John Dekker's Day

10:07AM - Us vs. the World

The Song of Solomon gives lots of great advice to people in love.

One of the great temptations for couples - whether dating, engaged, or married - is to shut oneself off from the world. Like what the Seekers used to sing - "We'll build a world of our own, that no-one else can share..."

It sounds frightfully romantic, but is it right? Maybe to some extent, but it's awfully easy for that to develop into a persecution complex: they don't really know us, people don't understand us, nobody realises that we're really in love...

But to some extent, we should care what other people think. We see this in the Song of Solomon. The girl says (in 1:3),

Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;
Your name is like perfume poured out.
No wonder the maidens love you!

She's interested in what other people think of him! She's glad that he has a good reputation!

Marriage is more than the union of two individuals. Surely it necessarily involves one's family, friends and community. It is folly to marry a person of whom others are suspicious...