Blushing 05 Print

Song of Songs, which inspired this series, is a love poem that King Solomon wrote around 950 BC. While on the surface, it is an already-beautiful story about two lovers who find each other, many scholars believe that on an allegorical level, it is about something deeper. They believe that when King Solomon wrote this piece, he intended to convey how God opens his heart to ours: personally, individually, and completely... and how his desire for us is so otherworldly that even the most heated romance, as Song of Songs conveys, is a mere shadow of what we are built to experience with him. (!) One interpretation/translation I found takes this view and openly lays out the symbols of Song of Songs to be easily grasped today. For example in the Middle Eastern culture of 950 BC, pomegranates were a well-understood symbol of passion and emotion. So this translation turns phrases like "your cheeks are pomegranates" into "your cheeks are blushing and beautiful." Reading this translation is riveting! The man (allegorically God) tells the woman (who is us) how beautiful she is. She is self-conscious and timid at first, refusing his advances even though she finds him extremely attractive inside and out. As the song continues, her courage grows and she becomes more and more radiant and strong, willing to sacrifice anything for this love she has discovered. Their passion builds and spills into loving the world together, nurturing others with the bond they've found in each other. Here, the man (allegorically God) says to the woman (us), “Turn your eyes from me; I can't take it anymore!... Your beautiful blushing cheeks reveal how real your passion is for me, even hidden behind your veil of humility.” Amazing. That love is what inspired this series.