"The Secret of the Dove-like Bride"

My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside,
let me see your face, let me hear your voice;
for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.
(Song of Songs 2:14)

                                                                       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                    Why can't i see baby pigeons?

 

Shalom!

Today, I’d like to meditate on the Parable of the Ten Virgins.
Though you may already be familiar with it and have your own interpretations,
I invite you to break free from previous understandings just for a moment and explore a fresh perspective.

As it is written, "But of that day and hour no one knows...",
I chose not to focus on times and dates,
but rather ponder: If I were one of the wise or foolish virgins, what would I do?
This is a contemplative approach based on practical imagination and prayerful inquiry.
It might seem a little out there—perhaps even "four-dimensional" in its thinking—so I kindly ask for your understanding.
Please enjoy it with the thought: "Ah, there are people who meditate like this, too."

My meditations are always a kind of investigative pursuit,
which means I keep asking the Holy Spirit questions as I read the Scriptures. 😊

 

You likely already know the Parable of the Ten Virgins.
All ten were told to "keep watch," yet all of them fell asleep.
The wise virgins prepared oil in jars along with their lamps.
The foolish ones brought lamps but no extra oil.
When the cry rang out, "Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!",
they all woke up and trimmed their lamps.

At first glance, the only difference between the wise and the foolish virgins seems to be
whether or not they brought extra oil.
Most interpretations say the lamp represents our bodies—like earthen vessels—
and the oil, the Holy Spirit.
I agree with this to an extent. 😊

“At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’
Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.
The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’
‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you.
Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived.
The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’
But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”
(Matthew 25:6–13)

---

Now to the heart of the meditation:
Why is it that everyone focuses only on the oil in this parable?
The conclusion we tend to reach is:
“Because the foolish virgins didn’t prepare extra oil, they couldn’t enter the wedding.”
But if the oil is the Holy Spirit, does that mean the Spirit can be extinguished?
Can the Holy Spirit be “prepared” in advance?
Or is this about being filled with the Holy Spirit?

If that’s the case, does being not full of the Holy Spirit mean you can’t enter the wedding feast?
Before rushing to such a conclusion, I took more time to pray and meditate deeply.

And then I noticed—the bridegroom doesn’t say,
“You had no oil.”
He says, “I don’t know you.”
And then: “Therefore, keep watch.”

---

The foolish virgins realized their lamps were going out when they heard,
"Here is the bridegroom!"
This was the moment they had long waited and longed for,
and yet—they didn’t run out in joy,
but instead noticed their lamps.
Why?

Personally, if the Lord came, I imagine I’d take off my shoes and run to Him,
hug Him tight, and sob with joy 😭
But at that moment—
that overwhelmingly joyful moment—
why would a bride be more concerned about a fading lamp than running to her Bridegroom?

Perhaps their hearts were not fully fixed on the Bridegroom. 😢
Right when they should have run to Him in love,
worry and anxiety crept in.
They looked at their dimming lamps and were seized with fear and uncertainty.
Then they tried to burden others with their need, asking the wise virgins for oil.

---

The wise virgins said,
"No, there may not be enough for both us and you..."
The phrase “there may not be” implies uncertainty.
It could mean maybe there is enough, or maybe not.
Why? Because even the wise virgins didn’t know exactly when the bridegroom would arrive.
Had they known the precise moment, perhaps they would’ve shared.

But since they didn’t know, they couldn’t risk giving their oil.
So they advised:
"Go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves."
And the foolish virgins went out to buy it. 😢
While they were gone, the bridegroom came,
and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet.

---

Why did the bridegroom come just then, of all moments?
We don’t know if the wise virgins actually ended up using the extra oil.
The text simply says the bridegroom arrived while the foolish were away.
We don’t know how much time had passed.
But one thing is clear:
Even after hearing the cry, "Here’s the bridegroom!",
the foolish virgins left their post.

Why?
Why would anyone leave their place when the bridegroom is coming?

Is the lamp the most important thing?
Is the oil the most important thing?

The lamp represents Christ’s redemptive work on the cross.
The oil is the Holy Spirit—a guarantee of our inheritance.

But what allowed the wise virgins to enter the wedding feast
was not their lamp or oil...
It was the fact that they were present when the Bridegroom arrived.

No one asked:
"Did you bring a lamp?"
"Did you prepare enough oil?"

The Scripture says:
“The virgins who were ready went in with him.”

The Greek word here is:

ἕτοιμοι (hetoimoi) – “ready,” “prepared,” “available.”

 

Looking back at the passage, there is no direct command to prepare oil.
The wise simply brought their lamp and oil,
but we often interpret this as a command: You must prepare both.
So we conclude: Because the foolish failed to prepare oil, they were shut out.

And we say to ourselves, “I must not be a foolish virgin!”
So we try hard to prepare oil.

But how do you "prepare" oil?
By being “filled with the Spirit”?
Then what does it mean to be filled with the Spirit?
Is it praying, reading Scripture, praising, fasting, evangelizing, tithing, serving…?

---

Doesn’t that sound off?
Are we saying:
“If you're not Spirit-filled, you won't enter the wedding feast”?

But salvation is a gift.
The Holy Spirit is also a gift, given that we might be saved.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8)
“Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)

 

“O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the secret place of the steep path…”
This verse from Song of Songs 2:14 paints a very specific backdrop: “the clefts of the rock” 

and “a secret place on a steep cliff.” 

This is more than just poetic language—it brings to mind the architectural structure of the temple

and the symbolism of the Holy of Holies.

The Hebrew word סֶ֫לַע (selaʿ) means a high rock, a cliff, or a crag.

It evokes not only inaccessibility and danger but also a place of refuge and protection.

In this context, the dove—יוֹנָתִי (yonati), "my dove"—is hidden away in that steep, secluded place.

It is as if the Bridegroom is calling His beloved out from the hidden chamber, the innermost place of worship

and intimacy.

 

The inner sanctuary of the temple, the Holy of Holies, was the most hidden and sacred space,

representing God's presence.

Only the high priest could enter it, and only once a year.

To be in that place required consecration, reverence, and total surrender.

This ties directly to the name Tamar (תָּמָר)—the palm tree—mentioned elsewhere in Scripture.

Tamar was a common name in the lineage of the Messiah, and the palm tree (תָּמָר) was often used as 

a symbol in temple architecture, representing the righteous. As Psalm 92:12 declares:
“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree...”

The palm tree is tall, upright, unbending in storms, and deeply rooted.

It survives even in the harshest conditions, growing where no other trees would survive.

This is the life of the righteous—unmoved, rooted in the presence of God.

The “dove” in Song of Songs, hidden in the rock, is the righteous one, dwelling in the secret place of the Most High, choosing to remain in the hiddenness of God's presence rather than the spotlight of the world.

But then comes the Bridegroom’s call:
“Let me see your form, let me hear your voice.”
It is a call to come out of hiding, to show herself, to speak

.

Why does He say this?

Because “your voice is sweet, and your form is lovely.”
He longs for communion. He delights in her presence. Her prayers, her worship, her life of surrender—

all of it moves His heart.

At this point, we are reminded of the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25. 

The wise virgins had oil in their lamps; they were prepared. The foolish ones had lamps but no oil.

They all looked like brides waiting for the bridegroom, but only those with oil—those who were 

hidden, prepared, and filled with the Spirit—could enter the wedding feast.

Oil throughout Scripture represents the Holy Spirit, anointing, consecration, and intimacy.

To have oil means to have been with Him, to have received from Him, to have been made ready by Him.

The dove hidden in the rock is the picture of this preparation.

It is not enough to look like a virgin, to carry a lamp, to be in the right crowd.

The question is—have we spent time in the secret place? 

Have we been in the “cleft of the rock,” where only His voice matters?

Jesus is calling His bride from that place.
He is saying, “Arise, show Me your face, let Me hear your voice.”
It’s time for her to come out and shine with the oil she has received in secret.

I do not want to be the bride who has nothing to offer when the Bridegroom comes.
I want to have oil.
I want to know His voice.
I want to be the dove that has hidden in the rock until the moment of unveiling.