“Jesus Speaks about Sex” http://www.faithchurchindy.org/sermons/ was my sermon last Sunday at Faith Church in Indianapolis. Predictably, the topic brought significantly more than the usual response; personal comments, emails, and the gobbling up of CDs to send to others who “need to hear this message.” I agree that many “need to hear” and hope that those who have the opportunity will welcome God’s truth as spoken by Jesus.
On the day that we looked at Jesus’ teaching about sex, we also started eight days of reading in Old Testament Discovery from Song of Songs, sometimes called the Song of Solomon, a poetic and highly descriptive book about sexual desire and love.
It has been debated for hundreds of years whether this is a book about human sexual love or an allegory about God and Israel or prophetic of Christ and the Church. My view is that this is a foolish argument. Both Israel as the wife of God (Hosea) and the Church as the Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5 and Revelation 21) are thematically strong throughout the Bible. It would be expected to see the implications of that in Song of Songs, but the primary meaning of the Song is clearly human sexual love, anticipated and then experienced in marriage.
Three times in the Song of Songs, there is the same warning, I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, … that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases. (2:7; 3:5; 8:4 ESV) This affirms that restraint be exercised in regard to passion and desire until it can be expressed within the covenant of marriage where sexual love is to be joyfully celebrated under the divine blessing.
Tom Macy 