Plain Ole English

Song of Solomon 4

1 You are beautiful, my darling,
beautiful beyond words.
Your eyes are like doves
behind your veil.
Your hair falls in waves,
like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead.
2 Your teeth are as white as sheep,
recently shorn and freshly washed.
Your smile is flawless,
each tooth matched with its twin.
3 Your lips are like scarlet ribbon;
your mouth is inviting.
Your cheeks are like rosy pomegranates
behind your veil.
4 Your neck is as beautiful as the tower of David,
jeweled with the shields of a thousand heroes.

I can’t help but think of an old Mark Lowry comedy routine when I read this passage. Yeah, if I wrote something like this for my Bride, well, it wouldn’t be pretty. I understand that in the vernacular of Solomon’s Day, these were words of great endearment. It reminds me that we in the church sometimes speak a “foreign language” while trying to convey the message of Christ to a lost and dying world. When we start talking about sanctification, justification, and many other “ations” we lose our intended audience. Let’s just speak in plain ole English and let’s just show plain ole love in the name of Jesus. It beats a flock of goats winding down the slopes looking for pomegranates any day!