Now This Is Love

Song of Songs 8:6-7: "Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away. If one were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly scorned."



The story found in the Song of Songs is one of a beautiful love relationship between a husband and a wife, who are enjoying the intimate fellowship of each other. When one reads the verbal exchanges between the two, one quickly sees selfless passion and devotion. Both are demonstratively committed to each other; there is no doubt that they revere the vows that they have made to each other in marital covenant, and they enjoy the blessed fruit of intimacy that they are experiencing from this covenantal commitment.



Two of the most beautiful verses in the entire book are cited above. Here the wife (who has heard repeatedly her husband's vow of commitment to her) petitions her husband to "place (her) like a seal over (his) heart, like a seal on (his) arm." Whereas we might see this as an imperative response to her husband, it can equally be declarative in nature. She is merely affirming what she already knows in her heart. She knows that her husband is committed to her and loves her passionately. She knows that he delights in her presence and wants to minister to her to bring her blessing. She knows that he has sealed her and her alone over his heart; she is not worried that she is one of many who have the affection of her husband. She feasts upon the stability and security that he provides to her through his exclusive commitment to her.



This wife then intends to heighten her expression of the impact of the couple's love upon her by comparing it to death, the grave, and unquenchable fire. She proclaims that their love is "as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave." Why would she use such an analogy of love with death and the grave? I believe it is because she knew that her hearers would understand the power of death . . . to them, nothing could thwart its will. When death determined to take a life, it was not going to be challenged. So too could it be said of the determination of her and her husband's love. She knew that they loved each other with intentionality and power; she knew that no one would ever thwart the passion and commitment that the couple had for each other. Just as the grave is unwilling to yield those who are entered within, so too their love was unyielding to anyone or anything that would attempt to challenge and frustrate it. This "jealousy" that she mentions is not an insecure apprehension about the relationship but an impassioned focus exclusively upon each other.



She also describes their love as a fire burning "like a mighty flame (which) many waters . . . even rivers can not quench." This second illustrative analogy reinforces her strong conviction that their love is impenetrable and unquenchable. To her, the couple's love for each other cannot be denied.



This bride then interjects the absurdity of those who would believe that this type of love could be bought for the right price. She responds by saying that no amount of money could coerce this kind of love, and a person who would present such a idea would be utterly scorned. This love is not for sale; this love rises above any manipulative efforts.



Many people today are looking for love in all the wrong places. They see love more as an emotion than as a selfless commitment of passionate devotion. Tragically for these people, as the emotion starts to fade in their relationships, they begin to look for new opportunities for love. They bounce from person to person looking again for the "spark" of relational intensity that they once had in their previous relationships. This is NOT LOVE! Rather, it is self-idolization and self-consumption. This type of person is more interested in themselves than in loving anyone else. In the end they never find the love for which they think they are looking.



We all would do well to reflect again upon true love as is described beautifully in the Song of Songs. Blessed is the man (and woman) who can say that they are experiencing this pure, passionate, unadulterated love!