Troublesome Topic: PEACE AND PROSPERITY GO TOGETHER

Where there is no peace, there can be no prosperity. Peace (which is the meaning of both Solomon and Shulammite) means “wholeness, well-being.” Prosperity is likewise a big word with a large scope of meaning; it is not just having material things; it means being blessed on every level. There are many people in this world who have almost no money but they are happy, and have close friends and a close-knit family. They are wealthy on several levels, just not in the way that can be measured with dollars and cents. Therefore, this is not a guarantee of material wealth.

There is a very real sense in which having a wonderful wife allows a husband to become all that he is capable of being, to do more than others thought he was capable of. When each meets the other’s needs, they not only make a great team, but they are capable of great things.

Since material wealth is one of the possible aspects of prosperity, let’s look at it for a moment. Wealth is not a bad thing as long as it is obtained without harm to anyone else and as long as it does not hinder one’s relationship with God. In many cultures of the world down through history a majority of people have struggled to get by, to find enough to provide the family with the next meal. In that context, prosperity did not mean having excess, it meant not having to struggle quite as much. Those that did have substantial wealth, the upper class, did not want to slip into the situation that the poor people lived in. In this light, the recurring themes of wealth, prosperity and abundance should not be seen as evil things, but as a desire to not have to live on the edge of survival.

The next lesson is: What Makes a Spouse Sexy?