My Beloved is white and ruddy,
Chief among ten thousand.
His head is like the finest gold;
His locks are wavy, and black as a raven.
His eyes are like doves by the rivers of waters.
Washed with milk, and fitly set.
His cheeks are like a bed of spices,
Banks of scented herbs.
His lips are lilies, dripping liquid myrrh.
His hands are rods of gold set with beryl.
His body is carved ivory inlaid with sapphires.
His legs are pillars of marble set on bases of fine gold.
His countenance is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.
His mouth is most sweet,
Yes, He is altogether lovely.
This is my Beloved and this is my Friend.
(Song of Solomon 5:10-16)
Who is the Beloved? Who is the fairest of Men? King Solomon, the author of 1005 songs, penned this beautifully poetic, parabolic piece we now know as the Song of Solomon. It is a passionate love story of a man, the Beloved, and his bride, the Shulamite. Its eight chapters are thought of as perhaps the most powerful book in the Bible for drawing people closer to the Lord. The Jews, and many others, often refer to this as the Holy of Holies of Scripture. Truly this short book is a masterpiece of revelation into the intimacy of the heart of God.
There are four main interpretations of the Song of Solomon in regards to purpose and audience. One of the most common, and the one supported in this writing, is that this short book is a beautiful love story between the Lord Jesus Christ and the individual believer. Christ Himself is the Beloved, lovingly described in these eloquent, worshipful verses above, who throughout the book initiates and invites and enables the deepest, most intimate relationship with the one who captured His heart – us! It eloquently describes His gentleness, grace, favor upon, and the pleasure that He derives from, not all of mankind, but only those who have entered into a covenant relationship with Him.
If this is indeed a picture of Jesus, which I believe it to be, these seven verses teach us volumes about nature, character and person of our Lord. How exciting and intriguing this is to carefully study these descriptions of the Beloved and see our Lord revealed in them! And how I pray that it would reveal and confirm our desperate need to be among the covenant worshipers of such a One as this!
To know Him is our life’s pursuit. To see Him our heart’s desire. To kneel before Him, our destiny. But will we not know Him until we behold Him? Will we not understand Him better before the realm beyond? Yes, I say! We can! We shall, for Jesus says, “Lo, I come in the volume of the Books, it is written of Me!” (Heb 10:7) As we study His Word, it will continually reveal more and more the Mystery, Majesty and Man who is the desire of the ages.
“But who is He personally, practically? How can I learn to see Him?” asks the honest believer. Come with me and listen to this blessed bride as she describes for us in coded wonder the unmistakable beauty and person of our Savior.
“What is your Beloved more than any other?”
Jesus, the Savior, the Word, the Bread of Life, the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Good Shepherd, the Door, the Redeemer, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.
Jesus. I have read of His works, and studied His Words, and aspired to model His behaviors, but still have always felt that I know very little about who He really is; not positional, but personally. I know so much about Jesus formally, but have always longed to know Him more as one knows their intimate friend, as He invites us to.
Have you heard, like me, the admonishment to “just look at Jesus” and been a little unsure about what you are supposed to see? He is the mystery of all ages, far beyond comprehension or understanding, yet He implores us to be His brothers, His sisters; to sit with Him, look into His face and learn to truly know Him. What a wonderful invitation. Yet this still can seem ambiguous and coded. “He is God,” we may say, “Creator of the universe, and we have only four books in the Bible that outline His 33 years on earth.” While that is true, we have in fact much more to go on. Jesus says of Himself, “Lo, I come in the volume of the Book, it is written on Me.” (Heb 10:7)
The entire Word of God from Genesis to Revelation is full of wonderful descriptions of the Author of Life, Jesus Christ. One of the more intimate and descriptive glimpses of Jesus is right here in the book of Song of Solomon. Here, the wife of her Beloved, love sick and starving for his presence, asks the women of Jerusalem to help her find him. They ask what I believe to be the question of the ages: “What is your beloved more than any other that we should look for him?”
Since the Beloved is a type and picture of Jesus, we too, like the Shulamite, should be able to eloquently express who He is and why He is the deepest desire of our hearts. Come with me and learn of Him. Take this privileged glance at our Beloved in His glory and beauty which is reserved for those who truly want to know and love Him more. See Him, as the heart of love has revealed Him to us in His Word. And when we gaze upon Him we learn to be able to tell others who this Jesus really is, and why He is the Beloved of our souls. To know Him, be near Him, and be like Him is our destiny. “For whom He foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed into the image of His Son, that He might be firstborn among many brethren.” (Rom 8:29) Let us begin now by prayer that God would open the eyes of our understanding that we might more clearly behold our Christ.
Questions:
Chief among ten thousand.
His head is like the finest gold;
His locks are wavy, and black as a raven.
His eyes are like doves by the rivers of waters.
Washed with milk, and fitly set.
His cheeks are like a bed of spices,
Banks of scented herbs.
His lips are lilies, dripping liquid myrrh.
His hands are rods of gold set with beryl.
His body is carved ivory inlaid with sapphires.
His legs are pillars of marble set on bases of fine gold.
His countenance is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.
His mouth is most sweet,
Yes, He is altogether lovely.
This is my Beloved and this is my Friend.
(Song of Solomon 5:10-16)
Who is the Beloved? Who is the fairest of Men? King Solomon, the author of 1005 songs, penned this beautifully poetic, parabolic piece we now know as the Song of Solomon. It is a passionate love story of a man, the Beloved, and his bride, the Shulamite. Its eight chapters are thought of as perhaps the most powerful book in the Bible for drawing people closer to the Lord. The Jews, and many others, often refer to this as the Holy of Holies of Scripture. Truly this short book is a masterpiece of revelation into the intimacy of the heart of God.
There are four main interpretations of the Song of Solomon in regards to purpose and audience. One of the most common, and the one supported in this writing, is that this short book is a beautiful love story between the Lord Jesus Christ and the individual believer. Christ Himself is the Beloved, lovingly described in these eloquent, worshipful verses above, who throughout the book initiates and invites and enables the deepest, most intimate relationship with the one who captured His heart – us! It eloquently describes His gentleness, grace, favor upon, and the pleasure that He derives from, not all of mankind, but only those who have entered into a covenant relationship with Him.
If this is indeed a picture of Jesus, which I believe it to be, these seven verses teach us volumes about nature, character and person of our Lord. How exciting and intriguing this is to carefully study these descriptions of the Beloved and see our Lord revealed in them! And how I pray that it would reveal and confirm our desperate need to be among the covenant worshipers of such a One as this!
To know Him is our life’s pursuit. To see Him our heart’s desire. To kneel before Him, our destiny. But will we not know Him until we behold Him? Will we not understand Him better before the realm beyond? Yes, I say! We can! We shall, for Jesus says, “Lo, I come in the volume of the Books, it is written of Me!” (Heb 10:7) As we study His Word, it will continually reveal more and more the Mystery, Majesty and Man who is the desire of the ages.
“But who is He personally, practically? How can I learn to see Him?” asks the honest believer. Come with me and listen to this blessed bride as she describes for us in coded wonder the unmistakable beauty and person of our Savior.
“What is your Beloved more than any other?”
Jesus, the Savior, the Word, the Bread of Life, the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Good Shepherd, the Door, the Redeemer, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world.
Jesus. I have read of His works, and studied His Words, and aspired to model His behaviors, but still have always felt that I know very little about who He really is; not positional, but personally. I know so much about Jesus formally, but have always longed to know Him more as one knows their intimate friend, as He invites us to.
Have you heard, like me, the admonishment to “just look at Jesus” and been a little unsure about what you are supposed to see? He is the mystery of all ages, far beyond comprehension or understanding, yet He implores us to be His brothers, His sisters; to sit with Him, look into His face and learn to truly know Him. What a wonderful invitation. Yet this still can seem ambiguous and coded. “He is God,” we may say, “Creator of the universe, and we have only four books in the Bible that outline His 33 years on earth.” While that is true, we have in fact much more to go on. Jesus says of Himself, “Lo, I come in the volume of the Book, it is written on Me.” (Heb 10:7)
The entire Word of God from Genesis to Revelation is full of wonderful descriptions of the Author of Life, Jesus Christ. One of the more intimate and descriptive glimpses of Jesus is right here in the book of Song of Solomon. Here, the wife of her Beloved, love sick and starving for his presence, asks the women of Jerusalem to help her find him. They ask what I believe to be the question of the ages: “What is your beloved more than any other that we should look for him?”
Since the Beloved is a type and picture of Jesus, we too, like the Shulamite, should be able to eloquently express who He is and why He is the deepest desire of our hearts. Come with me and learn of Him. Take this privileged glance at our Beloved in His glory and beauty which is reserved for those who truly want to know and love Him more. See Him, as the heart of love has revealed Him to us in His Word. And when we gaze upon Him we learn to be able to tell others who this Jesus really is, and why He is the Beloved of our souls. To know Him, be near Him, and be like Him is our destiny. “For whom He foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed into the image of His Son, that He might be firstborn among many brethren.” (Rom 8:29) Let us begin now by prayer that God would open the eyes of our understanding that we might more clearly behold our Christ.
Questions:
1) Name five attributes of Christ.
2) Find a scripture verse to support each.
3) Share one of them with somebody today.
No comments:
Post a Comment