God’s Way
Pastor Ryan and Cathy Story
Who would you go to for marriage advice? Some answers I am going to assume will pop to your mind will include parents, grandparents, pastor, author, or that sweet couple who has been married for 60 plus years who you see every Sunday at a Gathering. All of these would be amazing answers. Odd that no one said a polygamous, idolator who had God-given wisdom beyond any other person and chose a life serving the flesh rather than serving the Lord. Solomon is an odd choice for God to use to be the author of a specific poem about marriage, love, and sex. It would even be part of the inerrant Word of God that has been preserved since about the 10th century BC. For the next month, we have to ensure that when we look at this series we are less focused on our views of Solomon, marriage, intimacy, and sex, rather we are focused on what God’s Word, the Bible, says about these things.
We live in a broken world. We live in a rebellious world. We live in a world where sin rules and self-glorification is more and more prominent. We live in a world that focuses more on self-worship, self-gratification, and self-exaltation. Many of us have fallen into these traps, and many of us know how damaging and broken the world can be, especially in the context of marriage. We should never use the brokenness shown in the Bible as a scapegoat for disobedience or use a person’s sin as a reason to discredit their work for the Lord. Rather, the central character throughout the entire Bible is God. The truth about who God is, the truth about His power and love is saturated in every word of the Bible. Solomon fell victim to the exact same sin that destroys us today. Yet, in His mercy, God uses Solomon to pen one of the most pointed books in the Bible on the subject of marriage.
The subject of marriage is going to have a different heartstring tug for every reader of this book. Some who read this could be teenagers or young adults who are not at that point of being married. Some readers could be newlyweds who are forging into unknown waters. Some could be a married couple who are healthy and making their way through life. Some could be a married couple who are on the last lifeline and this book could be the “last hope” for their marriage that is bringing more hurt than joy. Some readers could be divorced or widowed. Too often when we look at the Bible through the lens of “what am I going to get out of this,” we lose the beauty of the truth that is in front of us.
Solomon was given wisdom but could only scratch the surface of the beauty of what marriage actually is. Marriage is so much more than a man and a woman unifying their life together. Marriage is the ultimate show of Jesus. Paul writes in Ephesians 5:23-25, “For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” While you may not be married, your marriage may not be where you feel God wants it to be, or you may feel the heartbreak of being without “the one that your soul loves,” the truth about marriage is more about pointing to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Song of Solomon ought not to point us to Solomon’s failings or sexual past. The Song of Solomon is meant to point us to the truth that Jesus gave Himself up for our sins and as the church, we ought to love Him.
Pastor Ryan and Cathy Story
Who would you go to for marriage advice? Some answers I am going to assume will pop to your mind will include parents, grandparents, pastor, author, or that sweet couple who has been married for 60 plus years who you see every Sunday at a Gathering. All of these would be amazing answers. Odd that no one said a polygamous, idolator who had God-given wisdom beyond any other person and chose a life serving the flesh rather than serving the Lord. Solomon is an odd choice for God to use to be the author of a specific poem about marriage, love, and sex. It would even be part of the inerrant Word of God that has been preserved since about the 10th century BC. For the next month, we have to ensure that when we look at this series we are less focused on our views of Solomon, marriage, intimacy, and sex, rather we are focused on what God’s Word, the Bible, says about these things.
We live in a broken world. We live in a rebellious world. We live in a world where sin rules and self-glorification is more and more prominent. We live in a world that focuses more on self-worship, self-gratification, and self-exaltation. Many of us have fallen into these traps, and many of us know how damaging and broken the world can be, especially in the context of marriage. We should never use the brokenness shown in the Bible as a scapegoat for disobedience or use a person’s sin as a reason to discredit their work for the Lord. Rather, the central character throughout the entire Bible is God. The truth about who God is, the truth about His power and love is saturated in every word of the Bible. Solomon fell victim to the exact same sin that destroys us today. Yet, in His mercy, God uses Solomon to pen one of the most pointed books in the Bible on the subject of marriage.
The subject of marriage is going to have a different heartstring tug for every reader of this book. Some who read this could be teenagers or young adults who are not at that point of being married. Some readers could be newlyweds who are forging into unknown waters. Some could be a married couple who are healthy and making their way through life. Some could be a married couple who are on the last lifeline and this book could be the “last hope” for their marriage that is bringing more hurt than joy. Some readers could be divorced or widowed. Too often when we look at the Bible through the lens of “what am I going to get out of this,” we lose the beauty of the truth that is in front of us.
Solomon was given wisdom but could only scratch the surface of the beauty of what marriage actually is. Marriage is so much more than a man and a woman unifying their life together. Marriage is the ultimate show of Jesus. Paul writes in Ephesians 5:23-25, “For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” While you may not be married, your marriage may not be where you feel God wants it to be, or you may feel the heartbreak of being without “the one that your soul loves,” the truth about marriage is more about pointing to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Song of Solomon ought not to point us to Solomon’s failings or sexual past. The Song of Solomon is meant to point us to the truth that Jesus gave Himself up for our sins and as the church, we ought to love Him.
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Galatians 3Galatians 4Galatians 5Galatians 6God’s Design in Marriage • Devotion 1God’s Design in Marriage • Devotion 2God’s Design in Marriage • Devotion 3God’s Design in Marriage • Devotion 4God’s Design in Marriage • Devotion 5God’s Design in Marriage • Devotion 6Sex: The Word vs. the World • Devotion 1Sex: The Word vs. the World • Devotion 2Sex: The Word vs. the World • Devotion 3Sex: The Word vs. the World • Devotion 4Sex: The Word vs. the World • Devotion 5Sex: The Word vs. the World • Devotion 6Dangers: Little Foxes • Devotion 1Dangers: Little Foxes • Devotion 2Dangers: Little Foxes • Devotion 3Dangers: Little Foxes • Devotion 4Dangers: Little Foxes • Devotion 5Dangers: Little Foxes • Devotion 6Delights • Devotion 1Delights • Devotion 2
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