Making Love Last | Song of Solomon | Week 5

Making Love Last | Song of Solomon | Week 5
Pastor Dave Pretlove
Song of Solomon 7-8

1. Grow in your knowledge of your mate.
   • Song of Solomon 7:1-7 
2. Keep the romance fresh.
   • Song of Solomon 7:8-8:3
3. Consider your generational legacy.
   • Song of Solomon 8:4, 8-10
4. Cultivate a fierce, forever love.
   • Song of Solomon 8:6-7
   • Ephesians 1:13-14
   • 1 Corinthians 13:7-8

Through this series about Song of Solomon, I hope you’ve noticed the theme of garden. Throughout this ancient Israelite love poetry, we see so much imagery of a garden and vineyards. What other time did we have a couple in a garden? Within the first few chapters of Genesis, we’re introduced to Adam and Eve – a couple in love in the garden of Eden, in the ideal image of human love and relationships as they ought to be. 

We also have the image of Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane in all four gospel accounts. The first Adam, enjoying all of creation as it was meant to be, yet choosing sin in the garden. And here Jesus, in a garden, is choosing to become sin for us and take the place we deserve. In order that we might become the righteousness of God and be in full communion with God, just as intended in the garden of Eden.

And in the end, when all is made right, we will live in the New Jerusalem, the ultimate garden city. Because of the work of Jesus, because he chose to become sin for us, we will reign with him in this garden city, cultivating and flourishing with him forever. Dallas Willard says this life is “training for reigning.” Right now, we ought to be learning how to cultivate and flourish in our current space, our current garden. We ought to be tending to our marriages, watering our relationships, handling conflict with care, planting seeds in our home and our culture in alignment with the Holy Spirit – we ought to be bringing in more disciples so that we can forever cultivate and flourish with God.

Gardening and cultivating with you,
Lydia Long

This week, try the spiritual practice of fasting. Choose to abstain from one meal one day this week. Don’t just work through the meal or be on your phone to fill the time. Make the most of this opportunity to pray or spend time in solitude and silence. If fasting from food isn’t an option for you, what other thing could you abstain from for a short time so that you can become more aware of God’s presence?

Grab a couple of friends and spend some time in Ephesians 1. To get an idea of the background of the church in Ephesus, you can read Acts 19:1-20:2. Ask, pray, and journal about these questions:

• Who is speaking? Who is being talked about?
• What is the subject or object? What comes before and after? What are the circumstances? What’s the atmosphere or emotion of the text? What keywords or phrases are being repeated?
• When is this taking place?
• Where is this taking place? 
• Why are they there? Why are these instructions being given?
• How are people responding? How is the recipient expected to respond?