June 4
Songs of Songs 1:1-8:14
The book, Song of Solomon, can be read through a number of different viewpoints. It can represent the beautiful romance between a husband and his wife. It can also be seen as the deep love between God and Israel. But when seen as the intense bond and affection that Jesus Christ, our Bridegroom, has for the church, which is His bride, the words literally leap off the pages. I often see all of the spots and blemishes in myself. Though others often can't see it, I see my ugliness and my imperfections. Though I often want to be good, and want others to see goodness in me, I all too often see my mistakes and my failures. In fact, when I think of how perfect and beautiful that My Savior is, contrasted with Him, I fall so short, and seem so unlovable. Yet, He loves me. Where I see ugliness, He sees beauty. Where I see failures, He sees perfection. Where I see something worth discarding, He sees something so precious as to call me His bride. Yes, His love for me is unconditional, and He is absolutely crazy about me. It has everything to do with His ability to love, not with my ability to be lovable.
As we read these words, please see yourself as the bride, the Shulamite, and let Christ, the Bridegroom's words penetrate you. We read in Song of Solomon 4:7, "You are all fair, my love, And there is no spot in you." He sees you and me without spot or blemish. We read in 2:2, "Like a lily among thistles is my darling among young women." Despite the ugliness that surrounds us, Jesus sees us as beautiful, standing apart from the rest of the world. We read in 6:10, "“Who is this, arising like the dawn, as fair as the moon, as bright as the sun, as majestic as an army with billowing banners?” We might see ourselves as stumbling and bumbling, but He sees us, His church as pure, clear, spotless, unblemished, a beautiful army. In 8:3, we read, "Your left arm would be under my head, and your right arm would embrace me." His bond and embrace can never be broken. In Romans 8:35-39, Paul speaks of our never being separated from Him, never! In 8:7, we read, "Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy love with all his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned." God's unquenchable love for us is such that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die for us, not because we somehow earned it or deserved it, but because of His love for us. Our Bridegroom's sacrificial love for us is priceless, and though we might not see it in ourselves, He sees us as worth it.
May we simply drink in the words and the depth of Jesus' love for us. All too often we make it about ourselves: how good we are vs. how bad we are, how well we move forward in the Spirit vs. how bad we stumble in the flesh, how much time we spend thinking about Him vs how much time we ignore Him. The problem with all of this is we spend too much time consumed with our own self-evaluation rather than being consumed with Him. It was always about Him, it is always about Him, and it will always be about Him. He loves us. He sees us as beautiful. He sees our perfection in Him, rather than our ugliness that we often dwell on. It is not about our worth , but His worthiness. It is not about our loveliness, but about His capacity to love that which is often unlovable. Thank you, all eyes on You, Jesus, my Bridegroom, for your love.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: