{"id":31664,"date":"2024-06-27T22:00:54","date_gmt":"2024-06-28T05:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/song_of_songs-1_1-17-copy\/"},"modified":"2024-06-18T14:03:41","modified_gmt":"2024-06-18T21:03:41","slug":"song_of_songs-2_1-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/song_of_songs-2_1-17\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Awaken Love Before Its Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

Song of Songs 2:1-17 \u00a0 (CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Song of Songs 2:1-17.\u00a0 I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help, then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

Song<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0of<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Songs<\/em><\/strong>\u00a02<\/em><\/strong>:1-<\/em><\/strong>2<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0I am a rose\u00a0<\/em>of\u00a0Sharon, a lily\u00a0<\/em>of\u00a0the valleys.\u00a0<\/em>
\n2<\/sup>\u00a0\u00a0Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 1:\u00a0 Affirmed by her lover\u2019s words, the girl who once said, \u201cDon\u2019t look at me\u201d (1:6) now calls herself a rose\u00a0of\u00a0Sharon, which is a beautiful, though common, lily\u00a0of\u00a0the valleys.\u00a0 In response, her lover says, \u201cLike a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens\u201d (v2).\u00a0 In other words, \u201cYou, common?\u00a0 Nah girl.\u00a0 You\u2019re beautiful and exceptional.\u00a0 There\u2019s no one like you.\u201d<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0One of the best things you can do to love someone is to help them see that they are uniquely beautiful.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Song<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0of<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Songs<\/em><\/strong>\u00a02<\/em><\/strong>:3a (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n3\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0Like an apple tree among the trees\u00a0<\/em>of\u00a0the forest is my lover among the young men\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 3a:\u00a0 Just as the guy called the girl a lily among thorns, the girl calls the guy \u201can apple tree among the trees\u00a0of\u00a0the forest\u201d (i.e. special, sweet, exceptional).\u00a0 What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0If you want your relationship with your partner to be sweet, speak sweetly and affirmingly to one another.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Song<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0of<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Songs<\/em><\/strong>\u00a02<\/em><\/strong>:3-6 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n3\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u2026I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste.\u00a0<\/em>
\n4\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love.\u00a0<\/em>
\n5\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love.\u00a0<\/em>
\n6\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0His left arm is under my head, and his right arm embraces me.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 3b-6:\u00a0 Here we learn three things the guy does to make the girl feel special.
\nHe protects her.\u00a0 As verse 3 says, \u201cI delight to sit in his shade\u201d.
\nHe\u2019s sweet to her.\u00a0 As verse 3 says, \u201chis fruit is sweet to my taste\u201d.
\nHe\u2019s proud\u00a0of\u00a0her.\u00a0\u00a0 As verse 4 says, \u201cHe has taken me to the banquet hall and his banner over me is love.\u201d\u00a0 In other words, he likes to take her out in front\u00a0of\u00a0others.\u00a0 His love is like a banner flying high over her that others can see.
\nBecause he protects her, is sweet to her and is proud\u00a0of\u00a0her, she\u2019s \u201cfaint with love\u201d for him (v5) and desires to be close to him (v6).
\nGuy, do the same for your girl.\u00a0 If you want her to want you,\u00a0protect her.\u00a0 Be sweet to her.\u00a0 Show that you\u2019re proud\u00a0<\/strong>of<\/strong>\u00a0her.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Song<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0of<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Songs<\/em><\/strong>\u00a02<\/em><\/strong>:7 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n7\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0Daughters\u00a0<\/em>of\u00a0Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and by the does\u00a0<\/em>of\u00a0the field: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 7:\u00a0 \u201cDo not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.\u201d \u00a0This phase appears three times in\u00a0Song\u00a0of\u00a0Songs\u00a0and its placement is strategic.\u00a0 It appears here and in\u00a0Song\u00a0of\u00a0Songs\u00a03:5 before the guy and the girl are married.\u00a0 What does the girl mean by \u201cDo not arouse or awaken love until it so desires\u201d (v7).\u00a0 In other words, she\u2019s saying (not just to her friends \u201cthe daughters\u00a0of\u00a0Jerusalem\u201d but even more to herself), \u201csave sex for the wedding night and beyond\u201d. \u00a0\u00a0Recognizing how intoxicating sex can be and how it is meant for marriage, she\u2019s basically saying to herself, save sex for marriage.\u00a0 \u00a0After the guy and girl get married around the end\u00a0of\u00a0chapter 3, this phrase no longer appears until near the very end\u00a0of\u00a0the book and only as, I believe, a reminder\u00a0of\u00a0this very important lesson.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0There is a proper time and place for unbridled sexual intimacy and that is in the context\u00a0<\/strong>of<\/strong>\u00a0marriage.<\/strong>\u00a0 Despite all that Hollywood preaches about how premarital sex feels so right it can\u2019t be wrong, I have heard story after story from those who regretted losing their virginity before marriage.\u00a0 Their real life experience was that their wedding night no longer felt as special.\u00a0 In addition, the couple would need to go through the process\u00a0of\u00a0having to repent and forgive before their intimacy as husband and wife could be restored to what God intended it to be. \u00a0\u00a0So\u00a0it\u2019s with our joy and protection in mind that God\u2019s Word tells us to save sex for marriage.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Song<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0of<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Songs<\/em><\/strong>\u00a02<\/em><\/strong>:8-14 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n8\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0Listen! My lover! Look! Here he comes, leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills.\u00a0<\/em>
\n9\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0My lover is like a gazelle or a young stag. Look! There he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice.\u00a0<\/em>
\n10\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0My lover spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me.\u00a0<\/em>
\n11\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone.\u00a0<\/em>
\n12\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0Flowers appear on the earth; the season\u00a0<\/em>of\u00a0singing has come, the cooing\u00a0<\/em>of\u00a0doves is heard in our land.\u00a0<\/em>
\n13\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.”<\/em>
\n14\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0My dove in the clefts\u00a0<\/em>of\u00a0the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 8-14:\u00a0 Here the guy approaches the girl\u2019s home, wanting to take the girl for a walk.\u00a0 The excitement that the girl feels when the guy arrives, and the way the guy talks about their surroundings (v11-13) and about the girl (v14), it is clear these two are in love.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0 When you\u2019re in love, you\u2019re never more excited than when you see the one you love.\u00a0 Life around you also somehow feels sweeter.\u00a0 It\u2019s the age old idea that people in love tend to notice the sun shining and birds singing more quickly than those who are not in love.<\/p>\n

Song<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0of<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Songs<\/em><\/strong>\u00a02<\/em><\/strong>:15 (NIV)\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>
\n15\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0Catch for us the foxes,\u00a0the little foxes\u00a0that ruin the vineyards,\u00a0our vineyards that are in bloom.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 15:\u00a0 Some scholars see \u201cthe foxes\u201d as a symbol for problems that have entered \u201cthe vineyard\u201d\u00a0of\u00a0the couple\u2019s relationship.\u00a0 In that case, verse 15 is a call to address the problems that are threatening to ruin their romance.\u00a0 Other scholars see \u201cthe foxes\u201d as literally foxes and that the guy is playfully inviting the girl to play a game\u00a0of\u00a0\u201ccatch the fox\u201d.\u00a0 Which one is it?\u00a0 It\u2019s tough to know for sure.\u00a0 It\u2019s part\u00a0of\u00a0the mystery\u00a0of\u00a0Song\u00a0of\u00a0Songs.<\/p>\n

Song<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0of<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Songs<\/em><\/strong>\u00a02<\/em><\/strong>:16-17 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n16\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0My lover is mine and I am his; he browses among the lilies.\u00a0<\/em>
\n17\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0Until the day breaks and the shadows flee, turn, my lover, and be like a gazelle or like a young stag on the rugged hills.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 16-17: \u00a0What does \u201che browses among the lilies\u201d mean?\u00a0 Most likely it means that this guy and this girl are being physically intimate with one another during their walk outside.\u00a0 How physically intimate exactly?\u00a0 Considering that the girl is committed to not arousing or awakening love until it so desires (i.e. she\u2019s saving sex for marriage \u2013\u00a02:7), it\u2019s unlikely that this guy and girl are having sex in this scene.\u00a0 That then leads to the question: \u201cIf sex is to be saved for marriage, how intimate can a couple be with one another before getting married?\u201d\u00a0 This is where I believe\u00a0an unmarried couple should be wise, God-honouring and prayerful about the boundaries they will set while they are together but not yet married<\/strong>.\u00a0 For a guy and a girl who are dating and who want to avoid unnecessary hurt later on, an important guiding principle is that\u00a0your level\u00a0<\/strong>of<\/strong>\u00a0physical intimacy with one another should not exceed your level\u00a0<\/strong>of<\/strong>\u00a0commitment to one another<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Father, thank You that it is because You want to maximize our joy and minimize our hurt that You tell us to save sex for marriage.\u00a0 You are not a God who is out to kill our joy but to multiply it.\u00a0 When it comes to sex, help all\u00a0<\/em>of<\/em>\u00a0us to trust that we are so much happier and better off when we follow You and not Hollywood.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is Song of Songs 2:1-17.\u00a0 I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help, then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

Song\u00a0of\u00a0Songs\u00a02:1-2\u00a0(NIV)\u00a0
\n1\u00a0\u00a0I am a rose\u00a0of\u00a0Sharon, a lily\u00a0of\u00a0the valleys.\u00a0
\n2\u00a0\u00a0Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens.
\n\u00a0
\nOn verse 1:\u00a0 Affirmed by her lover\u2019s words, the girl who once said, \u201cDon\u2019t look at me\u201d (1:6) now calls herself a rose\u00a0of\u00a0Sharon, which is a beautiful, though common, lily\u00a0of\u00a0the valleys.\u00a0 In response, her lover says, \u201cLike a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens\u201d (v2).\u00a0 In other words, \u201cYou, common?\u00a0 Nah girl.\u00a0 You\u2019re beautiful and exceptional.\u00a0 There\u2019s no one like you.\u201d<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0One of the best things you can do to love someone is to help them see that they are uniquely beautiful.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31666,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31664"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31664\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31667,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31664\/revisions\/31667"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}