Dear Church Family,
I saw this cartoon in a magazine the other day. It shows a man sitting in an office cubicle with a beard of stinging insects. Perched around him are a variety of flying creatures. His boss approaches and says: “Roger, I think it’s time we had a little talk about the birds and the bees.”
That’s the attitude the writer of Proverbs had. He knew it was time to talk about sex — a theme that dominates the first third of the book (chapters 2, 5, 6, 7 and 9).
Parents, here’s a “Listener Advisory Alert.” This message might not be appropriate for elementary children. But it is appropriate (and necessary) for teenagers.
Here’s a lovely and subtle verse:
Genesis 2:22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.
Notice that at the beginning of sex, God was present and approving. In fact, he was the prime mover, the originator of this mysterious power. What can we learn from the fact of the divine presence at the first act of lovemaking?
Number 1: You don’t have to be ashamed of sex, because God was there.
He inaugurated the first sexual union in the context of a unique relationship that he solemnized.
Number 2: You don’t need to be ignorant of sex (and you shouldn’t be), because God was there.
He has wisdom in the Scriptures that can help us enjoy the songs of love while avoiding the stings of lust.
Number 3: You don’t need to worship sex (and you mustn’t do so), because God was there.
God — and no human experience — is the source of wonder and fulfillment. His face. His presence. David Brainerd, the outstanding 18th century missionary to the Delaware Indians, wrote the following in his journal: “One hour with God infinitely exceeds all the pleasures and delights of this lower world.”
Let’s consider these thoughts over the next twenty-four hours before we converge at the corner of Homestead and North Stelling to “worship the Lord” (Ps. 102:22) and “love one another” ( 1 John 4:7).
Because of his grace,
Darren