The world we live in today is ruled by consumerism. Everything is measured by capital and the means to profit from it. This even extends to how we determine what is good for ourselves and those around us. It's hard to value yourself or your partner amidst the world's standards.
The text we read today shows one man's determination to value and admire his mate according to the way he values her. The bridegroom praises his mate by comparing her beauty to Tirzah and Jerusalem. Two important cities in Israel's history. Tirzah is a beautiful city that was once the capital of the (northern) kingdom of Israel and Jerusalem is the centre of glory and holiness. By citing these two cities, women are portrayed as not only physically beautiful, but having majesty and authority.
The praise of the spouse in chapter 6 is a repetition of the praise from chapter 4. It shows consistency of feeling and love. There is a sense of reverence and respect that is not just in the heart but is spoken with reverence and honesty. From a psychological perspective, this situation is Unconditional Positive Regard, which is the ability to continue to admire one's partner despite having seen his/her weaknesses in previous difficult phases. It is how admiration persists even though the relationship has gone through various stressful phases of life.
Today many marriages are in crisis because each party feels that love is a necessity in the marriage relationship and no longer needs to be nurtured and celebrated. Love still needs to be celebrated in the way we live it with our spouse and not defined by the values of this world. Living love with our spouse is a way for us to also live God's love that continues to weave its way into our lives.
