This past month was the celebration of Passover as well as the celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (which occurred during the time of Passover). The Song of Solomon is typically read during the Passover time; for Passover was a time of betrothal where God redeemed a people and made them His own.
God invites us into an intimate relationship with Himself. And since marriage is of one of the most intimate of human experiences, “the Hebrew scriptures often refer to Israel as a bride and a wife. The Song of Solomon was considered as an allegory for the relationship between God and his people (and later between Christ and his church). The biblical imagery of the bridegroom and the bride paints a picture of the intimacy and mutual fidelity between God and his people.”[1]
Jesus speaks of the mutual love and fidelity that we are to have with Himself, comparing it to the love between He and the Father (John 14:15, 21; 15:9–10). He goes on to say that no greater love has ever been seen or expressed than the act of laying down His life for us (John 15:13).
It is difficult for us to imagine how much the Lord loves us. The book of Revelation talks about Jesus Christ, “the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth” . . . “who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood” (Rev 1:5). His love is so great that He suffered and died in order to redeem and make us His own. Therefore, the book of Revelation culminates with the greatest of all events—the marriage of the Jesus and His bride. “’Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.’ It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints” (Rev 19:7–8).
The relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ should never become commonplace, relegated to a weekly Sunday morning observance. In the Song of Solomon, the bride is so in love that she will forsake all else to be with the one who loves her and calls her to himself. How the Lord loves us and calls us to be His own! There is nothing greater in this life than to receive His love. Let Him love you and follow Him into the greatest of all relationships.
[1] Christopher J Reeves, Our Father, Our Teacher: A Relational Journey (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2022), 156–158.
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