Song of Solomon – Loving with Purpose
Think.
- How would you define the word secular?
- How about the word sacred?
- Can they ever describe the same thing?
- What is the purpose of romantic love?
- What is the purpose of marriage?
Listen.
Weddings were a big deal in ancient Hebrew society and we see that continue on through the life and times of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. A wedding feast could last for days. There was food, wine, singing and dancing. Although there are questions as to when it became part of Jewish tradition, by Jesus’ time the Song of Songs was often sung at those feasts and was attributed to King Solomon (often called Song of Solomon). Some Jewish teachers or rabbis thought it was too racy for young listeners and would only let those who were older read it or hear it. Then there were other rabbis who said that those who thought it was too scandalous to be a holy text were totally missing the point. They believed that, even if the subject matter was romantic love, infatuation, courtship, a wedding and sex, that it was acceptable because it showed God’s desires for how those things should be handled in a holy and pure manner.
Flip through chapters 4, 5 & 6 of the Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs in some Bibles) and pick out some of the really weird ways the young man and woman describe their love and each other’s attributes.
Now read the following passages that really get to the heart of what we can learn about the role that God wants romantic/physical love to play in our human lives.
Scarcely had I passed them,
when I found him whom my soul loves.
I held him, and would not let him go
until I brought him into my mother’s house,
and into the chamber of her that conceived me.
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
by the gazelles or the wild does:
do not stir up or awaken love
until it is ready! – Song of Solomon 3:4-5
And then…..
Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm;
for love is strong as death,
passion fierce as the grave.
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
a raging flame.
Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it.
If one offered for love
all the wealth of one’s house,
it would be utterly scorned. – Song of Solomon 8:6-7
Say.
Romantic love, marriage and sex are powerful expressions of the human experience. In many ways, these echo the type of relationship that God wants to have with humanity. He is crazy for us. When we are away, it’s all he can think about. And when we are together, its overwhelming how much we feel his love.
Ask.
- What are differences in the way that romantic/physical love is described in pop culture versus what we’ve read in Song of Solomon?
- Is there any topic or part of life that you think God doesn’t care about or want you to go to him about in prayer?
Remember.
God designed love, marriage and sex. He wouldn’t have given it to humans if those were bad things. It’s when we abuse those gifts that things go sideways.
Pray.
Think about the parts of your life that you are embarrassed or ashamed about. Now remind yourself that God is already there with you in the midst of those things. Now pray to God knowing that God already loves you. Ask God to guide you through everything.
More.
Check out these cheesy Christian pickup lines for some laughs.
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