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Don’t Awaken Love Before its Time
Don’t Awaken Love Before its Time
Three times in the Song of Solomon we find the refrain: “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the hinds of the field, that you do not arouse or awaken love before it pleases.” (SoS 2:7; 3:5; 8:4). Sexual love is a beautiful thing in its proper time. Awaken it too soon and it’s disastrous! Many think, “I’m a sexual being, I have urges and I should satisfy those urges whenever the need strikes!” The Song of Solomon says there’s a proper season for sexual love; that’s marriage (3:11)!
Sex outside of marriage may be pleasurable, but it’s not the proper time! Not only is it sinful, but it can lead to unwanted pregnancies, single mothers abandoned by their boyfriends, sexually transmitted diseases, and extreme emotional turmoil from becoming one flesh with someone who leaves you. Even within marriage, there’s a proper time and place to awaken sexual love. Not every moment is right. Be patient and don’t awaken it before its time. “Love is the flame of the LORD” (8:6) and while it can flash with beautiful passion, it can also burn us if mishandled.
