6Set me as a seal on your heart,
as a seal on your arm;
for love is strong as death.
Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol.
Its flashes are flashes of fire,
a very flame of Yahweh.
7Many waters can’t quench love,
neither can floods drown it.
If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love,
he would be utterly scorned.
As the Song concludes, it is almost as if these verses provide for us a final reflection on the power of love. As we think back on the Song, we remember the great passion of love that causes both individuals to go out of their way to find the other, even when it is inconvenient and causes harm to the one seeking. Love has inspired people to do some crazy things in the history of our world, for “love is as strong as death.” It is like a fire that cannot be quenched by the rivers flowing over it. Love, like fire, can also bring much pain if it is abused or betrayed.
Love is one of the foundational elements of Christianity; not just any kind of mushy gushy feelings love, but a Jesus kind of love, a love that calls us to put others first in service and asks not what I can get, but how I can give. 1 John tells us that we are able to love because God has loved us first. Jesus tells us over and over in the gospels that all the commandments in the Old Testament hinge on loving God and loving others. Paul claims in 1 Corinthians that without love, our faith, our works, and our accomplishments mean nothing.
Do we often get this whole love thing wrong? All the time! But as we spend time with God in prayer, in worship, and in the works of service to others, God makes us more like Christ; helping us to love the world and ourselves like Jesus loves.
May we be the people of love God has called us to be so that we might be the church of love this world needs us to be.