Day 166 - Love is as Strong as Death

Daily Reading:  Song of Solomon 5-8

Place me like a seal over your heart,

like a seal on your arm;

for love is as strong as death,

its jealousy unyielding as the grave.

It burns like blazing fire,

like a mighty flame.

Many waters cannot quench love;

rivers cannot wash it away.

If one were to give

all the wealth of his house for love,

it would be utterly scorned.

8:6-7

Footnote:  

In this final description of their love, the girl includes some of its significant characteristics.  Love is as strong as death; it cannot be killed by time or disaster; and it cannot be bought for any price because it is freely given.  Love is priceless, and even the richest king cannot buy it.  Love must be accepted as a gift from God and then shared within the guidelines God provides.  Accept the love of your spouse as God's gift, and strive to make your love a reflection of the perfect love that comes from God himself.

8:14 footnote:  

The love between Solomon and his bride did not diminish in intensity after their wedding.  The lovers relied on each other and kept no secrets from each other.  Devotion and commitment were the keys to their relationship, just as they are in our relationships to our spouses and to God.  The faithfulness of our marital love should reflect God's perfect faithfulness to us.

Paul shows how marriage represents Christ's relationship to his church (Ephesians 5:22-33), and John pictures the second coming as a great marriage feast for Christ and his bride, his faithful followers (Revelation 19:7, 8; 21:1,2).  Many theologians have thought that Song of Songs is an allegory showing Christ's love for his church.  It makes even better sense to say that it is a love poem about a real human love relationship, and that all loving, committed marriages reflect God's love.

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All footnotes taken from the Life Application Study Bible, NIV