The Price of Love
Sunday, September 18 th
“The Price of Love”
Song of Solomon 8:6-7
This book is one that I have—to my recollection, never preached.
Eric Miller covered for me on several Sundays, and on one I remember he feigned that he was going to preach from a passage from Song of Solomon and then quickly retracted that with humor.
This book is the 22nd book of the Bible. It contains 8 chapters., 117 verses, 2661 words, 13 questions, 14 commands, no prophecy, no promise, and no distinct message from God.
OK, let’s close in prayer, haha.
This is the third writing of King Solomon, the others being proverbs and Ecclesiastes.
The Crux This is considered to be a poem.
Well, King Solomon was visiting the northern part of the Kingdom. In the area of Shunem, he found a shepherdess who had to have been quite beautiful, and solemn, and was so captivated he took her to Jerusalem, hoping to win her affections and become his queen of Queens.
But there was a problem. She was already promised a shepherd from her home area. She spurned the temps of Solomon, and she proved herself faithful to whom she truly loved the shepherd. The girl or woman was called Shulamite.
This book is much of her thoughts and her unwavering love to whom she was pledged.
This Shulamite was the 3000-year predecessor of the Beatles’ “Song of Money Can’t Buy You Love.”
Solomon’s Riches couldn’t buy her love, He ultimately relented, and she married her shepherd, whom she so much loved.
In today’s text there are five simple points:
They pledged to seal the hearts of one another only.
To not let jealousy cause enmity and discord.
Fire of their love could not be extinguished.
That a flood of water couldn’t drown their love.
Love cannot be bought.
The Shulamite’s love could not be bought. It was not for sale.
The wisest, richest, most powerful man in the world cannot break her love for her shepherd.
She must have been a person of deep conviction, a person of strong personal fortitude.
I would have to believe that her love. The shepherd likely was heartbroken when his king took away his love and future bride.
How could he possibly even compare in every sense of the word? Wisdom, power, influence, fame, finest clothes, the very best of cuisine, riches beyond his or anyone’s imagination.
What King Solomon wanted; King Solomon got.
All the shepherd could hope for was that his love’s heart would be seared and sealed with his
name upon it.
That. His jealousy would be unwarranted. That fire could not destroy it, that many waters could ever quench it, nor could any flood ever drown it. What could material things have in the world? Could the glitz and glitter of the silver and
gold in the precious gems of the king’s treasury outshine the love of the shepherdess and the shepherd?
What price would the king pay?
Would the Shulamite choose riches and glory?
Would the shepherd lose the love of his life?
There was no price Solomon could have offered to buy the woman love.
She proved that she was not a gold digger in her love, and could not be so easily swayed.
And the shepherd, against all odds in the eyes of the world, one over the rich and powerful king.
What was the price of the real eros love?
It had no price in the end.
We are familiar with different types of love and the lives that we live.
The four most used are:
Agape - This is the highest form of love. It is the incomparable, unmeasurable, no strings attached love of God for humanity. It is unconditional, sacrificial, and perfect love. The price of agape love was paid by Jesus Christ on Calvary’s Cross to cover our sins and inherit eternal life. (John 3:16).
Eros Love is the romantic type of love that a man and a woman yearn for one another it says “I want you”. The price of Eros Love is also sacrificial I'd like a copy. It can be conditional too. (Song of Solomon 1; 2 “Let him kiss me with. The kisses of his mouth.” But yet it can be bought for a heart that is not seared for another can be swayed by the nuisance of this world.
Storage love - This is the natural love that we have for other men's family members.
This is or should be, a natural feeling for one another, It is not a copy. It is not Eros, it is the heart of our parents, grandparents, sons, daughters, grandchildren, etc. It can be conditional. Like if you do this or that, I’ll love you. Or the opposite, if you don’t do this or that, I will love you it also can be conditional. It can also be bought in many different ways.
Phileo Love - This is referred to as brotherly love. The love for other humans. Friends, acquaintances, even strangers. This type of love is wanting the best for one another, standing up for the week, speaking up for those that cannot speak for themselves, helping, as James wrote, the widows and orphans, etc. It can be conditional. It can be bought by many. The price for Philo Love can be given or given up.
Satan wants to buy our love.