Song of Solomon 6:13 Desperate Prayer and the Restoring Mercy of God

¹³  THE BELOVED AND HIS FRIENDS Return, return, O Shulamite; Return, return, that we may look upon you! THE SHULAMITE What would you see in the Shulamite-- As it were, the dance of the two camps?

Meaning of the Two Camps

The Hebrew word for "the two camps" is transliterated into English as "Mahanaim".  It refers to a specific set of two camps.  The Song of Solomon presents a idealized vision of romance in marriage, and it is also commentary on the relationship between Israel and God.  Royalty were often depicted as "married" to their nation.  The two camps refers to Genesis 32, in which Jacob wrestles the angel the night before he returns to his homeland and meets his long-estranged brother, Esau.  There's quite a story behind this:  Esau and Jacob were twins but couldn't be more different from each other.  As the (by minutes) elder brother, Esau was first in line to gain the highly coveted blessing from their father.  He had red hair, and lots of hair, and was a good hunter who liked to be outside most of the time.  Jacob was his mother's favorite, and she helped him to deceived his father into thinking he was blessing Esau, thus stealing the blessing-and the destiny involved-from his brother.  Jacob had to leave the country and flee for his life.

 

Hard Lessons in Exile

In exile Jacob married two sisters, Rebecca and Leah, and spent years working for his father in law, Laban, who proved to be just as deceitful to Jacob as Jacob had been to his brother.  Jacob, his family and his entourage (because he became successful) decided to return home (in two caravans) and face the potential wrath of his brother, who also had an entourage that was large and armed.  The night before the fateful confrontation, Jacob wrestles with an angel until dawn.  As dawn approached, the angel prepared to leave, but Jacob held on, desperate for blessing.  The angel agreed to bless him, but then hit him in the hip, leaving him with a permanent limp.  Jacob finally meets Esau, who has managed to forgive his brother over the years, and he returns to his home in peace.  The episode with the angel serves as a vivid call to "wrestle" in prayer and seek God with urgency  bordering on desperation.  It's reference in Song of Solomon (also known as "Song of Songs") is part of a larger theme of the Lord bringing good even out of the bad in the story of His people.  He makes perfection even from the lives of very, very flawed people.