Wednesday, June 15, 2022

            The Song of Solomon is part of the Bible’s wisdom literature.  It reads as love poetry and loving exchanges.  People have often interpreted this book as a spiritual allegory representing the love between God and His people Israel and, later on, the love relationship shared between Christ and His Church.  The expression “my lover” in 2:16 is usually taken to be a name for the Lord.  Some people suggest that Psalm 45 is a companion book to the Song of Solomon.  As we explore this book of wisdom and love, we consider these words in 4:1, “How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil are doves. Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from the hills of Gilead.”  At first read, we might not find these comparisons to be particularly flattering or complimentary.  To compare someone’s eyes to doves or hair to a flock of goats might be a good way to land yourself in trouble.  But there is more depth to be seen and considered than we might first think.
            Solomon is likely telling us that God finds beauty and loveliness in places that we are often prone to miss or overlook with human eyes.  What we might judge as regrettable and forgettable, God finds to be compelling and lovely.  Remember what God told Samuel went he went to anoint a new king for Israel.  God made it clear that man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart or the character.  We might look at a flock of goats and fail to see the beauty or to make a comparison.  Yet, God sees differently.  When God looks at us through His Son Jesus, He finds us to be innocent of sin and saved by the blood of His son.  Apart from Christ, we are hopelessly lost and stained by sin.  When God chooses to see us through His Son, He sees us as redeemed and remade people.
            God also sees potential and possibility in places that we have written off.  God used David to defeat Goliath and not the mighty army of Saul.  Indeed, no warrior from Israel was willing to stand toe-to-toe with Goliath and fight him when given an opportunity.  But God inspired a shepherd boy named David to stand against this giant armed only with a slingshot.  Jesus looked at Peter, James and John and saw three fishermen who could easily become fishers of men.  Jesus saw disciples in the waiting and making while few, if any, would have thought these men to be capable of anything beyond fishing.
            When the Lord Jesus appeared to Paul and saved him, he was known as Saul and was on his way to terrorize believers and continue to carry out his campaign to stop the gospel and to silence believers.  I imagine NOBODY would have expected Paul to become the preacher, church planter, missionary and apostle that he would become.  Most people would have seen Paul as nothing more than a flock of goats.  But God saw a man He could use to expand the Christian movement and gospel message. 
            Could there be places where you have mistakenly drawn conclusions where God would like to draw a possibility?  Are there places you have put a period but God may still be at work?  What gifts, blessings, possibilities or possessions do you have that God could repurpose and use in a beautiful way?  We can always remember where we see goats, God often sees beauty and possibility.  Have a wonderful Wednesday!