𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐛𝐬 𝟓:𝟏𝟗 𝐋𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐞; 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐟𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬; 𝐚𝐧𝐝...

Contentment with your wife is crucial to a happy marriage. Solomon warned his son to make three important choices – cherish his wife tenderly as a delicate object of affection, appreciate her body and sexuality only, and let her affection and devotion consume him. This inspired proverb contains some of the most necessary marital advice for husbands. A man can profit very much by learning and doing this wisdom and that in Colossians 3:19. If a man lets bitterness harden him toward his wife, desires the bodies of other women, or despises his wife’s efforts to be his lover, he will destroy his marriage, his sexuality, and his soul. Discontentment, especially in marriage, has terrible consequences. Beware! The blessed God, who knows more about marital love and pleasure than all men combined, gave precious instruction to those that will humble themselves, hear it, and apply it. A bitter man is horribly unhappy, constantly frustrated, and sexually impaired. He will hurt and neglect his wife, until she cannot love him, and the marriage becomes a sham. He will be vulnerable to strange women, whose breasts cannot satisfy, no matter how beautiful, for they belong to cruel women God has condemned (Pr 5:9). Solomon, the loving and wise father, soberly warned his son against the dangers of discontentment. A hind is a female deer, usually of the red deer. A roe is a small species of deer of Europe and Asia. Together the words describe a small, delicate, graceful, and tender female deer. These deer were caught, tamed, and enjoyed as pets by kings and others in Solomon’s time. Their refined, gentle natures were the delight of both men and women. And the wise man will refer to them again when describing his wife’s beauty (Song 4:5; 7:3). Coupled with Solomon’s adjectives of loving and pleasant, you see a wonderful word picture of a delightful and prized woman worthy of love and protection. Lady Wisdom calls all men to view their wives this way and treat them accordingly. A husband should carefully treat his wife with gentle affection and patient tenderness, just as if he were caring for a loving and pleasant female deer. Paul confirmed this rule in the N.T., where he commanded men to cherish – treat with special care – their wives (Eph 5:28-29). God formed Eve’s breasts and all other details of her body that were so marvelous to Adam’s eyes and touch. And nothing has changed – men still marvel at a woman’s body. God made men to be attracted by a woman’s body, and within marriage, it keeps the man coming back for more. Her body and lovemaking should be a constant source of delight, and a wise woman will know and exploit this for his and her happiness and pleasure. The frequency, creativity, passion, and variety of sexual lovemaking are not suggestions, possibilities, or preferences; they are commandments (I Cor 7:1-5). It is a horrible act of covenant breaking, defrauding, and hatred to shortchange your spouse in any aspect of this dutiful privilege and honorable pleasure. God will judge all selfish or stingy spouses, for even the New Testament warns that God expects both spouses to be fully satisfied. While breasts are mentioned by name in this proverb, they are synecdoche for her whole body and sexual pleasure. But the perpetual importance of breasts for attraction and lovemaking is forcefully brought to our attention by Solomon’s plain language. Nothing has changed; breasts are still beautiful and important in the appearance and performance of a woman (Song 4:5; 7:1-10; Ezek 16:7; 23:3,8; Hos 2:2). Women in Solomon’s day were as concerned about their breasts as much as women are today (Song 1:13; 8:8-10).