Son 6:2 My beloved is gone down into his garden, to the beds of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies.

Song of Solomon 6 English Standard Version (ESV)

Others

¹ Where has your beloved gone,
    O most beautiful among women?
Where has your beloved turned,
    that we may seek him with you?

Together in the Garden of Love 

She

² My beloved has gone down to his garden
    to the beds of spices,
to graze in the gardens
    and to gather lilies.
³ I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine;
    he grazes among the lilies. 

Solomon and His Bride Delight in Each Other

He

⁴ You are beautiful as Tirzah, my love,
    lovely as Jerusalem,
    awesome as an army with banners.
⁵ Turn away your eyes from me,
    for they overwhelm me—
Your hair is like a flock of goats
    leaping down the slopes of Gilead.
⁶ Your teeth are like a flock of ewes
    that have come up from the washing;
all of them bear twins;
    not one among them has lost its young.
⁷ Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate
    behind your veil.
⁸ There are sixty queens and eighty concubines,
    and virgins without number.
⁹ My dove, my perfect one, is the only one,
    the only one of her mother,
    pure to her who bore her.
The young women saw her and called her blessed;
    the queens and concubines also, and they praised her.

¹⁰ “Who is this who looks down like the dawn,
    beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun,
    awesome as an army with banners?” 

She

¹¹ I went down to the nut orchard
    to look at the blossoms of the valley,
to see whether the vines had budded,
    whether the pomegranates were in bloom.
¹² Before I was aware, my desire set me
    among the chariots of my kinsman, a prince. 

Others

¹³  Return, return, O Shulammite,
    return, return, that we may look upon you. 

He

Why should you look upon the Shulammite,
    as upon a dance before two armies?

In the earlier chapter, we see the Shulamite went out in search for her husband. She requested the daughters of Jerusalem: “If you find my beloved, ….Tell him that I'm weak with love” (5:8). It means she misses him and long for his return. The daughters of Jerusalem asked her: “What is so special about your beloved, most beautiful of women? What is so special about your beloved, that you charge us like this?” (5:9). The Shulamite went on with a lengthy description of her Beloved (5:10-16). 

In this chapter, the daughters of Jerusalem helped the Shulamite to locate her Beloved (6:1-3). They found him and we see the lovely couple delighting in each other (6:4-13). They are together again, and the warmth of their restored relationship is evident in this section. All was forgotten and forgiven. 

“The ability of a couple to succeed in their marriage is equal to the ability of that couple to forgive and accept forgiveness. . . . When this willingness on the part of both becomes a habit, then the bubble of romance that began their relationship will become a diamond that will last forever.” (Glickman) 

Marriage is an amazing thing. It is two independent persons, who have lived half their lives without each other, not knowing each other beforehand, having different personalities, behaviours and likes, and coming together and hoping to live the rest of their lives in love, peace and harmony. Brothers and sisters, this relationship doesn’t come automatically; you have to work hard to make it a long, loving, peaceful, and lasting one. Some marriages fail because the couples hardly work on their marriages. 

I read this interesting quote: “No marriage is all sunshine, but two people can share one umbrella and survive the storm together.” A couple who were married for 65 years shared the secret of their blissful marriage: “We were born in a time when if something was broken we fix it, not throw it away.” 

There are times when you feel like walking out. Go ahead! I’m not saying you walk out of the marriage; I’m saying you go out for a walk. But don’t walk too far away. Where was the Beloved? The Shulamite knows just where to find him: “My beloved has gone down to his garden to the beds of spices, to graze in the gardens and to gather lilies” (6:2). He went to the garden to get some fresh air. 

When you get angry, go to the garden and breathe some fresh air. Look at the flowers, the pond, the fishes, and listen to the birds singing to each other. I happen to stay opposite the town park with a fishing pond and plenty of birds. Occasionally, I also get to see a family of otters playing in the stream, monitor lizards gliding in the waters, and turtles swimming freely. I enjoy a walk in the park; it is just so refreshing and rejuvenating. 

Brothers and sisters, marriage is not a walk in the park. But take a walk in the park and your marriage will work. I end with this beautiful hymn – The Beautiful Garden of Prayer. 

1.      There’s a garden where Jesus is waiting,
There’s a place that is wondrously fair;
For it glows with the light of His presence,
’Tis that beautiful garden of prayer.

o   Refrain:
Oh, the beautiful garden, the garden of prayer,
Oh, the beautiful garden of prayer;
There my Savior awaits, and He opens the gates
To the beautiful garden of prayer.

2.      There’s a garden where Jesus is waiting,
And I go with my burden and care
Just to learn from His lips words of comfort,
In the beautiful garden of prayer.

3.      There’s a garden where Jesus is waiting,
And He bids you to come meet Him there;
Just to bow, and receive a new blessing,
In the beautiful garden of prayer.

Jimmy Lau