The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Song of Songs 3:7-10,
"Look! It is Solomon's carriage,
escorted by sixty warriors,
the noblest of Israel,
all of them wearing the sword,
all experienced in battle,
each with his sword at his side,
prepared for the terrors of the night.
King Solomon made for himself the carriage;
he made it of wood from Lebanon.
Its posts he made of silver,
its base of gold.
Its seat was upholstered with purple,
its interior inlaid with love."
While I question any attempt of mine to equate Solomon's carriage as a metaphor of God's redemption of mankind, I can't help but notice that this conveyance is a refuge of safety with its sixty warrior escort. Once in the carriage, all dangers cease. With the carriage of redemption we can be brought into the family of God, as all who enter have "eternal life and will not be judged but has [have] crossed over from death to life." John 5:24. It is this crossing over that requires conveyance for us from God's judgment of us to God's everlasting blessings for us.
This means of conveying the beloved from one place to another was built with no expense spared! The precious wood from Lebanon (the famed cedars?), the silver, gold and purple all speak of the most precious of materials used to construct it. It causes me to think again of the redemption provided by God, "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." 1 Peter 1:18-19. As the most valuable materials were used to construct Solomon's carriage, so the most valuable substance was used to bring about the redemption of mankind: the blood of Jesus Christ!
I also note in verse 10 that the carriage interior was "inlaid with love." So, too, God's redemption of mankind is embedded with love. It was the love of God that initiated his redemption of man and it was the love of God that carried it out! "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:9-10.
"Look! It is Solomon's carriage,
escorted by sixty warriors,
the noblest of Israel,
all of them wearing the sword,
all experienced in battle,
each with his sword at his side,
prepared for the terrors of the night.
King Solomon made for himself the carriage;
he made it of wood from Lebanon.
Its posts he made of silver,
its base of gold.
Its seat was upholstered with purple,
its interior inlaid with love."
While I question any attempt of mine to equate Solomon's carriage as a metaphor of God's redemption of mankind, I can't help but notice that this conveyance is a refuge of safety with its sixty warrior escort. Once in the carriage, all dangers cease. With the carriage of redemption we can be brought into the family of God, as all who enter have "eternal life and will not be judged but has [have] crossed over from death to life." John 5:24. It is this crossing over that requires conveyance for us from God's judgment of us to God's everlasting blessings for us.
This means of conveying the beloved from one place to another was built with no expense spared! The precious wood from Lebanon (the famed cedars?), the silver, gold and purple all speak of the most precious of materials used to construct it. It causes me to think again of the redemption provided by God, "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." 1 Peter 1:18-19. As the most valuable materials were used to construct Solomon's carriage, so the most valuable substance was used to bring about the redemption of mankind: the blood of Jesus Christ!
I also note in verse 10 that the carriage interior was "inlaid with love." So, too, God's redemption of mankind is embedded with love. It was the love of God that initiated his redemption of man and it was the love of God that carried it out! "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:9-10.
Again, while I resist my own impulse to see Solomon's carriage as a metaphor of the Lord's redemption of us, I nevertheless cannot help but think of the Lord's atoning redemption of us as a conveyance to move us from the danger of his own judgment to the safety of his refuge of love for us.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment