Psalms 2:4-5
He who sits in the heavens laughs,
The Lord scoffs at them.
Then He will speak to them in His anger
And terrify them in His fury, saying,
The them reading through the Bible this year is based upon Colossians 1:9-10. Paul prays that the Colossian believers will "increase in the knowledge of God." Although every book of the Bible gives us in-depth knowledge of God, perhaps none does so in the fashion of the Psalms. It is a praise book about the very character of God. The psalms are the hymnal of praise to who God is, not just what He does (as how we read much of the other Scriptures). A great example of this truth is found in the above two verses. In the opening lines of this psalm the nations are raging against the Lord and against the king He established over them (although no particular king or kings are mentioned). They rage against the earthly king in "vain" - because they don't want to submit to the Heavenly King. It is a vain thing for earthly men to rage and rebel against an all-knowing and all-powerful Heavenly King. Yet, this foolishness does not stop them. And, what is God's response? The writer gives us insight into God's character by telling us He has two emotions: He laughs and He gets angry. We worship a God of emotion. It should be noted that it is man's rebellion that will illicit these two emotions from God. God shows emotion - we are made in His image - we show emotion. However, God's emotion of laughter (scoffing) and anger are done in perfect harmony to His character of holiness. We worship a God that is connected to His creation in emotion. He is not a god made of stone and stick that is a creation of ours. He is a God who is engaged with His creation. Yet, when that creation begins to rebel and assert itself toward Him, He laughs. God is said to laugh when foolish men reject Him and then appeal to Him. Note Solomon's use of the same Hebrew word for laugh when he writes about about they scoffers who suddenly meet calamity:
Proverbs 1:26
I will also laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when your dread comes,
The God we worship is full of emotion. When we worship and show emotion that reflects the character of God. God laughs, God gets angry, God is grieved (Ephesians 4:30); God cries (John 11:35); God hates (Psalm 5:5); God rejoices (Jeremiah 32:41); God is jealous (Exodus 20:5); God loves (1 John 4:8). We worship a God full of emotion, never out of balance with His holiness, mercy, justice and grace.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Truth #2 - God loves to celebrate!! Joshua 1-5
Joshua 4:21-24
He said to the sons of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then you shall inform your children, saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Lord your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed; that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”
God is a God of remembering. God wants us to remember the things He does for us and with us. In the above passage we have the recap of the crossing of the Jordan River, by Joshua and the new generation of Israelites. Just as Moses crossed the Red Sea on dry ground, Joshua lead this generation across the river bed of the Jordan. God stopped the rivers from flowing to show the people, the enemy and Joshua, His mighty power. God wants them to mark this spot so that in the future, when their children see the twelve stones they piled in the place they crossed, they can point to the majesty and power of God. Cultural relics or artifacts are an important part of any society. These tangible bookmarks are put in place to see what has been accomplished or achieved or rewarded in the past. "Marking the spot" is an important part of remembering and acknowledging. We do so when we put a trophy in a case, a diploma on the wall and/or a plaque on the wall. We are quick to remember our own accomplishments and give ourselves credit for great things done. Yet, in the above text we are to use the markers to teach others (our children) of God's great faithfulness. Perhaps the rule of thumb ought to be that we quickly forget what we think we may have achieved and, instead, mark a spot in regard to what God has done for us. Remember the stones.
He said to the sons of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then you shall inform your children, saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Lord your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed; that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”
God is a God of remembering. God wants us to remember the things He does for us and with us. In the above passage we have the recap of the crossing of the Jordan River, by Joshua and the new generation of Israelites. Just as Moses crossed the Red Sea on dry ground, Joshua lead this generation across the river bed of the Jordan. God stopped the rivers from flowing to show the people, the enemy and Joshua, His mighty power. God wants them to mark this spot so that in the future, when their children see the twelve stones they piled in the place they crossed, they can point to the majesty and power of God. Cultural relics or artifacts are an important part of any society. These tangible bookmarks are put in place to see what has been accomplished or achieved or rewarded in the past. "Marking the spot" is an important part of remembering and acknowledging. We do so when we put a trophy in a case, a diploma on the wall and/or a plaque on the wall. We are quick to remember our own accomplishments and give ourselves credit for great things done. Yet, in the above text we are to use the markers to teach others (our children) of God's great faithfulness. Perhaps the rule of thumb ought to be that we quickly forget what we think we may have achieved and, instead, mark a spot in regard to what God has done for us. Remember the stones.
Monday, December 29, 2014
Turth #1 - God is a God of Rest!!! Genesis 1-3
Genesis 2:3
Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
After the six days of creating, God took a rest. He didn't take a rest because He needed to. He didn't take a rest because He was bored. He took a rest to give us a pattern to follow. Everything in these first two chapters about creation is about a pattern and an example to us about God's order. Just like plants and animals are to produce after "their kind", so too, are we to are we to follow after God since we were made in His image. God has given us a pattern to follow. The root word in the above texted for "rested" is where we will eventually get the word "sabbath." Some would have us to believe that taking a rest on the seventh day is a Jewish Law and part of the Ten Commandments, no longer applicable to today's Christian. However, we ought to see that this is part of the character and nature of God, not part of a ceremonial or religious law. God has established a "rest" for the people of God. He not only rested on this day, He sanctified the day, the above text tells us. This is the first occurrence of the word or, concept, of sanctification in God's Word. God made this day holy. He made a distinction between the first six days and the seventh day. In one respect He made some time "normal" time and this time, "holy" time. The fact that God established "rest" is something we should dwell upon. Man's curse in chapter three will be toil and hard work, because he sinned. Yet, prior to the fall, God had established "rest." Note what one commentary says on this concept of rest:
(UBC OT) God blessed the seventh day, setting it apart from all other days by making it holy. From the premise that seven units symbolize wholeness or completeness, God’s sanctifying the seventh day certified that the creation was finished and perfect. In doing this God was expressing divine sovereignty over time. God separated time into ordinary time and holy time, for God did not want humans to become slaves to endless work. So humans are to rest one day in every seven in order to praise God and enjoy both the creation, the result of God’s labors, and the results of their own work. Holy time, therefore, adds meaning to activity done in regular time. Observance of holy time also refreshes the human spirit, adding a depth of meaning to life. God ties his deliverance of Israel out of Egypt into the observance of the seventh day (Deut. 5:12–15). Thus, on the Sabbath Israel worshiped the God of creation who was also the God of the exodus. In worshiping this great God regularly, humans exercise the spiritual dimension of being in God’s image.
Since the day of rest happened before the fall, it would be suggested that God designed the concept of rest and reflection over creation to praise Him, before man sinned. So, the day of rest was established before the sin of man is intended for us to take time away from our "creation" to reflect, refresh and rejoice over what God has done through us and with us. Take time to rest ... God planned it that way.
Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
After the six days of creating, God took a rest. He didn't take a rest because He needed to. He didn't take a rest because He was bored. He took a rest to give us a pattern to follow. Everything in these first two chapters about creation is about a pattern and an example to us about God's order. Just like plants and animals are to produce after "their kind", so too, are we to are we to follow after God since we were made in His image. God has given us a pattern to follow. The root word in the above texted for "rested" is where we will eventually get the word "sabbath." Some would have us to believe that taking a rest on the seventh day is a Jewish Law and part of the Ten Commandments, no longer applicable to today's Christian. However, we ought to see that this is part of the character and nature of God, not part of a ceremonial or religious law. God has established a "rest" for the people of God. He not only rested on this day, He sanctified the day, the above text tells us. This is the first occurrence of the word or, concept, of sanctification in God's Word. God made this day holy. He made a distinction between the first six days and the seventh day. In one respect He made some time "normal" time and this time, "holy" time. The fact that God established "rest" is something we should dwell upon. Man's curse in chapter three will be toil and hard work, because he sinned. Yet, prior to the fall, God had established "rest." Note what one commentary says on this concept of rest:
(UBC OT) God blessed the seventh day, setting it apart from all other days by making it holy. From the premise that seven units symbolize wholeness or completeness, God’s sanctifying the seventh day certified that the creation was finished and perfect. In doing this God was expressing divine sovereignty over time. God separated time into ordinary time and holy time, for God did not want humans to become slaves to endless work. So humans are to rest one day in every seven in order to praise God and enjoy both the creation, the result of God’s labors, and the results of their own work. Holy time, therefore, adds meaning to activity done in regular time. Observance of holy time also refreshes the human spirit, adding a depth of meaning to life. God ties his deliverance of Israel out of Egypt into the observance of the seventh day (Deut. 5:12–15). Thus, on the Sabbath Israel worshiped the God of creation who was also the God of the exodus. In worshiping this great God regularly, humans exercise the spiritual dimension of being in God’s image.
Since the day of rest happened before the fall, it would be suggested that God designed the concept of rest and reflection over creation to praise Him, before man sinned. So, the day of rest was established before the sin of man is intended for us to take time away from our "creation" to reflect, refresh and rejoice over what God has done through us and with us. Take time to rest ... God planned it that way.
Sunday, December 28, 2014
Is your love, mercy and peace growing? Jude
Jude 1:1-2
Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,
To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.
Jude is just a little book. This is just a guest, but in the opening line he not only calls himself a "bond-servant" of the Lord, but he also tells his readers he is the brother of the Apostle James. Without reading too much into that aspect of his indentification, you might think he is so small in the church world of the knowns, he must associate himself with someone who is. Perhaps, it gives the book a larger sense of importance than if he had said, "Hey, you all, this is Jude." Leaving the world of conjecture, Jude's opening line to these believers is all about their standing in Christ and how he wants them to be full of those things Salvation affords us. He is about to warn them to be watchful and vigilant about the false teachers who are tying to hijack the faith. Before he gets into the major warnings of this one-chapter-book, he prays that they might be filled (multiplied) with the essentials of Christ's salvation: Mercy, Peace, and Love. The word "multiplied" comes from a Greek word that eventually will become the English word, "plethora" for us. If we say we have a plethora of choices we are saying we have a full assortment of choices. What Jude is saying to these readers is that he prays for them that they might have the mercy, peace and love all believers begin with when they believe in Christ, to be multiplied into a full plethora of mercy, peace and love. The three, have no boundaries. When we become believers we are filled with the Holy Spirit and the Spirit begins to produce fruit in our lives. That fruit becomes the outworking of mercy, peace and love. We should have some fruit in the beginning of our walk with Christ and produce more fruit when we reach greater maturity in Christ. But, the Spirit does not stop in His work in our lives. He continues to produce more and more fruit that is expressed via mercy for others, peace in the midst of war and love for all. We don't reach a maximum level of these three. We can have too much mercy, peace and love. We can only have (or should have) a multiplying, plethora, of each.
Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,
To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you.
Jude is just a little book. This is just a guest, but in the opening line he not only calls himself a "bond-servant" of the Lord, but he also tells his readers he is the brother of the Apostle James. Without reading too much into that aspect of his indentification, you might think he is so small in the church world of the knowns, he must associate himself with someone who is. Perhaps, it gives the book a larger sense of importance than if he had said, "Hey, you all, this is Jude." Leaving the world of conjecture, Jude's opening line to these believers is all about their standing in Christ and how he wants them to be full of those things Salvation affords us. He is about to warn them to be watchful and vigilant about the false teachers who are tying to hijack the faith. Before he gets into the major warnings of this one-chapter-book, he prays that they might be filled (multiplied) with the essentials of Christ's salvation: Mercy, Peace, and Love. The word "multiplied" comes from a Greek word that eventually will become the English word, "plethora" for us. If we say we have a plethora of choices we are saying we have a full assortment of choices. What Jude is saying to these readers is that he prays for them that they might have the mercy, peace and love all believers begin with when they believe in Christ, to be multiplied into a full plethora of mercy, peace and love. The three, have no boundaries. When we become believers we are filled with the Holy Spirit and the Spirit begins to produce fruit in our lives. That fruit becomes the outworking of mercy, peace and love. We should have some fruit in the beginning of our walk with Christ and produce more fruit when we reach greater maturity in Christ. But, the Spirit does not stop in His work in our lives. He continues to produce more and more fruit that is expressed via mercy for others, peace in the midst of war and love for all. We don't reach a maximum level of these three. We can have too much mercy, peace and love. We can only have (or should have) a multiplying, plethora, of each.
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Would you stand on a sinking ship and proclaim the promises of God? Acts 25
Acts 27:25
Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told.
To understand the above statement made by Paul while standing on a sinking ship, we have to fully grasp the context of where he is, who he is talking to and what he is intending to do. In the last chapter of Acts, Paul was brought before the foreign leadership, Governor Fetus and King Agrippa. Although they could find nothing to convict him of in regard to any crimes against the state, they decided to send him to appear before Caesar, in Rome, at his request. Had Paul not appealed to Caesar, he would have been released (Acts 26:32). However, he did appeal to Caesar and they put him on a ship to make the journey. However, as Paul had predicted (Acts 27:9) the ship was met with a violent storm and his guards and men aboard the ship were about to perish. These men, like all of us on a sinking ship, were about to jump overboard. However, by this time, realizing all of Paul's previous prophecies had come true, the men were ready to listen to Paul. Paul, having again received a message from the Lord, told them all to stay on the ship and, if they believed, God will keep them safe. Even though the Centurion in charge did not listen to Paul earlier and went with majority vote and set sail (Acts 27:10), this time he would listen. Paul spoke with confidence to an unbelieving world, about a non-spiritual topic (a ship sinking and being torn apart by a storm). Of course, all things are spiritual, when we consider our response to any situation in life. The passage we have above is the reason why Paul could be so confident in the midst of disaster. Paul believed God. Paul believed that what God had said, He will bring it to pass. Although Paul had special revelation about this particular journey (he was, after all, the Apostle Paul) we also have revelation in His Word, today. In the midst of difficulty we have the promised revelation of Romans 8:28; all things work together for those who walk in His will. In the midst of the dark times of life we have the revelation of 1 Peter 5:7; cast your care on Him, for He cares for you. In the midst of loneliness we have the revelation of Matthew 28:20; I am with you always. When we fail Him and sin and guilt washes over all our body and mind we have the revelatory promises of Romans 8:1; there is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, and 1 John 1:9; if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Paul was willing, in the midst of a storm, to stand on the deck of a boat, being torn apart by the wind, rain, and waves, that God can and will protect them because God is a God of His Word. He will not protect them because they deserve it. He will protect them because He said He would. God does what He says He will do. The unbelieving world needs to hear that message and see us act upon it.
Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told.
To understand the above statement made by Paul while standing on a sinking ship, we have to fully grasp the context of where he is, who he is talking to and what he is intending to do. In the last chapter of Acts, Paul was brought before the foreign leadership, Governor Fetus and King Agrippa. Although they could find nothing to convict him of in regard to any crimes against the state, they decided to send him to appear before Caesar, in Rome, at his request. Had Paul not appealed to Caesar, he would have been released (Acts 26:32). However, he did appeal to Caesar and they put him on a ship to make the journey. However, as Paul had predicted (Acts 27:9) the ship was met with a violent storm and his guards and men aboard the ship were about to perish. These men, like all of us on a sinking ship, were about to jump overboard. However, by this time, realizing all of Paul's previous prophecies had come true, the men were ready to listen to Paul. Paul, having again received a message from the Lord, told them all to stay on the ship and, if they believed, God will keep them safe. Even though the Centurion in charge did not listen to Paul earlier and went with majority vote and set sail (Acts 27:10), this time he would listen. Paul spoke with confidence to an unbelieving world, about a non-spiritual topic (a ship sinking and being torn apart by a storm). Of course, all things are spiritual, when we consider our response to any situation in life. The passage we have above is the reason why Paul could be so confident in the midst of disaster. Paul believed God. Paul believed that what God had said, He will bring it to pass. Although Paul had special revelation about this particular journey (he was, after all, the Apostle Paul) we also have revelation in His Word, today. In the midst of difficulty we have the promised revelation of Romans 8:28; all things work together for those who walk in His will. In the midst of the dark times of life we have the revelation of 1 Peter 5:7; cast your care on Him, for He cares for you. In the midst of loneliness we have the revelation of Matthew 28:20; I am with you always. When we fail Him and sin and guilt washes over all our body and mind we have the revelatory promises of Romans 8:1; there is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, and 1 John 1:9; if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Paul was willing, in the midst of a storm, to stand on the deck of a boat, being torn apart by the wind, rain, and waves, that God can and will protect them because God is a God of His Word. He will not protect them because they deserve it. He will protect them because He said He would. God does what He says He will do. The unbelieving world needs to hear that message and see us act upon it.
Friday, December 26, 2014
Are you influenced by and living in Babylon? Revelation 18-22
Revelation 18:4
I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues;
As the book of Revelation comes to a close God begins to pour our judgment on the earth and to set up His eternal reign with those who have placed their faith in Him. In the above verse we have John talking about Babylon, which can be interpreted as a place, a system and a way-of-life. Babylon was the place that God sent the nation of Israel for punishment of their sin of disobedience. God used Babylon and they abused their use and become the object of God's wrath themselves. But, Babylon is also a system and way of life in Scripture. It stands for everything that is against God. It holds to everything human and refutes and rejects the glory of God and His majesty. Babylon is the picture of sin; as is Egypt, in God's Word. These are places God redeemed Israel FROM. He used His power to bring them OUT of Egypt and Babylon. Symbolically speaking, these two nations and systems are sin and Satan's domain of ruin and self-promotion. Therefore when we read the above passage we must see it in this context. God is about to judge Babylon and He wants His people to stay clear and out of the way. We are told to "come out of her" rather than to dwell with her. John gives two reasons for us to do so: So that we don't participate in her sins and so that we don't receive her punishment. God has redeemed us FROM the world and the world's system. In Colossians 1:12 we are told by Paul that God, through Christ's work, has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His Beloved Son. We are to be different now that we are part of the family of God. We are not to be trapped in the mind of the world. Paul also tells us to "renew our mind" and to not "be conformed to the world" (Romans 12:1-2). We are to be unique in the word and "come out" of it. Peter tells us we are a "royal priesthood and a peculiar people" (1 Peter 2:9). God does not want us to join in the sins of the world. This might be one of the major dangers of the today's media and how it sucks us into the worldly system. We are entertained through our senses and influenced in our mind. We are desensitized by the world's philosophy. You might think of the man Lot and his wife as an example, here. Lot became attracted to this city of lights in the desert. He saw the lights and was drawn there. Eventually he and his wife became attached. His wife was so attached she long for the city even after being told to run away from the plague that was about to fall down on the city. She couldn't help but look back in desire and that turned her into a pilar of salt. Love of the world (Babylon) will always cause us to partake in some aspect of their plagues. If we wish to avoid that, "come out of her."
I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues;
As the book of Revelation comes to a close God begins to pour our judgment on the earth and to set up His eternal reign with those who have placed their faith in Him. In the above verse we have John talking about Babylon, which can be interpreted as a place, a system and a way-of-life. Babylon was the place that God sent the nation of Israel for punishment of their sin of disobedience. God used Babylon and they abused their use and become the object of God's wrath themselves. But, Babylon is also a system and way of life in Scripture. It stands for everything that is against God. It holds to everything human and refutes and rejects the glory of God and His majesty. Babylon is the picture of sin; as is Egypt, in God's Word. These are places God redeemed Israel FROM. He used His power to bring them OUT of Egypt and Babylon. Symbolically speaking, these two nations and systems are sin and Satan's domain of ruin and self-promotion. Therefore when we read the above passage we must see it in this context. God is about to judge Babylon and He wants His people to stay clear and out of the way. We are told to "come out of her" rather than to dwell with her. John gives two reasons for us to do so: So that we don't participate in her sins and so that we don't receive her punishment. God has redeemed us FROM the world and the world's system. In Colossians 1:12 we are told by Paul that God, through Christ's work, has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His Beloved Son. We are to be different now that we are part of the family of God. We are not to be trapped in the mind of the world. Paul also tells us to "renew our mind" and to not "be conformed to the world" (Romans 12:1-2). We are to be unique in the word and "come out" of it. Peter tells us we are a "royal priesthood and a peculiar people" (1 Peter 2:9). God does not want us to join in the sins of the world. This might be one of the major dangers of the today's media and how it sucks us into the worldly system. We are entertained through our senses and influenced in our mind. We are desensitized by the world's philosophy. You might think of the man Lot and his wife as an example, here. Lot became attracted to this city of lights in the desert. He saw the lights and was drawn there. Eventually he and his wife became attached. His wife was so attached she long for the city even after being told to run away from the plague that was about to fall down on the city. She couldn't help but look back in desire and that turned her into a pilar of salt. Love of the world (Babylon) will always cause us to partake in some aspect of their plagues. If we wish to avoid that, "come out of her."
Thursday, December 25, 2014
How do you express your love? Song of Songs 7-8
Song of Songs 7:10
“I am my beloved’s,
And his desire is for me.
There are many ways to express your love for someone. You can use the basic, "I love you" phrase. Those words should be spoken one to another, multiple times during a day. You can send flowers. You can, also, go on vacations and weekend escapes. However, you can't really express more in love than to use the words expressed above by the bride in our Song of Songs love story. To offer unprecedented commitment in one line and recognize supreme want in the next, is to show the full measure of love. What is being expressed in the above passage between the two lovers is a great picture of what is known about God's love for us and what should be, our love for Him. This love between the two is Biblical love. He has no other desire but to his bride. We are to have no other desire but to our God. She is fully committed to him. God is fully committed to us. This love is expressed in a variety of sensual words in chapter seven of Song of Songs. Touch, smell, sight, hearing and picturesque verbiage is used to say what this bride said in Hebrew and translated to us in just ten English words. Our love for our spouses ought to be on an equal plan. Our only desire ought to be who we have committed to in holy love. Note how Solomon says it in his other wisdom book, Proverbs;
Proverbs 5:18-19
Let your fountain be blessed,
And rejoice in the wife of your youth.
As a loving hind and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
Be exhilarated always with her love.
Solomon is not about to let something else, or someone else, capture his love or attention. His desire is for his bride and his wisdom for us is to never let that fail. The remarkable thing in Solomon's life is that he DID let it fail. For political motivations, he began to marry other wives and those wives drove him from his true desire, the wife of his youth. We ought to be very careful in our lives, as the world wants us to find other desires. We might desire to be rich and therefore work so much we neglect our love. We might desire to play and spend so much time in play we fail to express our love to our love. We might become twisted and desire the wrong type of love with our love. The above words from Solomon ought to be our mantra: I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me.
“I am my beloved’s,
And his desire is for me.
There are many ways to express your love for someone. You can use the basic, "I love you" phrase. Those words should be spoken one to another, multiple times during a day. You can send flowers. You can, also, go on vacations and weekend escapes. However, you can't really express more in love than to use the words expressed above by the bride in our Song of Songs love story. To offer unprecedented commitment in one line and recognize supreme want in the next, is to show the full measure of love. What is being expressed in the above passage between the two lovers is a great picture of what is known about God's love for us and what should be, our love for Him. This love between the two is Biblical love. He has no other desire but to his bride. We are to have no other desire but to our God. She is fully committed to him. God is fully committed to us. This love is expressed in a variety of sensual words in chapter seven of Song of Songs. Touch, smell, sight, hearing and picturesque verbiage is used to say what this bride said in Hebrew and translated to us in just ten English words. Our love for our spouses ought to be on an equal plan. Our only desire ought to be who we have committed to in holy love. Note how Solomon says it in his other wisdom book, Proverbs;
Proverbs 5:18-19
Let your fountain be blessed,
And rejoice in the wife of your youth.
As a loving hind and a graceful doe,
Let her breasts satisfy you at all times;
Be exhilarated always with her love.
Solomon is not about to let something else, or someone else, capture his love or attention. His desire is for his bride and his wisdom for us is to never let that fail. The remarkable thing in Solomon's life is that he DID let it fail. For political motivations, he began to marry other wives and those wives drove him from his true desire, the wife of his youth. We ought to be very careful in our lives, as the world wants us to find other desires. We might desire to be rich and therefore work so much we neglect our love. We might desire to play and spend so much time in play we fail to express our love to our love. We might become twisted and desire the wrong type of love with our love. The above words from Solomon ought to be our mantra: I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me.
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