God’s Word and Sex
Drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well. Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer—may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love.
Proverbs 5:15-19
The Bible often uses water as a powerful and fitting metaphor for cleansing, healing and rejuvenating. It contains beautiful images such as “streams in the desert,” “water of life” and “beside the still waters.”
What a tremendous portrayal of the dynamic nature of lovemaking to compare it to a cistern, a well, a stream and a fountain of water. It imitates a cool, refreshing drink from your own safe supply.
In one way, your sex life will resemble a cistern in which you will store many amorous memories and a sexy repertoire of arousing activities.
You will be able to dip into it again and again in your fantasy life and lovemaking for excitement and fun. In another way, making love is like a stream or spring of water.
Sex in marriage has an ever-changing, renewing quality to it. As the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus gazed into the river and realized life was a dynamic process that never stayed the same, so you can anticipate infinite variety and newness in making love.
A routine sex life is not God’s design. You can make love four times a week for the next 50 years and still never plumb the surprising depths of this mysterious sexual “stream” of becoming one flesh.
The words “rejoice,” “satisfy” and “captivated” in the Proverbs passage are positive expressions. Pleasure and fun are an intended part of making love.
It is important for spouses to enjoy playing together. You can rejoice with the mate of your youth.
Your creativity, imagination and love can allow you to remain ever enthralled sexually with the lover of your youth.
You can be ever satisfied and captivated for the life of your marriage.
Don’t let your sexual relationship become routine or stagnant. Be creative.
Sex is an erotic celebration! Eros, the Greek word for sexual love, includes the ideas of fusion, passion, attraction and bonding. Erotic love is becoming lost in someone’s eyes.
Erotic love is mental imagery, anticipation, playfulness, ambiance and lovers physically enjoying each other.
The Song of Solomon contains many beautiful images of erotic love:
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—For your love is better than wine (1:2, NKJV).
My lover is mine and I am his; he browses among the lilies (2:16).
Your two breasts are like two fawns, . . . Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with choice fruits, . . . You are a garden fountain, a well of flowing water . . . Let my lover come into his garden and taste its choice fruits (4:5,13,15,16).
I have become . . . like one bringing contentment. But my own vineyard is mine to give (8:10,12).
You may want to read the Song of Solomon out loud to one another on your honeymoon. On second thought, read it frequently during the year. It will help you celebrate God’s gift.
H. Norman Wright
H. Norman Wright is a licensed Family Counselor and child therapist and has taught in the Grad. Department of Biola University. He is the author of more than seventy books
