Pastor Rich Lammay
With Valentine’s Day, our thoughts turn to love and romance. Did you know there’s a book in the Bible dedicated to romantic love? Song of Solomon (Song of Songs) is just about the strangest book in your Bible. While some see it as an allegory about Israel, or even a picture of Christ’s love for the church. The best historical interpretation is a straight forward love poem between Solomon and the wife he loved.
I think it’s amazing that God would include a book about romance in the Bible. It reminds us that God created marriage and romance and within marriage is wonderful blessings from the Lord. In the creation account (found in Genesis) all that God made was good with the exception of one thing. Genesis 2:18 says; “…The Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” So, loneliness was the one thing that was not good.
When God had Adam name all the animals, scripture says; “no suitable helper was found for him.” There was Adam seeing how each critter had a partner, but Adam couldn’t find his mate. The lion had a lioness, the buffalo had a partner, but for Adam, there was loneliness. So God created the woman for the man and as Genesis 2:24 says; “A man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Before the nation of Israel existed as God’s people, and before the Church was formed as God’s representatives on earth, marriage came into being. And with the marriage covenant came the creation of a new family where in God’s sight, the two became one.
Within God’s design for marriage we find how this covenant should bring joy, and fulfillment. Even as Song of Solomon begins, it starts with romance. “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine (Song 1:2).” Solomon’s response is to call his lover; “The most beautiful among women (1:8).
While not everyone will get married, for those who are, when we follow God’s design for marriage we should find joy and fulfillment. What’s God’s design? Ephesians 5:33, gives us the summation of a godly marriage; “Let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” Love and respect are foundational to a godly marriage, the husband who loves his wife like Jesus loves his church. Dying for her, he gladly went to the cross to bear our sins. And as the wife shows respect to her husband she recognizes; “You are heirs together of the gracious gift of life” (1 Peter 3:7). As the wife shows love to her husband, and he shows respect to her, that’s the great cycle where we try to outdo one another in making this union of marriage, a union of joy.
This Valentine’s day, let the married remember why they got married, and try to outdo one another in demonstrating the love that God demonstrated to us.
Pastor Rich Lammay of High Sierra Fellowship is a member of the Carson Valley Ministers’ Association.
