How does Song of Solomon 7:6 connect to Ephesians 5:25-33 on love? Love celebrated in Songs 7:6 “ ‘How fair and pleasant you are, O love, with your delights!’ ” • A cry of admiration. The husband beholds his wife and can’t help but voice sheer delight in who she is. • “Fair” points to her beauty; “pleasant” to the joy she brings; “your delights” to every facet of her person and presence. • This is not casual flattery. It is an overflow of covenant affection rooted in marriage (Songs 4:12). Christlike love described in Ephesians 5:25-33 “ ‘Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her…’ ” • Love that gives—v. 25: Christ’s self-sacrifice sets the pattern. • Love that sanctifies—vv. 26-27: He labors for her spiritual radiance. • Love that cherishes—vv. 28-29: “nourishes and cherishes,” treating her as his own body. • Love that unites—v. 31: one flesh, echoing Genesis 2:24. • Love that reveals a mystery—v. 32: marriage mirrors Christ and the church. • Love that commands respect—v. 33: the husband loves; the wife responds with honor. Shared themes: delighting, cherishing, self-giving 1. Celebrating the beloved • Songs 7:6 shows celebration with words; Ephesians 5:29 commands nourishing and cherishing. • Proverbs 5:18-19 urges the same joyful admiration. 2. Valuing the whole person • “with your delights” (Songs 7:6) ≈ “without stain or wrinkle” (Ephesians 5:27). • Real love sees beyond faults and works for the other’s flourishing. 3. Speaking life • Solomon speaks beauty into his wife; Paul calls husbands to wash with the word (Ephesians 5:26). • Our words shape the atmosphere of marriage (Proverbs 18:21). 4. Self-sacrifice fuels delight • The cross (Ephesians 5:25) provides the backbone for the tenderness of Songs 7:6. • Genuine pleasure in one another grows out of self-giving, not self-seeking (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). 5. A picture of the Gospel • The bridegroom’s delight points to Christ’s joy over His redeemed (Zephaniah 3:17). • Marital affection, rightly ordered, becomes a living parable of divine love. Living it out today • Speak delight daily. Simple, sincere admiration echoes Songs 7:6 and nurtures the heart. • Serve sacrificially. Look for concrete ways to give yourself—time, energy, listening—after the pattern of Ephesians 5:25. • Guard tenderness. Avoid harshness; cherish with word and deed (Colossians 3:19). • Pursue mutual holiness. Pray together, study Scripture, and encourage each other’s walk (Hebrews 10:24-25). • Remember the bigger story. Every act of marital love preaches the Gospel to a watching world. |
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