This final chapter reiterates some of the sentiments expressed earlier, and also provides a key summary of what love is / should be.
“Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm, for love is strong as death, jealousy is fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.” (v6-7)
There are at least four key points here about love and how it can/should be expressed:
– Love is a seal. Love is meant to be permanent, in whatever form it takes. Loving our neighbor? Loving a spouse? Loving a child? Loving our God? Love is not only permanent, it’s observable from the outside (a passerby should be able to tell that someone loves their parents, neighbor, children, spouse, etc.).
– Love and jealousy are as strong as death. In the context, this is the good kind of jealousy that doesn’t allow anything to come between us and those we love, protecting that relationship. For example, we should guard our love for Jesus and not allow anything to draw us away from Him. Just as death is inescapable, love should also be powerful and unbreakable.
– Love is a fire. Yes, this could refer to passion, but fire is also symbolic of that which consumes. Love can overcome and consume many stumbling blocks and obstacles (eg. past sins and offenses). It can destroy mistrust and envelop fear. Love overcomes. If mishandled, love can also destroy a person (eg. Samson). Like fire, love can be a powerful tool or destructive force.
– Love cannot be bought. A popular musical group once said “money can’t buy me love”, and they were correct (they were quite wealthy and would know). Love must be voluntarily given from one person to another, or from us to God – it cannot be stolen, coerced, bribed, forced, synthesized, purchased, an entitlement, etc. For love to be genuine it must be given freely and generously, just as God and Jesus willingly love us (and we certainly don’t deserve it).
I encourage us to measure our expressions of love against scripture. Are we loving others in the ways that God loves us? Is our love permanent, powerful, overcoming, and given freely? Or has culture influenced our love and watered it down to phrases like “I love cheese”? Though I do really enjoy cheese, “love” is a much deeper word. Let’s look at love through scripture this holiday season and contemplate the love Jesus exhibited by being born humbly as a human child to save us from our own sin.
Father God, Lord of Love and Compassion, You are our Guide and Friend. Thank you for exhibiting such great examples of love through Jesus and Your word. Thank you for gifting us with Your Spirit to help us love others as You love us. Thank you for loving them through us, so Jesus may be visible in our lives. We honor, praise, glorify and obey You, forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training