Song of Solomon 8:6: “Set me as a seal upon your heart, / As a seal upon your arm; / For love is as strong as death, / Jealousy as cruel as the grave; / Its flames are flames of fire, / A most vehement flame.”

July 25th, 2024 by Pastor Ed in devotional

The bride says she wants to be the most valued thing in her bridegroom’s life, and she wants Him to be jealous over her, in the proper sense of jealousy. The word for seal usually refers to an engraved stone, typically a signet ring (which was extremely valuable because it represented the owner’s signature) that was pressed into soft wax, and served to authenticate a document. Here it is used symbolically for a person who is highly prized. The bride was asking the king that he treasure, cherish, and regard her as a prized signet ring.

Our human souls are of great value to God, and when we realize that, we feel secure. The Apostle Paul said:

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8:38)

Many years ago the evangelist D. L. Moody asked a man to give his testimony to a large crowd. The man humbly gave a testimony about God’s sovereign call in his life, and how God had done all the work. He emphasized that God had pursued him; God had called him; and God had brought him into His family. It was a glowing testimony of God’s salvation in his life and how it was all God’s work. After he stepped down, one doctrinally-oriented person came to him rather concerned and said, “Brother, you have shared a wonderful testimony, but you forgot to tell about man’s responsibility, your action, and how you were involved in responding to the call of Christ.” The man smiled and answered, “Oh. I’m sorry; my part was running away and God’s part was running after me.”

“LORD, thank You that You did come to seek and to save those who are lost.”