CHRIST IS KING;
THE CHURCH HIS BRIDE
“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
One Nation Under Gog
In the early days of 1973, an event occurred in the United States of America that fundamentally altered the spiritual virility of the country. In the case of Roe v Wade, the justices of the Supreme Court, led by a conservative majority, declared that the federal government would back and protect the first state religion.
The Song of Songs
The Song of Songs, tucked in the middle of the Bible, is love made wisdom. It is the righteous view of a man and a woman who unashamedly love one another with their whole being. And as their love informs their admirations, it informs their actions. This poem informs all poets. It also informs all loves. However, there is an unfortunate stigma that pervades the Christian’s perception of the Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon). It is always looked upon as the “steamy book” of the Bible. The mere mention of its name in an adult Bible study will elicit 1st grade giggles, or some off-handed jokes about pomegranates. To be sure, our fascination with this book does stem from the provocative imagery. Perhaps, though, it goes deeper. I say it strikes at our core. We don’t read anything this vividly intimate, yet proudly published anywhere else in the Bible since, “this is bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh,” (Genesis 2:23) and it makes us nervous. Why all of the illustrious descriptions? Why so many allusions to plants, animals, food, and jewels to describe a love and love itself?