"Let your fountain be blessed,
and rejoice in the wife of your youth"
Proverbs 5:18
We don't usually use the words "erotic" and "Bible" in the same sentence, but when it comes to Proverbs 5, we should. Here's why: God gave sex to be enjoyed within the marriage covenant.
15 Drink water from your own cistern,
flowing water from your own well.
16 Should your springs be scattered abroad,
streams of water in the streets?
17 Let them be for yourself alone,
and not for strangers with you.
18 Let your fountain be blessed,
and rejoice in the wife of your youth,
19 a lovely deer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;
be intoxicated always in her love.
Proverbs 5:15-19 ESV
What I'm sharing comes from hours of study and lessons learned from biblical scholars conversant in the original language. These are not the things we often talk about, but if we don't we'll forget how good our God is and where great sex originates. So consider the following:
- Let your fountain be blessed: Solomon is asking God's blessing on the couples sexual gratification in marriage.
- Rejoice in the wife of your youth: The picture is of a man beside himself in effervescent joy over their physical union. He's smitten!
- A lovely deer, a graceful doe: The deer was used as a metaphor for a beautiful woman due to their delicate limbs, beautiful hair, and spirited black eyes.
- Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight: This is a highly erotic picture, the word "breasts" is only used in Ezekiel 23:3, 8, 21 (click the verse to check it out), and the man being so drenched with delight that he is saturated.
- Be intoxicated always in her love: Their physical love is so ravishing that he is staggering with satisfaction.
Yes, God gave the gift of sex. He intends for it to be deliciously enjoyed between a man and woman within the marriage covenant. Scholars Keil & Delitzsch commenting on verse 19, say:
He speaks here of a morally permissible love-ecstasy ... of an intensity of love connected with the feeling of superabundant happiness....To be wholly captivated by her, so that one is no longer in his own power, can no longer restrain himself--the usual word for the intoxication of love and of wine.[1]
Far from the cosmic killjoy, God is the great giver of satisfaction in every aspect of our lives--including the sexual relationship between a man and a woman in marriage for life.
That's reason for praise to God . . . and some holy intoxication!
Think about it: If you are married, ask your spouse this question: What one thing would help us better enjoy the sexual freedom and satisfaction that God intended for our marriage?
Pass it on: I'm aware that this week's series of devotionals may leave some as frustrated as it leaves others satisfied. Part of what we owe each other in the body of Christ is "seeking the good of others" (1 Corinthians 10:24). Who do you know who would benefit from today's word? Use the social share buttons on the left to pass it on to others.
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Notes:
[1] It is extremely interesting to me that these words come from Biblical Hebrew scholars Keil & Delitzsch, who wrote their commentary in 1869-1872. Page 94.
This post grew out of this Sunday's Message from Proverbs, Stay Sexually Pure. Click here for the video and then scroll to minute 40 to begin the talk.
Don't Ask The Fish? That's a funny name. Where did it come from? Click here to find out more.