My chronological Bible reading plan took me through the Song of Solomon this morning. How beautiful and exciting is love within God’s boundaries! The kind of love described in this book is so valuable that Solomon, with all of his wealth, could not buy it.
Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy love with all his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned. (Song of Solomon 8:7, NLT)
As I read this book, the contrast of love, how God created it and intended it to be enjoyed, and how the world treats love couldn’t be more opposite. As such, the world’s version of love is so cheap it’s not worth buying! Yet, for how cheap and ultimately disappointing it is, many throw what could be one of life’s strongest blessings and enjoyments away to the gutters of immorality, only to be tormented by guilt and shame, sorrow, and heartache. Oh, the world’s foolishness to mock Biblical love while they sink in the eventual miserable outcome of immorality—God’s judgment.
Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous. (Hebrews 13:4, ESV)
So, in the poetic pose of the Song of Solomon, what is pure, clean, and honorable love like?
Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as enduring as the grave. Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame. (Song of Solomon 8:6, NLT)
Yes, this is the kind of love that many waters cannot quench, nor can be bought with money. What a picture of the bond and joy God intends between a man and a woman within His boundaries!
Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Song of Solomon 1-8.