Song of Solomon 8
Bible Passage: Song of Solomon 8
We have come to the last chapter of this year’s reading.
And as we come to the end of this year, it seemed fitting to reflect … after a year of reading the Bible, have we drawn closer to the Lord? Is our love for Him stronger?
After all the exhilaration, the despondency, the highs and lows of the experiences of love of the Shulamite woman and her beloved, it ends with this declaration by the Shulamite to the Beloved …
Set me as a seal upon your heart,
As a seal upon your arm;
For love is as strong as death,
Jealousy as cruel as the grave;[a]
Its flames are flames of fire,
A most vehement[b] flame.7 Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor can the floods drown it.
If a man would give for love
All the wealth of his house,
It would be utterly despised.~ Songs 8:6-7
Talk about wearing your heart on your sleeve!
This declaration by the Shulamite is the culmination of her love that has been growing, developing and maturing since the 1st chapter.
What started out as infatuation, or a shallow kind of love, has now grown to an all consuming, embracing love.
It sorts of reminds me of the hymn, “None of Self and All of Thee”.
In the beginning, it was all her. Her Beloved is hers. She “owns” him. Then as we continue reading, she moved on to being delighted that she now belongs to her Beloved.
So should it be for our Christian journey. In the hymn, we sing, “All of self, and none of Thee”.
But our love should grow gradually to “some of self and some of Thee”.
As we mature more, it is “less of self and more of Thee”.
But finally, it should be “none of self and all of Thee”.
Which stage are we at right now?
The Bible tells us that “we love because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19). At first, we love the Lord because of all that He has done for us.
But it is very much still “us” as the focus.
We must move beyond ourselves to be more God focused.
It’s all about Him. Not us.
What does God require of us?
Why not consider the words of Micah for our journey next year?
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?~ Micah 6:8
We thank God for truly another year of His grace day by day.
Song of Solomon 7
2 Comments
lim
hi brethren whom in charge of putting up the picture on the blog.
in selection of photo to depict the messages, please be wary of the teaching from bible.
the tattoo arm is not appropriate as is against the teaching do not tattoo on your body. (lev 19:28)
Camelinaneedle
The best and the greatest thing about love is expecting nothing in return even after you’ve given everything you could possibly have ever given.
And to that, I say, why not?
Jesus did it. And so can we.
And people ask if this is possible when all they’ve ever really known is to keep on giving only that which is physical.
And yes, maybe I’m cheesy and a little old fashioned, but love shouldn’t have to be displayed in dramatic displays of affection because if love truly has been felt, it will be returned.
So, because we all know how much God has given and done for us, we willingly give back what we will never be able to repay.
Dear God, it’s all about You.