Reading
SAA Notes
Grape vines budding and pomegranates flowering in the grove of nut trees are two very explicit images that should be immediately understandable (especially if you’ve seen the process of a pomegranate flowering). God’s design for humanity is chastity, not celibacy. All must be chaste, while some might have to be both, as Jesus said of Himself. Matthew 19:12
SJA Notes
“I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me.”
Every part of God’s word is HIS WORD.
Which means this passage, in which we read of the act of sex between husband and wife – these passages are important.
We have here a very clear word from God on the beauty that He has ordered and ordained for sex within the bonds of marriage.
Wisdom is heard again,
“… That you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases.”
The world though tells us loud and often that we need to express our freedom to be sexual beings, to be overt in our sexuality, to not be held back by archaic regulations, that you need to experiment.
Yet here in this song of songs God points us to His creation order. Husband and wife bound up in marriage, and within that faithful covenant we find beauty such as sex.
This order is what is good and beneficial for us. God gave us this order, these rules, because they make sense!
Sex does not eclipse everything else that is good and right in marriage, but it has a beautiful place.
* Creator God,
Thank You for this Your word. Please write it on our hearts today.
For those of us who are single, please mark us as faithful servants of Your will.
Help us to practice holiness, listening to You rather than the world.
And for those of us who are married, please mark us as faithful services of Your will.
Help us to reflect Your wonderful order for marriage in every aspect, including sex.
Amen.