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| A free gift of flowers in rich compost following a unit taught on gardening - at a local non-profit, compliments of local businessmen - near Mt. Celo Church |
My Lessons and Applications from Today's Readings
A Seal Upon Your Heart and Arm – Song of Solomon 7 and 8 (What It Says - Summarized) – The dream of the country maiden
continues, with her beloved extolling her physical beauty, her sexuality, with the betrothed longing for the day she can walk and be with her husband openly as she can be
with her brothers now. There is another
repetition of the refrain, “Do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases.”
Beginning in 8:5, the marriage seems to have taken place. The young woman now begins to want further
confirmation of her husband’s loyalty – more than sexual desire now. “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;
its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame. 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.” The passage ends with the remembrance of her brothers' protection of her until she is given in marriage, which is happening at this
moment. Then the song ends with the consummation of the marriage.
My Lessons and Applications - As discussed in my previous blog posts on this book of the Bible, it is a matter of debate between Biblical scholars and expositors whether or not this is simply a love song between a man and a woman or an allegory of God's love for Israel and the church. It is also debated whether Solomon is the Beloved, an observer, a spurned lover of the woman, or an intruder in the relationship. A great deal of the Song seems to be a dream of the Shulamite woman anticipating her marriage night. In this last chapter of the book, the marriage and consummation seem to switch from an emphasis on sensuality to a need of the bride to have the groom commit himself to her in loyalty and an exclusive relationship (8:6-7). It is noteworthy to me that he does not respond to this request nor require the same of her. Also, the aside "To Solomon" seems to allude to the king's 1000 wives and concubines mentioned in 1 Kings 11 and possibly 200 eunuchs that care for them (8:12). She also alludes to the fact that love cannot be bought by wealth. (8:7) Is romantic love held in this high esteem today, or does sexual pleasure outside of love hold preeminence? Is love "bought" with money in our consumer-oriented society? What is the outcome of this in the family, on the children, in the community? Is the "wealth despised" when it is offered for youth or beauty in lieu of committed love, or are there marriages entered into not out of love but to acquire wealth or status? Are we seeing the results of a devaluation of marital love, of the broken or nonexistent "seal upon the heart and the arm?" Are "many waters able to quench love" or "floods able to drown it"in our stressed-out world that is constantly under bombardment by the sex-obsessed media?
Spiritual Gifts to Edify, Exhort and Comfort - 1 Corinthians 14:1-20 - (What It Says - Summarized) - The Apostle Paul is reminding the church at Corinth that the gift of tongues is not useful to the church without interpreters - without "revelation, knowledge, prophesying or teaching." Paul's final admonition to the church is: "Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature."
My Lessons and Applications - 1 Corinthians 14 has been heavily debated and even divisive between evangelical Christians and those within the Charismatic movement. The Geneva Study Bible says that Paul uses the words "tongues" and "languages" interchangeably in this passage, that the normal Greek translation for "tongue" is "language," that Paul is speaking here of human languages not of ecstatic speech that is of no known dialect. (However, it may be that the gift of foreign language spoken here is not even understood by the speaker and has never been studied by the speaker as was evidently the case at Pentecost.) The apostle is also emphasizing the importance of gifts that teach others, and since "tongues" fail to do this without interpreters, it may cause division and confusion. The final statement recalls to mind that of Jesus in Matthew 10:16, "Behold, I send you out as sheep among wolves. Be wise as serpents, as harmless as doves." This is my purpose in reading through the entire Bible each year - to try to gain an understanding of the revealed part of God's overall plan, to let the Holy Spirit speak to me the truths He reveals and to live in obedience to those.
"The Lord gives every believer gifts to be used in His service - gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His will (Hebrews 2:4). We see from this that it is the Lord who determines which gift or gifts each of us will receive. And although "God's gifts and His call are irrevocable" (Romans 11:29), they must, nevertheless, be sharpened or honed. Paul encourages us to "try to excel in gifts that build up the church." (1 Corinthians 14:12) Thus, we are to use our God-given gifts to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ, in fighting evil in the world, in sharing the gospel with the lost, and in helping anyone who needs a touch of the Lord through us. But we must be ready, and the only way to be ready is to use our gifts. It may seem awkward at first, but as we use them God will hone them - and we may even see our enemies being used as the sharpener!"
Jim Reimann commentary on Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening.
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