SUPPORTING LOVING, GODLY RELATIONSHIPS (PART 1 – REJOICE AND PRAISE)

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

We rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine.

Who is this that appears like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, majestic as the stars in procession?

Song of Songs 1:4b; 6:10

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

For the last eight days, we have looked at the words of Shulammite, the woman who deeply loved Solomon, and how her love attitude gave all women principles found in a loving, Godly relationship.

Through the Song of Songs, we find three main voices providing dialogue. We have already covered Shulammite and Solomon will come at the end of our study so next we will look at the words of the friends and, in doing so, see how we all can play a role in supporting lovely, Godly relationships. Look at these opening words of the friends:

We rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine.

Who is this that appears like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, majestic as the stars in procession?

Song of Songs 1:4b; 6:10

Note here the spirit displayed by the friends, specifically directed at Shulammite (in some translations, the speakers here are identified as the Daughters of Jerusalem or The Young Women of Jerusalem). They are in a spirit of rejoicing and praise. They see the love that Shulammite has for Solomon and are taken to a place of admiration over it, an admiration that is not merely internalized but rather proclaimed to others.

Maybe you know a couple who share a kind of love that is special, a love that you see as blessed in a world where there seems to be so much brokenness between couples. In those instances, it’s always good to compliment because although a couple may look like they have it all together, it takes a lot of work to get there. It doesn’t come automatically. Maybe you can relate if you have been married awhile.

Looking back at my marriage with Grace, we were in no way as strong as we are today when we first came together more than 21 years ago. Relationships, like fine wine, take time to ferment and develop into something special. Those couples who commit themselves to one another have a chance to create a relationship that becomes the envy of others but the only way to move to that plane is to place the Lord first in all you do. He is the key when it comes right down to it.

This is why I am discussing relationships as not only loving but Godly. Loving relationships can happen in the world between two people but without God, they are imperfect unions of two imperfect people, unions that are easily broken.

Conversely, when the Lord God Almighty is the head of a relationship then everything in that relationship falls under His authority with the man and woman submitting their lives, individually and collectively, to His purposes. They think as He thinks, say what He desires for them to say, act in accordance with His guidance, and, most importantly for the purpose of discussing relationship, love one another in His love.

Friends, this is the kind of love that gets people’s attention, the kind of love that gets noticed, the kind of love that is worthy of rejoicing and praise because it is a love not of this world but rather of God. We should all strive to have this kind of love within our relationships and not settle for anything less than a Godly man or woman when we are seeking a mate. This is why Shulammite encouraged the young women who praised her to “not stir up or awaken love until it is ready” (Song of Songs 2:7). The kind of special love Shulammite and Solomon shared only existed because God had ordained it and then blessed them in it.

And when that happens, a couple gets to live out these words of the Lord along with all those who admire the affectionate bond they share:

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 (NRSV)

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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