Dear Saints,
LOVE
Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy[a] unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame (Song of Solomon 8:6 NIV).
Valentines Day is just around the corner; and as such, many people would use the occasion to demonstrate in tangible ways how much they love their loved ones. As part of my view on love, I wrote the following in my book, Understanding Love: Biblical & Cultural Perspectives; “Love seems to be a mystical concept that captures our imagination and energizes us to explore and challenge ourselves”.[i] This means our expression of love is not only limited to sexual relationship between a man and a woman. Our love for a city, a country, a job, sports, food or nature are all embedded in how we human beings express love.
From the passage above, King Solomon is reminding us of the power of love between a man and a woman; where the woman tells her lover;
Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy[a] unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame (Song of Solomon 8:6 NIV).
In the Ancient Near East, it was culturally appropriate for a bride to ask her man to make a symbol of her image (picture) on his arm or breast. This symbol depicts two important things. First, it serves as a reminder to the man that, he has somebody in his life anytime he sees the seal / symbol of his wife on his arm or breast. Secondly, the symbol wards off other “predators” i.e. unmarried women who would want to make unwanted advances to this married man. This goes a long way to curtail his wife’s jealousy.
This simple act of seal, emblem or symbol of a woman (wife or lover) placed on the arm or breast of her lover was one of the ways people in olden days protected their marriages and love relationships. In our world today, the seal in a marriage could be the wedding band on a finger of a married person. It could also be an image of an individual’s loved one on his or her body; or maybe the picture of one’s lover inserted in the pendant of a chain or necklace one is wearing.
No matter what we do to outwardly remind ourselves, and also to show the extent of the love we have for the person we’re sharing our life with, if we’re not sincere and committed to that individual, the outward seals or symbols we wear are just a sham. In my view, successful marriage needs to stand on the following principles:- love, empathy, patience, caring, protection, understanding and communication. All this calls for hard work; as both partners need to always look out for the interest of the other; and make it their aim to please each other at all times.
During this valentines month, and the rest of our married lives, let us remind ourselves of the following advice the Apostle Paul gave to the Ephesians’ Christians;
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing[a] her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”[b] 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband (Ephesians 5:22-33 NIV).
On behalf of my wife, staff, leadership and members of Disciples Revival Church, I wish you all A HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!
[i][i] Mantey, Charles B. 2017. Understanding Love: Biblical & Cultural Perspectives. Toronto, Canada. Shidaanikei Publishing P. vii.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
My two new books titled: 1) Christianity As A Way of Life: Reflections on the Epistle of James. And
2) Jesus And The Seven Churches of Revelation.
were launched on Sunday November 24th 2019; and it was a huge success. Thank you for your prayers. These books will help you as study materials for your personal spiritual growth, small group, Sunday School or the whole congregation.
To purchase copies, or any of my books, go to www.charlesmantey.com or email me at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or www.shidaanikei.com
My other books titled: Understanding Love: Biblical & Cultural Perspectives, and African Spirituality: Did Africans Know God Before the Arrival of the Missionaries could be purchased from Amazon.com ; www.charlesmantey.com, email me at: cbmantey.com or www.shidaanikei.com.
We will be grateful if you are able to support us financially to continue spreading the gospel in Africa and other parts of the world. You may send your donations by E-Transfer or through our website at www.disciplesrevivalchurhch.org and click on the donation page.
Do check us out on social media for more study materials. Like us on Facebook at disciplesrevivalchurchtoronto or Twitter: @disciplesrevive find us on YouTube as well.
Rev. Dr. & Rev. (Mrs.) Charles & Faustina Mantey
Senior Pastors
Disciples Revival Church
30 Gordon Mackay Road
Toronto, Ontario M9N 2V6. Canada
416-614-7771
www.disciplesrevivalchurch.org
iThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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