Even So, Come
One Year Bible (Sep. 7)
Song of Songs 5:1-8:14
Even So, Come
“Oh, sing a song of celebration. Lift up a shout of praise for the bridegroom will come, the glorious one. And oh we will look on His face. We’ll go to a much better place.”
(We Will Dance, David Ruis)
When our daughter was just a tiny little girl we had the privilege of joining a Joni And Friends week of camp for families with disabilities. Joni Eareckson Tada is an amazing woman of God who has never received physical healing for her paraplegia. However, she has given hope and help to nearly one billion people around the world who live with disabilities.
Each family has a volunteer to help with their loved ones all week long. Many families have never taken a vacation in their entire life and everything in their life revolves around keeping their loved ones alive and with their 24/7 care.
I will never forget the absolute thrill and joy as I heard people in wheelchairs and with all kinds of physical brokenness sing, clap, and dance to the song, “We Will Dance”. We were lifted to another place entirely as we saw their absolute passion and love for God.
The book of Song of Solomon has been called a Christian’s Love Song. In a time and age where the female’s voice was rarely heard and her needs were rarely even thought of, we hear the voice of the bride throughout this entire book. She is stating her longings, needs, passions, and desires…
This book uses Middle Eastern language and imagery to communicate this to us visually.
She so longs to be truly completely loved for who she is… faults, weaknesses, and all.
Will everyone in life achieve a perfect “crush” of a love like this in their lifetime?
The Jewish tradition would say, “YES” as their tradition is to see this as an allegory of the relationship between God and the people of Israel rather than just as a poem about human love.
They see the love between the bride as an illustration between Jehovah and His people. Moreover, Solomon as a lover was a type of Christ which is why this can be a perfect love story. Humans don’t make perfect love stories very well…
Even before the Jewish people knew the Messiah, they knew to include this book in their celebration of Passover because they knew the groom was coming…
It is interesting that Jesus' first miracle was at a wedding. He celebrated and tied the theme of marriage together with God’s plan for HIS bride…
In the gospel of John, John the Baptist speaks of Jesus as the bridegroom and mentions the bride.
When asked why the disciples are not fasting Jesus replies, “Can the friends of the bridegroom fast, as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.” (Mark 2:19)
In this passage, Jesus clearly points to himself as the bridegroom.
Jesus also tells a parable about The Ten Virgins, “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five were foolish and five were wise. The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep…. So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of my return.” (Mt. 25: 1-13)
The earliest Christian tradition identifies texts from the Hebrew Bible as symbolic of the divine love of God and his people. The love poems of Song of Songs, Hosea, and his wayward bride were plainly understood by all of Israel to be about them. They were the “wayward bride”.
“Oh we will dance on the streets that are golden. The glorious bride and the great Son of Man. Let every tongue and tribe and nation. Rejoice in the song of the Lamb.” (We will dance)
Yes, the theme of ‘The Bride” and “Bridegroom run like a song of desire and celebration throughout the entire Bible…The verses are added but the chorus remains the same…yet, growing in intensity.
The apostle Paul also compares the union of husband and wife to that of Christ and the church,
“For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. And we are members of his body.” (Ephesians 5:25-30)
Do we understand God’s message to us today?
We are his pure spotless bride and Christ will return for his Church. Are we pure, passionate, and prepared for his return?
Even so come, Lord Jesus, Come!
“I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me.”-- The Bride (SO 7:10)
