My New Favorite Commands
Proverbs 5:15-19 NKJV:
15 Drink water from your own cistern, And running water from your own well. 16 Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? 17 Let them be only your own, And not for strangers with you. 18 Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth. 19 As a loving deer and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; And always be enraptured with her love.
I'm not sure if we're technically supposed to have favorite commands from God's Word. One time I recall hearing Dr. Al Mohler, the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, make a statement to the effect that all truth in Scripture is God's truth and that we should strive as Christians to worship God equally for all the truth that God has chosen to reveal.
Nevertheless...
"To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:" (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV)
And in this season of my life immediately following my wedding I am taking particular joy in the verses stated above.
In some of the most incredibly gracious commands of the Bible, these verses command husbands to rejoice, to be satisfied, and to be exhilarated [NASB] all in reference to their sexual relationship with their wives. The original Hebrew word for being satisfied is taken from the idea of being saturated with water and continues the imagery from the beginning of the passage. The original word for being exhilarated is taken from the word for being drunk.
As with all other biblical commands, the commands presented here reflect the character of Christ. As I am commanded in this passage to be singularly faithful to Abby, jealously guarding our sexual relationship from adultery, Christ is faithful to His Church and guards Her jealously. As I am commanded to rejoice, be satisfied, and be exhilarated in Abby’s love, Christ takes immeasurable delight in His saints. Hallelujah!
Finally, I would like to devote the last portion of this post to share the following prayer that Abby recorded while meditating on the verses above [she did not know that I would post this when she wrote it, though she said she does not mind if I do]:
Father, Your ways are perfect. Your ways enable us to live lives that glorify You and most satisfy us. You are so generous. Jehovah Jireh, You provide for our every need. Remind us that You are trustworthy when we want to stray from Your paths. Help me to help Andrew stay satisfied, exhilarated with me. Make me a creative lover. Make us both creative and also submissive, desiring to fulfill each other’s needs. Make us patient and understanding with each other, also fulfilling emotional and mental needs. Protect us from other relationships that may one day threaten our marriage. Help us see the way out when and if they come. Give us strength to take the way out. Keep us both humble so that we are always wanting to improve and never proud so that we can’t admit we need improvement. Show us how to encourage each other. Thank You, thank You, thank You for my husband. You have truly gone beyond all I could ask or imagine. I love You. Give me more love for You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
15 Drink water from your own cistern, And running water from your own well. 16 Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? 17 Let them be only your own, And not for strangers with you. 18 Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth. 19 As a loving deer and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; And always be enraptured with her love.
I'm not sure if we're technically supposed to have favorite commands from God's Word. One time I recall hearing Dr. Al Mohler, the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, make a statement to the effect that all truth in Scripture is God's truth and that we should strive as Christians to worship God equally for all the truth that God has chosen to reveal.
Nevertheless...
"To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:" (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV)
And in this season of my life immediately following my wedding I am taking particular joy in the verses stated above.
In some of the most incredibly gracious commands of the Bible, these verses command husbands to rejoice, to be satisfied, and to be exhilarated [NASB] all in reference to their sexual relationship with their wives. The original Hebrew word for being satisfied is taken from the idea of being saturated with water and continues the imagery from the beginning of the passage. The original word for being exhilarated is taken from the word for being drunk.
As with all other biblical commands, the commands presented here reflect the character of Christ. As I am commanded in this passage to be singularly faithful to Abby, jealously guarding our sexual relationship from adultery, Christ is faithful to His Church and guards Her jealously. As I am commanded to rejoice, be satisfied, and be exhilarated in Abby’s love, Christ takes immeasurable delight in His saints. Hallelujah!
Finally, I would like to devote the last portion of this post to share the following prayer that Abby recorded while meditating on the verses above [she did not know that I would post this when she wrote it, though she said she does not mind if I do]:
Father, Your ways are perfect. Your ways enable us to live lives that glorify You and most satisfy us. You are so generous. Jehovah Jireh, You provide for our every need. Remind us that You are trustworthy when we want to stray from Your paths. Help me to help Andrew stay satisfied, exhilarated with me. Make me a creative lover. Make us both creative and also submissive, desiring to fulfill each other’s needs. Make us patient and understanding with each other, also fulfilling emotional and mental needs. Protect us from other relationships that may one day threaten our marriage. Help us see the way out when and if they come. Give us strength to take the way out. Keep us both humble so that we are always wanting to improve and never proud so that we can’t admit we need improvement. Show us how to encourage each other. Thank You, thank You, thank You for my husband. You have truly gone beyond all I could ask or imagine. I love You. Give me more love for You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
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posted by Andrew Lindsey | 12:34 AM
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