“As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.”
In Song of Solomon 2:3, the woman gives her viewpoint concerning her Beloved. As in other verses, the bride uses a simile to state a spiritual truth.
In this verse, the simile is “As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons.” Here she is using the apple tree and its beauty and the value of its fruit, as giving it the preeminence among the other fruit-bearing trees. This analogy is applied to her Beloved’s beauty, preeminence, and value among other males, called “sons.”
The woman said this caused her to experience the benefits of his beauty, his preeminence, and the value found in his fruit.
In the attraction between a man and a woman (in their love affair, in their marriage), there must be delight; intimacy past lust; moves of endearment and affection past actual sexual intercourse. There must be a certain body language that expresses true love, true affection, and true communion between the man and his wife. Some call this “The Romance of Marriage.”
Many marriages begin with lust of the flesh and lust of the eye; which prove later to be a foundation of sand, and not of rock. So when the storms come, the foundation will fail to support the structure, and great will be the fall of the house.
When a marriage is based on the flesh and not on Christ, then the marriage is only a means to an end. It becomes stale and common in time, and the fruit borne is the fruit of the flesh. Over half these marriages end in divorce; others are barren and cold, and their fruit is bitter.
A Godly marriage is founded upon Christ and His Word. Yes, good lust and passion are all a part of the attraction process. However, the couple must be in agreement spiritually; that is, both be regenerated by the Holy Spirit. They must also understand that their marriage is a type of Christ and His Bride, the Church. And third, they must realize that the daily path to follow for a successful, God-honoring, fruit-of-the-Spirit-bearing marriage is taught in His Word; and His Instructions must be obeyed. (See Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Peter 3:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:10-14; 1 Corinthians 11:1-3.)
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