The article takes us through the poetic love story of the Song of Solomon and the different stages that are taken by lovers. The message is about the stages of love, from the time gets to know each other, to the stages of courtship and even marriage. Love is the most beautiful thing that can be best expressed and shown by a couple. The message is significant in helping us understand the love that God has for human kind. The various stages that are involved in a love relationship are significant in making us understand the stages of intimacy that we have to go through in order to understand the love that God has for us. The poetic design of the book is also a clear sign of God’s perfect design to bring us to his rest and shower us with all the goodness that comes with life. The longing that the lover has for his beloved is the same longing that God has for us. He longs for our attention and devotion.
The book of Job was written for the main purpose of helping us understand the commitment we should have towards God irrespective of the trials and tribulations we may face. Whether the story is fictional or not, it relates to us in many ways as it talks about the challenges that we are faced with on a daily basis as we serve God. The passage serves as a revelation to Christians that serving God does not mean that one will not be exposed to suffering. After endurance, there is a great reward for Christians who hold on to their faith, despite the tribulations they encounter. Testing times should only serve to root us into the faith and make us understand our faith. The end of Job was even better that he was before he faced the tribulations. This implies that after a great test of victory, there are more blessings that await those who endure. The victory that God gives his children after passing the test of love and commitment enables them to forget past hurts and pain.
Psalm 109 is a prayer of a man who was in distress because of the enemies that surrounded him. David was pouring out his heart to God according to how he felt. In the New Testament, we are told not curse or avenge but leave all to God. The scripture is however, significant to a Christian today to help understand that it is normal to feel hated and scorned at by the world. Loving and being committed to God can attract all forms of ridicule from people, yet God assures us that he knows and is aware of the challenges. Christians need not to shy away from letting God know the status of their hearts by pouring out their hearts. David was a friend of God, yet he experienced hate and opposition that made him bitter. In the last passages, we see him humble himself and even ask God for forgiveness. In the same context, we are reminded that as we present our petitions to God, we should remember that it is not always the other person that is on the wrong. There is therefore a need to search one’s heart and ask God to forgive them of any iniquity.
Bibliography
David A. Dorsey, "Literary Structuring in the Song of Songs," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 46 (1990): 81-96; idem, The Literary Structure of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1999), 199-213.
Johnston, Gordon. (July 7, 2006). Song of Solomon: Love Story or Love Stories? http://www.dts.edu/read/song-of-solomon-love-story-or-love-stories-gordon-h-johnston/
