Love has its place, thank God.
After reading so much about being abused, being maligned, needing a defender, it’s like a breath of fresh air to read about love and marriage.
I’m a pastor, and even in my church, mention of marriage among those of marriageable age, is a breath of fresh air. One last year. Talk of another this year. Not many marry. People are running away from this honourable institution. Many who have married have given up on their pledges. Divorce is easy.
Maybe you’re thinking, there she goes without considering how many bad, abusive marriages were allowed to continue before divorce became in vogue. Well, since it became in vogue and the “till death do us part” got a death sentence, deep familial love was bound to take a cut too.
In the psalm, we see lovers admire each other. Of course, the princesses adored the king in order to claim his favour and in so doing, often made him their lord; and earthly lords are known to forget that they are human, not meant to take first place! So we read:
“10 Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your people and your father’s house, 11 and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him;12 the people of Tyre will seek your favour with gifts, the richest of the people 13 with all kinds of wealth”.
So yes, there was something in it for the daughter who would receive the royal treatment. But then, true love does take risks. The heart feels upbeat when love wells up within it. Hear this: 1 “My heart overflows with a goodly theme…my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.”. The heart fills good and wants to talk about its feel-good season. It wants to say things that build up the person who is the subject of one’s love. 2 “You are the most handsome of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore, God has blessed you forever.”
Is it because we have been so hurt by harmful words that we limit io=our usage of the helpful ones that build up? Flattery can be good at times. There are those who only believe in their strengths after they’ve been told about it several times. Low self-esteem is not uncommon. In fact, lack of hearing words that build up play a part in this.
So go right ahead and speak of love and speak in love.
A psalm built on love. That’s refreshing!