In the shade of my husband

Song of Solomon 2:³As an apple tree among the trees of the forest,
so is my beloved among the young men.
With great delight I sat in his shadow,
and his fruit was sweet to my taste.

Song of Solomon 4:⁸ Come with me from Lebanon, my bride;
come with me from Lebanon.
Depart from the peak of Amana,
from the peak of Senir and Hermon,
from the dens of lions,
from the mountains of leopards.

The Song of Solomons is written with poetry, but it is definitely God's model of His ideal for marriage. In chapter 2, verse 3, the bride compares her husband to an apple tree. Here, the husband is clearly the provider of the home. He provides shelter, comfort, and food. Life is sweet and enjoyable for this wife with her husband. Her needs are met and she enjoys being under her husband's protection and care. I'm reminded of the other side of this example, the wrong example that Eve and Adam set in Genesis.
Genesis 3:⁶So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
In Genesis, Eve did not delight in the shade of Adam. Instead she went to taste a fruit that was forbidden. As a result, sin entered mankind and also, all marriages to come. But God's design is not flawed. We still have the image of God and so we still can work towards God's ideal for marriage. The other scripture from Song of Solomon 4 speaks of where the bride came from. At first I was totally unclear as to what it means to come from Lebanon. However, after doing some research on Google, and praying for revelation, I think this passage means that the husband is a tree that is calling her from a place where there are many trees. In a sense, he is calling her to be faithful. Where once before, she dwelled among many fine options, here she has to make a commitment to leave what she once knew to be faithful to this one man. She is called by him to come away from desolate, barren, and dangerous places to now be with him.

I thank God for my husband. He is a man after God's heart and he is humble in his everday walk with Christ. When I read these passages, I'm reminded by God that I am blessed and that I need to remain in this blessing. Once I dwelled among many men, but now, I am bound to one man and he has vowed to me and to God to protect me, provide for me, and lead me in God's will. I have to admit, sometimes in my dreams, the thought of past relationships come up. Like faces from the past sneek into my dreams and when I wake up, I'm re-playing the scenes in my mind, trying to decifer meaning from the dream. But what I realize is, God doesn't want me to dwell on those thoughts. I've come from "Lebanon" and the places where lions and leopards live, and there is no life for me there. There is only destruction, pain, and sin. I need to focus on where I am now, which is a beautiful and blessed place, under the shade and provision of my husband. I thank God for my husband. The fruit in our home is sweet to my taste.

Heavenly Father, thank You so much for choosing the best husband for me. I thank You that by Your grace You have led me to this man. I am completely joyful in my marriage. I love You, Lord and I love my husband. Keep me from turning my eyes to another's shade. I desire only Hanzo's shade and only his fruit. I'm so grateful for Your love for the church, Jesus. That You are the church's husband and You provide us with shade and good fruit. May we not be led astray to the shade of another. May we be faithful and grateful always. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.