Vazquez Counseling

Tonight, our Blessed Holy Spirit drew me to Zephaniah 3:14-20, which reads:

“Sing, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
The LORD has taken away your judgments,
He has cast out your enemy.
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;
You shall see disaster no more.
In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
‘Do not fear;
Zion, let not your hands be weak.
The LORD your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.’
‘I will gather those who sorrow over the appointed assembly,
Who are among you,
To whom its reproach is a burden.
Behold, at that time
I will deal with all who afflict you;
I will save the lame,
And gather those who were driven out;
I will appoint them for praise and fame
In every land where they were put to shame.
At that time I will bring you back,
Even at the time I gather you;
For I will give you fame and praise
Among all the peoples of the earth,
When I return your captives before your eyes,’
Says the LORD.” (New King James Version)

Now, I want to draw your attention to the following passage from the Song of Solomon 4:9-15:

“You have ravished my heart,
My sister, my spouse;
You have ravished my heart
With one look of your eyes,
With one link of your necklace.
How fair is your love,
My sister, my spouse!
How much better than wine is your love,
And the scent of your perfumes
Than all spices!
Your lips, O my spouse,
Drip as the honeycomb;
Honey and milk are under your tongue;
And the fragrance of your garments
Is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
A garden enclosed
Is my sister, my spouse,
A spring shut up,
A fountain sealed.
Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates
With pleasant fruits,
Fragrant henna with spikenard,
Spikenard and saffron,
Calamus and cinnamon,
With all trees of frankincense,
Myrrh and aloes,
With all the chief spices—
A fountain of gardens,
A well of living waters,
And streams from Lebanon.” (NKJV)

Clearly, these two passages are about love, but the first one highlights the way God loves His people (Agape), and the second passage depicts a key way a Husband loves his Wife (Eros).  The great thing about marriage is that Husbands and Wives don’t just share an Eros kind of love, they also share an Agape love. It’s absolutely necessary for both to exist between a man and Wife in marriage.

The world seems awfully confused about what love is these days. Many people claim that all love is equal, that the love they have for their cat should equate with love I have for my spouse. I refuse to accept that. The love that is sparked between spouses (romantic love) is very important, for from it springs the propagation of humanity. The Family, Mom, Dad, and any children, is the basic building block of society. Why do you think the nuclear Family is being attacked seemingly from every direction? It is because the enemy of our souls knows that Families who are built on the romantic love and also agape love between one man and one woman in marriage is the key society needs to succeed. It is also no secret that many young people today don’t want to get married. They are thinking that they don’t want to bring children into this horrible world, and in a way, I understand. Yet, they are engaging in multiple romantic relationships, which is not good for the soul. But what will ultimately happen to the human race if we don’t reproduce. Our Blessed LORD commanded us in Genesis to multiply and fill the Earth, and to subdue it.

I am by no means advocating what people like Elon Musk recommend, that us men find as many women to have children by. This is sin, and it will destroy humanity as much as not having children. A man with 20 children by many different women cannot be a father to any of them or he can only be a father to a very few. No one has that amount of time in their lives to care for that many children.

Getting back to agape love vs. Eros love. In the passage above from Zephaniah, it speaks of the tender love that God has for us. Notice that at one point, the Scripture here says that God Himself will be in our midst. Read the end of the Book of Revelation for the same promise. God the Father and God the Son will walk amongst us. No one knows how this will be, as both of them will be there. What we know is that it is promised in the Bible. Like He did in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve before the Fall of Man, God the Father will commune with us, and the Bible says that He will love us with a Godly love.
In the Old Testament, God the Father often described Himself as the Bridegroom of Israel, who was His betrothed. Much of God’s anger in the Old Testament was directed at Israel who often committed adultery toward God by bowing to other gods. Our LORD often punished Israel for committing this adultery. If you think Israel was foolish for doing this, don’t be so quick to judge.

In the New Testament, God the Son is described as the Bridegroom of the Church. And what has the Church done down throughout the centuries but commit her own adultery with an array of idols? We are just as bad as the Israelites. 
Jesus had his harshest words for the Jewish leaders of His day, and I would submit to you that if Jesus walked amongst us today, He would have his harshest for many of the Christian leaders in the world. Our LORD is never pleased with hypocrites. These are the leaders who are supposed to be leading the people toward God, and instead, they’re leading them into the pit.
God loves us so much that He died on a Cross for us, and He is returning to make Everything right. Christ will return to usher in Heaven on Earth, also is also known as the Millennium. Humanity, under the Leadership of Christ, will reach new heights in Everything. I believe we will travel the Stars. Our Blessed LORD will heal every disease. His Love for us will know no bounds.

Now, onto the second type of love displayed in the passage from Song of Solomon above. Here, this is clearly erotic love (from the root word Eros), and it is meant to be enjoyed by a man and a woman who are married. That’s it, no other rules, regulations, or anything. Human sexuality is to be limited between a man and woman who have dedicated their lives to one another in marriage. Their relationship is unique. The Husband and Wife own each own each other’s body, the Scriptures teach. They don’t get to sleep around with other people. (I have news for you, single people should not sleep around with others, ether.)

When God the Father loved Israel, He loved them with a love so strong, that it was actually better and stronger than the romantic love between a Husband and a Wife. And the love between Jesus Christ and his Church is just as strong. But their love for humanity is not sexual in nature. That would be strange and disturbing, if you think about it.

When the Jews asked Jesus what the greatest commandments were, He replied, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

Jesus commanded us to love one another with Godly love, or Agape Love. Romantic love is reserved for a Husband and a Wife in a marriage. Don’t let anyone tell you that all love is equal. And it’s not a matter of semantics. The Bible has many words for love. You need to understand what they each mean, and then use them in the proper context. God’s love for us surpasses anything we could hope for. Amen.