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8 We have a
young sister, and her breasts are not yet grown. What shall we do for our
sister for the day she is spoken for? 9 If she is
a wall, we will build towers of silver on her. If she is a door, we will
enclose her with panels of cedar. 10 I am a
wall, and my breasts are like towers. Thus I have become in his eyes like one
bringing contentment. 11 Solomon
had a vineyard in Baal Hamon; he let out his vineyard to tenants. Each was to
bring for its fruit a thousand shekels of silver. 12 But my
own vineyard is mine to give; the thousand shekels are for you, O Solomon,
and two hundred are for those who tend its fruit. 13 You who
dwell in the gardens with friends in attendance, let me hear your voice! 14 Come
away, my lover, and be like a gazelle or like a young stag on the spice-laden
mountains.
If
she is a wall, we will build towers of silver on her. If she is a door, we
will enclose her with panels of cedar. Song of Solomon 8 : 9
Have
you ever opened up a present before it was actually time? I have heard the
story of some friends who opened up a Christmas gift weeks before Christmas.
It was a racing set with cars that changed lanes on the track. These guys
delicately unwrapped the entire gift, set up the track, and enjoyed an
afternoon of fun while their parents were out of the home. When they were
through, they carefully placed everything back to look as if it had been
factory sealed and placed the gift back under the tree. When Christmas
finally arrived, they acted as though they were really surprised, but in
their hearts, the thrill was already experienced and by this time, gone. Sadly,
many married people have played out this same scenario today. No, they didn't
open up their Christmas gift, but their wedding gift! They're opened up the
gift they wanted desperately to save for their wedding night. It is the gift
of sexual purity. The greatest wedding gift that a person can give to their
spouse is their sexual purity. Yet, many people today have found themselves
without the thrill that should accompany their wedding night because they're
already blown it sexually beforehand with someone else or with the person
they married. Statistics
show the staggering trends of young people today who are experimenting with
fire. What the media doesn't tell us about are the devastated marriages,
abused children, and broken homes is that they are consequences of sexual
impurity prior to marriage. As a pastor, I've counseled many couples that
have faced serious and deep problems in their marriage because of sexual sins
before it. They began to reap what they sowed earlier in life. It
is against this dark, sin-stained backdrop that the book of Song of Solomon
shines. It is a diamond in today's rough. It speaks of the purity of marital
love and how it should look and feel when it is done right. And in 8:8-14,
the new bride gives us a glimpse of how it can be done "right." In
verse 9, her brothers speak of her as being a "wall" and a
"door." They are referring to her purity prior to her marriage. As
a wall, she did not allow other suitors to come in, and as a door, she kept
out unwanted strangers who desired her heart. In other words, she was kept
pure and kept herself pure prior to her wedding. No
depressing feelings of guilt or shame were found in her heart. Instead, she
found what true and pure love can be. She saved herself for the person God
chose for her, and when he finally came, her love effused from her because
she had been saving it specifically for him. What an awesome picture of what
Christian marriage and single-life can and should be.
Lord,
may marital love be a true reflection of Your love for Your bride, the
church. You desire for the bride to be pure and holy, and may that be the
desire of those in marriage and those preparing for it. Help me to be pure!
Amen.
If
you are single, this should be a call for biblical purity. May you never give
away your purity to anyone other than your future spouse! May the Shulamite's
expressions of love for her husband give you extra motivation to preserve your
marriage for what God intended it to be. Don't make the tragic, common
mistake that so many are making today. Wait for your wedding day to give your
spouse the greatest present you could ever give. But if you, like so many
around us, have already "opened your wedding present," then please
know that God loves you deeply. He can and will forgive you and restore your
purity, if you confess the sin and ask for His forgiveness. The hands of time
cannot be reversed, but you can choose to live today forward with purity and
honor. You may then approach your wedding night with the gratitude that comes
from having been truly forgiven. If
you are married, may this passage of Scripture be a siren call for our love
to be all that God intended it to be. May it call you to a greater and purer
love for your beloved alone. May that person be the only one for you and may
your wall and door only be open to him or her. Marriage is best enjoyed in
the presence of purity. Deceptive and impure thoughts for others will only
created unwanted guilt and remorse, and will bring into your love a tainted
and subtle poison that must be rejected! God
does not say, "Don't have sex outside of marriage," because He
wants to spoil our fun; He says so because He wants to prevent pain?hich is
the inevitable result of all sins. [Top] [Living Life Home] [SWIM Home]
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Copyright (c)1995-2000 Tyrannus Press & SWIM.All rights reserved. |
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