Sunday, April 7, 2019

The Search


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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