"Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away. If one were to give all the wealth of one’s house for love, it would be utterly scorned."
{Song of Songs 8:6,7} (NIV)
These two verses in the biblical book of romantic love express both the mysteries and the power of love. You can’t buy love, our popular culture knows this and sings about it, and yet each of us desire to be loved. This causes the beloved one to plead with the Lover to decide to truly love her. She wants him to write her on his heart and to write her on his arm. Popular culture does this with tattoos, yet they can only be symbols, for true love is more than skin deep.
True love also contains jealousy, not envy, but jealousy. We are envious when we desire something or someone who belongs to another. But true jealousy is our desire to be the only object of the love of the one who belongs to us. True love contains jealousy, and jealousy proves the existence of true love. This is the love that the beloved wants. She wants this Lover to love her with a true love that burns bright, that contains jealousy, for she knows that this kind of love means her Lover will fight for her (Prov 6:34), and she knows this type of love lasts forever.
Friend, our God’s name is Jealous! He loves us with an everlasting love; a love that burns in flame, a love that desires all of our love. May we be encouraged as we reflect on the awesome truth, that our God has placed us on his arm and His heart, and that His love is stronger than death, for nothing can stand in the way of His Jealousy!
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