Now, if we're honest, reading the Bible consistently can be a challenge, but know that it's never

too late to start and we're in this together. Thanks for journeying with us. And here's your host, Emma,

daughter. Thanks for joining. Today, we're reading Song of Solomon chapter 7 and 8, and I am in the

podcast studio by myself because, well, we asked 16 different

couples if they wanted to come on for this podcast, and every single one of them said no,

some just because they were out of town, but nobody was super pumped to talk about Song of Solomon, so you get me. And I'd imagine some

people strayed from guesting on today's episode because we're looking at some of the most

intimate and tender, yet beautiful verses in all of scripture. Song of Solomon 7 through 8,

where a husband describes his desire for his bride

in poetic detail. But if that makes you nervous, stay with me. This isn't just about romance. It's

about God's design for love, desire, and lifelong devotion. Much of today's teaching draws from

the insights of Ben Stewart, so we'll link his sermon series on Song of Solomon

in the episode description. Now, if you've ever felt like desire and holiness don't belong in the

same sentence, this passage is likely going to challenge us in the best way. Let's start by

looking at verse 10. The woman says, I am my beloved's and his desire is for me. In this scene,

the man is delighting in his wife's body. Every part of her top to bottom, head to toe, it's

unashamed, poetic, and personal. The word desire might make us squirm a little, but we have to stop

and ask, why does it feel strange to talk about desire,

specifically sexual desire, as something good, something God-given? Could it be that we've

allowed culture, or even the church at times, to disciple or shape our view of desire more than

the scriptures? In this passage, the man is praising his wife's physical body from head to toe, literally.

He's talking about her feet, her hips, her stomach, her eyes, her hair, her mouth, and he's not

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