Discover His heart: He longs to seal us with His forever kind of love
The popularity of tattoos over the past decade by young and old alike has surprised me. For someone who struggled over the thought of putting holes in her earlobes, I am stymied by the notion of permanently marking the body, intentionally. Today’s tattoos are sometimes worn just because they are trendy and popular, but many depict commitment to a variety of things – loyalty to movements and ideals, likes and dislikes, people, places and things – a seal of loyalty, if you will, that will last forever.
Years ago a soldier going off to war would tattoo the name of his sweetheart on his arm to express his commitment to her while he was gone. I’ve always wondered how the woman he eventually married felt about him bearing the name of an old flame. I, for one, would not care much for it, but for the young soldier and his girl, it was almost a sign of ownership – she was his girl! At the end of the beautiful love story of Song of Solomon, the Young Man was asked to wear his lovely Young Woman as a tattoo of sorts, a seal of ownership and commitment.
@ Song of Solomon 8
“Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, its jealousy as enduring as the grave. Love flashes like fire, the brightest kind of flame. Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it.” (6-7) The love of the Young Woman for the Young Man was a forever kind of love that would never be removed, sealed forever by the affection of his heart and by the protection of his arm. In her committed heart, their love was as permanent as death, with a bright unique cable flame from its fire. Wow! I’d say a tattoo may be in order here.
This kind of committed love could not exist in our world without God because God is love. It began in Him, flows out from Him and is complete in Him. He ordained the love found in Song of Solomon between a husband and a wife. The depths, the intensity and the eternal commitment of the young couple were His idea, His plan for us.
God desires for us to be forever sealed to Him with a commitment even greater than that of this couple, love deeper than they felt and a fire brighter than they could ever know. Just as the young couple yearned for one another, He calls us to search for Him, call to Him and surrender to Him, and place ourselves like a seal over His heart. We are His forever.
Moving Forward: His Word inspires and challenges me today on many levels. That I remain forever sealed to him and to Him is my desire.
Tomorrow @ Revelation 18-22
Phyllis Benigas 