His Banner Over Me Is Love

“He has brought me to his banquet hall, And his banner over me is love.” —Song of Solomon 2:4 (NASB)

Ahh, wedding season! A time of love and hope for so many entering a marriage covenant. Unfortunately, thirty years ago, when I married my husband, I had no idea what a covenant was, nor did I understand love as defined by God. My motive for marriage was completely selfish. I wanted someone to love me and take care of me. I wanted to have children. I desired a “savior” who would love me unconditionally and fill the void in my life. The sad truth is that I never considered my husband, nor did it cross my mind that he would have insecurities and needs. In reality, he was coming into the marriage just as empty as me. We had nothing to offer one another. Needless to say, it wasn’t too many years before we felt completely discouraged and even betrayed by one another. Fortunately, God used this very desperate circumstance to introduce me to Himself. Jesus found me wallowing in the shame puddle of loneliness and imminent divorce and said,

“I will betroth you to Me forever;
Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice,
In lovingkindness and in compassion,
And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness.
Then you will know the LORD.”
Hosea 2:19-20 (NASB)

Yes, He has brought me to His banquet hall, And His banner over me is love. In the Song of Solomon, the “banner of love” can refer to a man’s limited, romantic love for a woman, but the deeper meaning points to God’s intimate, extreme love for Jesus’ bride, the church. To understand where I got this idea let’s break down Song of Solomon 2:4 using the Hebrew definitions:Do you see it? A personal application would be that God has made me a new creation by entering my spirit with His life-giving Holy Spirit, just like a man is joined to a woman, creating new life when they come together. I am the temple of the living God (1 Corinthians 3:16). He dwells in me and I in Him (John 6:56), and He covers me with His excessive love (Psalm 36:7). We are one.

Now a shadow of this tender affection has come into our marriage. It is now holy and set apart. Not only did God forgive me, but He taught me to forgive. He restored our marriage and eventually brought my husband, Marty, into the banquet hall as well. God is so gracious!

After meditating on Song of Solomon 2:4, it is easy to understand why God takes marriage and sexual intimacy so seriously. It is meant to be a picture of His glorious, single-minded love for His church. Mark 10:7-9 gives us an understanding of the forever-covenant God intended for marriage and serves as a reflection of His forever love for you and me, “‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate” (NIV). God’s love enables Marty and me to remain in love, unseparated.

As we reflect on our secure position based on God’s faithfulness, remember that Jesus is our rock. He is the faithful husband that gave Himself up for us. His blood covers us, and we have entered a forever covenant with Him. God loves us with a lavish love demonstrated by the death and resurrection of His Son. We are adopted into His family, and as Jesus’ forever bride, we can boldly enter the banquet hall wrapped in Heaven’s wedding gown. Amen and Amen!

I will rejoice greatly in the LORD,
My soul will exult in my God;
For He has clothed me with garments of salvation,
He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
—Isaiah 61:10 (NASB1995)

Father, thank you for wrapping me in a robe of righteousness and giving me your name. You have filled me with Your Spirit and delighted me with Your presence! Help me remember that I am always covered by Your banner of love. Amen.

*From Blue Letter Bible website

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and
peace in believing, that you may abound in hope
by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13 NJKV).

Marlene McKenna

Sweet Selah Ministries

Vision
To inspire a movement away from the belief that “busy is better”
and toward the truth of God’s Word that stillness and knowing
Him matter most—and will be reflected in more effective work and service

 Mission
To offer biblical resources and retreats that help women pause (Selah)
and love God more deeply as they know Him more intimately (Sweet)

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