Midrash sur Le Cantique des Cantiques 2:16

“My beloved is mine, and I am his, who herds among the lilies” (Song of Songs 2:16).
“My beloved is mine, and I am his,” He is God for me, and I am a nation for Him. He is God for me, “I am the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:2). I am a people and a nation for Him, as it is stated: “Pay attention to Me, My people, and listen to Me, My nation” (Isaiah 51:4). He is a father to me, and I am a son to Him. He is a father to me, “For You are our Father” (Isaiah 63:16). I am a son to Him, “My son, My firstborn, Israel” (Exodus 4:22). He is a shepherd to me, “Shepherd of Israel, listen” (Psalms 80:2). I am His flock, “you, My flock, flock of My pasture” (Ezekiel 34:31). He is my guardian, “Behold, the Guardian of Israel does not slumber and does not sleep” (Psalms 121:4). I am His vineyard, as it is stated: “For the house of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 5:7).
He is for me against those who provoke me, and I am for Him against those who anger Him. He is for me against those who provoke me, as He smote the firstborn of Egypt, as it is stated: “I will pass in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:12); “it was at midnight and the Lord smote every firstborn” (Exodus 12:29). I am for Him against those who anger Him, as I slaughtered the gods of Egypt, and likewise, “against all the gods of Egypt I will administer punishment” (Exodus 12:12), and I slaughtered them to Him, as it is stated: “Behold, will we slaughter the abomination of Egypt before their eyes, and they will not stone us?” (Exodus 8:22). Likewise, “they shall each take for them a lamb for each patrilineal home” (Exodus 12:3).
He said to me: ‘Let the proportion [hamazeg] not be skewed,’ as it is stated: “Your navel is a moon-shaped goblet, may it not lack mixed wine [hamazeg]” (Song of Songs 7:3). I said to Him: ‘You are my good beloved, if only Your goodness will never be lacking from me,’ just as it says: “The Lord is my Shepherd, I will not lack” (Psalms 23:1).
Rabbi Yehuda bar Rabbi Ilai said: He sang to me and I sang to Him; He lauded me and I lauded Him. He called me: “My sister, My love, My faultless dove” (Song of Songs 5:2), and I said to Him: “This is my beloved and this is my companion” (Song of Songs 5:16). He said to me: “Behold you are fair my love” (Song of Songs 4:1), and I said to Him: “Behold, you are fair, my beloved, pleasant too” (Song of Songs 1:16). He said to me: “Happy are you Israel, who is like you?” (Deuteronomy 33:29). I said to Him: “Who is like You among the powers, Lord?” (Exodus 15:11). He said to me: “Who is like Your people Israel, one nation in the land” (I Chronicles 17:21). I declare the unity of His name twice daily: “Hear Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). When I require something, I seek it only from His hand, as it is stated: “It was during those many days, that the king of Egypt died; [the children of Israel sighed due to the bondage, and they cried out, and their plea rose to God due to the bondage.] God heard their groaning…God saw the children of Israel” (Exodus 2:23–25). When He requires something, he seeks it only from me and from my hand, as it is stated: “Speak to the entire congregation of Israel, saying: [In the tenth day of this month they shall take for themselves every man a lamb]” (Exodus 12:3). When I require something, I seek it only from His hand, as it is stated: “Pharaoh approached and the children of Israel raised [their eyes and…the Egyptians were traveling after them… the children of Israel cried out to the Lord]” (Exodus 14:10). When He requires something, He seeks it only from me, as it is stated: “Speak to the children of Israel and let them take a gift for Me” (Exodus 25:2). When I had trouble, I sought [salvation] only from Him: “The Children of Israel cried out to the Lord, as he had nine hundred iron chariots, and he oppressed the Children of Israel forcefully…” (Judges 4:3). What is forcefully? It was with cursing and blaspheming. When He required something, He sought it only from me, as it is stated: “They shall make a sanctuary for Me” (Exodus 25:8).

“Who herds among the lilies,” Rabbi Yoḥanan was afflicted and suffered from a fever for three and a half years. Rabbi Ḥanina ascended to visit him. He said to him: ‘How much are you [suffering]?’ He said to him: ‘I am [suffering] more that I can bear.’ He said to him: ‘Do not say that. Rather, say: Faithful God.’ When his suffering was difficult for him, he would say: ‘Faithful God.’ When his suffering was more difficult than he could bear, Rabbi Ḥanina would ascend and say something for him, and his soul would be restored.¹⁵¹Rabbi Ḥanina would recite an incantation that would give Rabbi Yoḥanan relief (Matnot Kehuna). Sometime later, Rabbi Ḥanina fell ill. Rabbi Yoḥanan ascended to visit him. He said to [Rabbi Ḥanina]: ‘How much are you [suffering]?’ [Rabbi Ḥanina] said to him: ‘How difficult is the suffering!’ He said to [Rabbi Ḥanina]: ‘And how great is their reward!’ [Rabbi Ḥanina] said to him: ‘I want neither them nor their reward.’ He said to [Rabbi Ḥanina]: ‘Why do you not say that word that you would say for me, and which restored my soul?’ [Rabbi Ḥanina] said: ‘When I was on the outside, I was responsible for others. Now that I am on the inside, do I not require someone else to be responsible for me?’ He said to [Rabbi Ḥanina]: ‘It is written: “Who herds among the lilies.” The rod of the Holy One blessed be He comes often only upon people whose hearts are soft as lilies.’¹⁵²God brings suffering upon people who are able to accept God’s decree with love (Matnot Kehuna).
Rabbi Elazar said: [This is analogous] to an owner who had two cows, one that had great strength and one that had minimal strength. Which one does he exert? Is it not the one that has great strength? So too, the Holy One blessed be He does not subject the wicked to ordeals. Why? Because they would not be able to withstand it, as it is written: “But the wicked are like the troubled sea” (Isaiah 57:20). Whom does He subject to an ordeal? The righteous, as it is stated: “The Lord will test the righteous” (Psalms 11:5); “It was after these matters that God subjected Abraham to an ordeal” (Genesis 22:1); “It was after these matters that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph” (Genesis 39:7).
Rabbi Yosei ben Rabbi Ḥanina said: A flax worker, when his flax is hard, he does not beat it very much. Why? Because it will break. When his flax is fine, the more he beats it, the more it improves. So too, the Holy One blessed be He does not subject the wicked to ordeals, as they cannot withstand it, but he subjects the righteous to ordeals, as it is stated: “The Lord will test the righteous.”
Rabbi Yoḥanan said: A potter, when he checks his kiln, does not check with the flimsy jugs. Why? Because if he would tap on them they would break. With which does he check? With the sturdy jugs, as even were he to tap on them several times, they would not break. So too, the Holy One blessed be He does not subject the wicked to ordeals. Whom does He subject to ordeals? The righteous, as it is stated: “The Lord will test the righteous.”

"God restores my soul" This means that Israel said, God restores my soul with Torah, as it says, "The Torah of Adonai is perfect, restoring the soul" (Psalms 19:18). "God leads me in the paths of mercy"--this means, to manna, to quail, to waters of the well, to clouds of glory; and these are given to me not because I have earned them but "for the sake of God's name." Even as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, though I walk on the parched land of the wilderness, "I will fear no evil for You are with me," as it says, "Adonai went before them by day in a pillar of cloud (Exodus 13:21). Your rod and your staff, they comfort me: the rod is Your chastisements; the staff, Your Torah.

The Holy One, blessed be He, caused Amalek and his people to fall into the hand of Joshua, as it is said, "And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword" (Ex. 17:13).