The Act of Marriage: The Beauty of Sexual Love Read Free Page B

to be a hurried or endured experience. Modern experts tell us that “foreplay” before entrance is essential to a mutually satisfying experience. We find no fault with that; we would, however, point out that Solomon made the same suggestion three thousand years ago!
    All Bible passages should be studied in the light of their purpose in order to avoid wresting or twisting their meaning. The above concept is strong enough as we have presented it, but it becomes even more powerful when we understand its setting. The inspired words of Proverbs 1–9 record the instructions of Solomon, the world’s wisest man, to his son, teaching him to handle the tremendous sex drive within himself and to avoid being tempted by its improper use. Solomon wanted his son to enjoy a lifetime of the legitimate use of that drive by confining it to the act of marriage. Since this entire passage concerns wisdom, it is obvious that enjoyable, satisfying married love is the course of wisdom. Extramarital love is presented as the way of folly, offering short-term pleasure by bringing “destruction” (heartache, guilt, sorrow) in the end.
    We would be remiss if we failed to point out Proverbs 5:21: “For a man’s ways are in full view of the L ORD, and he examines all his paths.” This text includes lovemaking: God sees the intimacy practiced by married partners and approves it. His judgment is reserved only for those who violate His plan and desecrate themselves by engaging in sex outside of marriage.

“Caressing” in the Old Testament
     
    It may be hard for us to think of Old Testament saints as being good lovers, but they were. In fact, one may never hear a sermon on Isaac’s relation with his wife, Rebekah, recorded in Genesis 26:6–11. This man, who made it into God’s “Who’s Who” of faith in Hebrews 11, was observed by King Abimelech “caressing” his wife. We are not told how far his advances went, but he obviously was sufficiently intimate to make the king conclude that she was Isaac’s wife, not his sister, as he had at first falsely declared. Isaac erred, not in engaging in foreplay with his wife, but in not restricting it to the privacy of their bedroom. The fact that he was caught, however, suggests that it was common and permissible in their day for husbands and wives to “caress.” God planned it that way.
    Further insight into God’s approval of the act of marriage appears in the commandments and ordinances of God to Moses for the children of Israel. He instructed that a man was to be exempt from military service and all business responsibilities for one year after his marriage (Deut. 24:5) so that these two people could get to “know” each other at a time when their sex drives were strongest and under circumstances that would provide ample opportunity for experimentation and enjoyment. Admittedly, this provision was also given to make it possible for a young man to “propagate” before he faced the risk of death on the battlefield. Contraceptives were not used at that time, and since the couple had so much time to be with each other, it is easy to see why children usually came early in the marriage.
    Another verse displays how thoroughly God understands the sexual drive He created in human beings—1 Corinthians 7:9: “It is better to marry than to burn with passion.” Why? Because there is one legitimate, God-ordained method for releasing the natural pressure He has created in human beings—the act of marriage. It is God’s primary method for release of the sex drive. He intended that husband and wife be totally dependent on each other for sexual satisfaction.

The New Testament on Lovemaking
     
    The Bible is the best manual ever written on human behavior. It covers all kinds of interpersonal relationships, including sexual love. Some examples have already been given, but one of the most outstanding passages follows. This is probably the clearest passage on the subject in the Bible:
But since there is so