That’s a powerful phrase isn’t it?

In the context of the Songs of Songs, it refers primarily to the strength of the love between the man and the women that the whole book speaks about. At that level it still remains a beautiful and rousing statement between two very committed people.

That level of commitment between two people is becoming rarer today. Our culture is racing towards an idea of normality in relationships that makes anything much longer than a one-night stand a ‘long-term relationship’.
Numbers of people getting married continue to fall, and the divorce rate for those who do marry is close to 50%. “Love” is constantly mistaken for sex – and vice versa. ‘Love strong as death’ doesn’t seem to have a place.

But that phrase in chapter 8 of Song of Songs has an even more powerful ring to it, as it looks forward to another person whose love for you and me was indeed stronger than death.
It’s a good job that Jesus didn’t shrink from the commitment he showed to us on the cross. It’s a good job that his idea of love wasn’t confused with something else far less noble.

It’s good to spend some time in the Song of Songs as we start a series of talks at FNC called “Matters Of The Heart”
In this series, the goal is to understand some of the biblical principles that should guide us these areas of life:

• Being single
• Going out
• Being married
• Divorce and remarriage

This should be a confronting but somehow comforting series. Confronting because as in most areas of life, the Bible demands very different standards to the world around us.
Comforting because it’s good to understand how God wants us to live our lives as a community of saved, transformed people!
This will be a great opportunity to work at sharing and encouraging each as we explore some pretty touchy parts of our lives…

There will be some comments and questions posted here around each talk – it would be great to see lots of you sharing your responses and further questions here…

In the meantime, read through Song of Songs, and thank God for his love stronger than death shown to us in His Son’s death and resurrection.