I shared some reflections a few weeks ago. Although I've been a Bible learner and disciple of Christ for many years, I do not yet have this walk figured out. It's filled with missteps and mistakes, and even when I re-read some of my prior posts, I can see how I could have represented the truth more fully and adequately. It is humbling to know that God still brings truth even in our tiny bit of understanding.
Today, we start a Bible study I've refused to write for months. It is a chapter out of my dark soul and a testament to the bright communion God showed me over a long, swarthy night. I know I need to sit still and get some of the messy, messy work God has graciously done down on paper. I dread it and welcome it all in one.
We continue this week learning about the marriage of a new husband and wife. We eavesdropped last week on their little disagreement, and now we see Scripture display to us how to forgive. This message is for all believers, not just folks who are married. Singleness is a high calling, as we’ve mentioned, and this week has pearls of peacemaking that will help you professionally, personally, and with those around you.
In those days, kings and wealthy people created gardens as private places of leisure and intimacy with privileged friends. Such places were not open to be viewed or trampled by the general public. Likewise, in an arid climate, fountains were used to provide the water that was necessary for a garden to produce its lush growth. Such precious water could not be freely distributed to all without depriving the garden of its resources, and so it was sealed.
Father, as I search these Scriptures and allow this love song to be sung over me, I pray that you would banish my blindness. You lavished me with love through the death and resurrection of Your Son, yet I still look to the idols of this world for satisfaction. Let me gasp for Your holy breath and desire You above all. Let me burn for your peace. Amen.
While Song of Songs has no apparent religious content, it has significant spiritual meaning. Think of the Song of Songs as a playlist on Spotify that tells the melodic story of a couple's dating life, engagement, wedding, and marriage. It has undertones and crescendos, like all love songs that move you.
Around Thanksgiving, I decided our next blog study would be Song of Songs. The book of Revelation intimidates most Bible teachers. Hear me when I say this: I'd write Revelation 5x before the Song of Songs. The Song is not just about sex; it is about love. It is not only about bodies; it is about whole persons [Ryken]. We have an intense desire for love, a passion that mirrors a more significant and more profound hunger for God's love. It seems unattainable for me to grasp how these eight chapters describe my relationship with God.
