Keep the Flame Burning
Keeping the Flame Burning
Song of Solomon 7-8
“Many water cannot quench love, nor will rivers overflow it; if a man were to give all the riches of his house for love, it would be utterly despised.”
Too many marriages end up as roommates sharing the same house rather than as friends and lovers sharing the same life. In chapters 7-8, we see both their passionate love for each other and their dedication to keeping the marriage exciting, wonderful, and joyful. Chapter 7 describes the physical joys of marriage in such vivid detail that it would cause the prudish to blush and try to make the description of the bride's physical virtues figurative rather than literal. But in doing so, we miss the point that the writer is making. God has created the physical relationship between husband and wife to be the expression of something far deeper. The joining of husband and wife in sexual intimacy is meant to reflect a deeper spiritual oneness that is central to marriage. Marriage is more than just two people sharing a house and a bed; it’s about developing emotional and spiritual oneness that mirrors the unity within the triune God. This oneness is both celebrated and symbolized by the couple's physical union. In chapter 7, the focus is not just on the bride’s physical beauty but also on the joy the husband finds in his wife. Our culture has reduced sexual expression to mere acts of pleasure and selfish fulfillment rather than acts of love and unity that are only truly expressed within marriage. In the biblical view, the sexual relationship is not about the pleasure we receive but about giving ourselves at the most personal level to the other (see also 1 Cor. 7). This intimacy and self-sacrifice form the foundation for marriage's exclusivity. In verse 13, the bride affirms that her love is for him and him alone.
However, the beauty of love is not just found in the physical relationship; it is also rooted in the unquenchable love that supports the marriage. In 8:6-7, we see that marriage is based on a timeless bond that neither time nor circumstances can destroy. Genuine love involves surrender. The seal was either a stamp or a cylinder pressed into clay to leave an impression, serving to mark ownership and personal identification. The deepest aspect of marriage is found in self-sacrifice rather than self-service. It means recognizing that we no longer belong solely to ourselves but to our spouse. Love is the act of surrendering ourselves, our rights, and ownership of our lives to our spouse, so that we are no longer primarily concerned with our own desires and well-being but with the well-being of our partner.
Marriage is an exclusive relationship that must be guarded and protected. Usually, the concept of jealousy is used negatively to describe selfish possession. However, it can also be viewed positively as an attitude of caring and devotion. Protection and commitment involve guarding against rivals or threats. This is the kind of jealousy referred to in 8:6. The strength and dedication of marriage are compared to death because death never abandons what belongs to it. Death is seen as an irresistible force that, once it captures someone, never lets go and tolerates no rivals. This is the essence of biblical love. It leaves no room for divided loyalties. Once we commit our love to our spouse, we do not let go. True love is like a flame so powerful that it cannot be extinguished even by a river of water. Its value is beyond compare. The point of the last part of verse 7 is that love has no price tag. All the wealth in the world cannot buy love.
The song ends with a warning, one that is needed in our over sexualized culture. The writer closes with the exhortation that the physical relationship is only appropriate in the context of marriage. Just as one is not to commit adultery in marriage, so one is not to betray the commitment we have in marriage by committing adultery before marriage. Marriage and sex are sacred and to be protected, and so we are to wait until the right time in the context of marriage before giving ourselves to another (8-12).
The challenge the writer gives us throughout this book is the challenge to see the sacredness of marriage and the importance of maintaining the joy and wonder of the relationship. Marriage takes time, commitment, and work to keep the marriage vibrant. This book reminds us that God designed marriage to be a source of joy, not drudgery, but it takes work, commitment, and effort. If your marriage is struggling and become dull and has lost its luster, start to rebuild the marriage by again discovering the joy of marriage. Spend time together and recapture the joy of being friends.
Song of Solomon 7-8
“Many water cannot quench love, nor will rivers overflow it; if a man were to give all the riches of his house for love, it would be utterly despised.”
Too many marriages end up as roommates sharing the same house rather than as friends and lovers sharing the same life. In chapters 7-8, we see both their passionate love for each other and their dedication to keeping the marriage exciting, wonderful, and joyful. Chapter 7 describes the physical joys of marriage in such vivid detail that it would cause the prudish to blush and try to make the description of the bride's physical virtues figurative rather than literal. But in doing so, we miss the point that the writer is making. God has created the physical relationship between husband and wife to be the expression of something far deeper. The joining of husband and wife in sexual intimacy is meant to reflect a deeper spiritual oneness that is central to marriage. Marriage is more than just two people sharing a house and a bed; it’s about developing emotional and spiritual oneness that mirrors the unity within the triune God. This oneness is both celebrated and symbolized by the couple's physical union. In chapter 7, the focus is not just on the bride’s physical beauty but also on the joy the husband finds in his wife. Our culture has reduced sexual expression to mere acts of pleasure and selfish fulfillment rather than acts of love and unity that are only truly expressed within marriage. In the biblical view, the sexual relationship is not about the pleasure we receive but about giving ourselves at the most personal level to the other (see also 1 Cor. 7). This intimacy and self-sacrifice form the foundation for marriage's exclusivity. In verse 13, the bride affirms that her love is for him and him alone.
However, the beauty of love is not just found in the physical relationship; it is also rooted in the unquenchable love that supports the marriage. In 8:6-7, we see that marriage is based on a timeless bond that neither time nor circumstances can destroy. Genuine love involves surrender. The seal was either a stamp or a cylinder pressed into clay to leave an impression, serving to mark ownership and personal identification. The deepest aspect of marriage is found in self-sacrifice rather than self-service. It means recognizing that we no longer belong solely to ourselves but to our spouse. Love is the act of surrendering ourselves, our rights, and ownership of our lives to our spouse, so that we are no longer primarily concerned with our own desires and well-being but with the well-being of our partner.
Marriage is an exclusive relationship that must be guarded and protected. Usually, the concept of jealousy is used negatively to describe selfish possession. However, it can also be viewed positively as an attitude of caring and devotion. Protection and commitment involve guarding against rivals or threats. This is the kind of jealousy referred to in 8:6. The strength and dedication of marriage are compared to death because death never abandons what belongs to it. Death is seen as an irresistible force that, once it captures someone, never lets go and tolerates no rivals. This is the essence of biblical love. It leaves no room for divided loyalties. Once we commit our love to our spouse, we do not let go. True love is like a flame so powerful that it cannot be extinguished even by a river of water. Its value is beyond compare. The point of the last part of verse 7 is that love has no price tag. All the wealth in the world cannot buy love.
The song ends with a warning, one that is needed in our over sexualized culture. The writer closes with the exhortation that the physical relationship is only appropriate in the context of marriage. Just as one is not to commit adultery in marriage, so one is not to betray the commitment we have in marriage by committing adultery before marriage. Marriage and sex are sacred and to be protected, and so we are to wait until the right time in the context of marriage before giving ourselves to another (8-12).
The challenge the writer gives us throughout this book is the challenge to see the sacredness of marriage and the importance of maintaining the joy and wonder of the relationship. Marriage takes time, commitment, and work to keep the marriage vibrant. This book reminds us that God designed marriage to be a source of joy, not drudgery, but it takes work, commitment, and effort. If your marriage is struggling and become dull and has lost its luster, start to rebuild the marriage by again discovering the joy of marriage. Spend time together and recapture the joy of being friends.
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