Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good morning, dear ones.

Becki just returned from running to Hillsboro area to pick up the little boys—Kaden and Nicholas. I need to run into town now and take care of some sign business, then we plan to make a dash to the coast. Rather than go fishing for tuna, I have decided to simply buy some tuna—maybe a hundred pounds worth. Then we’ll do a big round of canning. I dream of having a boat capable of getting tuna next year. But we won’t hold our breath.

If you read these lines below, you will know I’m just winging it. I have no resource to guide me. In putting it in final form, Becki is my sole consultant (and soul consultant—and lover). I’m just kind of letting it all hang out—well not quite.

Have a great day.

Love, Dad/Ray.

More blushing. I suppose the blushing comes from admitting to the reality of these deep and deeply personal longings, feelings, and experiences—from allowing something so intimate and private to come uncomfortably close to public view. Can’t we just have a little word of prayer right here and end this conversation? On second thought, let’s be brave, discreet, and discerning and let Solomon finish his song.

I see the FOCUS VERSE as an expression of the ideal—describing the essential bond that unites a man and a woman in married love—a protective promise of exclusivity—a proper and secure channeling of the God-embedded hunger to have and to hold—mutually having and holding every facet of being—and unclothed anatomy. On this wonderful foundation the whole matter is allowed to reach wonderful fulfillment. Properly maintained, this is the ideal that will sustain the bond of married love to encounter still another wonderful phenomenon—not just growing old, but growing old together. I’m connecting some of these dots from a measure of personal experience.

There are some unavoidable facts before us—even though they are regularly avoided. There is the glaring discrepency between the beautiful ideal that Solomon presents in this piece and the compromise (understatement) of the ideal in his own life course. Whether we like it or not, Solomon was a polygamist—ridiculously so. As in other areas of faith and wisdom, he failed to practice what he preached. Here is where we are wise to consider ourselves—paying attention to our own mirrors.

This may be a good place to cite Hebrews 13:4: “Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.” There we have it in concise terms—the ideal setting and context for the fulfillment of this gender-attraction phenomenon, as well as the seriousness of defiling and damaging the ideal. Of course the beauty of the Gospel is the offer of forgiveness and cleansing “from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)—even in regards to this defilement. But it is a violation of the ideal nonetheless. Without a doubt—the absolute best protection from all heart-level violations before God remains to be a HEART AFTER GOD. Without that heart condition, violations are virtually automatic.