The man entices the woman to leave her sanctuary with other women and come out into the open with him.  He promises protection from men who might want to do her harm, but most of all he promises her adventure and sexual pleasure.  She agrees to come out into the unprotected open with him and once more the couple are locked in a sexual embrace.  From dusk ’til dawn he covers her body with kisses.

The man in this passage is creative and takes initiative.  He promises a life of passion and adventure and he delivers.  The woman trusts him and surrenders to his plan.  As a model of God and his subjects it shows how our submission and trust should be as we follow God into a passionate adventure.  God’s passionate adventure includes inspiring a man to lead a woman in the ways described in Song of Songs.  It also involves women submitting to a man’s caring initiative and finding comfort there.

Song of Songs 2:14-17

¹⁴ My dove in the clefts of the rock,    in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face,    let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet,    and your face is lovely. ¹⁵Catch for us the foxes,    the little foxes that ruin the vineyards,    our vineyards that are in bloom.

   She

¹⁶ My beloved is mine and I am his;    he browses among the lilies. ¹⁷ Until the day breaks    and the shadows flee, turn, my beloved,    and be like a gazelle or like a young stag    on the rugged hills.^[d]

Questions

1. If ‘dove’ often refers to deity, how does the man view the woman?
2. What emphasizes the exclusive nature of the love in the passage?
3. What might be possible interpretations of ‘browsing among the lilies’?
4. How might a man take initiative in leading his wife on an adventure?
5. How does a woman assist or resist the passionate leadership of a man?  What are the consequences of each choice?