Connect Song of Solomon 7:7 with Ephesians 5:25 on loving your spouse. Loving Your Spouse: A Union of Delight and Devotion Song of Solomon 7:7—Celebrating Physical Delight “Your stature is like a palm tree, and your breasts are clusters of fruit.” • Literal praise for the wife’s beauty affirms that God made marriage to include unapologetic enjoyment of each other’s bodies. • The palm tree picture signals fruitfulness and life: a spouse’s presence should refresh and encourage, not drain. • Enjoyment is mutual; earlier verses show both husband and wife voicing admiration (Songs 2:3; 5:10-16). Ephesians 5:25—Sacrificial Devotion “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her.” • Christ-like love is self-giving, protective, and purposeful—aimed at the spouse’s good. • The model is Calvary: love that bleeds, serves, and persists (John 15:13). • This command dignifies the wife, ensuring that delight (Songs 7:7) never slips into mere consumption. Tying Delight to Devotion • Songs 7:7 shows the joyful, tangible dimension of marriage; Ephesians 5:25 supplies the governing motive—Christ-shaped selflessness. • Physical admiration finds its guardrails in sacrificial commitment. • When devotion rules, delight becomes safe, cherished, and enduring (Proverbs 5:18-19). Practical Takeaways • Speak life: regularly voice specific appreciation of your spouse’s God-given beauty and character. • Serve first: prioritize sacrificial acts—small daily choices that say, “I’m giving myself for you.” • Protect purity: guard body and mind so that admiration remains exclusive (1 Corinthians 7:3-5). • Cultivate intimacy: schedule unrushed time together; affection tends to flourish where devotion is visible. • Echo Christ: let every romantic gesture be rooted in the bigger story of gospel love. Additional Scripture Echoes • Genesis 2:24—one flesh, a lifelong bond. • 1 Peter 3:7—honor your spouse as co-heir of grace. • Colossians 3:19—love without harshness, weaving tenderness into leadership. Delight celebrates the gift; devotion safeguards the gift. Joined together, Songs 7:7 and Ephesians 5:25 paint a full portrait of marital love that is both richly romantic and resolutely Christ-centered. |
    |