Solomon's love song

"I am my beloved's, and his desire is for me" (Song of Solomon 7:6-10).

The Song of Solomon is one of the least preached books of the bible. One reasons why the book is so rarely taught or preached from in bible believing churches is due to its content. The Song of Solomon describes the love, deep affection and sexual intimacy experienced by Solomon and his bride in vivid poetic language. Because of this some preachers have chosen either not to preach on it or to view the Song as primarily an allegory of God's love for Israel or Christ's love for the church. This allegorization of the book, which has gone on for centuries, arose from the belief that a more literal interpretation was unsuitable for the Holy Scriptures. But the Song gives no indication that it should be read in any but a straightforward way.

Although our society has perverted God's gift of sexual intimacy, the fact that the church views it as a taboo has not helped Christian marriages. Christian marriages need the wisdom of the Song to keep the fire of love burning hot in their relationships.

"Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy yout

"Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth..." (Ecc. 12:1). In Ecclesiastes Solomon has written about his search for the meaning of life based on an earthly perspective. In others words the conclusions that he has reached for the most part are based on what he physically observed and personally experienced through out his life. One of his conclusions that he reaches in the book of Ecclesiastes was that "childhood and youth are vanity" (Ecc 11:10). He said this because young people for the most part possess much energy, passion and strength to go after their hearts desires (Ecc. 11:9). But if their energies, passions and strengths are not governed by the fact that one day they will have to give an account to their creator, they can end up wasting their youth on trivial pursuits.

Young people want to be free to experience pleasure. There is nothing wrong with wanting to experience pleasure and have fun. God created pleasure. But freedom to seek pleasure and have fun without boundaries leads to bondage. Solomon wrote, "Remember thy Creator in th days of thy youth." Don't wait until the years rob you of the passion, energy and strength that you possess to live for God. Jesus deserves the best of our lives. Remember Jesus when your young. Seek to please him in all you do. Anything less will be a waste of your youth.

Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

"If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie" (Ecc. 11:3).

Solomon likens life (from an earthly view) to falling rain and a tree that lays on the ground after it falls. When rain falls to the ground it evaporates. When a tree falls down to the ground it rots. In the same way our lives on earth will cease and we will be buried in the ground. James wrote, "For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." We are born, we live and we die. But is that it? Although there is great wisdom in realizing how short life on earth is, it's not the whole story. When seekiing to understand and make sense of what Solomons is saying in Ecclesiastes, we must not only keep in mind that he's looking at things from a worldly point of view, but we must also interpret what he is saying in the light of the clear teachings of all of scriptures. The Psalmist wrote, "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" Psalm 90:14). And the author of Hebrews wrote, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment."

Life on earth is short. But if that understanding is not balanced with the fact that we will all stand before God when life on earth comes to an end, we might choose to live for the here and now and not for the sweet by and by. Solomon concluded in Ecclesiastes that living for all that is in the world is vanity. Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last. The great missionary C.T. Studd captures in the following poem what it means to not waste your life:


Only One Life

Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgment seat;
Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave, And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, a few brief years, Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill, living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

When this bright world would tempt me sore, When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way, Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, “twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, “Thy will be done”;
And when at last I’ll hear the call, I know I’ll say ‘twas worth it all”;
Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

"God has created us to be restless until we find our rest in Him"

"A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. 5 The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. 6 The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns." (Ecc. 1:4-7).

Is life simply an endless cycle of events with no beginning and no end? Does life just go round and round with no real meaning or purpose? This is one view of life that Solomon presents in the book of Ecc for our consideration. Many who believe in this cyclical view of life have accepted a philosophy that says, "You only go round once in life; you might as well grab for all the gusto." Solomon did not only present this view of life he lived for this way of life and in the end he concluded, "...Behold all is vanity..." (Ecc. 2:4-11).

Nothing in this world will satisfy. God has created us to be restless until we find our rest in Him.

Live life for what's above the sun not under it.

"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest" (Ecc. 9:10).

The book of Ecclesiastes describes Solomon's search for the meaning of life apart from divine revelation. The key phrase to understanding the book is "under the sun." In other words, Solomon is looking at things in life from an earthly perspective. The conclusions that he reaches in the book on various aspects of life are based on his earthly wisdom, observations and life experiences. Therefore, his conclusions must not be taken as divine truths that we are to fully accept and apply to our lives. There are some truths in many of Solomon's conclusions that are based on his earthly observations, but because they're merely earthly observations, they must be carefully examined in the light of all scripture. Solomon's conclusions contain truths, half truths and completely false statements. And because they lack divine revelation his conclusions about life are filled with cynicism. If this book is nothing more than a earthly perspective on life, why did God include it in the cannon of scripture? "Its purpose is to save us from walking the same dreary path of frustration, pessimism, and meaninglessness. If the wisest and richest man could not find fulfilment "under the sun," what chance do we have?"

The Apostle Paul wrote, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." Apart from the hope we have in Jesus Christ, life would be utterly meaningless. Live life for what's above the sun not under it.

The vanity of living for what's under the sun

"Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun" (Ecc. 1:1-3).

Written by Solomon, the book of Ecclesiastes presents a cynical perspective on life. Solomon, as many know, was a man that was blessed of God with wisdom that exceeded all men. When he could have ask God for health or wealth he asked for wisdom instead to lead God's people righteously. And God was so impressed with Solomon that he not only gave him wisdom in abundance but he also gave him great physical blessings as well. What is wisdom? Wisdom is the ability to make godly decisions that lead us down the path of righteousness, fruitfulness and satisfaction before God. Early in his reign Solomon valued above all things under the sun to know and apply godly wisdom to all of life. But as Solomon got older he did not get wiser. His priority later in life became the pursuit of pleasing himself rather than pleasing God. Solomon used his physical prosperity provided by God to go after many wives which captured the affections of his heart. A.W. Tozer wrote, "Many come short, being satisfied with the works of God rather than hungering for and reaching on to God himself."

After years of living for everything under the son, Solomon's life became empty and vain. You will waste your life if what you live for and how you think is all about what's under the sun and not above it. Find your satisfaction in God himself.

How an ant can make us wise

"Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest" (Prov 6:6-8).

In this Proverb the sluggard is admonished to consider the ant in order to gain wisdom. What can the lazy man learn from the ant? First of all the Proverb says that the ant has "no guide, overseer or ruler." In other words the ant doesn't have to have someone looking over his shoulder telling him what he has to do. In the same way, when a wise person sees that something has to get done, doesn't wait for someone else to do it. And they certainly don't expect for someone to do for them what they should do for themselves.

It is also said of the ant that it, "Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest." In others words the ant prudently makes preparations for the predictable future. Do you have a problem with laziness? Consider the ant and learn to carry your own weight.

Seek first to be wise not happy

Happy is the man that findeth wisdom..." (Prov 3:13).

In this Proverb we learn that happiness is a byproduct of finding wisdom. What is wisdom? Wisdom is the ability to make godly choices. But many people today are pursuing happiness at the expense of making wise choices. We disregard the truth and what is the right thing to do in God's eyes because we want to be happy now. And although we might experience temporary pleasure from choices that are devoid of wisdom they end up bringing more unhappiness and regret to our lives.

Typically when we make unwise choices because we want to be happy now (i.e. trading in your used car for a new one you can't afford) you find a way to talk yourself into it. You lie to yourself and say things like, "Everything is going to work out." But when you've been paying that car note for 12 months and you still have 48 more months to go happiness moves out and burden moves in. Seek to be wise first and happiness will follow and stick with you.

Seek not to offend, but above all stay true to God

"For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ" (Gal. 1:10).

Paul the Apostle did not tell people what they wanted to hear in order to court their favor. Paul desired more to please God and serve him. But we must understand what Paul is saying in Gal 1:10 in context. There was a lot of pressure on Paul to preach a false gospel to gain the favor of the Jews. But Paul would rather die than to compromise the gospel. When it came to the gospel Paul was unashamed and unapologetic about making it clear that there is only one gospel that saves and that is that "Christ died for our sin according to the scripture and that he was buried and rose again the third day according to the scriptures" (1 Cor. 15:3-4). And Paul declared that this glorious gospel saves a man by faith alone in Christ alone apart from the works of the law (Gal. 2:16).

It was in the context of making clear what the gospel is and why he would not compromise it, even under the pressure that came from the Jews who believed in the law, that Paul wrote, "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ" (Gal. 1:10). Once again, Paul was not going to water down the gospel just to fit in with the Jews or anybody else that did not agree with it. But this does not mean that Paul used the truth (bible) like a baseball bat to beat people over the head with it just prove that he was right. Notice that Paul also wrote, "Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved" (1 Cor. 10:33). Paul preached the gospel and lived his life in a way as to not unnecessarily offend those he was trying to reach with the gospel. He wrote, "To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some" (1 Cor. 9:22). For the sake of the gospel and the souls of men we must, like Paul, seek not to offend. But above all we must stay true to God himself and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Must I empty handed go.

"For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?" (1 Thess 2:19).

Soon and very soon we are going to see the king. The coming of the Lord draweth nigh (James 5:8). Are you ready to meet him? Are you ready to stand in the presence of the Lord? Paul said that his hope, his joy and crown of rejoicing was to see those he preached the gospel to, those he ministered to in the presence of the Lord at his coming. When we see Jesus face to face all the earthly cares and the possessions that many of us live for will mean nothing in the light of the glory of our savior. The only thing that will matter to us on that day is what we have done with the great salvation that we have received while on the earth. As the old hymn goes, "Must I go in empty handed, must I meet my savior so, Not one soul with which to greet him, Must I empty handed go.

God has no greater controversy with his people than this...

"Brethren, pray for us" (1 Thess 5:25).

In one of the shortest verses in the entire bible Paul makes the following request of the believers in Thessalonica: "Brethren, pray for us." In this verse Paul was asking the Thessalonian believers to pray for him and his co-laborers. In this same chapter we also find Paul encouraging these believer to "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thess 5:17). And 1 Thess 3:10 we see also that Paul did not just encourage others to pray for him. He said of himself and his fellow workers, "Night and day praying exceedingly."

There is no doubt that Paul believed in the power of prayer and that his practice of prayer was one of the keys to his powerful ministry. A.T. Pierson wrote, "God has no greater controversy with His people today than this, that with boundless promises to believing prayer, there are so few who actually give themselves unto intercession." Let us be those few who do not just talk about prayer but who talk to God in prayer.

Trust in God's promises rather then your own plans.

"Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now." (Gal. 4:28-31).

Paul states that Isaac was a child of promise, because God promised Abraham that he and his wife Sarah would have a child despite their old age. But after years passed without a child they decided to take matters into their own hands. Abraham had a child with Sarah's servant Hagar. Paul stated that as this son of Abraham's plan(Ismael) was born after the flesh and persecuted him that was born after the Spirit so it was in his day. Paul was likening the Jews of his day, that trusted in their self righteousness, as being the persecutors of those that trusted in Christ.

Interestingly, Ishmael's literal descendants, (Arabs), also continued to hate the Jew and persecute them until this day. Over three hundred millions muslims of arabic descent surround the nation of Israel today. And the majority of them would like to see Israel wiped off the map. The conflict that exist between Jews and muslims is one of the fruits of Abraham coming up with his own plan rather then trusting God's promise. Trust in God's promises rather then your own plans.

Save, Sanctified and Sent

"I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world" (John 17:14-18).

In the real Lord's prayer Jesus prays for those who are not of the world. Those who are not of the world are those who have trusted Jesus as savior and Lord. Jesus wasn't just praying for his disciples. In verse 20 he prayed, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word." If you are a believer Jesus' prayer applies to you as well.

Notice also that Jesus prayed that as the father has sent him into the world even so has Jesus sent us (the saved) into the world. Do you live your life with a consciousness that you have been sent by Jesus into the world as God sent Jesus into the world? Jesus said, "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me." Jesus said that He came to "seek and the lost." Every morning that we wake we need to be reminded that the reason we are still breathing God's air--the reason why we are still on this earth is because we have been sent by Jesus to do the will of God. Live as a sent one.

How to receive life and health from God's word

"My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh"(Proverbs 4:20-22).

The bible declares that the word of God is alive and powerful. God did not give us His word to simply inform us but to transform us into the iamge of His son (2 Cor. 3:18).

In Proverbs 4:22 we read concerning words of wisdom, "For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh." How does the wisdom God's word provide life and wisdom? Proverbs 4:20-21 give us the following keys: Notice that verse 20 says, "attend to my words." This means not just to pay attention, but to apply yourself to the word. Secondly, verse 20 says, "incline your ear." This means to be persuaded by the word. Thirdly, verse 21 says, "Let them not depart from thine eyes." Don't lose sight of the word. Lastly, verse 21 says, "Keep them in the midst of thine heart."

Hide God's word in your heart. Take time to memorize and meditate on the living and powerful words of God. "And ye shall be like tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth it's fruit in it's season. His leaf also shall not weather and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

Pray the scriptures

"To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess. 1:11-12).

If you're struggling with how to pray I want to encourage you to get into the word of God. The scriptures ought to be a constant reminder of our needs, the needs of other and what we should be praying to God for. Jesus said, "If ye abide in me and my words abide in you ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you" (John 15:7).

Notice here that Jesus promises answers to prayers that flow from a heart where God's word abides. If you are just reading the word of God to fulfill some kind of quota and you are not abiding in Jesus then you will continue to struggle in your prayer life. Another issue is not only that we don’t rely on the scriptures, but that we don’t depend on the Spirit to help us to pray. But my focus in this devotional is to encourage you to allow the word of God to guide your prayer life as you take time to not only get into the word of God but allow the word to get into you. Take time to ponder, personalize and pray the word of God.

I've found the prayers of Paul particularly helpful in guiding my prayer life. For example, in 2 Thess 1:11-12 Paul prayed for others in the church to be made worthy by God of their calling. Are you praying for God to make you worthy of you're calling (salvation)? In addition to being worthy of their calling Paul prayed that God would "fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified..." We need to pray regularly about what we have resolved to do for God in faith that we might know His power and bring glory to His name. Paul said "To this end we always pray for you..." Do you pray regularly like Paul or is your prayer life no more than giving God a Christmas list? Learn to pray the scriptures.