Red hot love? Does God really approve of a red-hot sexual relationship within the context of marriage? Judge for yourself as you read the descriptive and suggestive language the lovers used in the Song of Solomon!

And what about pornography … is there a place for it within marriage or outside of it?

Today’s Readings:

Song of Solomon 7 & 8
Psalm 104.31-35
Proverbs 24.21-22
1 Corinthians 14.1-20

Red Hot Love & The Question of Porn

Song of Solomon 7 & 8:

Solomon’s Description of His Bride

I’d like to share some of these verses from The Message to help us get a clearer picture of the imagery here. Chapter 7.1-9 and Solomon’s description of his bride:

1-9 Shapely and graceful your sandaled feet,
and queenly your movement—
Your limbs are lithe and elegant,
the work of a master artist.
Your body is a chalice,
wine-filled.
Your skin is silken and tawny
like a field of wheat touched by the breeze.
Your breasts are like fawns,
twins of a gazelle.
Your neck is carved ivory, curved and slender.
Your eyes are wells of light, deep with mystery.
Quintessentially feminine!
Your profile turns all heads,
commanding attention.
The feelings I get when I see the high mountain ranges
—stirrings of desire, longings for the heights—
Remind me of you,
and I’m spoiled for anyone else!

Your beauty, within and without, is absolute,
dear lover, close companion.
You are tall and supple, like the palm tree,
and your full breasts are like sweet clusters of dates.
I say, “I’m going to climb that palm tree!
I’m going to caress its fruit!”
Oh yes! Your breasts
will be clusters of sweet fruit to me,
Your breath clean and cool like fresh mint,
your tongue and lips like the best wine.

And His Bride’s

Then his bride begins to speak:

9-12 Yes, and yours are, too—my love’s kisses
flow from his lips to mine.
I am my lover’s.
I’m all he wants. I’m all the world to him!
Come, dear lover—
let’s tramp through the countryside.
Let’s sleep at some wayside inn,
then rise early and listen to bird-song.
Let’s look for wildflowers in bloom,
blackberry bushes blossoming white,
Fruit trees festooned
with cascading flowers.
And there I’ll give myself to you,
my love to your love!

13 Love-apples drench us with fragrance,
fertility surrounds, suffuses us,
Fruits fresh and preserved
that I’ve kept and saved just for you, my love.

What descriptive and suggestive language each of them used! And notice, God wasn’t shocked by their enjoyment of each other and their sexuality. Instead, He recorded it in Scripture as a godly example of married love.

The Question of Pornography

Pornography, on the other hand, which is so rampant today, is a perversion of the intimacy for which God created us. Instead of feasting on the desirability of our spouses and using our God-given imaginations to fantasize about each other, many settle for the quick sexual thrill of a cyber-partner or the words in the pages of a book.

It’s quick and easy because it requires no giving of love and no focus on the other’s pleasure, but it offers no real intimacy either. And because it’s a sinful perversion of the real thing, it doesn’t even deliver what it offers. Instead, it drags many into deeper and deeper perversion and dependency.

Red hot love within marriage is God-ordained. Take the time. Ask God for the desire and the power to do what is pleasing to Him and to your spouse (Phil. 2.13). Become the lover God has called you to be. Get adventurous within biblical boundaries.

And if you are single and desire a mate, save yourself for the real thing, if and when it comes. It’s never too late to make a fresh commitment in this area.

Today’s Other Readings:

Psalm 104.31-35:

Sweet Meditation

Verse 34 begins, “May my meditation be sweet to Him …” This is talking about what is going on in our hearts and our minds. What are your thoughts like? Are they “sweet” to the Lord? Or are they thoughts of which you would be ashamed if you remembered the Lord is right there with you and those thoughts are words to Him?

Proverbs 24.21-22:

A Godly Attitude Toward Authority

Verse 21 begins “Fear the Lord and the king …” Just as with submission in marriage, all submission is to be “in the Lord.” If the person to whom we are in submission is asking us to sin or to look the other way concerning sin, we are not to submit (though we must still be respectful), because God’s authority is a higher authority!

1 Corinthians 14.1-20:

Teach, Refute, Reprove, Admonish & Comfort

Paul begins this chapter by saying, “Pursue love …” This command prefaces the discussion that follows about the use of spiritual gifts in the church. Verse 1 goes on, “… and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.”

One of the definitions in Strong’s Concordance for the word “prophesy” is “to teach, refute, reprove, admonish, and comfort others.” Though the word “prophesy” has other meanings, the fact that this is a general instruction to the people in this local church, this would seem to be the best interpretation.

It appears the people in the Corinthian church enjoyed showing off their spiritual gifts, especially those that brought the greatest amount of attention. Paul spent much of the previous chapter talking to them about what Biblical love is and how it is expressed. Now he instructs them to pursue that kind of love and follows it with the instruction to desire to prophesy.

One expression of love within the church is to share God’s truth with others. Church services shouldn’t be about putting on a show or looking “spiritual” to those who come in, but about presenting the truth, including the gospel in a way that will cause others to understand and desire it.

Even as individuals, we should be able to “teach, refute, reprove, admonish and comfort others.”

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we will discuss tattoos, what Paul had in mind when he said, “Let your women keep silent,” and how we can pull sin and judgment down on ourselves.

I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out our YouTube channel.

If this post spoke to you, I would love it if you would share it on your favorite social media platform.

And if you don’t already have a copy, you might want to purchase a copy of my eBook, 10 Benefits of Keeping a Spiritual Journal. It’s available on Kindle or in paperback (the paperback has 31 days of blank journaling pages with prompts to help you get started).

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.