TODAY IN THE WORD

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Song of Solomon 1:1-4
Come, Lord Jesus! - Revelation 22:20
TODAY IN THE WORD
For several years, Tedd would propose to Jane on every Valentine’s Day. Each time she would reply, “Not yet.” Tedd finished college, began his career, and still continued to propose. And Janet continued to refuse. Finally, Tedd reached the end of his patience and determined that this Valentine’s Day would be the last. Janet would either agree to marry him or he would move on. As Tedd was about to propose for the last time, Janet told him that she had a gift for him. Curious, Ted unwrapped the package and looked inside to find a beautiful embroidery that Janet had made for him. It had a single word on it: “Yes.”

The first few verses of the Song of Solomon express the same sentiment. The book opens with a description of the bride’s longing for her lover. As she paints a portrait of the one she loves, she also draws back the veil on her own heart.

The effect of her lover’s presence is intoxicating. His love is compared to wine. His name is like perfume. Her opening request is that the one she loves will kiss her with “the kisses of his mouth.” Although it was not unusual for people to greet one another with a kiss in the ancient world, this was usually only a formality, something like what is often called an “air kiss” today. In the opening verses of this book, however, the bride asks for much more. She does not want a mere peck on the cheek or friendly hug. She longs for an intimate sign of her lover’s affection.

The bride also longs to be in her lover’s presence. She invites the groom to take her away and bring her into his chambers.

Her plea reflects a common desire we all share. We may not all marry, but we all long for a love so powerful that it will “sweep us off our feet.” Human love is important and a wonderful gift from God, but in the end it will still fail to meet our most secret longings. In the end, our ultimate “yes” must be reserved for God. It is His love alone that can satisfy our deepest desire.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Who are these two lovers in this book and why is their story recorded in Scripture? Interpreters have been divided in their opinion about whether this author (traditionally thought to be Solomon) was describing his own experience or writing allegorically about God’s love for His people.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Song of Solomon 1:5-8
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds. - James 1:2
TODAY IN THE WORD
In its July 1, 2003, issue, Harper’s Bazaar asked supermodel Iman what aging meant to her. “Wisdom. Knowledge. And gravity! Working against you!” she replied. “Since I wasn’t raised in the West, I don’t have that deep-rooted fear of getting old. But age is more accepted here today. Women over 35, 40, 50, 60 are considered beautiful. It wasn’t that way when I arrived. People were so worried about wrinkles, and I couldn’t understand what this obsession with age was.”

Is age the enemy of beauty? The answer depends upon what you understand beauty to be. Physical beauty, the writer of Proverbs warns, is fleeting (Prov. 31:30). Lasting beauty is reflected in character and wisdom. It is a matter of the “inner self” (1 Peter 3:4). True beauty is created when character and life experience meet. To paraphrase Iman, it is the result of the combination of wisdom, knowledge, and gravity. Not the force of gravity that causes our bodies to sag and our muscles to droop, but the gravity that comes from many years of applying faith to life’s challenges.

We are like the bride in today’s reading, who has been marked by the things she has suffered. Forced by her brothers to work in their vineyard, her skin was darkened by the sun. Yet these experiences have only contributed to her beauty. Likewise, God uses suffering to enhance the beauty of Christ’s bride. Suffering, according to the apostle Paul, can teach us to persist in our faith. Persisting in faith and obedience produces Christlike character within us (Rom. 5:3–5).

This is why James 1:2 tells us that we should consider it “pure joy” when we face trials. It is not because we enjoy trouble. No one enjoys suffering, not even Jesus (cf. Matt. 26:39). The joy that James describes springs from our knowledge of what such trials will produce.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Think of a time when God helped you to face a trial with faith and obedience. How did the experience change you? Can you think of any specific dimensions of “spiritual beauty” that were added to your character as a result of your suffering?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Song of Solomon 1:9-14
The unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit . . . is of great worth in God’s sight. - 1 Peter 3:4
TODAY IN THE WORD
Actress Elizabeth Taylor is known for her love of diamond jewelry. On one occasion she was attending a social event where one of the guests pointed out the large diamond she was wearing. “That’s a bit vulgar,” the woman remarked. Taylor offered to let the woman try the ring on. As the woman gazed at the diamond on her own finger, Taylor commented, “There, it’s not so vulgar now, is it?”

Is it wrong for us to use cosmetics and jewelry to enhance our appearance? Christians disagree on this point. Several New Testament passages warn believers not to make outward appearance the primary focus of their beauty. In 1 Timothy 2:9–10, for example, the apostle Paul says that he wants women to “dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God.”

The apostle Peter makes a similar point, reminding his readers that the primary source of their beauty does not lie in expensive jewelry or fine clothing, but in character. This was how the holy women of the past made themselves beautiful (1 Peter 3:4–5).

The primary point in these passages is positive rather than negative. We can see that it’s appropriate to take steps to enhance our physical appearance–the groom in today’s reading expresses his appreciation for the bride’s efforts to beautify herself. In particular, he mentions earrings of gold studded with silver and a necklace of fine jewelry. In her response, the bride adds perfume to the list of items.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
It is clear from today’s passage that the bride has taken time and effort to beautify herself for her groom.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Song of Solomon 1:15-17
Then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love. - Philippians 2:2
TODAY IN THE WORD
In his book The Five Love Languages, Gary Chapman explains that every person uses a favorite “language” when expressing love to another person. Some people may use physical touch, in the form of a hug or a kiss. Others communicate love through action, by performing acts of service for others. To some a gift is the best way to show love, while others simply prefer to spend time with someone they love.

In today’s passage the bride and groom use words to express their love for one another. The groom speaks first and compliments the appearance of his bride. In particular, he singles out her eyes. The point of comparing them to doves is not entirely clear. Some have suggested that the comparison reflects an Egyptian custom of painting eyes in the shape that resembled a bird. Others believe it was the beauty of the dove, or even the fact that doves are often found in pairs, that prompted the comparison.

Similarly, the bride compliments the groom’s appearance. He is handsome and “charming.” This latter term could refer to his physical appearance or to his manner. The Hebrew word is used elsewhere in the Old Testament to refer to both goodness and charm.

The mutuality of their love is reflected in the fact that both the groom and the bride use the same language to refer to one another. The groom declares that the bride is “beautiful.” The bride uses a masculine form of the same word when she declares that the groom is “handsome.” It is the same word used in the Old Testament to characterize Joseph and David.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
One of the keys to keeping the romance kindled in a relationship is to express love to one another. The couple in today’s passage made an effort to express love to one another verbally. The groom used an additional love language by taking steps to create a romantic atmosphere.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Song of Solomon 2:1-7
The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. - 1 Corinthians 7:3
TODAY IN THE WORD
The British mathematician Charles Babbage wrote to Alfred Tennyson complaining that two lines from his poem “The Vision of Sin” were inaccurate. The lines went, “Every moment dies a man / Every moment one is born.” Babbage argued that if this were true, world population would never change. Instead, he wrote, the lines ought to read: “Every moment dies a man / Every moment one and one-sixteenth is born.”

Babbage missed the point, though. He tried to analyze the poetic words of Tennyson in a way that missed their true meaning. Poets throughout the ages have used figurative language to make a point.

The lovers in the Song of Solomon use poetic comparisons to express their love for one another. The bride compares herself to two flowers. The rose of Sharon was not a rose like we usually know it but a wildflower much like a crocus. The crocus was a common sight on the plain of Sharon, a region known for fertility (cf. Isa. 35:1–2). In the same way, the lily of the valley was not the white lily. The Hebrew word referred to a variety of flowers, including the blue lotus, the water lily, or almost any brightly colored flower.

By employing such metaphors, the bride indicates that she sees nothing unique about her own beauty. Like the wildflowers in the field, she is just one among many. The groom, however, sees her differently. Compared to her, all the other flowers are thorns. She is like a beautiful flower growing in the midst of a bramble patch.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The expressions of love in today’s passage occur on several levels. Both bride and groom use words to express how they feel. The groom also broadcasts his love by placing a banner over the bride. They express love to each other through private intimacy. If you are married, what is the most effective way for you to express love to your spouse on each of these levels today? If you are not married, you may have family members or friends who need a word of appreciation or a hug or pat on the back.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Song of Solomon 2:8-9
Let us not give up meeting together. - Hebrews 10:25
TODAY IN THE WORD
According to an old saying, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” But another saying warns that separation can have the opposite effect: “Out of sight, out of mind.” Which of these is true? It often depends on the situation. Sometimes being with those we love causes us to take them for granted. Once we are apart, we realize how much their presence means to us. On the other hand, sometimes being separated may cause us to become distracted with other things to the point that we scarcely think of our loved one at all.

In today’s verses from the Song of Solomon, the bride waits with expectation for the groom’s arrival. She hears and sees the groom from afar. The groom comes seeking the bride with such intensity that the obstacles (the hills) seem like nothing. The bride compares him to a gazelle or a young stag. Gazelles were known for their grace and speed. The stag was famous for its ability to leap. The bride’s portrait depicts the groom as one who is in eager pursuit.

However, this portrait also reveals the potential for separation in the relationship. Despite his eagerness, the groom can only see the one he loves from a distance. He gazes longingly upon her through the window and the lattice. This portrays separation and desire. The groom has exerted considerable effort to seek the one he loves. He initiates this relationship and does whatever he must to maintain it.

Like many exchanges described in the Song of Solomon, the scene in today’s passage has something to say to us on two levels. As an example of human love, it is a good reminder that love cannot be maintained without a measure of effort. In particular, it provides a model of the kind of initiative the husband should take in his love relationship with his spouse.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
In a love relationship we must take initiative on two levels. We must take the initiative to show others that we love them, and we must respond to the love that others show to us.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Song of Solomon 2:10-14
I will come back and take you to be with me. - John 14:3
TODAY IN THE WORD
In “Morning Hymn,” author Thomas Ken issues an invitation to himself: “Awake, my soul, and with the sun/Thy daily stage of duty run; Shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise/To pay thy morning sacrifice. Awake, lift up thyself, my heart, And with the angels bear thy part, Who all night long unwearied sing/High praises to the eternal King.”

The hymnwriter’s words are a reminder that, when it comes to experiencing fellowship with God, complacency may be one of the greatest obstacles we face. At times we are reluctant to seek God because we are too distracted by the cares of the day. At other times we are unwilling because it requires too much effort. During such moments we need more than a reminder of our duty. We also need a reminder of the joy that comes when we experience intimacy with God.

The bride in today’s passage needed a similar reminder. The lover calls to the bride as he gazes through the lattice and invites her to arise and come with him. Some commentators suggest that the Hebrew words emphasize the significance of the invitation for the bride. Like the hymnwriter, the lover calls upon the bride to “shake off dull sloth” and enjoy the delights of spending time together with him.

The season alone is reason enough! Winter, the rainy season in Palestine, has ended. In fact, the Hebrew phrase that is translated “is past” literally means “is over and gone.” It is as if the lover meant to imply that it was high time for the two of them to be together.

The groom also declares that the time had come for flowers to appear, an event that marked the arrival of spring and occurred almost overnight. The early blossoming of the fig tree provided another sign of spring’s arrival.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Thomas Ken writes: “Glory to Thee, who safe hast kept, And hast refreshed me while I slept; Grant, Lord, when I from death shall wake, I may of endless life partake. Lord, I my vows to Thee renew: Scatter my sins as morning dew; Guard my first springs of thought and will, And with Thyself my spirit fill. Direct, control, suggest this day, All I design, or do, or say; That all my powers, with all their might, In Thy sole glory may unite.” Why not write your own morning prayer and read it aloud to the Lord? Or simply read this hymn aloud.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Song of Solomon 2:15
Watch your life and doctrine closely. - 1 Timothy 4:16
TODAY IN THE WORD
Although the Hebrew word translated “foxes” in today’s reading can also refer to the jackal, the reference to its size suggests that the small Fennec Fox is in view. Grapes were one of their favorite foods and they were capable of doing considerable damage to the vineyard.

It is unclear who is speaking in this verse. The fact that the invitation in the previous verses contains a loving challenge for the bride to stir herself in response to the lover’s call suggests that the groom is speaking here. The Jewish Targum, an oral translation of the Hebrew Scriptures in Aramaic, interpreted the foxes as an allusion to the Amalakites. Hebrew commentaries known as Midrashim interpreted the foxes as a reference to other enemies of Israel, such as the Assyrians, the Amorites, and the Edomites.

Christian interpreters have interpreted the foxes as a picture of those things that hinder the believer’s fellowship with Christ. H. A. Ironside commented on this verse, “What are the little foxes that spoil the vine? I can tell you a good many. There are the little foxes of vanity, of pride, of envy, of evil speaking, of impurity (I think this though is a wolf instead of a little fox). Then there are the foxes of carelessness, of neglect of the Bible, of neglect of prayer, of neglect of fellowship with the people of God. These are the things that spoil the vine, that hinder spiritual growth.”

Neglect is also a problem in human relationships. A little neglect can cause a once-thriving relationship to go into decline. They are often “little foxes,” choices and actions that seem insignificant at the time, but whose cumulative effect destroys the relationships we cherish most. They may take the form of allowing our jobs to consume our attention so that we neglect those we love, or allowing a passing attraction to someone else to go unchecked.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Remember, a fox may seem cute and harmless when viewed from a distance, but if left unchecked it will eventually destroy the vineyard. Can you identify the “little foxes” that cause problems in your spiritual life? What about in your friendships and family relationships? If you have trouble identifying them, ask someone you trust for a candid opinion. Talk together about a practical strategy to help you to “catch” the foxes. You may also want to agree to meet later for accountability on following through with your strategy.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Song of Solomon 2:16-17
I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me. - John 10:14
TODAY IN THE WORD
One of the most beloved characters in J. R. R. Tolkien’s trilogy The Lord of the Rings is Treebeard, an ancient creature known as an Ent, a shepherd of the trees. Treebeard tells how in their wandering the Ents forgot where the Entwives had settled. “The Ents,” Tolkien writes, “gave their love to things they met in the world, and Entwives gave their thought to other things.” Eventually the wandering Ents forgot where the Entwives lived.

Tolkien’s story may be fantasy, but the problem he describes is not. People who once loved each other deeply can become so preoccupied with other things that they drift apart. In time, like the Ents, they forget how to find their way back to a place of intimacy.

The groom in the Song of Solomon is also a shepherd who “pastures his flock among the lilies.” Commentators are divided in their opinion about this statement. It could be taken literally, describing the groom by his profession. On the surface this seems out of place with the indication given elsewhere in this book that the groom was actually King Solomon (cf. Song 3:11; 8:11–12). However, elsewhere Scripture characterizes Israel’s leaders as “shepherds” (cf. Jer. 3:15). It has even been suggested that Solomon took time off from his royal responsibilities to spend time as a shepherd in the Baal-hamon area.

Others see the lilies as an allegory. In one of his sermons St. Bernard said that the lilies in verse 16 represent Christ’s truth, meekness, and goodness. If this were the case, though, we would expect the bride to be the one browsing among the lilies.

It is more likely that the phrase is simply the bride’s poetic way of describing the groom’s manner. Unlike the Ents, who forgot their wives, he is a tender shepherd who will gently care for the one he loves. Physical expressions of love have an important place in their marriage relationship.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
In his commentary on the Song of Solomon entitled A Song for Lovers, S. Craig Glickman observes that it is a mistake to think that we can only be happy in a relationship when our partner is “the best looking, most intelligent, most sensitive person in the world. You don’t look at the other person as a status symbol who will raise your level of prestige,” Glickman writes. “You look at that one as your counterpart, the one who completes you, the one with whom you can joyfully affirm your belongingness.”

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Song of Solomon 3:1-5
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? - Psalm 13:1
TODAY IN THE WORD
Mother Teresa’s work with the poor in Calcutta was widely publicized during her lifetime. Few, however, knew that she struggled for many years with spiritual doubt. Nearly a decade after the vivid spiritual experience that convinced Mother Teresa that God had called her to establish an organization to work with the poor, she recorded the following words in her journal: “I feel that God does not want me, that God is not God, and that God does not exist.”

Sometimes referred to as the “dark night of the soul,” such experiences are common among believers. The Puritan writer Samuel Rutherford used the term desertions to describe these feelings, saying of them, “I think they are like a lean and weak land lying fallow for some years, until it gathers sap for a better crop.”

The psalmist also spoke of a similar experience when he asked in Psalm 13:1, “How long will you hide your face from me?” The answer to the psalmist’s question is that although God may seem absent for a time, He will not “forget” forever.

Many commentators believe that the events in today’s reading are actually a dream sequence. Its imagery reflects the bride’s longing to consummate her love with the groom. After searching through the city streets, she finally finds him and clings to him in love. Those who go through the dark night of the soul are like her. They may spend many hours searching for God. This seems to be God’s purpose for such trials. They are not meant to be a punishment but a blessing, intended to create spiritual hunger. God uses them to renew our longing for spiritual intimacy with Him (Isa. 26:9).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
When we experience a dark night of the soul, it is tempting to search for a way to jump start our spiritual experience to regain a sense of God’s presence. The best strategy is simply to wait. Waiting does not mean that we are inactive–we continue to serve God and to practice the basic disciplines of the Christian life. One lesson God teaches us during a time of spiritual desertion is the importance of faithfulness. If you feel deserted by God, follow the advice of the psalmist: “Wait for the Lord and keep his way” (Ps. 37:34).

[Soldier4Christ]

Read:  Song of Solomon 3:6-11
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. - Colossians 3:4
TODAY IN THE WORD
In his essay entitled, “The Weight of Glory,” C. S. Lewis notes that the concept of glory is very prominent in the New Testament and is often associated with things like palms, crowns, white robes, thrones, and splendor like the sun and stars. “All this,” Lewis observes, “makes no immediate appeal to me at all, and in that respect I fancy that I am a typical modern.”

Nearly a century before Lewis wrote these words, Mark Twain made a similar observation about the biblical imagery of glory, when he wrote of harps and robes, “That sort of thing wouldn’t make a heaven–at least not a heaven that a sane man could stand a week and remain sane.”

Twain, of course, was no theologian; in fact, it seems that he wasn’t a believer. Yet the problem he identifies is the same one that Lewis mentions. In this world of earthly glitter and tangible reality, who can get excited about what seems on the surface to be a promise of some vague notion of glory? What good is a crown in heaven to someone who doesn’t wear a hat on earth?

According to Lewis, glory is a matter of being “noticed” by God, “Glory means good report with God, acceptance by God, response, acknowledgement, and welcome into the heart of things. The door on which we have been knocking all our lives will open at last.”

The appearance of the king and his retinue in today’s reading is described in terms that are best summarized with the word glory. Those who accompany the king share in his glory. What was true on an earthly level in this description will be true on spiritual level with those who accompany Christ when He returns. They will “appear with him in glory” (Col. 3:4).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
The hope of glory helps us to live a holy life. The knowledge that we will one day return with Christ in glory motivates us to say “no” to the powerful impulses of our earthly nature and “yes” to God.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Song of Solomon 4:1-5
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting. - Proverbs 31:30
TODAY IN THE WORD
In a Christianity Today article entitled, “Is Beauty the Beast?” author Karen Lee-Thorf notes that many Christians are uncomfortable with beauty and adornment because they believe such things lead to pride and division. “I am sure many of the people I know who are doing that are motivated by humility,” she writes. “I, however, have found that rejecting beauty can be as serious a sin as worshipping it.”

It has been said that “beauty is only skin deep.” It does, however, play an important role in human love. In his song the groom repeatedly praises the physical beauty of the beloved. Although the images he uses to describe her may seem strange, and perhaps even humorous, to us today, he praises the beauty of her eyes, face, form, and cascading hair.

The bride has taken steps to adorn herself. The reference to her scarlet lips suggests she used the Old Testament equivalent of makeup. However, she does not put herself on display. Instead, she wears a veil, a symbol of modesty in that day.

Physical beauty is a gift from God, but as we have seen, it cannot compare with the beauty of godly character. Physical beauty, the writer of Proverbs warns, is fleeting. It cannot last, and it may be deceptive. The fact that one has an attractive physique does not necessarily mean that the personality is also attractive. The presence of beauty is also no guarantee of virtue. Scripture warns that a beautiful woman who lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout (Prov. 11:22).

Karen Lee-Thorf’s warning is important. Physical beauty is a gift from God worthy of celebration. There is no spiritual virtue in taking steps to detract from our appearance. We should not reject physical beauty. But neither should we trust in it.
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Some people practice a daily “beauty regimen” that includes diet, exercise, and steps to make their outward appearance more attractive. The same can be true on a spiritual level.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Song of Solomon 4:6-7
Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. - Ephesians 5:25
TODAY IN THE WORD
A popular bumper sticker from a few years ago read, “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.” Its point is well taken. Those who know Christ share many of the same weaknesses and failings as unbelievers. But this slogan is not entirely accurate.

In today’s reading Solo-mon summarizes his impression of the bride by declaring that there is no blemish in her. In human relationships, we can conclude this only by looking at another person through the eyes of love. For Christ’s bride, however, perfection is both a gift and responsibility.

When it comes to our standing before God, there is a sense in which Christians are already perfect. Those who know Jesus as Savior have been reconciled to God through the death of Christ. God sees them through the lens of Christ’s perfections. As a result, they will be presented to Him “without blemish and free from accusation” (Col. 1:21). According to the writer of Hebrews, “By one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Heb. 10:14).

As far as the believer’s practice is concerned, there is still room for improvement. The apostle Paul’s goal in ministry was to present believers to Christ as “a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish” (Eph. 5:27). Similarly, Christians are commanded to “aim for perfection” in the way that they live (2 Cor. 13:11).

What, then, are the disciplines that lead to perfection? One of the most important is the discipline of studying God’s Word. The apostle Paul wrote that one of his chief aims in preaching God’s Word was to “present everyone perfect in Christ” (Col. 1:28). The one who studies the Bible will be “thoroughly equipped” (kjv: “perfect”) for every good work (2 Tim. 3:17).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Use a concordance or Bible study software and do a search on the word perfect. In what sense can perfection be described as a goal in the Christian life? When can we expect it to be a state of being?

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Song of Solomon 4:8-9
We should love one another. - 1 John 3:11
TODAY IN THE WORD
Many of the most popular songs throughout history have described the thrills and frustrations of romance. Common themes include loving someone who apparently loves someone else, feeling unsure of someone else’s romantic feelings, and the roller-coaster ride of falling in and out of love.

What usually passes for love in today’s world, however, is often only self-gratification. This kind of “love” is primarily a matter of physical attraction. When the initial thrill of desire fades, so does the love of the one who experienced it. The groom’s love for his bride was markedly different.

It did include physical attraction. The groom praised his bride’s beauty and said that she had stolen his heart with one glance of her eyes. But his love was not selfish. Instead, it was characterized by a desire for the bride’s well-being. He pleaded with her to come away from the lions’ dens and the haunt of the leopards to a place of safety and intimacy.

An abiding concern for the other person and an atmosphere of intimacy are the primary ingredients in a healthy love relationship. They are also interrelated. A genuine concern for the other provides the kind of environment that in turn allows those who love one another the freedom to be intimate.

The rewards of biblical love come to those who give of themselves on behalf of those they love. As scholar and author Miraslov Volf has observed, there is more to marital love than eros: “It has to do with how you treat each other when dishes need to be washed or garbage taken out, when misunderstandings arise and when one has transgressed against the other. Love is not the desire to be united with the other, but action on behalf of the other, and constancy in pursuit of his or her well-being.”
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Author Rainer Maria Rilke has written that “Love . . . consists in this, that two solitudes protect and border and salute each other.” Human love is never completely devoid of self interest. However, the more we can nurture, protect, and respect the other, the greater the likelihood that our own desires will be satisfied.

[Soldier4Christ]

Read: Song of Solomon 4:10-11
Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? - Proverbs 5:20
TODAY IN THE WORD
While on an expedition to Palestine, Mark Twain met a young man named Charles Langdon from Elmira, New York. After the trip Twain visited Langdon at his home and fell in love with his sister Livy. When Langdon discovered this, he suggested that Twain leave immediately. Nobody was good enough to marry his sister. As they were about to depart, however, Twain was thrown from the seat of the wagon into the street. Although he was only dazed by the accident, Twain made the most of the opportunity. He remained with the Langdons for two more weeks and eventually married Livy.

Love, too, can make a person feel dazed. It is possible to be so overcome with love that the effect is like drunkenness. In our reading today, the groom says that the bride’s love is more pleasing than wine. Elsewhere we read a description of the intoxicating effects of love (Prov. 5:19). This is a blessing, but it can also be a danger. Like the effects of wine, this rush of passion can lead to impaired judgment.

Sadly, later in life Solomon became a victim of this. We read in 1 Kings 11:1–2, Solomon “loved many foreign women besides Pharaoh’s daughter–Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians and Hittites. They were from nations about which the Lord had told the Israelites, 'You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.’ Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love.”

Scripture’s warning proved true. Solomon’s affection for his seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines prompted him to engage in false worship. “As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been” (1 Kings 11:4).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Few people begin their marriage believing that they will eventually commit adultery. But misplaced affections can impair our judgment. The path to infidelity is a subtle one. It often begins with chaste friendship accompanied by a strong sense of attraction. As affections grow, the people involved grow more and more careless in their behavior.