On Biblical Love, Romance, Infatuations, and Teeth like Sheep...
Well, gather round children... It looks like its time once again for me to share my unbelievably great wisdom with the world...
no, j/k...
..........................
So, what I wanted to talk about is, once again, love.
I was talking with a friend recently about the nature of love. We discussed how we see the Bible describing what love is, and my friend pointed me to one passage that seemed to him to really define how love was supposed to be.
No, it wasn't 1 Corinthians 13, nor was it one of the many verses describing love in 1 John.
Instead, he brought up Ephesians 5:22-33 :
22Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.
24But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
26so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
27that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
28So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;
29for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,
30because we are members of His body.
31FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.
32This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.
33Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.
---------
Now, I wasn't thinking about this at first today, as I was reading my Bible. No, what was on my mind was the deep infatuations and crushes I have found myself having towards some members of the opposite sex quite recently.
(To be quite honest, I find such obsessions quite bothersome, but as much as I would like to do away with them, these seem to be programmed into the very core of who I am, so instead, I must find out how these can be used, guided, directed, and otherwise controlled so that God might be glorified in me.)
Now, I began to look at examples of romantic love in the Bible. I first was looking at the story of Jacob working for seven years to gain Rachel as his wife. (See Genesis 29)
20So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her.
Now that, my friend, is romantic. Not just cheesy "Look, I brought you flowers" romantic, nor even simply "Look, I brought you chocolate" romantic. No, this is full-on, chick-flick "I would give up my (insert important internal organ here) so that you could live happy" romantic.
Well, after trying to fit my mind around this unbelievably awe-inspiring and intimidating example of "gushy love stuff," I wanted to find some example of "love" gone bad. And, lo and behold, I found that too, wall within the pages of the good book.
Amnon and Tamar
2 Samuel 13:1-22
1Now it was after this that Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar, and Amnon the son of David loved her.
2Amnon was so frustrated because of his sister Tamar that he made himself ill, for she was a virgin, and it seemed hard to Amnon to do anything to her.
3But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very shrewd man.
4He said to him, "O son of the king, why are you so depressed morning after morning? Will you not tell me?" Then Amnon said to him, "I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom."
5Jonadab then said to him, "Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill; when your father comes to see you, say to him, 'Please let my sister Tamar come and give me some food to eat, and let her prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat from her hand.'"
6So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill; when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, "Please let my sister Tamar come and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand."
7Then David sent to the house for Tamar, saying, "Go now to your brother Amnon's house, and prepare food for him."
8So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house, and he was lying down. And she took dough, kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes.
9She took the pan and dished them out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, "Have everyone go out from me." So everyone went out from him.
10Then Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food into the bedroom, that I may eat from your hand." So Tamar took the cakes which she had made and brought them into the bedroom to her brother Amnon.
11When she brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, "Come, lie with me, my sister."
12But she answered him, "No, my brother, do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this disgraceful thing!
13"As for me, where could I get rid of my reproach? And as for you, you will be like one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you."
14However, he would not listen to her; since he was stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her.
15Then Amnon hated her with a very great hatred; for the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, "Get up, go away!"
16But she said to him, "No, because this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you have done to me!" Yet he would not listen to her.
17Then he called his young man who attended him and said, "Now throw this woman out of my presence, and lock the door behind her."
18Now she had on a long-sleeved garment; for in this manner the virgin daughters of the king dressed themselves in robes. Then his attendant took her out and locked the door behind her.
19Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her long-sleeved garment which was on her; and she put her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went.
20Then Absalom her brother said to her, "Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now keep silent, my sister, he is your brother; do not take this matter to heart." So Tamar remained and was desolate in her brother Absalom's house.
21Now when King David heard of all these matters, he was very angry.
22But Absalom did not speak to Amnon either good or bad; for Absalom hated Amnon because he had violated his sister Tamar.
BTW, Tamar's brother Absalom kills Amnon, so yeah... (Of course he tries to take over David's kingdom too, but he dies b/c his really-big-hair gets caught in a tree. But that's another story...)
Anyway, I looked at that, and I said to myself (not aloud, of course, for I was in a study hall, but rather I said this in a mental way):"Well, that is a great example of infatuation going wrong."
So, After seeing two very great extremes, I wanted to just find something that stood as a real Biblical example of romantic love, to see what exactly I should live up to in my crushes and such. And, lo and behold once again, there was revealed to me a book, often overlooked by those who exegete books of the Bible, which revealed the amazing romance between two lovers, filled with rapturous delight because of their love for one another.
Yes, I am talking about Song of Songs.
Man, I've read that book so many times (well, maybe 3 or 4 times), but this reading was still quite enlightening. I read through this amazing account of erotic poetry, and I really was amazed at...
well, to be quite frank, I was amazed at how much these two lovers just enjoyed one another. Not just in some spiritual sense, or some friendly sense. No, they go on and on about each others' bodies, how they smell, (how teeth remind them of sheep,) etc. This truly was a love which manifested itself in their physical relationship.
And I'm not just talking about some really shallow description of each other's physical beauty. No, they dive right into some really deep sexual stuff.
And, it was with these thoughts that I read it. And, about halfway through the book, the verse from Ephesians which my friend had brought up a few days earlier popped into my head.
About how husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the church.
And I sat there, and thought, "well what does that mean, exactly?"
So, I read through the entire book of Song of Songs again, this time focusing not on the love between a man and a woman, but rather on how this love was a model of the relationship between Christ and the church.
(I'll be quite honest: At times, I got caught up in the erotic poetry again, but) As I read it again, I was amazed at How much Christ loves the church, and how much the church should love Christ. And I found myself praising god because of such a love as this.
And this brought me back to the deep crushes and infatuations and such that I have been facing and dealing with. And I looked at them, and I thought, "These are nothing compared to such a great love as does exist between Solomon and his lover, and between Christ and the Church."
So, I pray to God, that He would deepen my love and expand my understanding of love, that it might truly mirror the greatness of His love.
And, now that I think about it, romantic love isn't the only type of love that should mirror the love of Christ. All love should mirror Christ's love, whether it be friendship, parental love, or whatever.
------------------
Having said all of this, let me share with you a song I learned in the Philippines, while I was fellowshipping with the youth of the church at which my grandfather used to pastor (For those of you who care, I am talking about First Baptist Church of Pamplona, in Curva, Pamplona, Cagayan, RP). We sang this song in a little icebreaker game we played, and as was walking balk to my apartment from studying, this song somehow popped into my head:
"Oh, I love you with the Love of the Lord!
Yes, I love you with the love of the Lord!
I can see, in you, the glory of my King!
Oh, I love you with the love of the Lord!"
-----------------------------
Lord, may the message of that simple little song be true in all the loves I have in my life. May I learn to love others with such a love as yours. In fact, may the depth of my love even for You my King become more and more like the depth of the love you have shown to me. May all this be for your glory, oh Father in Heaven. I pray all these things in Jesus' name, (Oh, may he truly be the greatest love of my soul) AMEN.
no, j/k...
..........................
So, what I wanted to talk about is, once again, love.
I was talking with a friend recently about the nature of love. We discussed how we see the Bible describing what love is, and my friend pointed me to one passage that seemed to him to really define how love was supposed to be.
No, it wasn't 1 Corinthians 13, nor was it one of the many verses describing love in 1 John.
Instead, he brought up Ephesians 5:22-33 :
22Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.
24But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,
26so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
27that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.
28So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;
29for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,
30because we are members of His body.
31FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.
32This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.
33Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.
---------
Now, I wasn't thinking about this at first today, as I was reading my Bible. No, what was on my mind was the deep infatuations and crushes I have found myself having towards some members of the opposite sex quite recently.
(To be quite honest, I find such obsessions quite bothersome, but as much as I would like to do away with them, these seem to be programmed into the very core of who I am, so instead, I must find out how these can be used, guided, directed, and otherwise controlled so that God might be glorified in me.)
Now, I began to look at examples of romantic love in the Bible. I first was looking at the story of Jacob working for seven years to gain Rachel as his wife. (See Genesis 29)
20So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her.
Now that, my friend, is romantic. Not just cheesy "Look, I brought you flowers" romantic, nor even simply "Look, I brought you chocolate" romantic. No, this is full-on, chick-flick "I would give up my (insert important internal organ here) so that you could live happy" romantic.
Well, after trying to fit my mind around this unbelievably awe-inspiring and intimidating example of "gushy love stuff," I wanted to find some example of "love" gone bad. And, lo and behold, I found that too, wall within the pages of the good book.
Amnon and Tamar
2 Samuel 13:1-22
1Now it was after this that Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar, and Amnon the son of David loved her.
2Amnon was so frustrated because of his sister Tamar that he made himself ill, for she was a virgin, and it seemed hard to Amnon to do anything to her.
3But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very shrewd man.
4He said to him, "O son of the king, why are you so depressed morning after morning? Will you not tell me?" Then Amnon said to him, "I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom."
5Jonadab then said to him, "Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill; when your father comes to see you, say to him, 'Please let my sister Tamar come and give me some food to eat, and let her prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat from her hand.'"
6So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill; when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, "Please let my sister Tamar come and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand."
7Then David sent to the house for Tamar, saying, "Go now to your brother Amnon's house, and prepare food for him."
8So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house, and he was lying down. And she took dough, kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes.
9She took the pan and dished them out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, "Have everyone go out from me." So everyone went out from him.
10Then Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food into the bedroom, that I may eat from your hand." So Tamar took the cakes which she had made and brought them into the bedroom to her brother Amnon.
11When she brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, "Come, lie with me, my sister."
12But she answered him, "No, my brother, do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this disgraceful thing!
13"As for me, where could I get rid of my reproach? And as for you, you will be like one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you."
14However, he would not listen to her; since he was stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her.
15Then Amnon hated her with a very great hatred; for the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, "Get up, go away!"
16But she said to him, "No, because this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you have done to me!" Yet he would not listen to her.
17Then he called his young man who attended him and said, "Now throw this woman out of my presence, and lock the door behind her."
18Now she had on a long-sleeved garment; for in this manner the virgin daughters of the king dressed themselves in robes. Then his attendant took her out and locked the door behind her.
19Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her long-sleeved garment which was on her; and she put her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went.
20Then Absalom her brother said to her, "Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now keep silent, my sister, he is your brother; do not take this matter to heart." So Tamar remained and was desolate in her brother Absalom's house.
21Now when King David heard of all these matters, he was very angry.
22But Absalom did not speak to Amnon either good or bad; for Absalom hated Amnon because he had violated his sister Tamar.
BTW, Tamar's brother Absalom kills Amnon, so yeah... (Of course he tries to take over David's kingdom too, but he dies b/c his really-big-hair gets caught in a tree. But that's another story...)
Anyway, I looked at that, and I said to myself (not aloud, of course, for I was in a study hall, but rather I said this in a mental way):"Well, that is a great example of infatuation going wrong."
So, After seeing two very great extremes, I wanted to just find something that stood as a real Biblical example of romantic love, to see what exactly I should live up to in my crushes and such. And, lo and behold once again, there was revealed to me a book, often overlooked by those who exegete books of the Bible, which revealed the amazing romance between two lovers, filled with rapturous delight because of their love for one another.
Yes, I am talking about Song of Songs.
Man, I've read that book so many times (well, maybe 3 or 4 times), but this reading was still quite enlightening. I read through this amazing account of erotic poetry, and I really was amazed at...
well, to be quite frank, I was amazed at how much these two lovers just enjoyed one another. Not just in some spiritual sense, or some friendly sense. No, they go on and on about each others' bodies, how they smell, (how teeth remind them of sheep,) etc. This truly was a love which manifested itself in their physical relationship.
And I'm not just talking about some really shallow description of each other's physical beauty. No, they dive right into some really deep sexual stuff.
And, it was with these thoughts that I read it. And, about halfway through the book, the verse from Ephesians which my friend had brought up a few days earlier popped into my head.
About how husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the church.
And I sat there, and thought, "well what does that mean, exactly?"
So, I read through the entire book of Song of Songs again, this time focusing not on the love between a man and a woman, but rather on how this love was a model of the relationship between Christ and the church.
(I'll be quite honest: At times, I got caught up in the erotic poetry again, but) As I read it again, I was amazed at How much Christ loves the church, and how much the church should love Christ. And I found myself praising god because of such a love as this.
And this brought me back to the deep crushes and infatuations and such that I have been facing and dealing with. And I looked at them, and I thought, "These are nothing compared to such a great love as does exist between Solomon and his lover, and between Christ and the Church."
So, I pray to God, that He would deepen my love and expand my understanding of love, that it might truly mirror the greatness of His love.
And, now that I think about it, romantic love isn't the only type of love that should mirror the love of Christ. All love should mirror Christ's love, whether it be friendship, parental love, or whatever.
------------------
Having said all of this, let me share with you a song I learned in the Philippines, while I was fellowshipping with the youth of the church at which my grandfather used to pastor (For those of you who care, I am talking about First Baptist Church of Pamplona, in Curva, Pamplona, Cagayan, RP). We sang this song in a little icebreaker game we played, and as was walking balk to my apartment from studying, this song somehow popped into my head:
"Oh, I love you with the Love of the Lord!
Yes, I love you with the love of the Lord!
I can see, in you, the glory of my King!
Oh, I love you with the love of the Lord!"
-----------------------------
Lord, may the message of that simple little song be true in all the loves I have in my life. May I learn to love others with such a love as yours. In fact, may the depth of my love even for You my King become more and more like the depth of the love you have shown to me. May all this be for your glory, oh Father in Heaven. I pray all these things in Jesus' name, (Oh, may he truly be the greatest love of my soul) AMEN.
posted by thebrainkid at 5/12/2005 01:41:00 AM
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