relationships (Song of Solomon 8:1-14) Cherish and Protect

(Song of Solomon 8:1-14)

1  “Oh that you were like a brother to me
     Who nursed at my mother’s breasts.
     If I found you outdoors, I would kiss you;
     No one would despise me, either.
2   I would lead you and bring you
     Into the house of my mother, who used to instruct me;
     I would give you spiced wine to drink from the juice of my pomegranates.
3   Let his left hand be under my head,
     And his right hand embrace me.”

4   “Swear to me, you daughters of Jerusalem:
     Do not disturb or awaken my love
     Until she pleases.”

5   “Who is this coming up from the wilderness,
     Leaning on her beloved?”

     “Beneath the apple tree I awakened you;
     There your mother went into labor with you,
     There she was in labor and gave birth to you.
6   Put me like a seal over your heart,
     Like a seal on your arm.
     For love is as strong as death,
     Jealousy is as severe as Sheol;
     Its flames are flames of fire,
     The flame of the Lord.
7   Many waters cannot quench love,
     Nor will rivers flood over it;
     If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love,
     It would be utterly despised.”

8   “We have a little sister,
     And she has no breasts;
     What shall we do for our sister
     On the day when she is spoken for?
9   If she is a wall,
     We will build on her a battlement of silver;
     But if she is a door,
     We will barricade her with planks of cedar.”

10 “I was a wall, and my breasts were like towers;
     Then I became in his eyes as one who finds peace.
11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon;
     He entrusted the vineyard to caretakers.
     Each one was to bring a thousand shekels of silver for its fruit.
12 My very own vineyard is at my disposal;
     The thousand shekels are for you, Solomon,
     And two hundred are for those who take care of its fruit.”

13 “You who sit in the gardens:
     My companions are listening for your voice—
     Let me hear it!”

14 “Hurry, my beloved,
     And be like a gazelle or a young stag
     On the mountains of balsam trees!”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

With God always being first in our lives, in marriage, our spouse should come next, to be cherished and protected.  True love cannot be bought, sold or stopped.  It is precious and to be treasured.  And this begins even before one is married, as verse 6 and 9 demonstrates how the wife had kept herself for marriage, with her brothers watching over her protectively.

Even when married, Solomon and his wife respected the law and cultural traditions.  While close family members could kiss in public and show affection, it was not acceptable for a married couple to do so.  And while they still would not force love, they both gave it freely and wholly.  Their love was selfless and unconditional, and they were committed to one another until death.  

While Song of Solomon is not allegorical, we can see how a blessed and happy marriage parallels our relationship with the Lord:

- as God is holy, we must be holy in order to even have a relationship with Him; so it should be in our marriage.  A Christian should marry a Christian, so we have in common the most important thing in life!  For each spouse, as brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus should come first in all things.  

- as God seals each believer for all eternity with His Holy Spirit, we are to commit to each other, to be as one, until death.  Becoming one flesh happens when we consummate the covenant of marriage.  Therefore, understand that having sex before marriage is literally committing adultery on our future spouse... even if it is with our fiancé/fiancée.  Waiting for marriage is to demonstrate one's ability to exercise self-control, and demonstrate one's desire to remain faithful.

- as God is jealous when we have other gods or idols in our lives, the act of marriage should remain between one man and one woman, and all sexual energy should be kept just between them.  God created sex, after all, so He understands how it works best!

- as God desires that we remain close to Him by confessing our sins daily, having consistent devotions and maintaining a constant and continuous prayer life, a couple should keep "dating" each other and work on their marriage, always!  

- as God is love, and has demonstrated His agape love through His work on the cross in humility and obedience to His will, so must we serve each other with God's unconditional, selfless love!  It is not about what we get, but what we give and do for each other.  And it isn't 50-50.  When both give of themselves 100%, each spouse will get 100%.

When both spouses desire to make the relationship work, they will both work on the marriage.  And when both are working on these things, in the Lord's strength, wisdom and love, all to His glory, the marriage will remain strong and blessed!