Song 3:1 “On my bed night after night I sought him
Whom my soul loves;
I sought him but did not find him.
Song 3:2 ‘I must arise now and go about the city;
In the streets and in the squares
I must seek him whom my soul loves.’
I sought him but did not find him.
Song 3:3 “The watchmen who make the rounds in the city found me,
And I said, ‘Have you seen him whom my soul loves?’
Song 3:4 “Scarcely had I left them
When I found him whom my soul loves;
I held on to him and would not let him go…
Again, four times she confesses that Jesus is the “one her soul loves.” Remember that these declarations of love are in the context of her failing to respond to Him. Her love for Him was real, and genuine, yet still immature. A life of indifferent disobedience is an indication of loveless heart, but those acts of disobedience that come from a longing heart don’t indicate a loveless life; they simply expose missed opportunities to offer Him acts of love, and the need to go deeper in Lovesickness. Notice that His “unbearable absence” not only reveals true Lovesickness, but it also motivates her to finally “rise up,” in pursuit of Him, even if it is a slow response.
I love the sentence in verse two that says, “I must seek Him whom my soul loves.” Sadly, so many Christians spend time with Jesus out of guilt and duty, when He wants us to want Him out of love’s desire. I tell people that the first thing they need to do, if they are going to become a radical seeker of God, is to ask God to show them how much He loves them. Let Him win your heart, and sweep you off your path with His love, then you’ll find a growing holy mourning for more of Him whom your soul loves. You’ll find yourself walking a new path called “I MUST SEEK HIM,” out of longing, not guilt.