30 August – 5 September 2015.

Song of Songs 7:1–9 (click to read).

In today’s love song, a boy sings to the girl he loves, offering a detailed description of her beautiful body.

People often joke that girls love with their ears while boys love with their eyes. So the boy describes the beauty of her naked body, the excitement he has for the way she looks; and he speaks his appreciation back to the girl so she can hear just how beautiful he finds her.

As love matures and grows stronger, it goes beyond simple appearances – we love others for who they are, for their character, not just for their looks. Indeed true beauty only ever comes from within. But that doesn’t mean we don’t care what people think about our looks. We all want to be appreciated for who we are, but we all like to hear that our husbands or wives, boyfriends or girlfriends find us attractive too!

Sadly we often forget this, and forget to tell those we love. This is especially true of couples who have been together for many years. We forget to tell our wives how beautiful they are, or to tell our husbands how attractive we find them. That’s not a good way to build a relationship or to build self-esteem in our partners.

In Jewish tradition, the Sabbath was not just a time for rest, it was also a time for intimate love between partners. Intimacy and a physical touch bind us together. But the words we say to each other are just as important for creating that special bond of love. And for this there is no need to wait for the Sabbath!

This week, try to find opportunities every day to tell your partner just how beautiful or handsome they are. Let them know how much you appreciate being close to them. And as an extra challenge for husbands: Try using today’s text as a guideline or example to write your own poem, your own description of your wife’s beauty. She might think you are a bit strange – but she will love it nonetheless!

So take this week to enjoy being with the person you love, and don’t forget to share that love in words with each other.

Pastor Stephen Lakkis