Midway through chapter five, something comes between the newlyweds and we find them parted.
The bride is crushed at his departure.
There is a bit of tension in chapter six. It would appear that the bride doesn’t know where her man has gone – only that he has left. When asked by her friends if they can help look for him in chapter six, the wife reveals she knows where he is. Perhaps she does. Or perhaps she only thinks she does. Wherever he has gone, he hasn’t taken her.
Our differences, male and female, often cause perplexing separation. Men, at times, just want to be alone. We need to think about stuff. Wives, faced with our moodiness and distance, believe something must be wrong with the marriage – perhaps they’ve done something wrong or displeasing. Or worse – perhaps there is another woman. Is this what the bride means when she says he has gone to “browse among the lilies”? What could possibly be the problem that they two couldn’t work out together?
Sometimes, it’s just he can’t figure out why the motorcycle won’t start.
In this case, the husband simply went to the fields to check on the crops (see vss. 11-12). Marriage is a growth process in which both parties must become secure in their relationship roles. It doesn’t happen overnight.