Song of Solomon 8:6 • The Very Flame of the Lord
Saturday, July 11th, 2009Like 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.”
—Song of Solomon 8:6 (NASB)
We often read the Bible with our preconceived notions of what a word means. In today’s setting, the emotion and working of jealousy is most often portrayed as something negative. Although “anger” may have negative connotations, we all realize there are times when it’s justified and, in the case of “righteous anger”, even called for. But “jealousy” is portrayed as a symptom of immaturity, as a reaction without a sound cause, and often offered as the evidence of an unbalanced personality. These definitions do not fit with the biblical definition of the word, which God repeatedly applies to His own nature. :”(Exodus 20:5)”: :”(Exodus 34:14)”: :”(Deuteronomy 4:24)”: :”(Ezekiel 39:25)”:
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