Where has your beloved gone, most beautiful of women? Which way did your beloved turn, that we may look for him with you? – Song of Songs 6:1

Today’s Scripture Reading (September 20, 2016): Song of Songs 6

Communication is complicated. It is so much more than the words that we share. Modern advancements in technologies have given us so many ways to communicate, yet they all have drawbacks. I am not a fan of this method of communication – words on paper (or on a computer screen). It is efficient and ancient, yet it loses so much in translation. I can’t react to the look in on your face as you read the words. I don’t know if you are thoughtfully nodding your head or shaking it in disagreement. I write verbally, meaning that I often speak the words that I write in my mind. So as I write these words, for me I there is tone and volume, the voice inside my head gets louder as I try to hammer home a point and softer as I consider some of the more delicate issues. But as you read it, you hear none of that. If I am being sarcastic, that is often missed on the printed page. It is a warning that each one of us has to be aware of as we read our Facebook posts, and Twitter feeds. Because when tone is lacking, as it is in our text communications, we supply it. What that means is that when you read that text message or email, you are actually supplying some of the meaning. And it might not be what the author has intended. So rather than getting mad at what someone has said and insisting that there is only one way to read the message, we need to clarify – sometimes in person – what the other person is actually saying.

The Bible has the same drawbacks, and one of the troublesome “lack of tone” passages is this one. As you read the verse above, it is likely that you are supplying some of the meaning without even realizing it. What is missing in this verse are facial expressions, body posture, and tone that carries more of the meaning of this passage than the actual words.

Here are the options:

1. This passage is sincere. The friends are really troubled by the disappearance of the Beloved. Some scholars have taken this verse as direct proof that the Beloved in this love story cannot be Solomon because everyone knew where to look for him. Or maybe that in this love story the Bride has not yet discovered the identity of her beloved. But, whichever might be true, the friends are ready to jump in and help find the one who is lost.
2. This passage is sarcastic. And keeping in mind what has happened in the story up to this point, sarcasm might be a better way to interpret this part of the saga. The friends are not supportive; they are making fun of the Shulamite. She is not the most beautiful of women except in her own mind, and her beloved probably left her with good reason. She just didn’t measure up.
3. This passage is a challenge spoken by rivals. If the Shulamite lover could not keep track of her beloved, there were plenty of others that could. Point the way and they would go and find him and take care of him. The lover need not bother to try. She has already been shown wanting.

Which is correct? I have no idea. But as you reread the passage, and as you read your Facebook posts, the conclusion on meaning from written messages might reveal more about you than about the author of the post, because communication is so much more than just words.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Song of Songs 7