Read: Song of Solomon 4:1-16

You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you. (v. 7)

God loves our bodies. We tend to despise them. We can immediately list our physical faults: hair doesn’t grow where it is supposed to yet grows where it isn’t supposed to, we are too fat, we are too skinny, our legs are too short, our nose is too big, our ears stick out, our lips too thin . . . on and on the list goes. But God loves our bodies.

Unfortunately, the church has a long history of shame about bodies. This isn’t biblical. It was Plato, an ancient Greek philosopher, who called the body the prison house of the soul. The notion of a pure, immortal soul trapped in an evil, decaying body is not a Christian idea. Christianity is a religion of incarnation, of the Word becoming flesh, of Jesus commanding us to partake of his body and blood in Communion. God is the creator of flesh and blood, and thus God loves our bodies.

Song of Solomon 4 is a joyous celebration by a groom of his bride’s body. There is nothing shameful in the esteem and reverence he expresses. This is a wonderful foundation for their relationship and marriage. God has created us for intimacy, and these two have found it—she has captivated his heart and he couldn’t be happier. Most likely these words were spoken publicly as part of the wedding ceremony. There is a lot to learn from this sort of expression of admiration and joy. —Jeff Munroe

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the gift of a body.