Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol. What can be crueler than Sheol? A person may be the most lovable one, the most adorable one, or the most precious one, but when Sheol comes to claim a sinner, it will not care if such a one is lovable or adorable. No tears, sorrow, or pleading can move its heart. It does not know mercy and compassion. It has no sympathy or feeling. It is cruel. “Since I have consecrated myself to You as a chaste virgin, if You see anything in me that stirs up Your jealousy, You will surely deal with it at all cost until You completely prevail. There may be loving friends, close relatives, or dear lovers begging, pleading, and weeping, but You do not care for any of these things; You only care for Your own feeling. But this is the only way that I will be preserved.”“The coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.” Jehovah is a fire (Heb. 12:29). His love and jealousy are also like fire which burns up everything that can be burned. Everything that is not eternal, that can pass away, that is of the world, and that is of man will be burned away.

Verse 7 says, “Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.” “Many waters” signify trials that believers go through. “Floods” signify persecutions from the enemy. His love and the fire of His love will not be quenched by trials. His love and the fire of His love cannot be drowned by persecutions. If He loves us, no trial or persecution can do anything to us.

This love cannot be bought with money. In other words, it is irreplaceable. We cannot replace this love with the tongues of men and angels. We cannot replace this love with the gift of prophecy, the knowledge of mysteries, all knowledge, or all faith. Even if we doled out all our possessions to feed others and delivered up our body so that we might boast, we would still be despised. These things are merely part of the treasures of a man’s house. Trying to exchange love for these things will result in being despised. Since this is the case, we will not earn His love with more work, busy times, or toiling services. We can only offer ourselves to Him so that we will become the object of His love.

Verse 8 says, “We have a little sister, and she hath no breasts: what shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?” A person who lives in the Lord’s love cannot forget that there are others who should have the Lord’s love also. Before she goes away to see the Lord, she remembers those who are less mature. She speaks of her little sister, who has life, but whose faith and love have not grown to the point where she can develop an affection for the Lord. The maiden’s union with the Lord is already complete. Therefore, she can freely express all of her feelings before the Lord.

“What shall we do for our sister in the day when she shall be spoken for?” The little sister does not yet know what a life of love is all about. But when the eternal Lover leads her into a fellowship of love through the Holy Spirit, what will we do with her? As far as her life is concerned, she is a little sister. As far as her life of love is concerned, her two breasts have not developed. We are concerned for this group of people and are burdened to care for them. The Lord will not be satisfied with their condition. A marriage proposal is indispensable in a believer’s life. Although every believer has full liberty to accept or reject, the Lord’s demand for love is the same. How should we help this little sister of ours?