“Love is strong as death” (8:6). How many widows and widowers can bear witness to this? For so many people, “Til death us do part” is only true physically, as the bonds of affection linger long after their spouse has died.

And this sort of love is just as strong in life. “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it” (8:7). No, the fire of mutual desire that we see in all the verses of the Song of Solomon burns consistently in any healthy marriage. True love overcomes the self-doubt that convinces us we are unworthy of being loved (1:5-7). True love endures, in spite of any misunderstandings that come between husband and wife (5:2-6).

Yes, true love places the beloved as one’s top priority, ahead of any material things (8:7). And because of this, the love and husbands and wives have for each other is rightfully jealous, desiring no one else to come between them. And this fierce, exclusive, mutual desire cannot be quenched, even by the grave (8:6).

Isn’t it amazing that Jesus would choose to use the love of a husband for his wife as a model of His own love for the Church? When He gave John a Revelation of the end of time, He described the relationship between Christ and His people this way: “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:2-4).

Every marriage thus has the potential to show to the world the same kind of unconditional, self-sacrificial, steadfast love that Christ has for His people. Who can doubt that the world needs to see a lot more of that kind of love today?

Song of Solomon 8:6-7 (NASB)

6 “Put me like a seal over your heart, Like a seal on your arm. For love is as strong as death, Jealousy is as severe as Sheol; Its flashes are flashes of fire, The very flame of the LORD.
7 “Many waters cannot quench love, Nor will rivers overflow it; If a man were to give all the riches of his house for love, It would be utterly despised.”