Creator, Father, King #140

My beloved is mine, and I am his.

SPOILER ALERT: THIS IS the part of the devotional where it gets a little lovey-dovey.

Yep, today we’re discussing the Song of Solomon, one of the most unique books of the Bible. For starters, this book features some great one-liners that any guy or girl can use when trying to impress a member of the opposite gender. A few examples are listed below.

Phrases for girls:

• To the gentleman who doesn’t smell like a middle school boys’ locker room: “He is like a bouquet of sweet henna blossoms from the vineyards of En-gedi” (1:14).
• When a guy writes nonrhyming poetry to you: “Strengthen me with raisin cakes, refresh me with apples, for I am weak with love” (2:5).

Phrases for guys:

• To a girl with cool hair: “Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead” (4:1, ESV).
• To a girl who prioritizes dental hygiene: “Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewes that have come up from the washing, all of which bear twins, and not one among them has lost its young” (4:2, ESV).
• To a young lady whose nose stuns you . . . in a good way: “Your nose is like a tower of Lebanon, which looks toward Damascus” (7:4, ESV).

Yes, Song of Solomon is matchmaking gold.

What’s It Mean?

What’s shared above, of course, is all tongue-in-cheek. Song of Solomon is actually a magnificent love poem about a young man and woman expressing romantic feelings for one another as they prepare for marriage.

There is great beauty in the affection a husband and wife can share in the God-ordained covenant of marriage. But these strong romantic feelings should only be acted upon in marriage, as is modeled in Song of Solomon. This is God’s perfect design, going all the way back to Creation in Genesis 1.

The Bible clearly teaches that sex outside marriage is sin (see the “Did You Know?” section). Even the young woman in Song of Solomon, stirred with passion for her beloved, counsels her friends “not to awaken love until the time is right” (2:7).

Follow God’s good plan for your life. Wait to show that physical affection until marriage. You won’t regret it!

Now What?

Commit to sexual purity and pray for your future spouse.

Did You Know?

God’s design for sex within marriage was first outlined in Genesis 2:18-25 and 4:1-2; codified into law in Exodus 20:14 and Deuteronomy 22:13-30; and expounded on in the New Testament in places such as Galatians 5:19-21; Colossians 3:5; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 18-20; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4, 7; and Hebrews 13:4.