DEVOTION
SONG OF SONGS
THE SEARCH
Song 1:5-7
5 Dark am I, yet lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem, dark like the tents
of Kedar, like the tent curtains of Solomon.
6 Do not stare at me because I am dark, because I am darkened by the
sun. My mother's sons were angry with me and made me take care of the
vineyards; my own vineyard I have neglected. 7 Tell me, you whom I love, where
you graze your flock and where you rest your sheep at midday. Why should I be
like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your friends?
NIV
If we look at this as this love story, this drama played out between
the man and the woman, these are supposed to be the words of the beloved, or
some translations label her a Shulamite because they were a darker people. The
next several verses are the lover’s response. Could this not also be the words
of God spoken to Israel, O daughters of Jerusalem? Yet it could be the words of
mankind toward God. We can be the ones who are dark, who have been darken by
the sun, living within the world. This is not darkened, as in our skin, but in
our heart. Why would God be mad at us because we were raised in a darkened
home, with parents that did not shine with the light of Jesus? Why would he
stare at us with anger because we were trained to chase after the things are
parents did? We did not have the chose at that time, we had to live as they
did. But now it is different. We can ask him where he grazes his people, the
sheep of his pasture. We can now ask him why should we remained veiled, hidden
from his flock, his sheep, the sheep of his pasture, the community of
believers. No we do not have to live behind the veil, away from the Holy of
Holies. Because of Jesus the veil was torn in two and we have full access to God, and can be encompassed into his flock. No longer do we stand outside,
beside the flock of his friends. We live inside the flock with the friends of
God. These friends could be seen as the believing community or seen as Jesus
and the Spirit. But we no longer have this darken heart, yet let us allow this dialog
to play out and see how this statement is answered. It will start out with
telling how to find him. For now it was the search.
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