QT 09/02/2025 Sun. Song of Songs 8. Exciting Serious Enjoyment. 令人兴奋的严肃享受.

QT 09/02/2025 Sun. Song of Songs 8. Exciting Serious Enjoyment.
READ http://www.esvbible.org/song8

Both grandmas on the paternal/maternal sides taught us "huay sio cha" (Teochew for 火烧木柴, i.e., fire burns firewood). This captured the powerful yet dangerous topic of this book, love. Song 8:1–5 referred to the woman's frustration when her culture looked upon public expressons of affection with disdain. On the one hand, she hoped to express her affection and desire for him more outwardly (8:2–3). On the other hand, the text reminds readers of the familiar refrain,

Song of Solomon 8:4
[4] I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases. (ESV)

REFLECTIONS: True love encompasses heightened intensity and longing (avoiding the mundane), yet is orderly with boundaries and rules (avoiding chaos). Don't you agree? What do you think? Discuss.

Song 8:6–7 dealt with the main topic of the book—the power and true nature of love.

Song of Solomon 8:6–7
[6] Set me as a seal upon your heart,
as a seal upon your arm,
for love is strong as death,
jealousy is fierce as the grave.
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
the very flame of the LORD.
[7] Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can floods drown it.
If a man offered for love
all the wealth of his house,
he would be utterly despised. (ESV)

This type of love is strong (8:6), yet invites death if it goes out of hand (8:6).

This type of love (whose synonym is "jealously") required commitment, just as The LORD loved Israel and demanded exclusive commitment to Him. This was "signed, sealed and delivered" at Mount Sinai during their exodus. This love frequently asks for more than your inclinations or instincts. True love might require you to act in a way that is counter to your current human-nature or comfort levels, even counter-culture.

Exclusivity, possessiveness or jealousy are not to be interpreted negatively, as these are set in the context of the expected nature of the relationship of true love between God and His people, and between the loving main characters in the book.

Song 8:8–10 describes the woman's conflict with her brothers on a rather modern topic of whether she is mature enough to enter into this type of relationship which demands much. The book closes with nuances that speak of "intimacy" (8:13) yet "separation" (8:14), poetic yet physically intense (8:14), consummated yet still longing (8:14). Indeed, this loving relationship never ends, always ongoing, always positively hoping for more.

Lastly, true love is not for purchase with money (8:11–12, read with 8:7), not bribed nor coerced, but would in fact be "despised" (8:7) if commercialised or manipulated. Therefore, think thrice and adopt the correct values before jumping into this serious relationship.

QT 09/02/2025 星期日. 雅歌 8. 令人兴奋的严肃享受.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=song8&version=CUVS

祖母/外祖母都教我们 “火烧木柴”。这就抓住了本书强大而危险的主题--爱。雅歌 8：1-5 说的是，当她所处的文化对公开表达爱意的行为嗤之以鼻时，这位妇女感到非常沮丧。一方面，她希望能更公开地表达对他的爱慕和渴望（8：2-3）。另一方面，这段文字又让读者想起了那句耳熟能详的歌词、

《雅歌》8：4 耶路撒冷的众女子啊！我恳求你们，不要惊动他，不要挑起他的爱情，等它自发吧。

反思： 真爱包含强烈的强度和渴望（避免纳闷），但又有条不紊，有界限和规则（避免混乱）。你同意吗？你怎么看？请讨论。

《雅歌》8：6-7 涉及本书的主题--爱的力量和真谛。

雅歌 8:6-7 求你把我放在你心上如印记，把我带在你臂上如戳印；因为爱情像死亡一般的坚强；嫉妒如阴间一般的坚稳；它的烈焰是火的烈焰，是非常猛烈的火焰。7 爱情，众水不能熄灭，洪流不能淹没；如果有人拿自己家里所有的财产去换取爱情，就必被藐视。

这种爱是强烈的（8:6），但如果失去控制，就会招致死亡（8:6）。

这种爱（其同义词是 “嫉妒”）需要承诺，就像耶和华爱以色列人，要求他们对祂做出专一的承诺一样。这是在他们出埃及时在西奈山 “签字、盖章和交付 ”的。这种爱常常要求你超越自己的倾向或本能。真爱可能会要求你以一种与你目前的人性或舒适度相悖，甚至是反文化的方式行事。

排他性、占有欲或嫉妒都不应被消极地解读，因为这些都是上帝与祂的子民之间，以及书中充满爱的主角之间真爱关系的预期性质。

《雅歌》8：8-10 描述了女子与她的兄弟们之间的冲突，这是一个相当现代的话题，即她是否足够成熟，可以进入这种要求很高的关系。这本书的结尾处有一些细微的差别：“亲密”（8:13）却又 “分离”（8:14），诗意却又肉体激烈（8:14），圆满却又渴望（8:14）。事实上，这种爱的关系永远不会结束，永远在继续，永远积极地期待着更多。

最后，真爱是不能用金钱来购买的（8：11-12，与 8：7 一并阅读），不许用贿赂或胁迫得到它，如果被商业化或被操纵，实际上会被 “鄙视”（8：7）。因此，要三思而后行。