PSALM 139:13-16
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.
I read this from a female perspective yet I am reminded by the Spirit that this applies to men as well. We all must know that God knew us before we were formed in our mother’s womb and we are indeed fearfully and wonderfully made.
JEREMIAH 1:4-5Many people hesitate to have a personal relationship with the Lord because of their faults but God does not see us the way others see us. He is our Creator, He knew us before we knew ourselves. God knows our successes as well as our sins; God knows the secret faults we don’t tell anyone. Despite all of our imperfections He still wants a relationship with His children and has done all that He can to facilitate that relationship.
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
JOHN 3:16-17
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
SONG OF SOLOMON 4:16Father God wants to shower His church with blessings. The church's response to His presence is worship.
Awake, O north wind, and come, O south! Blow upon my garden, that its spices may flow out.
Let my beloved come to his garden and eat its pleasant fruits.
Chapter 4 of the Songs, shared below from the Voice translation, addresses how the Lord sees the church; she is beautiful.
- written by Marsha L F Randolph
A MATTER OF FAITH- SONG OF SOLOMON STUDY reflects the opinions and property of the author MARSHA L F RANDOLPH. All rights reserved- do not use without permission. All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise stated. Don’t miss weekly faith based post FOLLOW THIS BLOG and receive notifications when a new article is posted.
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SONG OF SOLOMON 4 THE VOICE
Him (to her): You, my love, are beautiful. So beautiful! *Because stimulating images come forth when the lovers describe in intimate detail each other’s bodies, Jewish men were discouraged from reading this greatest of songs until the age of 30.
Your eyes are like doves nestled behind your veil. Your hair moves as gracefully as a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Mount Gilead. Your teeth are pearl white like a flock of sheep shorn, fresh up from a wash. Each perfect and paired with another; not one of them is lost. Your lips are as red as scarlet threads; your mouth is beautiful. Your cheeks rosy and round are beneath your veil, like the halves of a pomegranate. Your neck is elegant like the tower of David, perfectly fit stone-by-stone. There hang a thousand shields, the shields of mighty men. Your breasts are like two fawns, twin gazelles grazing in a meadow of lilies. As the day breathes its morning breeze and shadows turn and flee, I will go up your myrrh mountain and climb your frankincense hill. You are so beautiful, my love, without blemish. Come with me from Lebanon, my bride; come with me from Lebanon. Journey with me from the crest of Amana, from the top of Senir even the summit of Hermon, from the lions’ dangerous den, from the mountain hideouts of leopards. My heart is your captive, my sister, my bride; you have stolen it with one glance, caught it with a single strand of your necklace. How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! Your love is more pleasing than the finest wine, and the fragrance of your perfume brings more delight than any spice! Your lips taste sweet like honey off the comb, my bride; milk and honey are beneath your tongue. The scents of your clothes are like the fresh air of Lebanon. You are a locked garden, my sister, my bride, open only to me; a spring closed up tight, a sealed fountain. Your sprouts are an orchard of pomegranates and exotic fruits— with henna and nard, with nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon— with rows of frankincense trees and myrrh and aloes and all the finest spices. My bride, you are a fountain in a garden, a well of life-giving water flowing down from Lebanon.
*What does he mean by “my sister, my bride”? Is this a sudden revelation of an incestuous relationship? No. He is describing how sexual expression can bring two people intimately together, as close as two people can be; the man and woman are now family. This image would have been particularly meaningful in ancient Israelite society, where life was centered on familial relationships and calling someone “brother” or “sister” was a sign of deep intimacy and care. Blood relatives lived together, worked together, traded with each other, and were buried together. By calling the woman “sister,” he is declaring they are now blood relatives. In the covenant relationship called marriage, blood is drawn during consummation, bonding the two parties together as man and wife, as brother and sister, forever.
Him (to the winds): Rise, you north wind; come, you south wind. Breathe on my garden, and let the fragrance of its natural spices fill the air.
Her: Let my love come into his garden and feast from its choice fruits.
The Voice (VOICE)
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
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