The Celebration of Marriage
A Celebration of Marriage
“I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the hinds of the field, that you will not arouse or awaken my love until she pleases.”
We live in a culture that is sexualized to the point that it has become people’s identity. We define our whole identity by our sexual desires. However, throughout this book, we find the writer carefully and wonderfully navigating through the beauty of physical oneness in marriage and the distortion of sex that is so prevalent in our culture.
In 3:5, we find again the warning not to arouse the physical passion of marriage before its time. Throughout the book, we see the wonder of marriage and the oneness that God designed for marriage. Yet the writer continually reminds us that passion and pleasure are essential to the oneness of marriage, but only appropriate within it. In 2:7, 3:5, and 8:4, we find the exhortation that sexual pleasure is only appropriate within the context of marriage and that one is to keep passion in check until the proper time. Sex is not meant to be just an act of pleasure. It was a gift from God to be an expression of the spiritual and emotional oneness that is shared in marriage. In Genesis 2:24, we discover that the unity of marriage reflects the unity found in the Trinity. One of the great mysteries of God is that there are three distinct persons, but they are joined together as one essence. We cannot fully understand the intrinsic unity and nature of the Trinity. However, we see a glimpse of this in marriage. When two individuals join in holy matrimony, they become one. There is a spiritual bond that unites them so that they are no longer two individuals merely sharing the same house. This unity is expressed through the physical relationship.
However, in these verses, we also see more than the joys of physical pleasure. We also discover the joy and wonder of the marriage relationship. Chapter 3 describes the wedding procession in which the groom travels from his father's house to his bride's home to receive her in the bonds of marriage. Before the passion of love in chapter 4, it is essential to recognize that the couple is joined together in marriage. In 3:6-11, we see the marriage procession as the group travels from his house to receive his bride. In this wedding processional, we see that the marriage is to be both honored and protected. The honor of the marriage is reflected in the regal attire that the groom adorns himself as he travels to the home of his bride. Just as the arrival of the king is not to be treated lightly or trivial, so the arrival of the groom is to be a time of honor and joyous celebration. As he travels, he is protected by 60 strong warriors who are to guard him. Throughout the song, there are implied threats to the marriage. Therefore, the bride and groom, and the marriage itself, are to be guarded and protected.
As he arrives at the house of his bride, he then expresses his love for his bride (4:1-7). While the imagery in these verses seems somewhat strange to us, we need to understand that the groom is expressing his deep love for his wife. He uses vivid language not only to extol her physical beauty but also her inner beauty. The whole point of these verses is to publicly and continually express her worth and his commitment to her. Developing a healthy marriage involves placing our highest value upon our spouse and seeing their inner qualities that reveal their true beauty. In the daily grind of life, we can easily lose sight of the virtues that attracted us to our spouse. Instead of seeing their beauty, we start to focus on their flaws. Thus, the Song of Solomon reminds us that a healthy marriage keeps love and praise at its center.
Instead of looking at the flaws and frustrations of your spouse, start to look at the beauty and qualities of your spouse that attracted you to your spouse in the first place. When we keep that as our focus, our marriage becomes a joy rather than a frustration.
“I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the hinds of the field, that you will not arouse or awaken my love until she pleases.”
We live in a culture that is sexualized to the point that it has become people’s identity. We define our whole identity by our sexual desires. However, throughout this book, we find the writer carefully and wonderfully navigating through the beauty of physical oneness in marriage and the distortion of sex that is so prevalent in our culture.
In 3:5, we find again the warning not to arouse the physical passion of marriage before its time. Throughout the book, we see the wonder of marriage and the oneness that God designed for marriage. Yet the writer continually reminds us that passion and pleasure are essential to the oneness of marriage, but only appropriate within it. In 2:7, 3:5, and 8:4, we find the exhortation that sexual pleasure is only appropriate within the context of marriage and that one is to keep passion in check until the proper time. Sex is not meant to be just an act of pleasure. It was a gift from God to be an expression of the spiritual and emotional oneness that is shared in marriage. In Genesis 2:24, we discover that the unity of marriage reflects the unity found in the Trinity. One of the great mysteries of God is that there are three distinct persons, but they are joined together as one essence. We cannot fully understand the intrinsic unity and nature of the Trinity. However, we see a glimpse of this in marriage. When two individuals join in holy matrimony, they become one. There is a spiritual bond that unites them so that they are no longer two individuals merely sharing the same house. This unity is expressed through the physical relationship.
However, in these verses, we also see more than the joys of physical pleasure. We also discover the joy and wonder of the marriage relationship. Chapter 3 describes the wedding procession in which the groom travels from his father's house to his bride's home to receive her in the bonds of marriage. Before the passion of love in chapter 4, it is essential to recognize that the couple is joined together in marriage. In 3:6-11, we see the marriage procession as the group travels from his house to receive his bride. In this wedding processional, we see that the marriage is to be both honored and protected. The honor of the marriage is reflected in the regal attire that the groom adorns himself as he travels to the home of his bride. Just as the arrival of the king is not to be treated lightly or trivial, so the arrival of the groom is to be a time of honor and joyous celebration. As he travels, he is protected by 60 strong warriors who are to guard him. Throughout the song, there are implied threats to the marriage. Therefore, the bride and groom, and the marriage itself, are to be guarded and protected.
As he arrives at the house of his bride, he then expresses his love for his bride (4:1-7). While the imagery in these verses seems somewhat strange to us, we need to understand that the groom is expressing his deep love for his wife. He uses vivid language not only to extol her physical beauty but also her inner beauty. The whole point of these verses is to publicly and continually express her worth and his commitment to her. Developing a healthy marriage involves placing our highest value upon our spouse and seeing their inner qualities that reveal their true beauty. In the daily grind of life, we can easily lose sight of the virtues that attracted us to our spouse. Instead of seeing their beauty, we start to focus on their flaws. Thus, the Song of Solomon reminds us that a healthy marriage keeps love and praise at its center.
Instead of looking at the flaws and frustrations of your spouse, start to look at the beauty and qualities of your spouse that attracted you to your spouse in the first place. When we keep that as our focus, our marriage becomes a joy rather than a frustration.
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Who do we listen to?God's Patience and the Certainty of JudgmentThe Present Implications of the FutureAcknoweldgement, Confession, and ForgivenessThe Mark of a Genuine DiscipleThe Unchanging WordThe Lost ARt of DiscernmentA Life that Pleases GodThe Subtle Danger of Spiritual PrideContending for the FaithThe Judgement of False TeachersKeep Our Faith in a Fallen WorldSecurity in a Insecure WorldThe God who Controls HistoryThe Terrifying Majesty of ChristThe Majesty of GodThe Praise of God's JusticeHaving Right Priorities in Life
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