“How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! The joints of thy thighs are like jewels, The work of the hands of a cunning workman. Thy navel is like a round goblet, Which wanteth not liquor: Thy belly is like an heap of wheat Set about with lilies. Thy two breasts are like two young roes That are twins. Thy neck is as a tower of ivory; Thine eyes like the fishpools in Heshbon, By the gate of Bathrabbim: Thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon Which looketh toward Damascus. Thine head upon thee is like Carmel, And the hair of thine head like purple; The king is held in the galleries.”
Song of Solomon 7:1-5 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/sng.7.1-5.KJV
A Way in the Wilderness
Have you noticed that sometimes life feels like a desert? In moments of pain and anxiety, it may seem like there’s no way out. All we see is an endless wasteland.
The people of Israel faced their worst “desert” when Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and took its inhabitants captive. Far from home, they lived for decades under oppression. In moments of anguish and despair, they remembered the prophet’s words: “A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God” (NIV).
In the ancient Near East, a king’s subjects would “prepare a way” by going ahead of him when he returned to his city. His return implied abundance and protection. The author uses this image to announce a way out of the desert; make a path for the King of Kings, trusting that he will arrive to lead everyone home.
The prophet’s confidence finds a basis in God’s history. God freed Israel from brutal slavery—with ...