for the very first time, pay attention!  This is how it's done!

Solomon communicates.  As is often said, men are visual, women are verbal.  Solomon here wants to delight the heart of his beloved bride-to-be, so he speaks extensively to her.  He doesn't just say, "Hey get in the car, let's go," he is very poetic and romantic, lavishing this dear woman with beautiful words as he invites her to spend this lovely spring day with him.  Appropriately, these words move her heart, and she is swept away in romance with this man.  

Men, there's a reason poetry works, and it's not because it displays your inherent genius.  When you use words for romance, you are playing the language of a woman's heart.  As one very beautiful woman told me: "Words are the way to a woman's heart."  

Once again, remember that at this point in their relationship, Solomon and his bride are dating.  It's likely that the wedding will come soon, but for now, they're going to enjoy going on a date.  It's spring time, the most romantic time of the year.  Solomon eagerly desires to spend a glorious spring day with his bride-to-be, so he races to her home.  He gazes at her beauty, which sets her heart a-flutter, then he speaks flattering poetry to her, inviting her to spend her day with him.

This man knows how to win a woman's heart!  He knows that women are verbal; women love to talk, to be complimented, to be invited, to have long conversations.  He sets aside his own visual orientation and adopts the verbal communication that women prefer.  He has composed poetry which he recites for her, playfully and charmingly inviting her to go on a date with him.

In other words: men, this is how it's done!

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"My beloved speaks and says to me:"  The first line of this verse shows us that the woman is recounting what Solomon said to her.  His words and actions so moved her that she remembered them vividly and loved to repeat them to others.  Men, this might seem silly to you, but women love to discuss these things.  If you take a girl out on a great date, you can bet good money that she's telling all kinds of people about it!

"Arise, my love, my beautiful one."  Solomon doesn't simply address her by name; rather, he tells her who she is, to him.  These are little pet names he has for her, and while any pet name can help nurture a relationship, these ones are doubly effective.  If he merely calls her "my girlfriend," or calls her by name, he's talking on a more superficial level, simply labeling their relationship or calling her what everyone else calls her.  But if he calls her "my love," then he's expressing the feelings of his heart to her, reminding her of what he feels for her.  If he calls her "my beautiful one," he is not just saying that's she's pretty; rather, he's saying that he finds her beautiful, that she is his beautiful one, that he is delighted by her beauty.  Not only does he show that he loves her, not only does he show how beautiful he thinks she is, but he also twice uses "my," emphasizing their relationship, which she re-emphasizes in verse 16 by saying, "My beloved is mine, and I am his."  These are pet names that he calls her, but they accomplish so much more than a simple nickname!

"and come away"  The winter has ended; no longer do they have to be couped up indoors with everyone else.  Spring is here, the air is warm, and now Solomon wants to spend a day outside, alone with his beloved.  

From this, guys can learn how good it is to go out on dates, to escape the realm of everyday life and get away together.  Often guys who are exhausted by work or life in general will crash when they get home, and just want a quiet night with their girl.  Yet if this relationship is truly special to you, guys, then slam a Red Bull and put on your man pants and take your girl out.  Show her how special she is to you by taking her out, by planning a date night, by setting an entire day aside for nohing but the two of you enjoying spending time together.  If you prepare a day together in advance, and then romantically ask her to come with you, she'll be delighted.  Assuming, of course, that she doesn't have several exams to study for the next day and will constantly be worrying while she's out with you.  Always be considerate of the schedule that she has to follow!

"for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone."  After the outdoors being unavailable for a long time, they are finally able to go out and enjoy the spring.  There's a reason spring is traditionally a romantic time; there's something magical about being released into a fresh, vibrant, aromatic, lush world after being stuck inside for so long.  And if you wonder exactly why that is, Solomon's going to take a while and explain why spring is so delightful!

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"The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land."  Solomon here is poetically listing several of the pleasantries of springtime.  It's almost like he's trying to persuade her by telling her of all the joys to be had in the wilderness, although she is already convinced, as is clear by her elation at his arrival.  Still, this is very poetical, very beautiful, very thoughtful, and very fun for Solomon to recite and for her to enjoy listening to.  

The flowers are appearing; there is much visual beauty to be enjoyed, as well as pleasing aromas filling the air.  Flowers are also especially romantic for this couple because of the words at the beginning of chapter 2; she called herself a common flower, while he said she is a lily among thorns.  Flowers will delight a woman pretty much any time (hint, hint, guys), but they are especially precious to this couple, because they are a metaphor telling the woman how beautiful she is to him.

He also says "the time of singing has come," talking of spring as a time for enjoying music together.  For people who didn't have ipods, having a time of singing was particularly delightful.  It was far more social than it is now, when we put in our earbuds and check out.  For them, singing and enjoying music drew them together.  It was something fun they could do together, making melody with their voices as well as with their hearts.  It also gave them the pure delight it gives us to hear a beautiful melody, a song that you delight to get stuck in your head all day.  As many couples can testify, having a few songs that are special to you both, that have a special meaning in your relationship, can be immensely pleasurable.  Anytime you hear that song, you will think of the person with whom it's special.  It's one of the many ways to keep romantic feelings alive constantly throughout life.

But Solomon and his bride-to-be are not the only ones singing; "the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land."   The birds are chirping pleasantly, providing their own background music for this gorgeous day.  This isn't winter, when the air is quiet and calm.  This is spring, filled with singing people, chirping birds, beautiful flowers, and romance.  This is a time of life, vibrancy, and beauty, in all its forms!

Men: seize upon these things!  By God's providence, we're studying this passage just as spring is beginning to reclaim the land from winter.  If you've got a gal you're crazy about, get outdoors and enjoy this as Solomon and his bride are!

"The fig tree ripens its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance."  Again, Solomon is appealing to the natural beauties of spring.  

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Fig trees have huge leaves, up to a foot long, the provide a great deal of shade.  The nearby vines are in blossom, covering the landscape with their beauty.  So for Solomon, spring has already reached the point of producing blossoms.  We are passed the slush and mud of March; we're into the flowers of April, and the land is covered in beauty.  (Note: guys, don't take your girl on a picnic if the ground is muddy and the plants are bare of blossoms.  She probably won't be too enthused).

Vines in blossom are obviously appealing and beautiful; their fragrance again would be entirely pleasant.  Again, guys, learn this lesson: women love nice smells!  If you want to score easy points, make yourself smell nice!

In short, the world is amazing, and Solomon wants to explore it with the woman he loves!

He again repeats the phrase he opened with: "Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away."  He has really planned this poetry out!  This is the heart of what he wants; this is why he composed this poem.  The spring is lovely, yes, but ultimately he just wants to be with her.  So even though this poem extolls the beauties of spring, ultimately it emphasizes how much he loves her and wants to spend his time with her.  

Solomon is demonstrating that on of his love languages is quality time.  More than anything, he just wants to be with her.  He races to her house because he can't wait to see her, and when he does catch a glimpse of her, he can only stop and stare, enraptured by her beauty.  He's a guy; he's primarily visual in orientation.  He displays this quite clearly by gazing at her, captivated by her.

Her love language seems more to be words of affirmation, as it is for a great many women. So instead of simply whisking her away, he composes poetry, he speaks to her.  

He speaks to her in her love language, then she spends the day with him, speaking to him in his love language.  They both feel loved, they both greatly enjoy the day together, and as a result, they both end up married to each other!

From this we can easily see that if you want to spend a lifetime loving each other, you need to speak each other's love languages.  (Note: if you need a refresher, go back to the blog post called "Interlude One: Love Languages" for a brief summary of what the five love languages are, and how to speak them best).  Men, even if you're not a "verbal" kind of guy, you need to become one if you want to win yourself a woman!  Words of affirmation is the love language of nearly every woman.  Women, if you're not primarily a physical touch kind of person, realize that most men are.  This needs to be managed carefully in dating, of course, but it can mean the world to a guy for you to hold his hand, if you care about him.  

In short, you need to speak the love language your partner likes, not just the love language you like.  You might not feel the same connection immediately, but you should feel the connection when your partner starts speaking your love language in return.  

So in the end, what have we learned?  Women love it when their man speaks poetry to them; they'll remember it and treasure it.  Men, speaking thoughtful poetry to a girl can make her swoon.  Get away from the routine and go enjoy a day together.  Spring is a naturally romantic time to enjoy the outside world.  Women love flowers.  Learn to speak each other's love languages, if you want to spend a lifetime loving each other.  

I guess that's a lot of points for one blog post.  But then again, we only read four verses.  There's just a lot packed into here!  See how amazing the Bible is?