You would think that everyone enjoys a good love story, but do they? Perhaps we’ve been jaded by the fake love of Hollywood or the real thing, or what should’ve been the real things, left us bruised and battered instead of flourishing and free. Maybe “Love Hurts” is your song over “Endless Love.” Like Foreigner, you still “Want to Know What Love Is,” or you’re trying to get through life distanced from love.
Unfortunately, everybody keeps talking about love, but “What's Love Got to Do With It?" Still, as a believer, you know that we're created for love. No matter where you are in your love journey, you can take encouragement from these biblical love stories. In fact, you can say that the whole story of the Bible is the most profound love story ever told. Here are some inspiring love stories from the Bible.
Adam and Eve
This love story doesn't exactly have the most incredible ending, but it does give us the basis of relationships. Adam and Eve's story is a reminder that love is God's idea, not just love between God and humanity, but love for our fellow people. God makes a point of Adam's incompleteness aside from Eve. Solitude isn't what's best for humanity. There's no way that Adam could single-handedly complete his task of being an image-bearer of a communal God without Eve. She is a gift, the perfect companion and counterpart for him.
This divine act of creation sets the tone for the sacred union between Adam and Eve. The two share a pure and untainted love, unburdened by the brokenness that would later enter the world. In their peaceful existence in the garden, Adam and Eve share a special bond. It's one that every couple would hope to recreate: a relationship of deep love and harmony. They share a common goal and purpose. Both are united to extend God's glory and enjoy His grace, which sets the foundation for every other love story. We're all trying to get back to the garden.
Abraham and Sarah
This love story is a tad bit awkward. At one point in their relationship, Abraham let his wife, Sarah, enter the harem of Pharoah. He was scared that Sarah would cause Pharoah to kill him and take her. Instead of doing this, he decided to lie and say she was his sister. Basically, "she's available." That's the makings of an incredible story of romance. It only gets more complicated when Sarah comes up with her plan. God told the couple that even though they were well beyond child-bearing years, they would be blessed with a son.
When the promise seemed slow to come, Sarah suggested that her husband impregnate their servant, Hagar. Then, Sarah treated the maid harshly and kicked the pregnant girl to the curb. When the couple was pushing 100, God appeared and reminded them of His covenant. Eventually, Sarah does have a son, Isaac. The promised Messiah will come through Abraham and Sarah, and God fulfills the promises He made to Abraham in Genesis 12, but what a bumpy road it was.
Their story is a reminder of God's faithfulness even when we aren't faithful. However, their dedication and love also show us how God can bring benefits out of ashes and redeem our reckless choices. There's something incredible about sticking together through the challenging times.
Boaz and Ruth
One of the Old Testament's best love stories is the story of Ruth and Boaz. However, we can't fully understand this story until we consider the love story between Naomi and Ruth. Naomi is Ruth's mother-in-law. Both of her sons die, leaving Orpah and Ruth as widows. Naomi, a widow herself, has nothing to give them. She returns to her hometown, encouraging Orpah and Ruth to break ties and remarry for their security. Ruth refuses and pledges her devotion to Naomi and God's people. The Hebrew word khesed, a love that refuses not to love, is pronounced throughout the book. Ruth's commitment to Naomi isn't grounded in what Naomi can do for her, but it's a reflection of Ruth's character and heart.
It's the depth of character that would later attract Boaz. Boaz is the bloodline where he's able to redeem the story and provide rescue for Ruth. The love that Ruth showed Naomi is now given to her by Boaz. He redeems her and gives the same khesed that marked Ruth. This is an image of God's covenant love with us. In fact, it's a word that appears in another love story, that of Hosea and his unfaithful wife, Gomer. However, it's this covenant loyalty that has Hosea buying back his rebellious and adulterous wife, all of this a reflection of God's khesed toward his unfaithful bride. The story of Ruth and Boaz is a story of kindness, loyalty, and redemption. This loyalty and dedication to each other is the mark of biblical love.
It serves as a reminder that God is able to redeem the brokenness of any story. God is dedicated to our redemption and often provides people in our lives as a reflection of His loyalty to us. Are there people in your life who are images of this love?
Christ and the Church
At this point, we should think about the author of Hebrews in chapter 11. After mentioning all those who embodied faith, the author says what more shall I say? Here, we could include the Song of Solomon, Paul and the churches, Isaac and Rebekah, and on and on we could go. However, all of these point to the most profound love story, the one that’s the theme of the entire Bible: the love story of Christ and the church. Unfortunately, Ephesians 5:21-33 has become a debated passage. When we discuss things like gender roles and submission, we tend to get all worked up.
Some of these words become “dirty” because of how evil people have used them. However, this is a beautiful passage. The marriage relationship that Paul describes here is one that every spouse would love to walk in. By the grace of God, some people get really close. Paul’s goal in that message isn’t about marriage as much as it is about Jesus. At the end of the passage, Paul is turning all the household codes onto its head.
The relationship that Jesus has with His bride is one that all others are patterned after. Marital love, and all other forms, is but a reflection of Christ’s love for us. Christ is the perfect husband, and every husband should model himself after Christ.
