The Lord used several figures of speech to
The Lord used several figures of speech to characterize His seeker in the Song of Songs as she passed through the various stages in the growth in life. The first figure He used was a mare among Pharaoh's chariots (1:9). Horses are strong, energetic, full of personality, and seek a definite goal of their own. Gradually, by the working of love, this seeker was changed from a mare to a lily that was fragrant, beautiful, and blossoming (2:2). In figure, the seeker became a lily, which is without will, emotion, or person. Eventually, she became a pillar. Although the word pillar denotes something strong, the seeker was likened to pillars of smoke (3:6), not pil lars of marble. She was like pillars of smoke that stood erect and steadfast in the universe, yet she was very flexible. I like to see young wives being pillars of smoke, saying, "My will is in my hus band's heart, my emotion is in him, and my mind is in his head. I am simply a pillar of smoke." A pillar of smoke has no person of its own.
The seeking one in Song of Songs eventu ally becomes a palanquin to carry her beloved (v. 9). She no longer has a person of her own; her Beloved, Christ the Lord, is now the person within her. She herself is a palanquin bearing the person of Christ. Later, this seeker becomes