S) "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."
Song of Solomon 7:12-13 (NASB)
*because there are already entries for each of these chapters, I also read Song of Solomon 7
*because there are already entries for each of these chapters, I also read Song of Solomon 7
O) This is the kind of poetic language that makes me blush. These are the words of the bride, to her beloved, after a lengthy cluster of compliments to her in the beginning of the chapter. She responded directly in the second part of v.9, which is important to show. The adoration from her bridegroom were well-received, as they were speaking the same language (figuratively and literally). As we get to these verses, there is an intimate allusion here, that unashamedly depicts physical responses to deep passions. Words can play a vital role in intimacy. There is a foreplay at work, there. It can't be hollow, though. The bride was responsive to the compliments, because she was part of it, she was in on it, so to speak. While the words of his adoration spoke primarily to her physical beauty, there was still a spiritual, emotional connection being made (which is really clear by her response in v.9, I think). What really stood out to me about these last two verses, though, was really that last line. She had saved up for her beloved. Obviously, the concept of a woman saving herself for marriage is not news. However, in the whole chapter, nothing is specific to these two being unmarried. That is to say, nothing about saving herself for her husband was specifically pre-marriage, and could certainly be done even after they were married.
A) The concept of saving myself for marriage has deep implications. Obviously, I'm already married, so the traditional idea of that phrase doesn't exactly apply. However, there are a lot of ways that saving myself for my marriage, specifically saving myself for my wife, has a lot of practical applications. There are non-sexual ways this applies. I can save myself for her financially, by not spending my "extra" money on myself, and instead save it for us, or for her, and spend money on our relationship, so to speak. I can save myself for her physically, by not exhausting myself on other hobbies or tasks. I don't want to be too tired to do honey-do tasks, because I was, I don't know, out doing something physically draining that only I care about (look, I don't have a lot of physical hobbies at the moment, okay?!). I can save myself for her mentally and emotionally. When I have concerns or stresses in my life, she wants to hear them. She should be the primary person to hear me out about those, and I shouldn't ever express myself that way to another person at the expense of talking to her. That is to say, if talking something out is emotionally or mentally taxing, and I feel that I could only go through it once, because drudging it up twice would be too hard, then she is the only person I should go to. When I have ideas, trivial, political, hypothetical, I should be glad to save those for her. My wife delights in discussion, and especially with me. Certainly, there is still a physical intimacy that still applies to saving myself for my wife. I won't go into detail about that here, but suffice it to say that my sexuality is not my own. My body belongs to my wife (see 1 Corinthians 7:4). I should be glad to remember that when I save myself for her (in every way), and when I connect to her (with adoring words, that she engages), then she will respond, emotionally and physically. This isn't a means to an end, but an encouragement about the gracious ways God blesses my marriage, when I invest myself in her, in us.
P) Father, the grace at work in my marriage is humbling. If I wasn't living it, it would be hard to believe, sometimes. As good as it is, I know that it could actually be even better. As intimate as I am with Kristin, emotionally and physically, I want that connection to continue growing deeper and stronger. help me to be genuine with my adoration. Let my words never become empty flattery. Help me to connect with her, to engage with her in the ways I flirt or compliment. Help me to save myself for her in every sense, that I would be there for her however she needs, and however she wants. Thank You for giving me a blessed reward. Your ways, especially about how marriage should be, bring a clear blessing. It is my joy to love my wife, and I never want to miss that it is a blessed gift to be her husband. Thank You. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment