READ: SONG OF SONGS 2; 8:6-7; EPHESIANS 5:25-32

Today we’re looking at a book in the Old Testament called Song of Songs. Many readers are confused when they find this love poem in the Bible. It talks about the passionate love between this husband and wife, written in a way that no one speaks today. But the poem honestly shows love and sexual desire without embarrassment or shame.

Some scholars made a connection between the love between this husband and wife and the love we experience with Jesus, who is God. In Scripture, we see God pursuing His people with an unceasing love, culminating in Jesus’s death and resurrection. He did this to unite us to Himself, and this unity will be completed when Christ returns to bring heaven to earth and live forever with His people. So we can think of Jesus’s love for us when the bride in Song of Songs says, “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 a blazing fire, like a mighty flame” (8:6). Jesus’s love for us is like a blazing glory and unquenchable fire. Nothing can break that love.

When people fall deeply in love, they are changed by the joy they experience. Likewise, when we are captivated by the all-consuming, never-ending love of God, it shines in us. We can be free of shame in the love we feel for the One who created us, forgives us from our sins, and restores us to wholeness.

So whenever we dive into the Song of Songs or other types of love poetry, as we see the love between two people, we can also see the love Christ has for the church. And through all of our relationships—both romantic and non-romantic—we can spread His love without embarrassment. God created human love, and with that love, we point back to Him. • Corinna Kahrs

• In what ways have you personally experienced the love of God? If nothing comes to mind, you can ask God to reveal His love to you anytime—He delights to answer these prayers.

• What are some ways we can glorify God and show His love in our relationships?

• God created romantic love and sexual desire as good gifts to be enjoyed by a husband and wife, so we don’t need to be embarrassed about these things. When you have questions about romance, sex, and marriage, who are trusted Christians you feel comfortable talking to? If no one comes to mind, you can ask God to help you identify someone in the future.

Let him lead me to the banquet hall, and let his banner over me be love. Song of Songs 2:4 (NIV)