Song 1:15 ¶ “How beautiful you are, my darling,
How beautiful you are!
Your eyes are like doves.”
Song 1:16 ¶ “How handsome you are, my beloved,
And so pleasant!
Indeed, our couch is luxuriant!
This is the first time He refers to her eyes being like dove eyes. Throughout Scripture doves speak of the Holy Spirit, and metaphorically they speak of undistracted love and devotion. Romans chapter 5 says that the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. So when Jesus says that we have the eyes of a dove, He is acknowledging that the love of God, that has invaded our hearts by the Holy Spirit, is now beginning to emerge as real love offered back to Him. Obviously, at this stage in the Shulamites advance towards the heights, her undistracted devotion and affection is not always consistent, but seems to come and go. As we mature in our love for Him, and toward Him we will become more consistent, but in the meantime there are moments when our undistracted devotion gets very distracted. Even though that’s true, the One who so delights in us, rejoices over those moments of undistracted lovesickness expressed toward Him. Even though it is week love, and sometimes inconsistent, He counts it as real love, and rejoices in it. The devil tries to heap condemnation on us because he’s constantly reminding us of those moments when our love for God is inconsistent, but it is important to know that God is not the condemner. He is The Affirmer, who is the God of hope, and He absolutely delights in the emerging, though inconsistent love He sees coming from you. He wants you to know that you do love Him, and that it is genuine love, and He wants you to know that He knows you love Him.