We’re wrapping up our study in the Song of Solomon. It was written three thousand years ago. In chapters one and two we’ve seen the couple attract, date and court. There was an emphasis on character, communication and romance. In chapter three we saw Solomon’s wife describe their wedding day. Chapter four dealt with the honeymoon phase, intimacy in a relationship and we learned some great things about serving one another in every area of our relationship. Chapter five and six we looked at last week that dealt with conflict in a relationship. We learned how we could work through conflict. In chapter 7 they make up and make love again. There is more romance and more passion.
Now we come to Chapter eight. It is about life time commitment and lasting love.
Lasting Love is…
· Powered By God
5 Who is this coming up from the desert leaning on her lover? Song Songs 8:5a
When I read that it reminded me of the section we looked at several weeks ago in chapter three where she talks about her bridal procession and seeing Solomon come out of the desert. It reminds me of the exodus in the book of Exodus where the Israelites are being led by God, by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Again, I think it’s implied here that here’s this couple, they’ve come through two whole chapters of difficulty, conflict and pain in their relationship. Now God is leading them and bringing them to a place of safety. He’s bringing them through it. Your relationship can go the distance but you have to get God right in the middle of it. Focus on who He is. If you want to love. God has to lead you.
God is in the miracle of resurrecting relationships business. Everything in our society today is trying to destroy the family. Everything says Split! If you don’t like it, split! Talk to 95% of secular counselors and they say, “What’s best for you?” Everything in society is saying Walk away.
I’m saying it doesn’t have to be that way. Even marriages that are DEAD can be restored because of God’s power. Human love is not strong enough to weather the storms in life. It runs out. It goes dry. But God’s love never gives up. I realize that we’ve got all kinds of marriages represented here. We’ve got newlyweds, some people celebrating their fiftieth anniversary. Jesus Christ is willing to help you at whatever stage of the relationship you are.
Lasting Love is
· Planned By God
“Beloved Under the apple tree I roused you; there your mother conceived you, there she who was in labor gave you birth. Song Songs 8:5b
What this is essentially saying is that, they were born for each other. Do you feel that your spouse was made for you? That is how I feel about Niki. Do you remember when you first met your spouse? I want to tell you how Niki and I met. When I was a Jr. at A&M there were forty thousand students so at least 20,000 girls and I had no prospects. I was a little nervous. I had been in the Frat scene and met many Sorority girls, I had been to Christian groups, Campus Crusade, Intervarsity, BSM. Dating seemed so fake to me. Finally I said forget it. It’s in God’s hands. So I began praying for my wife and that God would take care of it if he wanted me married. That was the end of 1989. Five years later 1994, I was in a place of no prospects: I taught drivers ed. (15 year olds), I was a youth minister (more 15 year olds) I was in Seminary (no Women there) I was hanging out with some of my high school buddies. They began teasing me. Saying, “Your never going to meet anyone! You better not at driver’s ed or youth ministry! 15 will get you 20! You need to start going to clubs, or single groups.” “No I believe God will take care of this.” I said. Sure enough a few months later July 4th, 1994, we were having a fourth of July Party at church for the youth, I went home to get some matches and there was a college buddy with two girls on my front porch. He was considering moving in with me. He was in Med. School and had met two girls from the Health Science Center at a Christian bible study there. One he liked, and was trying to put some moves on, one was just tagging along. That was Niki. So there we met and the rest is history. God literally brought her to my doorstep. That’s what I believe. That is what this passage is referring to.
Also lasting love is…
- Permanent
6 Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Song of Songs 8:6
She’s saying to place her like a seal over his heart. A seal would mark something as being possessed by another. In their relationship they had free possession of one another’s lives. They belonged to one another. In fact, one translation translates chapter eight, verse six this way: “Wear me as a signet ring on your heart; as a ring on your hand.” That’s what we do when we exchange rings when we enter into a relationship. The relationships of commitment that will go the distance.
It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. As we look through the Song of Solomon we are reminded again and again how much this couple passionately loved one another and invested in one another. They kept the romance burning. You see it on every page. It’s like the elderly couple that was lying in bed one night. The wife said to her husband, “Do you remember back when we first got married and laid in bed? You used to hold my hand back then. Why don’t you do that anymore?” There is this long pause. He didn’t really want to but he reached over and held her hand. She said, “Back before, when we first got married you used to snuggle up next to me at night and lay close to me.” There’s a long pause then he sort of creeps his body over there next to her. She said, “Remember back when we first got married you used to nibble on my ear at night.” He immediately threw the covers off and got out of bed. She was hurt. She said, “What happened? Where are you going?” He said, “I have to get my teeth.”
Marriage is hard work. It’s easy to drift away, to just go through the motion. Every year, takes effort. Couples that have been married a long time have our respect. Don’t you love to hear when a couple has been married 50 years? We have several in our church that have been married 50 years. I’ve also been blessed to celebrate as my grandparents and now my parents have been married 50 years.
This brings us to our last point, lasting love is also…
- Priceless
7 Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned. Song of Songs 8:7
Any relationship that lasts will have to face those many waters that he talks about. Love is not just about feeling. Love is action, commitment and faithfulness. With God first and that commitment sealed with one another, with a willingness to persevere in tough times, God can do amazing things in our relationships.
It says, If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned. This clearly tells us, like the Beatles sang, “Can’t buy me love! Can’t buy me love!” Lasting love cannot be bought. It is built on commitment not cash. You can throw cash at it but unless your heart is in it will be utterly scorned. It priceless. What is a good marriage relationship worth? Priceless.
We’ll move on from this relationship series but don’t move on from your relationship. Guys the way we won her heart is the way we will keep her heart by pursuing her and loving her. Ladies, continue to pour into the guy in your life. Meet his needs and invest in that relationship so it can become all that God desires it to be.
Our next series will be in the book of Deuteronomy. I hope that you can join us.
Darrell
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(All Verses are from the New International Version of the Bible)
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