A beautiful gift awaits you. Swarovski crystals punctuate the ribbon. You gently release the bow and carefully fold the ribbon. Loosen the brightly-colored wrapping paper and set it aside to use another time. An even more beautiful piece of wrapping paper appears … another, golden … another, silver … one more bejeweled. You pick up the glistening silver-laden box.
You slowly lift the lid and peek in. Gold calligraphy adorns a tiny book, The Song of Solomon. You open the book to find only eight chapters, 117 verses.
You read the dedication.
Dedicated to Love … Love in Marriage … Gifted by God
You turn the page, and you read.
[She] “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!
For your love is better than wine;
your anointing oils are fragrant;
your name is oil poured out; therefore virgins love you.” Song 1:2-3
[He] “Behold, you are beautiful, my love;
behold, you are beautiful;
your eyes are doves. Song 1:15
Oh, my!
Is this really in the Bible?
This man and woman truly love each other. Passion runs deep. Cherished by the other. Enchanted by each other’s presence. Infatuated with each other’s body.
Marriage between a man and woman can be the most intimate and blessed relationship on earth.
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We are privileged to peek into the marriages of couples in the Bible. Marriage is so important to God that He devoted one entire book of the Bible to the marriage relationship of one couple, the Song of Songs or some refer to this book as the Song of Solomon. The Rabbis considered this to be the Holy of Holies in Scripture, for they believed that this book also speaks of God’s relationship with His people.
After all, God referred to Israel as His wife.
“For your Maker is your husband,
the LORD of hosts is his name;
and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer,
the God of the whole earth he is called.” Isaiah 54:5
Both the Old and New Testaments give instructions to couples to guide them in their marriages. Paul instructs Ephesian couples to consider their marriages as pictures of Christ’s relationship to the church.
“‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.” Ephesians 5:31-32
Sharon Jaynes wrote a beautiful book and Bible study guide on the Song of Solomon, Lovestruck. You might want to read the review I wrote on Lovestruck.
Whether you are engaged and want to be as prepared as possible for your marriage or you have a fantastic marriage, a ho-hum marriage or a troubled marriage, this study is for you.
On Monday, March 1, at 6:30 p.m. (Pacific Time), engaged women and wives will walk through the Lovestruck book and study guide on Zoom for 12 weeks. There is still time to register, but space is limited.
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