Lessons from Solomon: A Reflection of Holiness - Acid Test in Progress

As I trail through the magnificent play which is the Song of Songs, I'm struck by the stark differential which God offers us in this Scripture.

Through the bulk of the Holy Scripture, our relationship with God is featured as the ultimate expression of love and intimacy; thence to be copied and reflected into the love and intimacies of this temporal realm. However, in Solomon's Song we find the opposite progression.

As Solomon honestly and boldly recounts his journey of love, passion, and purity in the engagement, wedding, and consummation of his marriage to the Shulamite bride, it is simply put to the test that our lives, in all their love and intimacy, must be a reflection upon the holiness of God, even under the honest microscope of passion.

It is worth noticing that Solomon has not followed the road of Godliness in all his relationships... engaging incredible numbers of wives and concubines. However, in this case, the beauty of holiness is found to feed the fire of passion more than the fire of carnal indulgence ever could. The marriage bed maintained, entertained, and engaged within the context of the holy finds passion at its height of fervor; the flames of desire at their apex of heat.

In this most excellent of songs, Solomon faces the test of holiness; that is the real-time examination of his own story, an honest look in the mirror, a look back upon the race now at its finish line. In it we find the reality of temptation and the blessing of endurance. We find the fires of passion and the blessing of intentional unleash. We find the beautiful revelation that temporal love, passion, and marriage, when done God's way, will be a natural reflection of the very holiness of God.

Oh how simple it becomes to wonder after the purity of love and passion found within the grace of Christ as God restores the relationship of service between Himself and us; and how arduous it so quickly becomes to examine that relationship's real-time impact upon our human intimacies.

Has my life, my marriage, my love and passion in real-time for my bride, naturally reflected the holiness of God?

This is the acid test of the Song of Songs.

If I fail to love Him first and most, then I am destined to fail to love as He loves. If I have failed to love as He loves, as we all most definitely fail, then I must return to Him first and often, else love in this temporal realm must be doomed to painful shortfalls.

The mirror of Godliness is held by the activity of, indeed the reality of marriage.

May the test show forth the reflection of holiness.

John