the epic chase

I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

by the gazelles or the does of the field,

that you not stir up or awaken love

until it pleases.

Song of Solomon 2:7

Three times in this epic love poem this warning is repeated to “not awaken love until it pleases.” It is a refrain throughout this little love story. What does this poetic refrain mean? How does it help bring perspective to romance and marital love?

Song of Solomon is a poetic retelling, a romance novel, of King Solomon’s epic love story with one specific woman. it is written like a sort of play with the bride, the bridegroom, and the wedding party all taking speaking roles back and forth in the text of the poem. Each time that this particular warning is given, it is spoken by the bride and she is addressing her “bridesmaids”… the daughters of Jerusalem. It is a caution to procede carefully in matters of the heart, especially as they draw closer to the natural desire for sexual expression.

The caution is to be slow, deliberate, intentional, and proper when it comes to moving toward the “arousal” stage of a courtship. This has its consummation in marriage and not before. And both the bride and her groom-to-be could be tempted to explore it too soon. The refrain calls engaged couples to exercise a degree of shyness in that respect with each other. The bride should be like a gazelle — beautiful, nimble, and shy. She should be pursued and not afraid to lead the chase for his love, and both should be wise to wait for marriage for its full physical expression.

This caution sounds absolutely antique in the 21st century. Every romantic comedy on the screen puts the couple in bed quickly, assumes sex is a forgone conclusion, often a fast experience, and winds up removing this relationship building chase from the storyline. And hook up dating app culture bypasses such romance altogether. In Solomon’s Song, the bride wisely helps create this love chase. And the wildness of love is grown in this beautiful story. Everywhere the couple goes, a verdant garden and wild animals follow, because this chase is like paradise itself! Purity is hardly dull! Romance is wild, beautiful, and filled with life! God has designed love, marriage, and sex to always feel so epic.