Give Me Thine Heart - Devotional - Proverbs 23:26

“My son, give me thine heart and let thine eyes observe my ways.”

~~Proverbs 23:26

“My son…”

We begin this text with an entreaty to the offspring of the writer. With these two words, we can glean a depth of meaning. “My”, meaning, my own, not someone else’s child, but mine. Flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone. Not my neighbor, nor my friend, but my son. He who shall carry on after I am gone. He who bears my features as well as my name.

“…give me thine heart…”

What parent doesn’t wish for their children to love them? We shelter them, feed them, clothe them, and love them for no other reason than simply because they belong to us. Our love for them isn’t earned and it is not feigned, but rather, they learn to love us because we first loved them. A parent’s job is to teach their children how to love, how to share, how to be kind, and how to be generous toward others. Because we have shown them our love, we too wish to be loved of our children.

“…and let thine eyes observe my ways.”

Look! See! Watch me. As I am, so shall you be. As I give, you give likewise. As I behave, you do the same. As I love, you love as well. As I serve God, so too, should you. Take heed at my actions and mimic them yourself until you know what I know, until you stand where I stand. My son, do as I do.

In meditating on this text, we see it speaks of a parent teaching their son the way in which he should go. But dig a little deeper, and we see the Father Himself beckoning us closer.

“My son…”

God calls us as His sons and daughters, not as refugees, not as castaways, but as members of His family, bought and paid for by the blood of Calvary. He became flesh of our flesh and bone of our bone so that we could become spirit of His Spirit. Higher than the Heavenly host, we mere humans, made in His image, are now “sons” of the Most High God, bearing the very Name and likeness of the King of kings Himself.

“…give Me thine heart…”

God longs for us to truly love Him. It is the First Great Commandment. Our hearts should beat for only Him. Our souls should long for His Living Water. Our minds should meditate on His Law both day and night, and our strength should be found in Him alone. Because He first loved us and proved it by sending His Son to die in our stead, we should love Him in return. We should stand in utter awe at the Glory of the cross, where the beam of God's love crossed the beam of God's justice, privileging us to enter His Holy of holies through the torn veil of our Savior, into His manifest presence.

“…and let thine eyes observe My ways.”

In this, we have a merciful Father. We are not left wanting for an example to live by. Like any loving Parent, Yahweh Elohim gave us the ultimate example of how we should live, how we should love, and how we should worship and adore Him. Look to Christ, believer. Observe His ways. His ways are higher than ours, but we can still strive toward them. God is Light; in Him, there is no darkness at all. Anyone who claims to know Him should walk as Yeshua walked. God wants to take your hand. He wants to look into your eyes and say to you, “My son, My daughter, take heed at My actions and mimic them yourself until you know what I know, until you stand where I stand. My precious child, look! See! Do as I do.”

 

Cana, Communion, and Christ

The Lord has placed it on my heart to study His first miracle at the wedding at Cana.  Like all of my other studies, this one came out of nowhere.  But this one actually brought tears to my eyes when I was done.  This is my journey of sorts; what the Lord is teaching me is from A to B to C.  My studies are literally built on the studies before, like a staircase, if you will.  I have it in my head that my Bible studies are random, but I don't think so anymore.  God definitely has a pattern here, and it's thoroughly exciting that He's chosen me to convey it to you.  This might be a long post.  Go grab some coffee and get your Bible.  Let's get going!

 

Yeshua's miracle at Cana can be found in John 2.  It was His first (public) miracle.  I say public, because He's prompted by His mother that they have no more wine in verse 3.  It's obvious to me that she knew well what He was capable of doing.  I'd wondered if Mary had just mentioned it in passing, "Oh hey, I overheard that guy say they're out of wine."  But I don't believe it was.  Yeshua's words to her in verse 4

allude to the fact that her intention was to prompt Him to do something about it: "Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me?"

The second half of that verse has always stymied me: "My hour has not yet come."

For most of my Christian walk, I've always wondered what Christ was talking about.  It seems He's rebuking Mary for pressuring Him to start His ministry too early.  If it wasn't His time, why did He do it?

This is a mystery that can only be understood by unlocking the meaning of the wine itself.  But I'll get to that in a moment.

Six pots were filled to the brim with water (John 2:7).  The pots themselves were huge.  They held about 30 gallons EACH (John 2:6).  Let's just stop a minute and do that math.  

6 pots X 30 gallons each = 180 gallons of wine

1 gallon = 128 fl. oz.

180 gallons X 128 fl. oz = 23,040 fl. oz. of wine

1 modern-day bottle of wine = 750ML = 24.75 fl. oz.

23,040 fl. oz / 24.75 fl. oz = 930.9

930.9 rounded up = 931 bottles of wine

Let that number percolate in your head for a moment.  Christ turned that water into the equivalent of NINE HUNDRED AND THIRTY ONE bottles of wine.  I'll give you a moment to pick your jaw up off the floor.

Since the pots were filled to the BRIM, it's possible there was even more wine than what we've calculated.  Perhaps the Lord made it a cool 1,000 bottles of wine.  

Now, I've heard it preached that this was to show the generosity and graciousness of our God.  And perhaps that is so.  There is no question this was a LAVISH miracle.  But once you understand the mystery of the wine, it goes much deeper than mere generosity.

Wine in the Bible is often used as a metaphor.  It actually has two metaphors, but I believe the two metaphors are really the same thing.  Wine is pictured as the love of God (Songs 1:2, Songs 1:4, Songs 7:9).  Wine is also pictured as the blood of Christ (Matt. 26:27-28, Mark 14:23-24, Luke 22:20).

If we connect the dots from the blood of Christ to the LOVE of Christ through the metaphor of the wine, we can see that "wine" in and of itself is really only ONE metaphor -- it's the vast LOVE of God.

The miracle at Cana not only showed God's generosity, but His extravagant LOVE toward us, as well as the depth of the Atonement itself.  Christ changed the water when things were winding down at the wedding.  The guests had already drunk themselves happy; they had merely run out before the evening was over.  Either someone had made a mistake with their calculations, or the guests had imbibed much more than they'd expected.  Perhaps the wedding party wasn't as rich as they would have liked and could only afford a certain amount of wine.  Maybe the fact that Yeshua was in attendance made other "guests" show up who weren't on the roster. 

Whatever the reason, Christ upheld the integrity of the bride and groom by refusing to allow shame to befall them simply because they'd run out of wine.  Only the servants were aware of where this wine had come from (John 2:9).  

It seems to me that 931 bottles of wine is a little "overkill", don't you think?  The evening is winding down anyway, maybe if He'd only filled 2 or 3 of the pots, it would have been enough.  But I don't think Christ meant it as "overkill" at all.  This miracle was meant to be studied for its deeper meaning -- that God's love is VAST.  More than enough for everyone to partake.  The Atonement of Christ is so far reaching, that His blood can cover everyone present, even with some left over!

The governor of the feast made mention to the bridegroom (a picture of Christ) that they'd saved the good wine for last (John 2:10), implying the worse wine had been first.  If the inferior wine (blood) came first, it would have been the sacrifice of animals, done over and over again.  The good wine came last (Yeshua), once, for all. 

Now, remember His words from earlier, "My hour has not yet come." ?

Yeshua wasn't referring to the start of His ministry, but the end of it.  In John 13:1 and Luke 22:14, we know His "hour" was that of His death.  This wedding at Cana happened just a few days before the Passover (John 2:12-13).  Therefore, His words in John 2:4 only makes sense in that context.  He wasn't set to die for a few more years.  His words also only make sense when you understand the MEANING behind the wine.

Mary tells Him, "They have no wine."  Christ says, "My hour is not yet come."  He is referring to His bloody death and using wine as the metaphor.

When His hour HAD come, Yeshua set up the Lord's Supper, commonly known as "Communion".  This is where we eat the bread and drink the wine.  There it is, that wine again!  

Interestingly enough, the breaking of bread and drinking of wine sealed the betrothals of couples in that day and age.  The couple wasn't married, but they were betrothed, which was a legal promise of marriage and actually couldn't be undone without a certificate of divorce.  Even though they weren't "married", they were promised, and that was just as binding.

Can you see where I'm going with this?  Yeshua began His miracles with wine at a wedding.  He ended His ministry with wine at a betrothal, the promise of His future wedding to US, His Church, His Bride.  And we are to continue to do this in remembrance of Him, so that the entire Church will be betrothed to their Bridegroom.

After the Lord showed me all this in today's prayer-time, I asked Him, "What's the link between the water and the wine?"  We know Living Water is the Holy Spirit.  I was interested in connecting the dots to changing WATER to WINE.  Yeshua reminded me of of His actual crucifixion.  Let's jump there for a moment.

In John 19:34, the soldier pierced Yeshua's side and what came out?  Water and blood.  Water and "wine."  

Spirit and Love.

It's easy for us to draw the parallel between the bread we eat and Christ as the Bread of Life (John 6:35).  But the wine is a little more sketchy; we just drink it pondering Yeshua's blood.  Not anymore.  Thanks to my studies in Song of Solomon, the Lord has opened my understanding.  His precious blood is likened to wine, which is the love of God.  Therefore, at Communion, we are eating the Bread of His Life and drinking the Wine of His Love.

As amazing as this study is, there is one more thing the Lord showed me this morning.  He is still changing water into wine -- in the hearts of His children.  One of my favorite Scriptures is Songs 8:4.  "Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires."  I have spoken about it before in my other studies on Songs.  We come to Christ and become born again, and in that moment, partake of His Fountain of Living Water.  Our hearts overflow.  We bubble over and splash onto others.  For some, the story ends here.  They are content with being saved and don't bother (or don't know) that the Kingdom of God is much, much richer. 

But there are a certain few Christians who want to dive deeper.  They want to experience God as the Apostles once did; Yeshua, full of grace and truth.  These Christians begin to cater their prayers to encounter the Living God through His Word and through intimacy with Him in private, personal prayer.  These are the disciples of Christ whose Living Water turns into Living Wine, and their love for Yeshua shoots off the charts!

Let us all pray to find Magnificence and Beauty in the Son of God.  Let us pray for the Holy Spirit to blow upon our garden to make our spices flow; let us invite our Beloved to come in to His garden and eat His choice fruits (Songs 4:16).  May we not only be content with God's Fountain of Living Water, but choose to partake of His Fountain of Living Wine as well.  

Spirit and Love.

This is the mystery of the miracle at Cana, only understood (by me) until now.  Praise You, Lord.  Thank You for sharing this with me so that I can share it with others.  My cup runneth over with the Wine of Your Love.

In His Name, always and forever,

~~Becka

Yeshua and the Widow - Original Fiction

"I cannot work anymore," the woman murmured under her breath.  "I am too old.  What can I do?  The scribes will take my house.  I have nothing!"  Her feet shuffled as she made her way ever-so-slowly to the temple.  It was all she could do to climb the rise of the Mount itself.  Her breathing labored and her heart ached, but she clutched a small pouch to her chest with all her might.  Gnarled, withered fingers protected the coins inside, the only two she had left to her name.

The pouch was small, but even it's miniscule size was much too big for the two coins within to jostle together.  In happier, wealthier days, her pouch had been full, and the sound of jangling coins had been music to her ears.  But that was long ago before her husband's death, when he earned their money by the sweat of his brow.

Now, the goat she relied on for milk to sell was almost dead itself, too old to produce milk of any quality.  The widow couldn't afford to feed herself, much less the goat.  The scribe who usually took pity on her had laughed at the pitiful amount of milk the widow had offered him.  He'd tossed two mites in the dust before slamming the door in her face.  She always earned much more than two mites, but the goat's supply had waned, and the pompous scribe was apparently beyond caring.  If she couldn't scrape together more than this, she'd lose everything she owned.

The widow found the first coin in the dirt right away, but the second had landed underneath a nearby bush.  Her dignity had fled after asking for help and being rebuffed by the Pharisees making their way to the temple to worship.  They were important men, pious men, and they couldn't be bothered by stopping for a poor widow and her mite on the ground.  They'd soil their fine garments, and they had to be clean before the Lord.  Her knees had screamed and her back cried out but she'd managed to crawl on her hands and knees to retrieve the mite.  It wasn't much.  At all.  But she couldn't risk leaving it.  She needed it too badly.

"I can't give an offering today," she moaned, her eyes stinging with tears.  The temple came into view as the crowd pressed in.  "Adonai, I am sorry."  A sniffle escaped her, but that was all she would allow.  It was useless to beg for help from the scribes and the Pharisees, as their wealth was for El Shaddai, not for a broken old woman.  Despite her hardened countenance, a tear made a trail down her cheek as she watched the teachers of the Law recite their long, glorious prayers.  Surely Adonai listened to them and esteemed them as high as the heavens were above the earth.  She could never hope to gain the favor they surely had in the eyes of Hashem.

Suddenly, a commotion startled her.  Within the temple was the young, energetic rabbi who stirred up the masses.  She'd heard of Him, this Yeshua of Nazareth.  He reminded her of her husband in his better days, full of life and charm.  She'd secretly hoped He'd be at the temple today, as she wanted to hear His sermons for herself.  He esteemed the Lord above all else, and that was all she wished to do.  Whether or not Adonai heard her prayers compared to the scribes was another matter entirely.

Yeshua's words captivated her.  His deep voice resonated within the temple and seemed to penetrate her very soul.  He spoke of King David and the Messiah, and soon whispers spread among the crowd that Yeshua Himself was the Son of David.  The widow pondered that possibility with excitement, but she squashed it.  The Messiah was a king.  And this man...was from Nazareth.

Then His words seemed to take a turn.  Something in His tone made her sit up and listen.  “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts," He said, glancing around.  His eyes roved the crowd and caught her gaze.  She was too mesmerized to look away.  Her belly leapt at His intensity, and if she'd been any younger, she might have swooned.  He seemed to look right through her, straight to her heart.  Could He see her worries?  Did He know her troubles?  His next words confirmed her thoughts.

"Who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

The widow's eyes filled with tears.  Still, His gaze held hers.  He gave her a slight nod and His features softened, until a genuine smile lit up His face.  He knew.  She didn't know how, but this man knew her plight!  He knew her thoughts.  He knew she felt worthless compared to the scribes, He knew they would take her home.  His words were so foreign, but they filled her with hope.  He confirmed what she already knew.  Those pious men were hypocrites!  

She watched as each of the scribes and Pharisees wandered over to the treasury, perhaps moved by the rabbi's words, and made a vain show of their offering to the Lord.  Within the box they placed more money than the widow had seen in her entire life.  Her own offerings hadn't always been extravagant, but they had always been honest.  In that moment, the widow remembered her Scripture.  Hashem favors the humble.

"Adonai," the widow prayed, her voice unwavering, "I trust You.  If this man is truly the Son of David, then I know His words are true.  The Kingdom of God is worth more to me than my life."

As she shuffled past the scribes and Pharisees, they scoffed and grinned at her, whispering amongst themselves.  She cared not.  Her faith did not rely upon their approval.  If Yeshua spoke truth, if they receive a greater condemnation for their hypocrisy, then she resolved not to be like them.

Standing in front of the box, she opened her pouch and dug out the two small coins.  "Do what You will with these coins," she whispered.  "Everything I have is Yours.  Yeshua says Your eye is on the sparrow.  Please be on me as well."

Upon each coin, the widow bestowed a kiss before dropping them into the treasury box.  A smile crept onto her face and a peace like she'd never known overcame her.  She glanced back at the rabbi, only to find Him still watching her.  She blushed and bowed her head.  

Yes, she suddenly believed this young man from Nazareth could be a King.

© Becka Goings, original fiction based on Luke 20:41-47 & Luke 21:1-4

Psalm 23 - An In-Depth Study on King David's Most Beloved Psalm

Anyone who has a passing knowledge of the Bible is familiar with the 23rd Psalm.  It is, perhaps, King David's most famous and beloved Psalm.  It's short enough to memorize, and I would say a good number of Christians know it by heart.

The Lord is taking me through my Bible book by book, and prompting me to write my own notes in the margins.  This process allows for me to quickly notice trends and themes throughout Scripture.  Lately, the Lord impressed upon me to go through the book of Psalms.  I've always loved the Psalms, ever since I was a young girl.  They're so poetic, and they run the gamut between crying and rejoicing.  They're perfect for a moody teen.  Or a moody 30-something, as the case may be.

However, one thing I've noticed with regards to my study is that through the process of writing my own notes in my Bible, I have been able to retain the information I read in an exciting way.  I have no idea if this is a supernatural ability, or just the general principle that things you write down are locked in your memory in a more permanent way.  Anyone who knows me knows I'm a bit of a scatterbrain.  If I don't do something right away, I forget and happily tra-la-la my way through the day without thinking about "that thing" I was supposed to remember.

Yet with Scripture, I'm able to retain most of what I read, if not the specific chapter and verse, then I remember where on the page it was, along with what color of highlighter I used to highlight it (yellow, pink, blue, or green).  As you can imagine, this comes in quite handy for study.

As I came across the 23rd Psalm, I instantly recognized themes in Song of Solomon, as well as 1 Chronicles and Proverbs.  Let's get started.

"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want"

Before David was a king, he was a shepherd.  He saw the obvious connection between the God Who guided him and a shepherd who guides his sheep.  It was the shepherd who made sure the sheep followed him, who kept them safe and gave them what they needed.  In fact, "I shall not want" means "I shall not be in want", or to put it another way, "I'm not in need."  God provides all our needs.  This is outlined in the next verse.

"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters"

Our Shepherd brings us to green pastures and still waters.  We have food; we have drink.  And not only that, we lie down in those pastures.  We drink those still waters.  Therefore, we have rest and peace.  Interestingly, one of the connections between Psalm 23 and Song of Solomon is in Songs 1:7a - "Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon".  This is the woman asking the Beloved where He tends His flock.  Psalm 23 tells her.  In green pastures.  Beside still waters.

Also, Songs 1:16 states - "Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green."  Apparently, by the end of the chapter, she has found His flock.  Notice in Songs, she states OUR bed is green.  Notice in Psalms, HE maketh me to lie down in green pastures.  Not only the sheep (spouse) lies down, but the Shepherd (Beloved) does too, resting with the one He loves.

"He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake."

Spending time with our Beloved restores our soul.  Our works don't restore us, our family doesn't restore us.  Our jobs don't, our money doesn't, and neither do our possessions.  Only GOD restores our soul in the green pastures and beside the still waters.  Not only does He give us favor so that we are not in want, but He loves to be intimate, lying with us in the bed of green.

Our Lord has promised to lead and guide us for the sake of His name.  I'm not sure we understand the "why" behind it.  God is the Most High, and as such, His name is the Highest name you can swear upon.  God swears upon His Own name that He will lead us down the paths of righteousness.  This is an amazing promise.

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."

A few things leapt out at me when I read this old, familiar verse again.  First of all, we walk through the valley, we don't stop there.  And according to the preceding verse, God is leading us on the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.  Therefore walking through the valley of the shadow must be a righteous path.  It is hard for us to grasp, but sometimes we need to go through our despair because it is only by experience that righteousness is learned.  If it weren't for the dark times in our lives, would we ever truly learn to follow close to our Shepherd?

In looking at that picture of Christ saving the lost sheep in the valley, another thought hit me.  I've always heard that His "rod and staff" were for disciplining the sheep, and that even in discipline, we are comforted.  But notice the happy look on that sheep's face above.  If he'd been lost on some rocky crag, the Shepherd's crook'd staff likely pulled him up the cliff-face.  And the Shepherd's rod likely smacked any and all wolves who'd come to steal, kill, and destroy His dearly beloved sheep.  In thinking only in terms of discipline, I believe our thoughts are too narrow with regards to our Lord's staff and rod.

The last thing I noticed is that "I will fear no evil."  Why?  "For thou art with me."  For most of us, this is easier said than done.  But if we truly are not in want, then that also means we will be protected and safe-guarded.  We do not need to fear evil.  We face evil with confidence because we are led by the Good Shepherd Himself.

"Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies"

How interesting that GOD prepares the table.  Considering our Servant Savior, this doesn't surprise me in the least.  Always as a child, I had assumed this verse meant God laid out a feast for His children while our enemies looked on in cold jealousy.  I don't think that is the case any more.  There's an interesting verse in Proverbs 16:7 that reads - "When a man's ways please Yahweh, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him."  Also, Proverbs 25:21:  "If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink"

Obviously through Yeshua's teachings, we know we are to love our enemies.  I believe this verse is telling us that even our enemies are at peace with us and sitting AT the table, enjoying the feast with us!

"Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over."

Anointing someone in ancient times usually meant the Spirit of the Lord would come upon that person.  Over time, it became a custom, something you did for company that came to call.  It was a symbolic way of crowning a person and of showing God's favor.  In 1 Samuel 16:13, we read that Samuel anointed David amidst his brethren and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.  Since this Psalm is speaking to the Lord God, I highly doubt King David was referring to the custom of anointing visitors and guests in his home.  He likely would have had Samuel's anointing in mind, that God's Spirit would rest on him for the rest of his days.

Better yet, this isn't Samuel doing the anointing, but God Himself.

Also, interestingly enough, Exodus 30:22-25 is a "recipe" of sorts for anointing oil.  In it, we find the principle spices of myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, and cassia (another breed of cinnamon).  Scripture says, "it shall be an holy anointing oil."  Let's therefore read the spices mentioned in the Beloved's garden in Song of Solomon 4:14 - "Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices."  How amazing that the spices growing in the Beloved's garden are the same spices prevalent in God's recipe for anointing oil!  We know Songs is allegory between Christ and His Bride, the Church.  And the spices that grow within her garden are spices of anointing.  His Spirit is with her.  His Spirit is also with David.

With regards to the cup running over, there are two liquids that could be in the cup.  Water could be in that cup, symbolizing God's Living Water, always flowing, never stagnant.  This could mean blessings are heaped upon us so lavishly, they bubble over and splash onto others.  The second liquid could be wine, which is what love is compared to in Songs.  The Beloved's love is better than wine (Songs 1:2).  If our cup is overflowing with wine, then we are LOVED beyond compare by Yeshua.  The lovely reality about the cup running over is that both scenarios are true.  We are richly blessed with Living Water AND the Lord God loves us beyond compare.

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

When we follow God, His attributes begin to follow us.  When we follow God, we begin to resemble Him in all His glory.  Therefore goodness and mercy follow us, just as it follows Him.  People will notice the time we spend with the Lord, because we shall be like Him.

The very last line of this Psalm is what got me excited to do this study.  "I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."  Seems like he's talking about Heaven, right?  Probably in a broad sense.  But I suddenly remembered 1 Chronicles 17:10-14, where God promises the Messiah through David's line.  Let's read:

^"10 And since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. Moreover I will subdue all thine enemies. Furthermore I tell thee that the Lord will build thee an house.
¹¹ And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.
¹² He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne for ever.
¹³ I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee:
¹⁴ But I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for evermore."

This is a prophecy of Yeshua.  King David references this again in Psalm 127:1 - "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it."

When I saw the "house" reference, I again thought of Song of Solomon 1:17 - "The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir."  I decided to do a little digging here, because that word "beams" made me think of the cross of Christ.  It was made of two "beams" of wood.  Could THIS be the house?  Was the cross made of cedar?

2 Chronicles 3:5 and 1 Kings 5 and 1 Kings 6 talk about Solomon building his temple.  Cedar and fir were his choice woods.  The beams were cedar, and the rafters were fir.  Since Solomon wrote Songs, it is no far stretch that he was thinking of the TEMPLE when he penned that line.

But this gets more profound.  Numbers 19:6 says - "And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer."  What was present at Christ's crucifixion?  A scarlet robe.  Hyssop.  The Lamb.  The Fire (wrath) of God....   and cedar.  Yes, I believe the cross of Christ was cedar from Lebanon so as to conform to the Law of sacrifice given in Numbers 19:6.  The cedars of Lebanon are a theme unto themselves in the Bible, and they are mentioned in Songs 5:15, comparing the Beloved's countenance to the excellent cedars.

This means the house of the Lord was built by Yeshua and is none other than the very cross of Christ.  It is by the cross we are allowed through Heaven's gate.  It is by the cross we are saved.  It is because of the cross any of us can claim to be God's children.  Yes, it is our refuge in times of trouble, knowing that when we are weak, our God is strong.  It is our fortress, our stronghold, our rest.  It is the beacon of His eternal love, it is the pinnacle of creation -- and the only way to lead His sheep on the paths of righteousness through the valley of the shadow of death.  

Even for our Lord, death was only a shadow.  We, as His sheep, may follow Him into the grave.

And we, as His sheep, shall one day follow Him right back out!

Hallelujah!  Praise the Name of the Lord!  

~~Becka

Christ vs. Adam - Part Three - "It is not good for the man to be alone."

Throughout the Genesis account of creation, God repeatedly declared that what He had made was "good" (Gen. 1:4, Gen. 1:10, Gen. 1:12, Gen. 1:18, Gen. 1:21, Gen. 1:25, Gen. 1:31).

Then we come to Genesis 2:18.  "It is not good for the man to be alone."  This is the only time God declares something as "not good".  Up until that point, Adam had no one to talk to other than God, no one to share himself with.  No one like him who could share in his experiences.  While he had a direct intimacy with God, he wanted intimacy with another of his kind.  All around him, every creature had a mate.  Except for him.

When God presents Eve to Adam for the first time, his reaction is, "at last!" (Gen. 2:23).  We don't know how long he had been alone in the Garden.  Apparently long enough to name the beasts (Gen. 2:19).  I imagine him gazing over all the creatures, looking for one like him and finding none.  Even though he was in communion with God, God is not a fellow man.  Seeing Adam's heart, God knew it was "not good" for him to be alone.  Perhaps Adam was perplexed.  Perhaps he asked God, "Why is there none like me?"

I believe the Lord wanted Adam to feel that sense of "alone-ness".  Being as it was the Garden of Eden before the Fall, I can't say whether sadness and loneliness had entered the scene yet.  Adam would have had emotions.  Maybe whatever emotion he felt about being alone wasn't what we think of today.  Sadness and grief are byproducts of our fallen world.  Therefore Adam might have been confused or inquisitive as to why there was no companion suitable for him.

But God made a way; He put Adam to sleep and took one of his ribs to make a woman - Eve (Gen. 2:21-22).

I imagine Adam must have been enthralled with her.  She was like him, but UNlike him as well, as she was female.  He would have wanted to know everything about her, show her the Garden, and teach her about himself.  He would have felt such adoration for her, knowing that Yahweh created her specifically for him.

As I have covered in part one of my study between Christ vs. Adam, we can clearly see the parallels to Christ's crucifixion in the Genesis account. Both Adam and Christ were put to "sleep", both Adam and Christ had their sides opened.  From both Adam and Christ, a new creation was born.  To Adam, a woman - Eve.  To Christ, a symbolic "woman" - the Church.

Through the Apostle Paul, we are called the Body of Christ (Romans 12:5).  Christ called Himself the Bridegroom (Mark 2:20) and John the Baptist called Him the Bridegroom as well, and even went a little further, as the "one who has the Bride" (John 3:29).

The Bride of Christ was a mystery hidden in the OT.  We see the Bride/Bridegroom metaphor rampant through the Song of Solomon, and we also find reference in Joel 2:16, Jeremiah 16:9, & Isaiah 62:5.  Since I'm a firm believer that all the themes in the Bible ultimately lead back to Song of Solomon, my hunch is that Christ called Himself the Bridegroom for this purpose -- for people to see and understand that this sensual little book spoke of HIM.  Of course, no one would know the meaning of this mystery until after the Church was born.  Until Christ was crucified, she didn't yet exist.

It's interesting to me that Eve was the final thing God created in Genesis.  The earth and stars had been formed, the plant life, all the creatures, and man.  But woman was the final touch.  Perhaps, even, His crowning achievement (as many women have joked).  Regardless of that, there is no doubt the Church is Christ's Crowning achievement.  Ultimately, the CHURCH is the "final" creation.  Made long after the 7th day of rest.

When a believer is born again, they become a "new creation", the old has gone, the new has come (2 Cor. 5:17).  The Spirit of God comes into their hearts and makes their body His temple (1 Cor 3:16, 1 Cor. 6:19).  They now hate the sin they once loved, and love the righteousness they once hated (Psalm 45:7).  Their hearts, in other words, have been made in the image of Christ.

The redemption of mankind is more than mere forgiveness of sin.  While that is a big part of it, salvation goes well beyond getting your foot inside Heaven's gate.  I've mentioned before on this blog to love Christ passionately and reverently, to view Him as your treasure, and to realize that Heaven is Heaven because HE is there.  Comparing Christ to Adam, we can then understand God's intention behind creation, and comprehend the biggest question we have likely ever asked.

Why?

It is not good for the man to be alone.

It is not good for God to be alone.

The meaning of life, the universe, and everything, is that God is creating a companion for Himself.

I have heard it preached that God is Triune, and as such, loves within Himself perfectly.  The Father loves the Son, the Son loves the Father, the Spirit loves the Son, the Father loves the Spirit, etc.  While that is all very good, God knows Himself.  God knows all.  But God, like Adam, wants a companion to SHARE Himself with.  God is the pinnacle of love, wisdom, knowledge, beauty, joy, happiness, contentment, and companionship.  But without anyone to share Himself with, He remains largely unknown.

Not even the angels enjoy such a relationship with Him.  The angels were created as ministering spirits for us (Hebrews 1:13-14).  The angels worship before the Throne of God while covering their faces (Isaiah 6:2).  Even the angels, with the righteousness they have, cannot look upon God, nor commune with Him in the way He wants to share Himself.  They sing "Holy, holy, holy!" (Revelation 4:8), and are forever reverent of His holiness.  But none are *intimate* with Him.  None of them have His UN-created righteousness.

Here's what's hard to wrap our minds around.  In order for God to make Himself a suitable companion who would be righteous and yet intimate with Him in the way He wished, He needed to give this companion HIS OWN UN-created righteousness, or else this companion would be just like the angels -- unable to get closer to Him intimately due to His immaculate holiness.  God has no beginning and no end.  He Himself is UN-created.  Therefore, He cannot create a being with His UN-created righteousness.  He must make a way to give this companion His righteousness legally, within the boundaries of His Own Law.  He would be unjust if He gave it to us on a whim.  But by following His Own Law by becoming a man through Yeshua Messiah, He can then legally give us His UN-created righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21), thereby making us the companion He has longed for since the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8).

I touched on this somewhat in my blog post "Who is like You, O Lord?"  God is very fond of saying in the OT that there is none like Him.  However, in 1 John 3:2, Scripture clearly states that WE will be LIKE HIM.  Through the coming Resurrection (commonly known as the Rapture), Christ returns for His Church and glorifies her (Romans 8:17, Romans 8:30), giving her His very nature (2 Peter 1:4), completing her salvation (Philippians 1:6), and taking her to Heaven to forever be with Him (John 14:1-3, 1 Thess. 4:17).

We are, therefore, Christ's glorious inheritance (Ephesians 1:18), and He is ours (Rev. 2:26-28, Rev. 22:16, Song of Solomon 2:16).

He gives us an unparalleled privilege - one that is unthinkable to the angels - we get to sit ON His Throne - Revelation 3:21.

In putting all of these pieces together, we can see answers to the mystery behind it all.  Christ did save us from Hell.  He did save us from our sins and redeemed us.  And He did cover us with His righteousness.  But on that day we're raised incorruptible (1 Cor. 15:52), we become like the resurrected Christ.  We become God's Bride, His companion above the angels, one "like Him", that He foreshadowed all throughout creation.

God is infinite and eternal.  As such, He is able to give ALL of Himself to each one of His children.  This is not a "blanket" salvation for a "corporate Bride", but rather, a very personal and intimate relationship between Yeshua and EACH of His beloveds.

Ultimately, God is creating a companion for Himself, one who can share in Him, fully know Him, and be like Him.  Love isn't love unless one shares oneself with another.  God is Love.  And He wishes to share Himself with every member of His Church.  This "Bride" metaphor is for both men and women.  The Apostles got it -- and they were all men.  God is actively creating a NEW creation that is like Him, and that, dear Christian, takes my breath away.

Heaven will not be a boring church service while strumming harps and sitting on clouds.  Heaven will be exploring the heights, depths, widths, and eternities of God Almighty, experiencing Him while seated WITH Him (Ephesians 2:6).  All the best God has to offer is ours, even now.  While we are not yet "married" to Christ, we are betrothed to Him, "one flesh" as the singular Body of Christ.  According to Heaven, it is done, however yet to come to pass.

This is our inheritance.  This is our identity.  Claim it for yourself and plunge into God's Living Water head-first and never emerge.  YOU are His beloved Bride.  YOU are the companion He has longed for in eternity past.  And YOU, my brothers and sisters, are in for a GLORIOUS future.

Praise His Mighty Name!  \O/

Christ vs. Adam - Part Two - Drawing Parallels

In part two of my study of Christ vs. Adam, I'm going to go through all the parallels I could think of between the two.  As I mentioned in my first study, 1 Corinthians 15:45 mentions Christ as the "second Adam" or the "last Adam".  Because of that, we can see definitive parallels in their accounts, with Adam bringing death to all men, and Christ bringing Life to all who believe.

There will be a part three of this study, as there is so much richness in these parallels, that I want to cover it all.  Part three will be a study on how the Church fits in with Christ as the last Adam.  It's fascinating to say the least.  But for now, here are the similarities between Adam and Christ, along with Scripture for reference.  To keep the length of this post down, I will link Scripture to Bible Gateway.  This might not be an exhaustive list.  I only mention what I could glean myself.  There might be more parallels, and if so, you're welcome to mention any you can think of in the comments.

~*~*~

ADAM -- MADE IN GOD'S IMAGE - Genesis 1:26
CHRIST -- GAVE CHURCH GOD'S NATURE - 2 Corinthians 5:21, 2 Peter 1:4


ADAM -- KING OF EARTH  - Genesis 1:28
CHRIST -- KING OF HEAVEN (AND EARTH) - Philippians 2:10


ADAM -- GARDEN OF EDEN - Genesis 2:15
CHRIST -- GARDEN OF THE HEART/ULTIMATELY HEAVEN - Songs 4:16, Revelation 2:7


ADAM -- HE WAS STILL RIGHTEOUS WHEN EVE WAS TAKEN FROM HIS SIDE - Genesis 2:21
CHRIST -- EVER RIGHTEOUS WHEN THE SPEAR PIERCED HIS SIDE - John 19:34


ADAM -- NAKED WHEN THE RIB CAME OUT (TO GLORY HIM) - Genesis 2:22-24
CHRIST -- NAKED ON THE CROSS (TO SHAME HIM) - John 19:23-24


ADAM -- TILLED THE GARDEN - Genesis 2:15
CHRIST -- DRESSES THE HEART-GARDEN - Songs 5:1


ADAM -- ATE FROM THE FRUIT OF THE GARDEN - Genesis 2:9
CHRIST -- BELOVED COMPARED TO AN APPLE TREE - Songs 2:3


ADAM -- EVE TAKEN FROM HIS FLESH, THEREFORE SHE IS HIS "SISTER" - Genesis 2:23
CHRIST -- SPOUSE IN SONGS IS CALLED THE BELOVED'S "SISTER" - Songs 4:9


ADAM -- EVE WAS FLESH OF HIS FLESH - Genesis 2:23
CHRIST -- CHURCH IS SPIRIT OF HIS SPIRIT - Galatians 4:6, Romans 8:11


ADAM -- WIFE IS EVE - Genesis 2:24
CHRIST -- WIFE IS CHURCH (SECOND EVE) - Revelation 19:7


ADAM -- DIDN'T FIGHT FOR EVE - Genesis 3:6
CHRIST -- FOUGHT FOR HIS CHURCH - MADE SURE HE WAS CRUCIFIED FOR HER - Mark 14:62-63, Mark 15:2-3


ADAM -- ATE FORBIDDEN FRUIT; RIGHTEOUSNESS LOST - Genesis 3:7
CHRIST -- EATS PRODUCING FRUIT; RIGHTEOUSNESS RESTORED - Songs 4:16


ADAM -- KNEW THEY WERE NAKED, CONDEMNATION, HIDING, FEAR, INTIMACY LOST - Genesis 3:10
CHRIST -- "NO MORE CONDEMNATION", OPEN, FAITH, CONFIDENCE, INTIMACY RESTORED - Matthew 11:28, Romans 8:1


ADAM -- THE GROUND BRINGS FORTH THORNS AND THISTLES IN HIS SORROW - Genesis 3:18
CHRIST -- BORE THORNS AND THISTLES UPON HIS BROW, TAKING OUR SORROW - Matthew 27:29


ADAM -- KICKED OUT OF THE GARDEN - Genesis 3:24
CHRIST -- ALLOWS BACK IN TO THE GARDEN - Songs 4:12-16


ADAM -- FORBIDDEN TO EAT OF THE TREE OF LIFE - Genesis 3:24
CHRIST -- NAILED TO THE TREE OF LIFE - Mark 15:25


ADAM -- BROUGHT SIN AND DEATH - Romans 5:12
CHRIST -- BROUGHT REDEMPTION AND LIFE - 1 Corinthians 15:22


ADAM -- DIED, STILL DEAD - Genesis 5:5
CHRIST -- DIED, ROSE AGAIN, VERY MUCH ALIVE - Ephesians 1:20, Colossians 3:1

~*~*~

It's interesting to see how they're alike and how they're different, with Christ redeeming what Adam gave away.  When Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge, they gave their kingship of the earth to the enemy.  Christ came to restore humanity, but He went much further than that.  In order to restore us, He had to give us a piece of Himself, making us a new creation.  Man united with God.  We are born again of His Spirit; renewed and remade so that not only our bodies are made in His image, but our hearts and souls as well.  Praise the Lord.

~~Becka

Christ vs. Adam - Part One - The Garden

My studies through Song of Solomon, Proverbs, and various Biblical themes (dove/lily/garden) have convinced me that most themes in the Bible lead back to Song of Songs.  Songs is often referenced as "the Holy of holies" of the Bible.  I firmly believe this.  Song of Solomon, in my opinion, is the key to understanding God's message in the entire Bible.

Some people gloss over Songs because it's uncomfortable for them.  It is a highly sensual book.  But it is an allegory between Christ (the Beloved) and His Church (the spouse).  The depth of intimacy Christ wants with us parallels that of lovers.  Passionate.  Fiery.  Longing.  Anticipation.  Excitement.  Joy.  Bliss.

This cannot be fully encompassed by phileo (brotherly/friendship), storge (familial), or agape (unconditional/selfless) love.  This kind of love has a touch of eros (romance), we cannot deny it.  Lovers know every detail about each other.  Every inch, every secret.  Every hope, dream, and delight.  This is the foundation of the First Great Commandment.  God wants more than lip service, He wants it all, every piece of ourselves: our hearts, our souls, our minds, even our very strength.  This is passionate love.

In part two of my Christ vs. Adam study, I will delve a bit deeper into that passionate love.  For now, I want to explore some parallels between Christ and Adam.

Scripture calls Christ the Second Adam (or the last Adam) in 1 Corinthians 15:45.  The idea is that what Adam failed to do, Christ accomplished.  What Adam gave away, Christ restored.  Adam brought death; Christ brings Life.

Let's take a look at Adam.

 

The first man God ever created was placed in a garden.  The main theme in Song of Solomon is the garden.  It is allegory for our hearts, where God wishes to be intimate with us.  In the Genesis account, Adam and Eve walked with God intimately.  They were unashamed of their nakedness, and were allowed fully into God's presence.  They were innocent.  Sin had yet to enter the world.

The serpent deceived Adam's wife, and they disobeyed God, eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  They hid from God, as their newly begotten sin nature had them cowering before His holiness.  Intimacy was broken.  No longer could they stay in the garden, lest they eat from the Tree of Life and thus live forever in their sin.  

Paradise was lost; Adam and Eve had to fend for themselves without God.  I often imagine the heartache they must have gone through, knowing what they had given up, knowing they could never again walk with their Creator as they once had.  Adam had no idea how to farm.  But he just got thrown into the deep end of the pool.  He had to fend for himself and his wife.  I wonder how many hungry nights they had before they had food again?  How hard was it to build that first shelter?  Imagine the bitter barbs they must have slung at each other, blaming the other for the Fall.  Eve, livid that Adam accused her before Yahweh without taking the blame; Adam incensed that she gave him the fruit in the first place.  It must have been very hard to deal with their new fallen nature.

But considering this story with the story of Christ, and the knowledge that He's the second Adam, I got a burst of insight during prayer.  

Adam and Eve were betrayed in a garden.

So, too, was Christ.

John 18:2 mentions that Christ and His disciples met in the Garden of Gethsemane often.  It was a place of intimacy.  A place to get away from the crowds and enjoy the lovely scenery.  Again, we see the parallel to the Beloved's garden in Song of Solomon. 

While it's likely Adam and Eve were betrayed during the daytime (as it's usually day when God illuminates wisdom), it was night when Christ was betrayed (as it's usually night when there's a lack of wisdom, or when evil creeps in.)  For example, Christ, the Light of the World, was born at night.  Very fitting, as "darkness" was prevalent in the world.  Since Adam and Eve were still innocent (until the serpent tempted them), it was likely day when it happened.  And Christ rose from the dead as the Morning Star, in the light of a new day.

We see Christ's agony as He wept in Gethsemane.  He took Peter, James, and John with Him to watch and pray, but they couldn't stay awake.  He was alone.  The weight of sin weighed heavily upon Him, and He faced God's wrath for the very first time.  The fear in His heart was almost more than He could take.  Sweat as drops of blood fell to the ground.  His face was in the dirt.  Our Lord was "full of sorrow, as unto death" (Mark 14:34).  I don't think "sorrow" is a very powerful word.  Yeshua was suffering.  He was crushed.  Anguished.  Devastated.

Unlike Adam, He had no Eve to comfort Him.

His sorrow was so great, an angel had to minister to His soul in order to strengthen Him (Luke 22:42-44). 

I believe this was the SECOND time Yeshua agonized in a garden.  Knowing what we know of Christ, that it was He who appeared to men before His incarnation as the Word of God, it would have been Yeshua, therefore, who drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden.  Knowing what we know of the heart of Christ, casting His masterpieces from His presence would have been a sharp pain indeed for the God of love that wishes nothing but intimacy from those made in His Image.  His holiness demanded wrath, but mercy stayed His hand, and His love made a way of peace through His cross thousands of years later.

In Gethsemane, Judas betrays Christ with a kiss - in the midst of their intimate garden, the one paralleling the Beloved's garden from Songs.  He was betrayed by a feigned love, a counterfeit adoration.  Can you not see the ugliness of this blasphemy?  Satan knows well the parallels of this garden, to Eden, to Songs, and uses Judas to KISS Yeshua on the cheek.  "You're going to die," the serpent hisses into His ear.  "Here's my 'token' of devotion, Son of God!"

Oh, the tears in my eyes even now...

In Eden, Adam and Eve were cast out to face the justice of God.
In Gethsemane, God was cast out to face the justice of man.

What's interesting about these two accounts is that Gethsemane *mirrors* Eden.  The events that lead up to Calvary are the opposite to Adam's events that led him astray.

In Adam's account he was created by God.  He was put to sleep and the woman was created from his rib.  Eve is then betrayed by the serpent.  They both eat of the fruit and hide from God's presence before they are cast out of the Garden.

In Christ's account, He suffered greatly and tried to "hide" from God's wrath by asking for this cup to pass from Him.  He was cast out of the Garden and betrayed by His "close friend".  Then, He was killed upon the cross (put to sleep), pierced in His side thus birthing the Church (like Adam's rib), and finally making a NEW creation: humanity united with God.

Now, through Christ's glorious sacrifice, we are allowed back in to the Garden of Intimacy.  We have a renewed communion with the King of Glory.  Our hearts have become the new Eden, and our Beloved comes into His garden to eat His pleasant fruits (Songs 4:16).  This is the abundant life He promised (John 10:10).  Our God, this God, this amazing, all-powerful God, endured such acute agony to purchase our souls from the depths of the grave. 

Therefore my kisses for Him shall never be blasphemous, but full of absolute, uninhibited adoration.  Praise the Lord!