Proverbs 5:19-20 (NASBStr)
As a loving hind and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
Be exhilarated always with her love.
For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress
And embrace the bosom of a foreigner?
I'm not sure many men would get away with buying a valentine card that told his wife she reminded him of a doe! Hallmark would not be able to capture the meaning that Solomon has here in this proverb. He is using language particular to the day and that might resonate with the reader in his familiar context. His point is that, just as a beautiful animal of God's creation can capture and "intoxicate" the mighty hunter, so, too, should the body of the wife capture the husband. If you have ever hunted for deer you might be able to understand his point. The armed man might stand in the woods behind a tree and as the prey gets closer and closer, the heart of the deer slayer beats at such a pace it feels like it is coming out of the chest. This is what Solomon means in the next line when he states the husband should be "exhilarated" (intoxicated) with his wife. He SHOULD NOT allow other women to intoxicate him. It should be noted that Solomon doesn't tell us to do this if we feel like loving his wife. He doesn't tell us to do this if we are "turned on" by her. Solomon makes this a matter of faith by stating it the way he does. This is wisdom from God. We must approach this subject in Proverbs like we approach all of God's Word. The husband's intoxication with his wife is a matter of faith. He simply approaches his relationship with her in an action of faith and God supplies the feelings and the emotion to accompany that act of faith. What he is telling us is that a healthy relationship with the wife will feel like intoxication as we see her as God's marvelous creation for us. Today's society tries to tell us what is attractive and what is a "turn-on" for us. God simply states that the wife you have been give by God (Proverbs 18:22), was created by God and He has made you both to enjoy each other. We are to approach our relationship with our spouse in this manner. If we don't we will begin to seek that intoxication from others and in other ways. That is the danger of failing to love by faith and rather by feeling. God wants us to do everything in faith (Romans 14:23). Loving our spouse is no exception.
Another point about this proverb is also quite clear. In Proverbs 5 we are being instructed about how to avoid the adulterous relationship. You would think this would be a popular, best selling chapter. Yet, too many avoid the message in Proverbs 5 and fall into adultery like a bird to the snare. We have to remember that this was written by Solomon. For those who don't know, or remember, Solomon had almost 1,000 wives and/or concubines. I wish I could explain this. So, he is writing from the stand point of a man in the know. His words tell us something he wasn't able to do. But, that is true about a lot of teaching. Paul himself struggled with that in Romans 7. However, the wisdom here is a key to avoiding adultery. If you want to avoid falling into a bad relationship than, by faith, obey God's Word. A man is to make sure that he is "intoxicated" (exhilarated) with his wife. We are to let her body (in this case, the breast) satisfy Him at "all times." If I read this right, a step in avoiding lusting other women is to lust after my wife. I am to be captivated by her body. I am to allow her love to make me drunk. Solomon uses the analogy of a deer. Why I don't know. Perhaps that is because men are to be hunters and a deer would catch their eye. So, too, our wives. By faith we are to have our spouse fill that hunger and desire in our lives to the point of intoxication. That is what it means to be "drunk on love."
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