Saturday, April 4th, 2009

Saturday, April 4th, 2009

Song of Solomon 7:6
How beautiful and pleasant you are, O loved one, with all your delights!

Although I struggle with this book, whether or not is a pure allegory of Christ and the church, or a book to celebrate the beauty of marriage and love that can consequently be used to see the beauty of Christ’s love toward me, and my (and the church’s) love toward Christ, the reality is that whether the first or second view is taken, with the mind of Christ, and the Spirit, it makes precious little difference. So, therefore, I have taken the second view out of preference and out of the raw reading and literary structure of the text.

To the point. As I read this verse this morning, and as I thought of the perspective of this verse, who was talking, which was the lover or the man, I was struck suddenly with an overwhelming sense of the love of Christ towards the church, and consequently towards me.

The lover says, “How beautiful and pleasant you are, O loved one, with all your delights!” Wow, here is the love of a true husband towards his wife, he views her as beautiful AND pleasant. He considers her to be a joy to look at, and a joy to be with. This is a man who is not ashamed of his spouse, but rather is enthralled with her. Then after this, he expresses this love towards her, and these concepts to her by calling her his loved one. Then, finishing this beautiful discourse with her, he tells her that she brings him delight. Actually, more like she has and is delights.

First, I want to ponder the way the husband is not only enthralled with her beauty, but also, is pleased by her.

As Christ is the head, or husband of the church, he expresses to us in His word, that he loves the church, that he loves us. He is enthralled with her beauty, though at many times she disappoints Him, yet, He still loves her. This is a divine mystery, I think that it may be wrapped up in the fact that He determined to love us like this, apart from our merits, God knows how awful we can be in the church, and how awful churches can be. Yet, He chose to focus His love on us, and chose to give us Himself.

This is an interesting trade, we get the infinite, eternal and unchangeable love of God, and He gets our finite, temporal and fickle love in return. Yet, He is not ashamed of us, and so, in joy and bliss this morning, I bow my heart and mind in worship to Him, the great lover of my soul, the King and head of the church, Jesus Christ.

May my soul today know the way that He considers me beautiful and pleasant, even though in my own self I am nothing at all.

Second, I want to ponder the expression of his love towards her.

The lover in this episode expresses his love towards his spouse by calling her loved one, and telling her that he delights in her. Yet, Jesus Christ, expressed his love towards me by going to an awful cross, bearing His infinite wrath, the wrath of God, and then keeping a body like mine for eternity. Talk about an expression of love. For truly the Word is correct, when it says, “No greater love has any man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend.” The love of Christ, Jesus the lover of my soul, is so intense that I cannot comprehend it.

I pray today, that I would know the height, the depth, the width and the breadth of the love of Jesus Christ for me! Amen.


But the physical suffering was not the worst. Rather, the weight of human sin and the separation from God the Father because of His wrath against sin were the real causes of the Savior’s death.
But simply knowing about Christ’s suffering and death is not enough. We must personally appropriate this to our own lives. We must say, “It was for me!” We must allow the Holy Spirit to do in us subjectively all that Christ has done for us objectively. Then, after we have experienced this redemptive work in our own lives, we must humbly, lovingly, and thoughtfully “follow in His steps” and seek to restore others.[1]

[1]Osbeck, Kenneth W.: Amazing Grace : 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions. Grand Rapids, Mich. : Kregel Publications, 1990, S. 107