Song of Solomon 5:12 His eyes as doves By streams of waters, Washing in milk, Sitting in fullness. – Young’s Literal Translation

This verse speaks to me of the importance of gaining God’s perspective, seeing with His eyes and looking at everything in life from the Lord’s point of view.  The Lord says His eyes are doves, which speaks of His heart of gentleness and compassion for us.  He wants to teach us how to look through His eyes.  He loves correcting the vision of His people, removing the distortion and replacing it with the crystal clear vision of truth.

PEACE – Doves are first known in the Bible as symbols of peace, for when Noah reached out to draw the dove back into the ark, he saw that the dove had returned with an olive branch in its beak.  The next major appearance of a dove was at Jesus’ baptism, when our Father chose to send the Holy Spirit to come down and rest upon Jesus in the form of a dove.  Jesus always remained true to the guide that the Father had given Him, choosing to walk His entire life in peace and kindness. Matthew 12:16 speaks of Jesus asking people not to tell others of His healing powers, wanting to avoid notoriety and fame. In the next verses Matthew quotes Isaiah 42:1-2 which says in part,

Look at my servant, I’ve put my spirit on him, (the Dove) He shall not cry out or raise his voice, Neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.

During Jesus’ day, there were many rabbis in Israel, loud, competitive, ambitious, argumentative men who raised their voices in the streets.  They wanted their following to be the largest and their offerings to be the richest.  But Jesus refused to be like them or to argue or labor a point with them.  Jesus knew His calling was to the Throne of David, as the Prince of Peace.  He walked in the spirit of the Dove through every trial and conflict.  When we were baptized in the Holy Spirit, He also came down upon us that day as a dove, and we are to carry His spirit of love and gentleness into all our dealings with the world.  We are not to seek fame or fortune or leadership in the Church.  We are called to simply walk in the spirit of the Dove and go where He leads us.

PURITY AND TRUE LOVE – Doves mate for life and there is such love and devotion between them that people call them lovebirds.  They remain close together and their eyes are often upon each other to the exclusion of all others.  They are not attracted by other possible mates and there is no fear of unfaithfulness as they are 100% given over to each other.  When their mate dies, they mourn deeply for them.  This is a picture of a Christian whose eye is single and his/her whole body is full of light.  (Matthew 6:22)  The Bride of Christ is devoted to Him, continually looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of her faith.  (Hebrews 12:2)  The world and sin have lost all allure to her.

DOVES BY STREAMS OF WATER – In Revelation and Daniel, God’s eyes are compared to flames of fire when He comes to judge the world and look upon those who have hated Him and despised His grace.  But here in Song of Solomon we see the tender, compassionate eyes of God when He looks on those whom He has redeemed.  Though we stumble and fall at times, we stand in overflowing streams of forgiveness, love and blessing.  The kindness of Jesus Christ is infinite, his tenderness is as a gentle rain and His mercies toward us endure throughout our lives and unto eternity.  Like mighty waters, His goodness to us is wondrously unfathomable.

WASHING IN MILK – There is a continuous washing of the water of the Word through our lives.  Peter tells us to desire the pure milk of the Word which causes us to grow up into salvation. (1 Peter 2:2)   The Word bathes us in the thoughts and life of God which correct us and cleanse us from every spot.   The pure, gentle eyes of Jesus are always beholding our spiritual condition.  Surely our Lord’s eyes see our defects and are quick to discern all things false in us, however, we may have hidden them away.   Let us not believe in our hearts that God will not see or consider the things in our lives that are unworthy.  He that formed the eye, shall He not see?  (Psalm 94:9)   The Lord desires to wash us from all sin and iniquity until He can say to us as He said to the Bride in the Song of Solomon, “You are all fair my love, there is no spot in you.” (Song of Solomon 4:7)

SITTING IN ABUNDANCE – To be seated in Christ in Heavenly places is to take the true place of rest that God tells us to labor to enter into, the place of casting all of our cares on Him.  How immeasurably rich life can be if we allow Him to care for us and refuse to live below the standard of goodness that He has appointed for us.  He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.  (John 10:10)  As we allow our vision to be purified, that precious life of constant communion with Jesus becomes more and more a reality. This phrase “sitting in abundance” or “fitly set” as the KJV has it, is translated in the Segond French Bible as “reposing on the breast of abundance.”  This gives us such a beautiful picture of a baby held closely to its mother’s breast which is filled with an abundance of milk, ready and prepared to nourish and sustain the little one.  In the Gospels, we see Jesus partaking of the full provision for earthly needs from food to feed the 5,000 to calming storms to raising the dead.  All supply was ready and at His disposal.  “He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think.”  (Ephesians 3:20)  “For whosoever has, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance.”  (Matthew 13:12)

In the Gospel of Matthew we read of a fierce storm that came up on the Lake of Galilee, threatening to sink the boat that carried Jesus and His disciples.  But before setting out upon the sea, Jesus had decreed that they were crossing over to the other side and HIS WORD PREVAILED, not the perilous storm.  So when we choose to look at life through the lens of His Word, we find ourselves on the other side, washed clean and sitting in abundance.  Let us rest our souls upon God’s faithfulness, knowing that truly all things do work together for the good for those who love God.  (Romans 8:28)  And if we listen closely we may hear Him tell us that we become beautiful in His eyes when the gentle Dove of Heaven rules over our lives.

Song of Solomon 1:15 Behold you are fair my love, Behold you are fair, You have dove’s eyes.

The Lord is dedicated to developing dove’s eyes in all His people.  He wants us to see others as He sees them, focusing on their beauty, not their failures.  He wants us to look at ourselves gently also, aware of our faults, but appreciating the beautiful life of Christ which grows stronger in us every day.  And above all else, He wants us to see Him as He really is, gentle and tender hearted to all.