“Under the apple tree I awakened you.
There your mother was in labor with you;
there she who bore you was in labor.”
Song of Solomon 8:5, ESV
It’s all about family. She’s reminded of her connection to her roots. She understands what she’s all about, and she’s reaching out to her people. The Shulamite is part of a line, and somehow that comforts her.
We simply don’t understand this. It’s an alien concept to us. Why the emphasis on being part of a line? We very seldom think of our ancestors, at least not like the Jewish people did, and maybe that’s an issue, IDK. Just maybe we’re missing something that’s very good.
I recently found my grandmother’s Bible. It’s an old Thompson Chain, KJV of course, and a first edition I think. When I read it I was astounded by the connection that the promises there were in my ESV. They were the same, and what she read and believed were identical to my faith walk. IDK, but that was sort of an epiphany.
Somehow I realized that I was connected.
And in a weird kind of way that gave me a peace and a joy. What she read and believed, was also my faith too. We were connected, and in a strange way I saw that I was part of a lineage of faith in Jesus.
I use a wide margin Bible, and I’ve filled it full of notes I’ve taken over the years. Someday soon, it won’t be mine. It’ll be passed on to one of my kids. Will it minister to them? IDK. I hope so, but honestly, I have no idea. I desperately want it to.
Adam Clarke commented on this particular passage, and it certainly brings us an understanding that we need:
“The bridegroom found her once asleep under an apple tree, and awoke her; and this happened to be the very place where her mother, taken in untimely labour, had brought her into the world.” And here the bridegroom, in his fondness and familiarity, recalls these little adventures to her memory.”
There are many profitable things we miss, and trust me when I say this, but that can be a tragedy. It really doesn’t effect our salvation, that’s a done deal. But it does cause us to disconnect from something real–something from those who have come before us. They endured much, but they walked their faith out through a lifetime, and yet we sometimes minimize this, and we forget their walk.
The text tells us that the mother had labored to bring out a baby. Watching my Lynnie give birth was an amazing experience for me. Her pain was intense, and I was humbled by what she was doing. When Esther was born, I had to stand in a awe–I saw the next generation of Lowes through her pain. Although there were many lessons given that day, I must consider that this was the best.
This verse should leave us a bit undone, especially as we consider it. It’s a bit distant from anything we know and grasp. That’s true. Our spiritual genealogy isn’t really something we consider. But, maybe we need to think about this?
I must consider Hebrews 11–and perhaps the tedious listings that we find in 1 Chronicles. Whether we want to believe it or not, we’re part of a faith continuum. We will certainly die, but we also will leave a legacy to our children, which will be passed on to our grandchildren. Hopefully anyway.
The Song of Solomon 