Connect Song of Solomon 8:6 with 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 on love's attributes. Love That Seals the Heart Song of Solomon 8:6: “Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy as unyielding as Sheol. Its flames are flames of fire, the very flame of the LORD.” Love That Serves and Endures • “Love is patient, love is kind. • It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. • It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no account of wrongs. • Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth. • It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Why the Two Passages Belong Together • Both define love’s nature, not merely its feelings. • Song of Solomon highlights love’s power and permanence; 1 Corinthians highlights love’s character and conduct. • Together they show that genuine love is both unbreakable and unmistakable—an inner seal and an outer lifestyle. Four Core Truths the Texts Share 1. Persevering Strength – “Love is as strong as death” (Songs 8:6) – “Love endures all things” (1 Colossians 13:7) – Romans 8:38-39 affirms nothing can separate us from God’s love. 2. Holy Jealousy vs. Sinful Envy – “Jealousy as unyielding as Sheol” (Songs 8:6) speaks of faithful exclusivity. – “Love does not envy” (1 Colossians 13:4) guards against selfish rivalry. – Exodus 34:14 shows the LORD’s righteous jealousy for His people. 3. Flame of the LORD – “Its flames are flames of fire, the very flame of the LORD” (Songs 8:6). – “Love rejoices in the truth” (1 Colossians 13:6) because God is truth (John 14:6). – Hebrews 12:29: “Our God is a consuming fire”—His love purifies. 4. Visible Seal, Visible Fruit – “Seal on your heart… on your arm” (Songs 8:6): inner devotion and outward action. – Every phrase in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 describes outward fruit born of inward reality (Galatians 5:22-23). Living This Love Today • Guard Your Heart: Keep Christ’s lordship ever before you (Proverbs 4:23). • Show Your Seal: Let patience, kindness, and humility mark daily interactions. • Fan the Flame: Regular time in Scripture and fellowship keeps love burning hot (2 Timothy 1:6). • Refuse Counterfeits: Reject envy, pride, and record-keeping of wrongs the moment they appear. • Persevere: Whether marriages, friendships, or church family, commit to “bear, believe, hope, endure” through every season. Love’s Ultimate Portrait Ephesians 5:25-27 shows Christ loving the church with the same fierce, purifying, enduring love pictured in Song of Solomon and defined in 1 Corinthians. His cross proves love “as strong as death,” and His resurrection proves it stronger still. |
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