Still captivated

As I look at these passages, I can’t help but think of the words of Solomon when he wrote,

May you rejoice in the wife of your youth.
A loving doe, a graceful deer—
may her breasts satisfy you always,
may you ever be captivated by her love. (Proverbs 5:18–19)

And that’s what you see in these passages.

Though some time has passed since the wedding, Solomon is still captivated by his wife.

If anything, he is even more captivated. Along with the metaphors that he used previously to describe his love for her, he adds more.

He compares her to the cities of Tirzah and Jerusalem. (Song of Solomon 6:4)

Just as it takes time to explore a city to discover all its glory, so it takes time to explore your spouse, and all the depths that make them what they are. It is, in fact, a lifelong process.

He tells her that when he looks into her eyes, they still overwhelm him (5).

After years of marriage, I can say the same when I look into my wife’s eyes and see the love that she has for me there.

He calls her his perfect one.

I think that as time passes, we can see that our spouses are not perfect. But the eyes of love are willing to overlook their faults. Indeed, the eyes of love often cause people to rise above what they are.

Some look at verse 8 and conclude that Solomon must have had other wives and concubines by this time, and that may be true.

It’s also possible that at this time, he was still monogamous and was simply throwing out a hypothetical situation (though one wishes it had remained hypothetical).

The main point, though, was that of all the women in his life, she had a special place in his heart.

Men may have different women in their lives—mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends. But as God intended it, his wife is to trump them all. She is to take priority over all other women in his life.

Even when Solomon went out to conduct business, he found his thoughts drifting back to his wife, and they soon had him in his chariot racing back to her (11–12).

That should be a husband’s attitude.

Certainly, work is necessary, and hopefully enjoyable.

But his desire for his wife should outweigh his love for his work. If we love our work more than our wives, this is never a good thing.

The same can be said for the working woman concerning her husband.

How about you? Are you still captivated by your spouse?

It’s not simply an ideal. It’s certainly not intended to be just a dream awoken by “reality.”

It’s what God intended for you and your spouse from the beginning.