Sunday, June 30, 2013

The Express their Mutual Love (Song of Solomon 7:1-8:4)



SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 6/30/2013 8:23 AM
My Worship Time                                                            Focus:  They Express their Mutual Love
Bible Reading & Meditation                                Reference:  Song of Solomon 7:1-8:4
            Message of the verses:  “1 ¶ “How beautiful are your feet in sandals, O prince’s daughter! The curves of your hips are like jewels, The work of the hands of an artist. 2 “Your navel is like a round goblet Which never lacks mixed wine; Your belly is like a heap of wheat Fenced about with lilies. 3 “Your two breasts are like two fawns, Twins of a gazelle. 4  "Your neck is like a tower of ivory, Your eyes like the pools in Heshbon By the gate of Bath-rabbim; Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon, Which faces toward Damascus. 5 “Your head crowns you like Carmel, And the flowing locks of your head are like purple threads; The king is captivated by your tresses. 6 “How beautiful and how delightful you are, My love, with all your charms! 7 “Your stature is like a palm tree, And your breasts are like its clusters. 8 “I said, ’I will climb the palm tree, I will take hold of its fruit stalks.’ Oh, may your breasts be like clusters of the vine, And the fragrance of your breath like apples, 9 And your mouth like the best wine!" "It goes down smoothly for my beloved, Flowing gently through the lips of those who fall asleep.
    10 ¶ “I am my beloved’s, And his desire is for me. 11 “Come, my beloved, let us go out into the country, Let us spend the night in the villages. 12 “Let us rise early and go to the vineyards; Let us see whether the vine has budded And its blossoms have opened, And whether the pomegranates have bloomed. There I will give you my love. 13 “The mandrakes have given forth fragrance; And over our doors are all choice fruits, Both new and old, Which I have saved up for you, my beloved.
    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 “I want you to swear, O daughters of Jerusalem, Do not arouse or awaken my love Until she pleases.’”
            I am a bit confused by what Dr. Wiersbe wrote at the beginning of his commentary on this section because he seems first to be talking about things that happened in chapter six, and I am not totally sure why he did this.  However with this said I do believe that what he wrote is helpful to those of us who are married for he talks about Solomon and his wife as two armies that fight together against their common enemies, and not against each other.  As mentioned earlier when people get married they become one, and this is not only about the sexual aspect of marriage, but they become one in a similar way that the trinity is one.  Also as mentioned before it is selfishness that can destroy this oneness in a marriage, and that would mean that these two armies that were suppose to battle against their common enemies would be fighting against each other.
            Now as we look at the similes that are found in 7:1-9 we see that these have been used before in this book for the most part with a couple new ones added.  Again if a man talked to his wife today using these types of similes to describe the beauty of his wife he would be in big trouble, but not so in Solomon’s day.  Solomon was indeed greatly in love with his wife and as he stares at her beauty he relates to her what he sees, and I am sure that his wife loved to sit there and listen to what he was saying about her beauty. 
            Verses 6-9 is a new metaphor as he describes his wife as a palm tree, which is beautiful and fruitful, and then describes their intimate love as he is climbing the tree eating the fruit.  When we look at verse ten we see a similar verse in Genesis 3:16 which says “Yet your desire will be for your husband.”  I realize that this verse in Genesis is speaking about the curse that God has put upon the world because of the sin of Adam and Eve, but it seems the wife of Solomon has taken this part of Genesis 3:16 to heart and desires to please her husband. 
            Next we see that the Shulamite wanting to visit the country, something that Solomon wanted to do earlier, but she did not want to go.  It is good for a husband and wife to visit new places for it will put a spark into their marriage.  Taking a nice vacation is sometimes the very thing needed to put that spark back into a marriage as they are away from the familiar places, doing familiar things, and then doing something new and exciting, sleeping in a different bed in a different room.  Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 7:1-7 about the conjugal obligations husbands and wives have for each other and that is what is described in verses 1-4 of chapter eight.  We mentioned before that what is going on in verse three of chapter eight also was spoken about in an earlier chapter and it describes sexual intercourse: “3 “Let his left hand be under my head And his right hand embrace me."  Again a warning is given in verse four showing that what is going on is for married couples and it is not to be awakened before then. 
            In the book of Genesis we see how mandrakes were associated with sexual passion, even there is no evidence of this to be true, but perhaps thinking it is true will help out. 
            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I like the part in Warren Wiersbe’s commentary that speaks of a husband and a wife being two armies that are fighting together against their common enemies.
My Steps of Faith for Today:  Proverbs 3:5-6.
Memory verses for the week:  Psalm 46:1-4.
            1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  2 Therefore we will not fear, though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; 3 though its waters roar and foam, thought the mountains quake at its swelling pride.  Selah.
            4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, The holy dwelling places of the Most High.”
Answer to yesterday’s Bible Question:  “It was trodden under foot and the fowls ate it.”
Today’s Bible Question:  “Who said: ‘"Please tell me, of whom does the prophet say this? Of himself or of someone else?’”
Answer in tomorrow’s SD.
6/30/2013 9:03 AM

No comments:

Post a Comment