Song of Solomon 7-8, Psalm 103

Your stature is like that of the palm,
   and your breasts like clusters of fruit.
I said, “I will climb the palm tree;
   I will take hold of its fruit.”
May your breasts be like clusters of grapes on the vine,
   the fragrance of your breath like apples,
   and your mouth like the best wine. (Song of Solomon 7:7-9a)

I think we all know what is being said above, so here is 

a photo of a gift from John and Jan Bloodworth, 1980. (I'm pretty sure Jan did the needlework.)

Scripture causes all sorts of thoughts to race through my consciousness. I am so grateful, so blessed to live a life saturated in God's Word.

Song of Solomon 4-6

My beloved has gone down to his garden, to the beds of spices, to browse in the gardens and to gather lilies. I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine; he browses among the lilies. (Song of Songs‬ ‭6:2-3‬)

Ungh! I don’t mean to belabor the point, but the poetry and brief events described in this book of the Bible strike me as deep, sensual, powerful, and earthy. Not a few commentators have made a case for interpreting Solomon’s Song as representative of the love between Christ and the church. If such an allegorical interpretation is on target, then we might well ask, “Does my love for Christ and Christ’s love for me seem deep, sensual, powerful, and earthy? If so, then why, and if not, then why not? Am I fully the member of Christ’s church I am called to be apart from such a deep, sensual, powerful, and earthy love?”

Song of Solomon 1-3, Psalm 102

Solomon’s Song of Songs. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— for your love is more delightful than wine. Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes; your name is like perfume poured out. No wonder the young women love you! Take me away with you—let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers. We rejoice and delight in you; we will praise your love more than wine. How right they are to adore you! (Song of Songs‬ ‭1:1-4‬)

How did sexy, suggestive poetry get into the Bible? On the strength of King Solomon’s authorship and his legendary status as as a lover and polygamist, I suppose. And why not? Why not include romantic literature? Romance is part of human experience and an important part at that. How many men are swept away in romance? How often are women thrilled at being “wined and dined?” Where is the joy in human life without one heart warmed by another’s heart?

Ecclesiastes 10-12

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes‬ ‭12:13-14‬)

Fear of God may begin the whole duty of humankind, but fear, whether interpreted as respect or as fright, is neither the only possible beginning nor the middle, nor the end of that duty. Awe may begin a person’s spiritual quest. Love may inspire a soul’s journey with God. Nature may quicken the heart toward a life intertwined with the Living Creator. So fear is one among many starting points for fidelity to duty.

Perfect love casts out fear (See 1 John 4:18.).  Love also fulfills God’s commands (See Romans 13:10 and Galatians 5:14). So in the beginning we aim at obedience to God out of fear, if we must, but growing toward spiritual maturity, we simply love. We receive love. We give love. We live love.

Love brings us home, at last, where both justice and mercy are completed without and within. Praise God!

Ecclesiastes 7-9

Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to the men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all. (Ecclesiastes‬ ‭9:11‬)

I am seeing this part of Ecclesiastes as a rejoinder to the overarching message in the Bible’s book of Job. According to that wisdom, the race does go to the swift, the battle to the strong, etc.. The Bible’s book of Ecclesiastes seems to say, “Not necessarily.” Rewards and punishments wait for certain times and places. Sometimes logical consequences do not follow actions and events. Chance exerts its influence at such times. Random chaos takes over now and then.

Life is messy; it is neither orderly nor predictable. It has been this way since biblical times.

Ecclesiastes 4-6

And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. (Ecclesiastes 4:4)

I disagree with this declarative statement. Some people toil for their own benefit. Others work toward achievement on behalf of their children and neighbors. Yes, still others are motivated by envy, but not all. The claim above is just plain wrong.

Ecclesiastes 1-3

The author of Ecclesiastes makes bitter, despairing claims here. He claims to know no other point in his life than to extract all of the joy from it that he can get. Pleasures, possessions, and wisdom—he has tried many avenues of gaining satisfaction, but has he given attention to the ways of not doing, not possessing, and not knowing?

God is God of both light and darkness...

Job 42, Psalms 100-101

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. (Psalms‬ ‭100:1-2‬)

Amen to one of the most quoted and memorized of all the psalms...

Job 38-41

Finally, Job gets his audience with the LORD. At last he is brought to the judgment seat, as the LORD speaks from the storm (or whirlwind). By asking a series of unanswerable questions, questions to which it is presumed that God alone holds answers, Job is convicted on the charge of doubting God’s justice. He is given a breakthrough experience, hearing the LORD’s unmistakable voice.

In my experience God is often perceived more clearly in the chaotic chapters of one’s life. Maybe it takes a tornado just to get one’s attention. Perhaps, as the saying goes, “You have to be knocked down, before you will look up.”

I am thankful for the sense of God’s presence, entering into the most troubling times of my life. If not for the LORD’s message, “I’ve got this,” I might have despaired. I know that some persons do. They retreat into lifelong bitterness. They become physically ill, or they end their lives.

Because I have felt God nearby in the past, I hope to be sustained in future troubles. Like Job, I have no answer to the question, “Why?” But I am willing to relegate the desire to understand why to my growing collection of life’s mysteries, especially as I treasure the certainty of God-given hope. For me increases of hope trump increases of mysteries. Praise God!

Job 35-37, Psalm 99

In the Bible's book of Psalms, chapter 99, God's holiness is underscored three times, once each in verses 3, 5, and 9.

God is holy.

God is holy.

God is holy.

How may I respond?

Worship.

Praise.

Exaltation.

Job 32-34

He punishes them for their wickedness
   where everyone can see them,
because they turned from following him
   and had no regard for any of his ways. (Job 34:26-27)

Again this is an oversimplified view of the way God's justice works. Does God punish persons for their wickedness, so everyone can see them? Yes, sometimes God does so, but not every time. At times persons are punished secretly. At times persons' punishments are delayed, so it appears they go unpunished.

Job 29-31

Here Job invokes curses upon himself. "...may my wife grind another man's grain...," "...let my arm fall from my shoulder...," ...let briers come up instead of wheat and stinkweed instead of barley." He invites divine judgment, while rejecting the judgment of his critical friends. Job clings to pride, to innocence, and to self-defense. 

Jesus humbles himself, says there is only one good, and scatters all would-be defenders. How different!

Job 25-28

On the one hand, the Bible's book of Job puts wisdom in the category of mystery:

Where then does wisdom come from?
   Where does understanding dwell?
It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing,
   concealed even from the birds in the sky. (Job 28:20-21)

On the other hand, the Bible's book of Job clearly defines wisdom:

God understands the way to it
   and he alone knows where it dwells...
And he said to the human race,
   “The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom,
   and to shun evil is understanding.” (Job 28:23, 28)

I imagine a large part of respect for God is withholding my judgment. Judging, after all, is neither my responsibility nor my prerogative. It is God's. I fear God, that is, I reverence God in large measure by tending to my own responsibilities, not the duties of others, and certainly not the prerogatives that belong to God alone.

Notice: Job is judging his own case, and he is judging God's execution of justice in his particular case. He is "out of bounds" on two counts!

But then, who am I to judge?

Job 22-24

My feet have closely followed his steps;
   I have kept to his way without turning aside.
I have not departed from the commands of his lips;
   I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. (Job 23:11-12)

Job refuses to confess to any wrongdoing. He sees none of his faults. He knows only his pains and losses. He cannot see God. 

He may not be guilty of any charge brought against him by his friends, but he cannot be entirely without sin, either. If he contemplated his own darkness, maybe his God would not appear so shrouded in shadows.

Job 19-21

One person dies in full vigor,
   completely secure and at ease,
well nourished in body,
   bones rich with marrow.
Another dies in bitterness of soul,
   never having enjoyed anything good. (Job 21:23-25)

The simplistic justice taught to Job and his friends is that God rewards righteous persons with vigor, nourishment, and riches, while wicked persons are given bitterness and poverty. But Job sees role reversal: Wicked persons enjoy vigor, nourishment, and riches, and Job, a righteous man in his own self-evaluation, is about to die in bitterness and poverty.

Justice is not that simplistic in my experience. Righteous persons may enjoy the experiences in their living, but not necessarily so. Wicked persons may suffer the consequences of their hurtful actions in their living, but not always. Who knows? The balance of justice may wait in eternity.

Job 16-18

I have fallen behind in posting my reflections, so tonight I am reading, reflecting, and posting on the specified readings for four consecutive days.

Surely, God, you have worn me out;
   you have devastated my entire household.
You have shriveled me up—and it has become a witness;
   my gauntness rises up and testifies against me.
God assails me and tears me in his anger
   and gnashes his teeth at me;
   my opponent fastens on me his piercing eyes. (Job 16:7-9)

The technicality of which Job seems unaware is that God is not actively "wearing out" Job. God is not actively "assailing and tearing and gnashing his teeth at" Job. No, according to the biblical story, God is passively allowing the adversary (satan) to have his way with Job. (See Job 1:12 and 2:6.) The adversary is actively persecuting Job. 

Knowing that God is not active in the adversary's attacks is of some comfort to me. I am unconvinced that if Job had been informed, then he would have been comforted, also.
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Job 13-15, Psalm 98

At least there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail. Its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump die in the soil, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant. But a man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last and is no more. (Job‬ ‭14:7-10‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

I’m grateful for the hope of resurrection, which I know because of Jesus. Job lives before Jesus. He has no hope of living after dying. So today I pray for all who think, “At least there is hope for a tree.”

God, give hope to the hopeless, as You give it to me through Jesus...

Job 10-12

Remember that you molded me like clay. Will you now turn me to dust again? (Job‬ ‭10:9‬ NIV)

Yes, that’s life. Don’t take it personally, Job. We live. We die. Thanks and praise to God!

Job 7-9

If only there were someone to mediate between us, someone to bring us together, someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that his terror would frighten me no more. (Job‬ ‭9:33-34‬)

I see this, Job’s longing for a mediator, fulfilled for me in Jesus Christ.

Job 4-6

My experience does not match that of Eliphaz. Fools and simpletons are not the only ones who suffer losses. The innocent and upright are not the only ones who enjoy blessings. Run to God, everyone!

Job 1-3

My first reaction is, “Oh no, Job!” I need to get past that in order to let the scripture speak for itself.

Esther 7-10

The Jews in Susa went at it again. On the fourteenth day of Adar they killed another three hundred men in Susa. But again they took no plunder. (Esther‬ ‭9:15‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

According to this story, there had been a plot to destroy all Jews in Xerxes’ empire, but the plot was foiled and reversed. Instead of their enemies destroying them, the Jews destroyed their enemies in one day. Not only that, but a second day of killing was added by the king at Esther’s request.

I rejoice in justice delivered, but I have a problem with the added day of violence. It seems “over the top.” It feels like vengeance, not justice, and certainly not mercy.

Esther 4-6

When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:12-14)

I suppose these are the most quoted words in the Bible's book of Esther. At a time when her people were sorely threatened, Esther might have possessed the means to protect herself. But how would her kinfolk have fared? Not well, I imagine. 

Mordecai turns my supposition on its head. With conviction he claims both that Esther and her family will be destroyed and that (surprise!) the Jews will be delivered. He goes on to stir Esther into action. She may use her royal position both to save her immediate family and to deliver the rest of her people, the Jews. Why not do so?

At times I'm tempted to hunker down and "ride out" the storms of conflict. In those times I need to contemplate Mordecai's viewpoint. Relief and deliverance arise from another place, namely from the hand of God. Why not align with God, then, and "let the chips fall where they will?" 

Esther 1-3, Psalm 97

For you, Lord, are the Most High over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods. (Psalm 97:9)

Text Set to Music

Nehemiah 11-13

The story told in Nehemiah, chapter 13, demonstrates how easily and quickly people turn away from strict spiritual discipline. On the face of it I don't see the harm in marrying foreigners, provided that one remains faithful to one's God. But for this people the temptation seems too formidable to resist. When one marries a foreigner one soon begins to worship the foreigner's god, so it is better to marry within one's faith family. Since the law prohibits marrying foreigners, not only it is better, but also it is lawful to marry within one's faith family.

Nehemiah 9-10, Psalm 96

Nehemiah, chapter 10, verses 32-39 records several promises of upkeep for the operations of the temple, assuring that fires are kept burning, sacrifices are made, and priests are supported. Those verses end with the statement, “We will not neglect the house of our God.” Fine, but will God be neglected? Will the people care for one another?

We might well ask similar questions of our religious institutions today. Are we caring only for God’s “house?” Are we reverencing God? Are we treating one another well?

Nehemiah 7-8, Psalms 94-95

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. (Psalm‬ ‭95:6-7‬a)

Text Set to Music

Nehemiah 4-6

So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God. (Nehemiah‬ ‭6:15-16‬)

When have you started a project that could have been completed only with God’s help, reader? Where and how has your labor been admired by others, because they saw God helping you? What event in your experience was made possible solely because God anointed it with divine grace?

After identifying that project, labor, or experience, savor it for a while, and be thankful...

Nehemiah 1-3

Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section with the help of his daughters. (Nehemiah‬ ‭3:12‬)

Maybe other women helped to rebuild the walls and gates of Jerusalem, but only the daughters of Hallohesh are recognized here. Who appreciated their work enough to remember them—Hallohesh himself? Nehemiah? Other wall-builders and gate-hangers? I don’t know. But I can pause, reflect, and give thanks for their labors. God knows.

Ezra 9-10, Psalm 93

I have fallen behind in my Bible reading and in my posting reflective thoughts on the reading here. Today, I begin to catch up!

What happened to the women and children “put away” by the Israeli men? Were they given provisions, livelihood, or opportunity? Were they sent away, indoctrinated, or killed?

And what then happened to the men who “put away” their foreign wives? How did they retrain themselves? How did they grow more faithful toward the LORD? How did they rid themselves of idols and “detestable practices?” His did they become more holy, more pure than before?