Be Satisfied With The ONE You Love - Song of Songs 7-8

Song of Songs 8:11-12 (ESV)

Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon;

he let out the vineyard to keepers;

each one was to bring for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver.

My vineyard, my very own, is before me;

you, O Solomon, may have the thousand,

and the keepers of the fruit two hundred.

In the above text we have a puzzle to solve because we don’t know who is speaking.  These are the last words of the Song’s message and we are left with the task to determine what it means without knowing who is talking.  Remember, this is a love story between two lovers.  In the last two chapters there seems to be a complete consummation of their love.  As the poem ends there seems to be a comparison going on between something Solomon had and My vineyard (whoever my  is).  But we don’t know who my refers to.   Is it the woman? Is it the man?   Apparently Solomon had something that compares to what these two have.  We know Solomon had an entire harem of women.   It might have been in this unknown location of Baal-Hamon.  We don’t know anything about the place other than it means possessor of multitudes.  This would probably be referring to Solomon’s many wives.   If this were true it would probably be best to believe that man is speaking here and his comparison is quite vivid.  Solomon had all these women (wives and concubines) and many took pleasure in them for money.  But I have you (his lover) and you are all I need.   The man seems to be saying, “Solomon, you might have a thousand women, but of those thousand others are enjoying them for pleasure, but I have my own and she is with me and only mine.   The point of these couple of verses is that the many are nothing in comparison to the one you have.   He is in love with this woman.  She is his.  He is hers.  There might be people who have more, but we have each other.   The exclusiveness of their relationship is magnified over that of another who had many, but no one who satisfied him.   This is a great reminder in our marriage is meant for each other.  We find our satisfaction in the one we love.  That is this couples joy.  Solomon actually said that in his proverbs:

Proverbs 5:18-20 (ESV)

Let your fountain be blessed,

and rejoice in the wife of your youth,

a lovely deer, a graceful doe.

Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;

be intoxicated always in her love.

Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman

and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?