Mon.’s Devo - The Love of Christ

Read: Song of Solomon1:1-4:16; 2 Corinthians 8:16-24; Psalm 50:1-23; Proverbs 22:22-23 Song of Solomon can be taken as a love story showing true covenant love between a man and wife or as an allegory of God’s covenant people and their history in the Promised Land. The latter is how I choose to write about. The main character is not the bride but the bridegroom who is Christ. He shows his love or his bride, his Church and his covenant people, the Jews. Aaron represented Him as priest; Moses, as prophet; David, as a suffering king; Solomon, as the triumphant prince of peace. The camp in the wilderness represents the Church in the world. The peaceful reign of Solomon, after all enemies had been subdued, represents the Church in heaven. This is what Song of Solomon is giving us a foretaste of. It is heaven on earth. The Shulamite woman represents Israel, God’s promised bride. We have to remember that Israel includes all who would love God and love his son. The story opens with the Shulamite enjoying the covenant love of her lover. She says, “No wonder all the young virgins love you.” Virgins have to do with the pure in heart. We don’t come to God because we had a desire for him, He called us and chose us and gave us a heart to want him. He called us first and we have the choice to respond. She has been brought to the throne room of God and the first thing she feels is unworthiness because of her sin. He tells her how he sees her which is not through her sin. The more he affirms his love for her, the more she believes it. He comes to invite her to go away with him and abandon all for their love. He tells her where he is hiding and waiting for her to come to him. The women of Jerusalem, the counselors, warn her to catch all the foxes that would ruin her from pursuing his love. In this book the woman seems to be very fickle as she longs for her lover then is not with him. She sleeps and wakes up to long for him. It is so like the story of Israel who yo-yoed back and forth with their commitment to the Lord. It reminds me of myself - hot than cold. Then we read chapter four and we see that Jesus never criticizes us when we come back to him but only encourages and lifts us up with his words of love and acceptance. He meticulously describes every part of her and finds nothing about her that he doesn’t adore. What a picture of grace and love. This is how God sees us. Paul writes the people in the church at Corinth that he is sending Titus back to them. Titus would be accompanied by another Christian brother. They will be on their way to Jerusalem to take an offering to aid the church in Jerusalem. He encourages the church to show them brotherly love and prove that all Paul said about them was true. Paul is like God the Father. He loves his churches like a father loves his family and is proud of what they have become. God is like that with us. How much more power we have when we see ourselves as God sees us. He sees Jesus in us doing what Jesus did on the earth. Lord, may we step aside and let Christ live through us. Thank you that you see us through eyes of love and not condemnation. May we walk in Your power.