WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday January 10, 2016
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GOD’S PERSPECTIVE OF MARRIAGE
(The
gift of sexual intercourse with your spouse)
(Song of Solomon 1-8)
The “Song of Solomon” or,
“Song of Songs” is, first of all, a “Love song”. It communicates a message from
GOD regarding the spiritual and emotional connection that exists only between two
members of the opposite sex. It is a drama in poetry, and indeed, a love story that
captures the yearning of a bride (woman) and a bridegroom (man) for each other.
This
book of Scriptures celebrates the mystery and joy of human love, the gift that
GOD gave to mankind when HE shaped Adam and Eve for each other, and, for HIS
OWN purpose, which is “reproduction”. It is a refreshing affirmation of the
biblical view, that, in the union of husband and wife (a man and a woman only)
there exists a rewarding and total intimacy that can be cherished for all time
through the reproduction of family, something which can only be done through
sexual intercourse between a man and a woman, not two men, and not two women.
Many
Jewish scholars also treat this book of Scripture as an allegory of GOD’s love
for Israel, and CHRIST’s love for the Christian Church, rather than to accept
it for what it really says. This is probably because they may feel
uncomfortable with its explicit references of a sexual nature. However, it is best
to accept this magnificent poem for what it is, and that is a celebration of
GOD’s gift of married love.
The
Song of Solomon is Scripture’s most explicit exploration of human sexual
relationships, and with the exception of this book, the Old Testament tends to
speak of sex indirectly, and overall, very vaguely. It, for the most part,
deals with, and honors marital sexual relationships, as a private and rather
personal matter, and certainly, there can be no argument, that it is correct in
doing so. However, this does not even begin to suggest that Scripture has a
negative view of sex. The creation story itself affirms the sexual nature of
human beings, and it also carefully guards the mystery of sex, so that its
special nature and power to bond husband and wife as one, will not be lost to
sin.
And
so GOD, through HIS eternal Word, condemns all sexual expressions outside of
marriage, including adultery, fornication (pre-marital sex), and prostitution, as
well as homosexual acts (sexual relations between two or more people of the
same sex), and other sexual perversions, such as having sex with animals are also
forbidden (Leviticus 18). However, within marriage, GOD affirms our freedom to
enjoy the gift of pleasurable sexual activity. The Bible identifies three
specific functions of sexual activity in human life;
·
Procreation
(Genesis 1:28)
·
To
satisfy urges that are implicit in human nature (1 Corinthians 7:3-5, & 9)
·
Sex is “sacramental”
in the bonding of a man and woman in one spirit (Genesis 2:24)
By
preserving sexual expressions for marriage, GOD is giving it a unique power to
unify man and wife, and as this act is repeated, commitment is constantly
re-affirmed, trust grows, and the two actually do become one in spirit (human
spirit), which is the most profound level of their personality and being. We must
be faithful to our spouse and to the high GODly calling and sanctity of
marriage, and, we must never try to distort its definition, function, and
meaning, just to satisfy human perversions.
This
literary masterpiece by King Solomon, from GOD, invites us to lift the veil of
sexual intimacy so that we can partake in the divine joy and unity between a
man and wife that sex can help create in a marriage, and, that GOD originally
intended for HIS greatest creation in the first place. Marriage is an
institution that brings GOD HIMSELF (HIS concepts) to human sexual
relationships.
And
it seems quite obvious that when we take a look at the state of human sexual
relationships, marital statistics, and the general state of both, the world and
the Church regarding marriage, that, we are still not grasping what GOD is
trying to teach us through HIS Holy Word and directives. And after all this time,
professed Christians, as well as non-Christians have never been able to concede
to the great fundamental truth that, without GOD (even in the matter of love in
marriage), man can’t do anything right, for too long.
A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander
LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official
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