Sabbath: Love Stories
Read for This Week’s Study: Gen. 2:21–25, Exod. 20:5, Isa. 43:4, 62:5, Song of Songs, John 2:1–11.
Memory Text:
“The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying: ‘Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you’ ” (Jeremiah 31:3, NKJV).
Key Thought: How are we to understand the loving side of God?
Love is, perhaps, the most readily recalled attribute of God. And, indeed, we cannot overestimate God’s love, nor exhaust the depth of it. But perhaps there is one aspect of His deep love that is not duly regarded; that is, God as a romantic.To get a proper perspective on God’s romantic nature, we need to remind ourselves, first of all, of the time frame exhibited in the Bible. This book covers thousands of years of human history, from the first day of this world down to its last, at least before it’s remade. And like all history books, the Bible as a whole contains records of kings and queens, wars and battle plans, and political intrigue.
No history book, though, records everything that happened. The same is true of Scripture. One does not find an exhaustive historical record in the broad scope of time that the Bible covers. A lot of things are, of course, skipped over. Most interestingly, though, is that God includes tender romances within the historical record He inspired the prophets to write. The question is, Why would the Lord include these kinds of love stories, stories of romance, in what is so much a history book? Does that tell us something about His own nature and how importantly He views romance? This week we’ll look at why these accounts are included and what we can learn from them.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, March 24.
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I would like to know more of God's romance.
From what I know of the Bible it is no more a history book than it is a science book. It is a book of theology, a study of God and the relationship He has to what He has created.
The romance we find in the Bible is not the same as we find in romance novels. It is a romance that establishes a deep, lasting, resilient relationship that was willing to be abused and hated and finally nailed to a cross to die one of the most cruel, horrible deaths imaginable. That's the kind of love we are talking about. As Paul would describe it, "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" (1 Cor 13:4-7 NKJV).
It's a love that reaches out first in the midst of rejection and stays there until there is no possibility of a response. A love that is with His creation even in death and is heart broken when those who reject Him must die eternally in order to protect those who have responded to His pleading.
That is why the controversy is so hard on Him, because it destroys what He so carefully made to last an eternity.
Things that are seen don't last forever, but things that are not seen are eternal. That's why we keep our minds on the things that cannot be seen. 2 Corinthians 4:17 CEV
Perhaps this is why God includes romance, Love.
Tyler, Thank you so much for your comments! They resounded deep in my soul. That romantic love that our marriages are to be. What a blessing when such a one has been tried and found to be true!
Nothing is to be more intimate than a husband and wife except, perhaps a person's relationship with God. Because without the latter all is jealousy. Blessed are those who are called to the romance, rather, marriage supper of the lamb! God has dwindled into a noble, passionate lover - a healthy relationship.
To all christians, please read the book of song of songs to understand God/Christ's romance and love to man. An example to man, wife and children in a family.
In the book of John we are told God is love, and out of that love he was prompted to give his only begotten son to die for us (Love that sacrifices as we may describe as humans). When you love you give and don't take away, such is what God did. Back to creation God after creating Adam and Eve he gives the first gentlemen words of praise for the first lady ever to exist; the atmosphere which is never to leave out of our homes that is the spirit of appreciating one another. We also believe God inspired the writing of the bible now, and he included stories of romance in Songs of Solomon, such is a God we serve A GOD OF ROMANCE, This love is also best described as the act of kindness to neighbors, friends, relatives, and all those people living in sin they must be told of this love thru actions of individuals and our adventist families and of our churches.
It is also His love that made Him to die for us on the cross, we must always remember that it is His nature to love, so He died for us by choice, just imagine. I'm sure in this world there is no one who can choose to die for your sins but Jesus did that, He really deserves all the praises..