Word of Salvation – Vol. 26 No. 23 – March 1981

 

True Love

 

Sermon by Rev. G. Van Schie on Song of Songs 8:6,7

First Reading: 1 John 4:7–21.

 

Congregation in the Lord Jesus Christ,

Our text today is taken from the Song of Songs. A book which, together with the book of Revelation is a book not often turned to. The reason for this is most probably because its contents are so hard to understand. It is written in very poetic language and is therefore very veiled. Time and patience are needed to discover the riches contained within its pages.

However, this book is a part of Scripture and that means it is the Word of God and has something to teach us even now in this present age. When we really come to grips with the book itself and its theme, then we can understand how much we have been missing and how much we have deprived ourselves by neglecting this book in our reading of God's Word.

The theme of the book centres round teaching concerning true love. It depicts in very vivid terms what true love is all about. What true love, here on earth as experienced between man and wife, can be as a reflection or shadow of God's own love.

As we study our text this day we seek an answer to this question - what is love? The text as it unfolds brings to light the following:

Firstly, the desire to be close;

Secondly, the power of love is brought to light;

Then thirdly, love's value and source is revealed.

We turn then to THE DESIRE TO BE CLOSE.

The first thing we have to understand as we approach the detail of this text is just who is it that is being referred to in this passage. Some say it is about God and His relationship to the church. Yet if this is the way we are to approach the book, then we will run into many difficulties, for the book deals with the relationship between a man and a woman which develops from that time before marriage, through the marriage and beyond. There is no denying it; the book deals explicitly with the love between the two partners being expressed in a sexual way.

Although Scripture often uses the example of the bridegroom and his bride to teach us our position in Christ before God, Scripture does not go as far as bringing sexual relations into the example.

How then does God come into the picture in our text? As we see the development of love between the man and this woman, we gain a reflection or shadow of God's love for us which is something like the sacrifices of old. The sacrifices were a shadow pointing to the reality as it existed in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

That this is the theme of the book we see as we trace the development of the theme. There is the recurring plea to let love alone until she pleases; that is, to let the sexual desires of love alone until the time these desires can be properly satisfied. Further on in chapter 3:6-11 we find the record of the wedding and then chapter 5 and following deals with the sexual consummation of that marriage.

We are dealing then with the love that existed between a man and a woman and its development.

As we look at the beginning of our text we find the voicing of the desire to be together. 'Put me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm.' Here Shulammith, the wife of Solomon was declaring her love of Solomon to be so great she did not want to be separated from him. Her desire was to be in his presence all the time.

I'm sure we have all experienced that desire some time or other. I remember when I had to leave my wife behind in Sydney while I went to college, I experienced that very desire. There may be some of you here who have had to separate for a time because of a business trip, a Synod or even because of circumstances of war, or immigration. We all know what it is like to be separated from the people we love and to have that desire to be together again.

Now Shulammith is expressing here that same desire. To express this desire she used the illustration of a seal on the heart or arm. That which would not be separated from the body. A seal in times past was always kept on the person of the owner. It was never taken off. Shulammith thus declared, she wanted to be just like a seal she never wanted to be away from the presence of Solomon.

Yet do husbands and wives feel that way? Here on earth our relationships are not always as they should be. Sometimes wives are only too happy to get the husband out of the door and off to work. Husbands in some situations are only too happy to get out of the door and on the way to work! I've even heard people married for forty years say that they do not like having the retired time together, because they can't stand being together for so much more of the time.

Indeed, our desire for our partners often does not match up to the desire expressed here in God's Word. That leads us to a problem, for we are being taught here that this is the way things ought to be. Love should be such that this type of strong desire to be together exists!

If you are really following this text you may be asking yourself the question: 'How then does this desire come about"? From where do I get that kind of desire? How can I be expected to have something like that? Must I somehow conjure up this desire?

When we look at Shulammith we do not detect a problem with obtaining this desire for her husband. In fact she tells from whence this desire sprung in her affections. She declared to have the desire to be like a seal to Solomon, for or because love is as ...... These following words reveal the source of Shulammith's desire, and so she speaks of....

THE POWER OF LOVE

Love then is shown to be the source of this desire.

If she did not possess this love for Solomon, then she would not have had the desire to be with him. No love - no desire it is that simple.

Where couples are continually fighting each other, and want to escape from one another the problem is not just a lack of desire - it is really a matter of how little they really love one another! Do you really love one another? To answer that question we must first answer this: What is love? It is most important that when we speak of love we know what we are speaking about. Again the Scriptures give us the answer.

My love is as strong as death: this is the description of Shulammith's love for Solomon. Well, how strong is death? Do any of you here today, know someone who has returned from the dead? We are not speaking of people who have undergone surgery and have been declared clinically dead and have then been revived. We are speaking about people who have really experienced death as Scripture defines death - the separation of the spirit from the body. People who have died and been buried. Do you know anyone who has come back? No-one has, except those raised up by the grace of God. Such is the strength of death - none can overcome it. Such was the strength of Shulammith's love for her husband. My love is so strong, she declared, that it cannot be broken or overwhelmed. It is not the type of love you fall in and out of.

She also described her love as being as severe as sheol in its jealousy. Sheol here meant the grave from which no-one returns, and the jealousy mentioned is not that green eyed coveting of what someone else possesses. The word jealousy is here used in the same way as it is in Exodus 20 where God declares Himself to be a jealous God. It is a jealousy which speaks of undivided love and attention. In the Ten Commandments God made it plain - He is the only God and He alone was to be worshipped. He is a jealous God in that He commands our undivided love. Shulammith declares her love for Solomon was that type of love. In other words, her love was shared with no-one else, it was Solomon's alone!

This love is also described as a love so alive, like a raging fire, that it cannot be quenched. Water cannot put it out - not a cup of water, nor a bucket, nor even a raging flooding river! It is not a love that is smouldering like a fire about to die in the early hours of the morning when all in the camp are asleep. It is full of life and energy that cannot be dampened or extinguished.

This is indeed a unique variety of love. So unique, we must come to the conclusion that this love is an unworldly love. It is a love the unbeliever does not know. Also a love which many who claim to be Christians, do not know. The desire to be together whether before or after retirement, is a desire which springs forth only from this variety of love. If you do not have this desire, it is because this love is lacking in your life.

Yes, the world does not know this variety of love. Just think of the vows some couples make when they get married nowadays. Vows based on the Biblical teaching of marriage end with the words; 'As long as we both shall live.' Vows used often these days end with the words - 'As long as we both shall love.' The world places a limit on marriage relationships, it proclaims an uncertain future. It speaks of a love that can be quenched or overcome. Any problem may bring an end to that love.

If we do not have true love for one another and that desire to be together, what is really at the heart of our difficulty? We find our answer in...

THE SOURCE AND VALUE OF LOVE.

In our first reading we clearly saw the source of this true love is not found in this world. It is not an animal feeling or instinct that evolved over millions of years. The source of this love is God who Himself is love.

God is love, and anyone who abides in Him knows love, for God's love is perfected in him. We love because God first loved us. It takes us right back to the summary of the Law, doesn't it? Love God first and only then are you able to love your neighbour.

True love, that love that causes us to want to be together in good and bad times; when we agree or disagree on matters; is a love that comes from God. A love we have experienced for ourselves, if indeed we have experienced the truth of knowing Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord. 'For God so loved the world, He gave His only Son...!' There it is that selfless, giving love which goes all the way without conditions or strings attached! A love that holds no grudge.

We see this most clearly in Romans 5. God's love was not given to people who were pretty good and who deserved this love. It was not given to beautiful people. No...but it was given to us while we were yet His enemies! It was given to the ungodly.

When God gave us His love through His Son, it would be something like us giving up, freely and wilfully, something we really prized and held dear to someone whom we knew detested us and was doing us harm. Someone who hated us and in all they did expressed that hate. We would never think of doing that would we? We have the tendency to only do nice things to and for people whom we feel good towards, usually people who like us.

But Scripture teaches that true - love as demonstrated by our Father in the sending of His Son to pay the penalty for our sins, - is love that is given to the worthless.

Now then, do we abide in Him? Does He abide in us? The love we have for each other gives us the answer. How do you get on with your husband; your wife; your children; your parents etc.,? The answers to these questions tells us whether we really love God. Whether we really understand what true love is.

Do you want this love? Are you prepared to do anything to get it? Give up your house, car... attend church and all its functions for the rest of your life? If this is what you would do, our text tells us you would not know love for love is despised when a price tag is placed upon it.

Love can only be received as a gift. "For God so loved the world, He GAVE His only Son..!' Love gives, it never sells. In Christ we have received true love love that we are to pass on a love, reflected here in the relationship between the husband and wife.

"This is my command to you; that you love one another as I have loved you.'

"Freely you have received, freely give."

How strong is your desire to be with the people you say you love - How strong is your desire to be with the Lord Himself?

Amen.