Monday, June 24, 2013

Consumating the Marriage (Song of Solomon 4:8-5:1)



SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 6/24/2013 7:13 AM
My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  Consummating the Marriage
Bible Reading & Meditation                                    Reference:  Song of Solomon 4:8-5:1
            Message of the verses:  “8 ¶ “Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, May you come with me from Lebanon. Journey down from the summit of Amana, From the summit of Senir and Hermon, From the dens of lions, From the mountains of leopards. 9 “You have made my heart beat faster, my sister, my bride; You have made my heart beat faster with a single glance of your eyes, With a single strand of your necklace. 10 “How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine, And the fragrance of your oils Than all kinds of spices! 11 “Your lips, my bride, drip honey; Honey and milk are under your tongue, And the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon. 12 “A garden locked is my sister, my bride, A rock garden locked, a spring sealed up. 13  "Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates With choice fruits, henna with nard plants, 14  Nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, With all the trees of frankincense, Myrrh and aloes, along with all the finest spices.
    15 ¶ “You are a garden spring, A well of fresh water, And streams flowing from Lebanon." 16 “Awake, O north wind, And come, wind of the south; Make my garden breathe out fragrance, Let its spices be wafted abroad. May my beloved come into his garden And eat its choice fruits!"
    1 ¶ “I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh along with my balsam. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk. Eat, friends; Drink and imbibe deeply, O lovers.’”
            In this section we see the consummation of the marriage explained in terms that we may have a hard time understanding, but if one looks at the verses with the idea that they know what is happening then they can probably understand what is going on.  We have to remember that this was written many, many years ago and the culture was different in the way that they spoke about the intimacy that is going on. 
            We have to remember that God created a man and his wife to enjoy sexual activity, and also for procreation.  God made a man and his wife to have this special moment together after they were married.  It was a long time back when I was listening to a sermon on the radio where the Pastor was talking about the covenants that God made, and they were all made with blood.  The OT covenant was made with the blood of animals, and of course the NT covenant was made with the precious blood of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.  A marriage covenant is made with blood too, and this is why the Lord made the woman the way that He did so that the man and the woman would know for sure that this was the first time for sexual activity. 
            One of the things that is sadly lacking in our homes and in our churches is sex education for the younger generation.  There is much about it on the internet, in the movies, and even in the schools, but not much in the home.  God made sex a beautiful thing when it is used in the proper way, and it is up to the parents to make sure that their children understand this so that they do not ruin their lives.  One of my wife’s favorite authors, who is a woman, tells the story of having sex in the back seat of a car at a young age, and how much she regretted it later on in life. 
            In our church service yesterday the sermon was about marriage, and over sixty couples from our church family have been married over fifty years, with one couple celebrating over 67 years of marriage.  What a wonderful testimony to the Lord, and what a wonderful example to those of us around them.  The Lord willing my wife and I will celebrate 40 years of marriage in a little less than two months, and I am thankful to the Lord for giving us this much time to be together.
            Teach your children about sexual education when they are old enough to hear about it and you will never be sorry that you did.
            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Solomon said in the book of Ecclesiastes that God made everything beautiful in its time, and we can see from the section of Scripture above that when done at the right time the sexual experience is included.
My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to guide my steps in the making of decisions that need to be made today, especially about my car.
Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 46:1-3
            1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  2 Therefore do not fear, though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.  Selah.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “Ruth” (Ruth 1:14-19)
Today’s Bible Question:  “What Old Testament writer is called the weeping prophet?”
Answer in tomorrow’s SD.
6/24/2013 8:05 AM
           
           

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