Back to: The Banquet (Wisdom Devotional)
Purity Definition
The condition or quality of being pure; freedom from anything that debases, contaminates, pollutes (Clean, unblemished)
Important Facts About Sex
- Sex is good. God created it, God called it “good,” and it existed before there was any sin in the world.
- Sex was not created by Satan, Playboy, the Internet, or some pervert lurking in the shadows of a porn shop. However, God requires us to address sex within his intentions and requirements, not the world’s (Ephesians 5:3-4).
- God designed sex for the sacred union of marriage between a man and a woman and reserves it for that union.
- Like all good gifts from God, sex can be misused and perverted.
- Water is a gift of God, without which we couldn’t survive. But floods and tidal waves are water out of control, and the effects are devastating. Likewise, God designed sex to exist within certain boundaries. When exercised in line with God’s intended purpose, it is beautiful and constructive. When out of control, violating God’s intended purpose, it becomes ugly and destructive.
Myths Vs Truth About Sex
Myth or Truth?
Truth. God created Man and wife with the result of procreation –that can only be accomplished through sexual relation.
God also chose this form of intimacy to bond man and women and make them one (He chose this one)
Genesis 2;24 ‘ That is why man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife and they become one flesh’ Male and female Hebrew words mean piercer & pierced.
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Myth. Stating that sexual purity is one of the most important ways we can measure our faith.
This is not true because it leads to shame and judgment and a God of love will never want to lead you away from Him because of shame.
Romans 12:3 I say to everyone not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
Myth. Any relations requires daily work, even our relationship with Jesus. One thing does not guarantee success because we are all flawed and require constant growth and maturity.
Waiting is a benefit to strong commitment and establishes discipline and trust (You can only imprint sexually on a few occasions)
Ephesians 2: 8-9 We are saved by Grace not efforts or works.
Myth. There is no story too tragic for God. He restores and redeems anyone. That’s why Jesus dies for us.
Our bad choices determine our value or ability to live a purposeful life.
Romans 1:17 ’ So in Christ our sins have been forgiven- there is no condemnation. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for from faith it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
The Perfect Biblical Love
Brief Summary
The poetry takes the form of a dialogue between a husband (the king) and his wife (the Shulamite). We can divide the book into three sections: the courtship (1:1 – 3:5); the wedding (3:6 – 5:1); and the maturing marriage (5:2 – 8:14). The song begins before the wedding, as the bride-to-be longs to be with her betrothed, and she looks forward to his intimate caresses. However, she advises letting love develop naturally, in its own time.
The king praises the Shulamite’s beauty, overcoming her feelings of insecurity about her appearance. The Shulamite has a dream in which she loses Solomon and searches throughout the city for him. With the help of the city guards, she finds her beloved and clings to him, taking him to a safe place. Upon waking, she repeats her injunction not to force love. On the wedding night, the husband again praises the beauty of his wife, and in highly symbolic language, the wife invites her spouse to partake of all she has to offer. They make love, and God blesses their union. As the marriage matures, the husband and wife go through a difficult time, symbolized in another dream. In this second dream, the Shulamite rebuffs her husband, and he leaves. Overcome with guilt, she searches the city for him; but this time, instead of helping her, the guards beat her—symbolic of her pained conscience. Things end happily as the lovers reunite and are reconciled. As the song ends, both the husband and wife are confident and secure in their love, they sing of the lasting nature of true love, and they yearn to be in each other’s presence.
Maintaining Sexual Purity
- It’s not impossible. Whether married or single
- People don’t fall into immorality; they slip into it a little by little. ( If you knew the devastating effects you would avoid it, but its deceptive)
Sexual Purity Guidelines
To think we are immune is to deceive ourselves and allow temptation to sneak up on us-
Be on guard.
Preempt how you would deal with a tempting situation before hand so that you are not caught in a comprising situation.
Immorality begins in the mind. Avoid things that will stimulate you sexually if you easily fall into temptation.
It is important to let those around you know where you stand in terms of your sexual purity that there is no confusion or mistakes.
Practical Application
Our world is confused about marriage. The prevalence of divorce and modern attempts to redefine marriage stand in glaring contrast to Solomon’s Song. Marriage, says the biblical poet, is to be celebrated, enjoyed, and revered.
Spiritual Application
Marriage is seen as a symbolic representation of Christ and His church. Christ is seen as the king, while the church is represented by the Shulamite. There are some elements that illustrate the Church and her relationship with her king, the Lord Jesus. Song of Solomon 2:4 describes the experience of every believer who is sought and bought by the Lord Jesus. We are in a place of great spiritual wealth and are covered by His love.
