God’s Plan - September 3

Read Song of Solomon 8:6-7 (ESV)

Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the LORD. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.

Reflect

Why do you think God included a book about romantic love and sex in the Bible?

Pop culture has no shortage of media that portrays love and sex. Unfortunately, these portrayals in the media are often cheap, crass, and derogatory versions of romance and intimacy. Sex and marriage in the media are often not representative of God’s design and plan, but it doesn’t surprise us at all when we find sexual content in songs, books, TV shows and movies. Our culture is inundated with it!

But it may surprise some people to find a book about sex in the Bible. It may seem inappropriate or taboo for such a personal and private topic to be in God’s Holy Word. But that is just what Song of Solomon is—a book about sex. And personally, I am glad that God saw fit to include a book like this in His Word. Why? Because God created sex! Doesn’t it make more sense to turn to the Creator of the gift to understand the gift that He gave us rather than turning to the culture around us? We shouldn’t turn to anything else but His Word to help us understand how to rightly handle and enjoy the good gifts that He has given to us, including the gift of sex.

Song of Solomon is the last of the five books of wisdom and poetry. Sometimes called the “Song of Songs,” it is a beautiful love song that King Solomon wrote to celebrate the love between a man and a woman. It is written as if it were meant to be a play with 3 speakers; the woman, the man, and the chorus of “others.” The book opens with the couple falling in love using metaphors and poetic imagery to describe how much they desired each other. Then, Solomon described their joy when they finally joined together in marriage and how their relationship grew and matured. His love song is a beautiful picture of God’s design for sex within the context of marriage between one man and one woman.

Today’s verses beautifully illustrate the covenant and commitment that a godly marriage is intended to be. A “seal” alludes to belonging to each other, protection, and joining together so they cannot be separated. Love within a godly marriage is just as sure and strong as death, you can’t fight it or avoid it. They love each other so much they are passionately jealous for each other. They fiercely oppose anyone or anything that tries to come between them. The flame of their love can’t be drowned out and no amount of money could ever buy a love like theirs.

You might find it interesting that a song about such a passionate and committed love was written by a man who eventually had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3). Many commentators agree that King Solomon likely wrote this love song during the early portion of his reign, probably around 965 B.C., before he began acquiring women like wealth. We know that it was his multitude of wives, especially foreign women, that were ultimately his downfall. But at this point in his life, Solomon must have clearly understood that love and sex according to God’s design is a beautiful and holy gift meant to be fully enjoyed. King Solomon accomplished something that our pop culture often fails to do—he portrayed sex and intimacy without devaluing, degrading, or defiling it. While many of the metaphors and imagery seem odd to us today, he was able convey how sex can be sacred and holy. He showed that sex can glorify God when properly expressed within marriage.

You may be wondering if the Scarlet Thread of redemption is found in this love song—it is. The book of Song of Solomon clearly demonstrates God’s intentions for romance, marriage, and sex. But marriage is also a beautiful picture of our relationship with God. During King Solomon’s time, the Jews considered their nation to be married to God. For example, Isaiah 54:5 says, “For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.” Israel was the wife and the Lord was the nation’s husband. Unfortunately, they were often unfaithful to Him. Now, the church, the body of believers, is called the “bride of Christ” and Jesus is the Bridegroom. “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7).

Friends, our society is extremely confused about sex and marriage. But when we go back to the Bible, we see that God clearly laid out His plan and purposes regarding human sexuality and the union of man and wife. When we read the Song of Solomon, we see that following His perfect design and keeping sex within the boundaries of marriage results in a beautiful, joyful, and holy love story.

Respond

God, thank You for clearly communicating the purpose of sex and for giving clear instructions for how to properly enjoy it. I know that sex is a beautiful and holy gift from You meant to be enjoyed within a monogamous marriage. Help me to faithfully submit to Your boundaries regarding sex and marriage. Amen.

Reveal

Ask a married couple you know what has helped them build a strong, faithful, and lasting marriage. Use their answer as an opportunity to talk about God’s design for marriage and how committed, covenant love reflects Christ’s faithful love for His people.