Peter Leithart comments on the Song of Songs:
"the bride’s eros is aroused not by the lover in isolation but by the lover-in-society. What makes him lovable, desirable is not only his physical and sensual attractions but the honor bestowed upon him by others."
Such a view of attraction and arousal, actually gives chastity/modesty an appeal.
Too often, a man is lured into bedding [or lusting after] a woman that he and everyone else in town knows is a whore [think of that scene from A River Runs Through It]. The fact that she has given herself so freely and desperately to every other guy around seriously takes away from the significance of having her – she is a whore in everyone’s eyes – a woman of low esteem. That thought is a bit of a … well, downer.
For a young man to learn this view of women is a HUGE step in his sanctification. I’ve heard older, Godlier men explain their victory over the temptations of lust after gaining this mindset/heart. Learning to see a whore as ugly and her enticements as poison – regardless of her physical appearance, how many albums she's sold, centerfolds she's filled, or Oscars she's won – is an important thing to strive for. May God bless us and our sons as we cultivate the ability to see the daughters of men through His eyes.
[print of Dorian Gray from Alcorn Studios]
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