Let it Sleep.

The Song of Solomon portrays Christ as the Groom romancing—wooing—the Church, the Bride of Christ.  But it is also a romantic story about two young people who flirt and chase each other through town and forest.  The man pursues. The woman pursues. He describes her beauty in language no one could top (“You are absolutely beautiful, with no imperfection in you… You have captured my heart with one glance of your eyes” S.O.S. 4:7,9.)  She adorns herself with perfumes from all over the world. They eat apricots, raisins, and other sweets, enthralled with each other.

The song illustrates the overwhelming nature of romantic love at its most passionate.  And then the bride speaks lines that strike me as the most important in the whole book:

“Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and the wild dogs of the field: DO NOT STIR UP OR AWAKEN LOVE UNTIL THE PROPER TIME” Song of Solomon 2:7; 3:5; 8:4.

Do Not Stir Up or Awaken Love.  Three times the warning is repeated.  Do not stir up or awaken love until the proper time.  Why do you think this warning is given?  Why NOT stir up love?  Why wait? (People already tell you to abstain from sex until marriage—now they’re telling you to abstain from EMOTIONS too?!)

The woman is warning her young friends: don’t play with fire.  Romance can be DANGEROUS.  It is overwhelming—and can TOTALLY DISTRACT you from your goals. Worse, it can cause heartbreak, grief, unwed mothers, and illegitimate children. When you stir up romance too soon, the consequences can be HUGE. 

Besides being a metaphor about Christ and the Church, Song of Solomon is a picture of Godly romance.  But it is also a warning: Enjoy God’s amazing gift of romantic love, but DO NOT AWAKEN LOVE UNTIL THE PROPER TIME.  Let it sleep.

Until then, enjoy the gift of singleness—and use it to grow in Christ and cultivate a passion for Him.

God, give us the self-control to say NO or WAIT when romance comes at the wrong time.  Bless us with wisdom and amazing relationships at the right time.

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Abstain Until the Time.

I once had an epiphany while watching THE BRADY BUNCH. Alice had helped the kids bake cookies and lamented that she had no self-control. She ate a cookie or two and told herself she couldn’t help it. But I could. It would be so easy not to eat a hot, fresh cookie. I could say no. That turned out to be a useful resolution shortly thereafter when my parents put me on a diet of all-natural foods. Suddenly, I had to say no to foods every day.

There are harder temptations. But we ALWAYS have the power to say no. Lust is an obvious one. Avoid those thoughts. Say no to that second look. Don’t watch this or read that.

But what about love—not lust, but romance? Is there any reason to avoid that? Or to engage in romance but “ride the brake,” and keep it under control? Yes. There are good reasons to maintain control. Consider this advice from the Song of Solomon:

“O daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and the wild does of the field, do not stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time” Song of Solomon 3:5 (Holman).

Other translations:

“Oh, let me warn you, sisters in Jerusalem, by the gazelles, yes, by all the wild deer: Don’t excite love, don’t stir it up, until the time is ripe—until you’re ready” (The Message).

“You young women of Jerusalem, heed my warning. By the gazelles and deer of the field, I charge you not to excite your love until it is ready. Don’t stir a fire in your heart too soon, until it is ready to be satisfied” (The Voice).

There is a right time and a wrong time for overwhelming passions. And yes, these passions CAN be controlled. While you are young, getting an education and building (or at least launching) a career, you do not need to be overwhelmed by romance. God will provide time for that. For now: “DO NOT STIR UP OR AWAKEN LOVE UNTIL THE PROPER TIME.” See also Prov. 24:27—plant your fields, THEN build your house.

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I Found It!

I remember when we lost Red.  We searched fields and forests, then got in the truck and drove to every home in the area, asking people if they had seen a big red pit bull. For two or three days we searched everywhere.  We have had both dogs and horses turn up missing.  In every case the outcome was positive, except with Red—who had stepped in front of a car.

In middle school, I lost clothes, shoes, textbooks, pens, school supplies, EVERYTHING.  My parents used to say, “You’d lose your head if it wasn’t screwed on.”  They were right.  I WOULD have lost my head. Literally.  I was a scatterbrained mess.  I know how it feels to lose things. 

But I’ve never lost anything priceless.

When you lose people, the horror must be overwhelming.  You file a police report, you wait 24 hours.  No one takes you seriously at first.  Parents imagine their children being tortured.  Most of the time the lost are found safe.  Imagine the relief.

What if you lost God?

What if no matter how you prayed, worshipped, or cried out, God was absent. Can you imagine? What a loss that would be.  Imagine the loneliness and isolation.  The bleak pointlessness of life. The hopelessness.

Song of Solomon portrays our relationship with God.  In the book, the bride loses her love, searches everywhere for him, and finally finds him.

“When I found the one I love, I held on to him and would not let him go” Song of Solomon 3:4

Once you FIND God, HOLD ON!  Hold on to Him and do not let go!  Do you cherish that relationship more than anything?  Do you cling to God and spend time with Him every day!  What could be more important?

*** In the 1970s, there was a button that read simply, “I Found It!”  The idea was that people would ask what you found and then you could tell them that you found the answer: Jesus.  It’s campy and kitschy, perhaps, but not false.  Jesus is the answer.

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Behavior and Education.

Ever wonder why half the grades on the report cards of children involve behavior?  Why have all those categories like “works well with others,” “listens to instructions,” or “participates in group activities”?  We send children to school to learn the three Rs and instead it’s the three Ss: Sit down, be Still, and keep Silent.

But of course, there is a connection between behavior and education.  You cannot listen well if you are talking. 

In addition to behavior, there is a connection between attitude and education.  A quiet, studious adult cannot fully understand God’s word if he has no faith.  Or to bring it closer to home, a lukewarm Christian cannot fully understand the Bible or a sermon if his heart is not right with God. 

No matter how smart you are, no matter how quick your mind is to grasp various ideas, you cannot truly understand God’s word if your heart is rebellious. 

If you are skeptical, like Eve questioning God’s laws in the Garden of Eden, you will not be able to understand things the way you would if you had a heart filled with faith and trust.

“I understand more than the elders because I obey your precepts” Psalm 119:100.

Look closely at that verse. The psalmist writes that he understands because of what?  Because he OBEYS.

“I understand … because I obey” Psalm 119:100.

That is the way faith works.  God may have given you a high I.Q.  Maybe you are smarter than all your friends, your family, your co-workers.  But you will never understand the deep truths of God until you SURRENDER.  If your heart is proud or skeptical or otherwise disobedient to God’s word, you will NEVER understand that word. 

Conversely, if you obey God’s word, He will give you more and more understanding.  And as you grow in understanding His word, you will likewise grow to understand all of this life about which that word speaks. 

Remember:

“I understand … because I obey.”

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One Wish.

So you’re exploring an old cave in the mountains of the American West and you find a polished cow horn on a string.  It’s covered in dust and has a lid on the end—it’s a powder horn.  Curious, you open it and WHOOSH! the ghost of an old Navajo shaman comes out, thanks you for setting him free, and offers to grant one wish. 


What will you request? Long life? Treasure? Fame? A romantic soulmate? Success? Travel? The death of your enemies?

One day the young King Solomon sacrificed to God 1,000 burnt offerings.  That night God came to Solomon in a dream: “Ask.  What should I give you?”

The new king thought of his responsibilities.

“You have shown great love to Your servant….  Yet I am a youth with no experience in leadership. I am surrounded by a people too numerous to be counted. So give Your servant an obedient heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” 1 Kings 3:5-9.

How did God respond to this request from Israel’s new king?

“Because you have requested this and did not ask for long life or riches or the death of your enemies, but you asked for discernment for yourself to understand justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and understanding heart so that there has never been anyone like you nor will there ever be again.  In addition, I will give you riches and honor… and a long life” vv.11-14.

Because Solomon had his priorities straight, God gave Solomon both the wisdom he needed and the riches, honor, and long life he probably wanted. 

God, teach us to pray boldly—to ask for big things, and to ask for the RIGHT things. Give us WISDOM to understand leadership and justice. Help us discern among people and situations.  Anoint us with Your wisdom in every circumstance.  Help us give glory to You every day.

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Three Wishes.

If a genie offered you three wishes, what would you request? Money, fame, and power? Travel, adventure, and long life? God came to the newly crowned King Solomon in a dream and said: “What should I give you?” Do you know what Solomon requested?

Solomon responded with gratitude, reminding God that He had blessed David and now Solomon, and had made the young man king over a people too numerous to count.

“So give your servant an obedient heart to judge your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of yours?” 1 Kings 3:9.

How did God feel about this request?

“It pleased the Lord that Solomon had requested this. So God said to him, ‘Because you have requested this and did not ask for long life or riches, or the death of your enemies, but you asked discernment and to understand justice, I will therefore do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again. In addition, I will give you what you did not ask for: both riches and honor, so that no man in any kingdom will be your equal during your entire life. If you walk in My ways and keep My statutes and commands, I will give you a long life.” 1 Kings 3:10-14.

Solomon’s prayer is our example. We should pray for wisdom and discernment. We should pray for understanding. We should pray to understand justice and leadership and how to judge between people and situations. Look at the things going on in our world right now: a global pandemic and race riots in the streets of numerous US cities. Do we need God’s wisdom about people and situations and justice? You bet we do—and we always will.

Pray for wisdom and understanding and an “obedient heart” as Solomon did. God will honor that prayer and bless you—and He just might bless you with things you did not request.

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Solomonic Wisdom is PRACTICAL.

Two young women lived in squalor.  They were roommates, not friends.  They had no family, no money, no safety net.  After selling their jewelry and trinkets, they ran out of food.  Finally, they liquidated the only asset they had. They fed their bodies by selling their bodies, eventually birthing boys within days of each other.  In the middle of the night, one of the new mothers smothered her day-old child while sleeping, woke up, and switched the two babies.  The next morning, the other mother looked closely at the dead child beside her and realized it was not hers.  She took her case to King Solomon.  After the two women fought over the living child, Solomon pronounced judgment:

“Bring me a sword.”  A hush fell over the crowd.  A sword was presented and Solomon spoke to the man holding it:

“Cut the living boy in two and give half to one and half to the other!”

One of the women cried out.  “My lord, give her the living baby, but please don’t have him killed!”

The other answered, “He will not be mine or yours.  Cut him in two!”

The king held up his hand. 

“Put the sword away.  Give the baby to the first woman.  She is his mother.”

“All Israel heard about the judgment the king had given, and they stood in awe of the king because they saw God’s wisdom was in him to carry out justice” 1 Kings 3:28.

What is special about Solomon’s wisdom?  The young king possesses a shrewd sense of human nature.  But it’s more than that.  The people saw that “God’s wisdom was in him.”  Solomon is not merely a good judge of character.  He has insight from God.

GOD’S WISDOM IS PRACTICAL. 

When God gives you wisdom, it is the practical kind of wisdom that helps you solve pressing, real-world problems.  (Real problems: the kind of problems YOU HAVE!)  When you read about wisdom in the Bible, don’t think it’s something “so heavenly minded that it’s no earthly good.”

God’s wisdom—Biblical wisdom—is practical wisdom for solving the problems we face every day.  God’s wisdom is exactly what you need!

*The artwork above is from young-catholics.com

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Buried Treasure.

In THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO a man falsely accused escapes prison and finds a buried treasure.  The pile of gold and jewels changes his life and captivates readers. We are fascinated by treasure.

But you possess a greater treasure: one that too often collects dust.

Even the OLD TESTAMENT is an infinite treasure.  Some think negatively about God’s law because we have been delivered from law. But without the law, we would not recognize our sin, and if we don’t recognize sin, how can we repent and receive grace?  Paul writes “What then, is the law sinful? May it never be! I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law” Romans 7:7.  Paul continues: “So then, the law is holy and the commandment is holy, and righteous, and good” v.12.

If you struggle with rules or guilt, it can be hard to think positively about God’s rules.  But Paul calls them “holy, righteous, and good.”  The Old Testament writers agreed. 

God’s law gives DIRECTION. How can you “stay in your lane” if you can’t see the lane? How do you make good decisions if you can’t tell good from bad? God’s law shows us how to live. It helps us make good choices. God’s WORD is the ‘owner’s manual’ for life, the MAP for your journey.

“Your decrees are the JOY of my heart (Psalm 119:111); I LOVE them greatly (167). I LOVE Your commands more than gold (127). Your commands are my DELIGHT (143). Your word is SWEETER THAN HONEY in my mouth (103), Your servant LOVES it (140). I LOVE Your precepts (159). I REJOICE OVER YOUR PROMISE LIKE ONE WHO FINDS VAST TREASURE (162).”

Have you ever thought about what a VAST TREASURE God’s word is? Believers in China smuggle torn Bible pages back and forth between jail cells, desperate for scraps of God’s word, while some of us have the whole book but never read it.

God, help us love Your word and recognize it for the TREASURE that it is!

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Scripture Memory and the Beauty of the Law.

My friend James went to seminary and loves people with a pastor’s heart.  His passion for the homeless is amazing and merits discussion.  But he has one idea with which I cannot agree.  He does not believe in the practice of memorizing scripture.  His senior thesis in seminary was “Jesus Never Asked Anyone to Memorize Scripture.” Such an argument is based on the logical fallacy called “the Argument from Silence.” It is fallacious because a non-mention by one side cannot be used as evidence for the other side.

Nevertheless, a ‘wooden’ reading of the gospels may seem to support James’s position.  But no. If Jesus never mentioned scripture memory, it is because Jesus assumed that it “goes without saying.”

Here is the truth of scripture memory: if Jesus did not mention it, it’s because the importance of memorizing God’s word was obvious.  Don’t believe me? Consider how much scripture Jesus (not to mention Paul and others) had memorized. 

Keep that in mind as I change the subject briefly.…

With 176 verses, Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible.  It is an acrostic, each section based on one letter of the Hebrew alphabet. But what is more interesting may be the content—this beautiful, long poem is a love letter about God’s law. 

Whereas many writers today seem to condemn the law or to dismiss both the law and the entire Old Testament as ‘old news for the old days,’ the writer of Psalm 119 adores God’s law.  He is CONVINCED God’s law is the path to life, joy, peace, and abundance.  I agree: The Law and ALL the rest of the Old Testament are filled with wisdom.  Many of the verses of Ps. 119 also apply to the New Testament:

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your Word…  THY WORD HAVE I HID IN MY HEART, THAT I MIGHT NOT SIN AGAINST YOU”  Psalm 119:9,11.

God, teach us to HIDE YOUR WORD IN OUR HEARTS—to memorize it—so we might not sin against you.

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Don’t Write This Down: a Story From the Jury Room.

Recently I found myself a juror in a murder trial. My fellow jurors realized I was a lawyer and eventually voted me jury foreman–which was a rare and extraordinary opportunity for a lawyer. But things got off to a rocky start on day one. The bailiff–who admitted she had never met the judge–loudly ordered me to leave my notepad behind. I tried to tell her the judge had instructed us to take notes. She refused to listen to anythng I had to say. In fact, she became extremely threatening when she saw that I was about to speak. I told her anyway, and she refused to hear it. Thus, I spent a day and a half trying to remember everything. It was awful. (I can’t tell you how confusing it was! Information does not reach the jury in a usable form. It’s all out of order and out of context.)

Then I took a single sheet of paper folded in fourths (which I could hide in my pocket)—and began discreetly making notes. She was not watching and I knew the judge would not mind. Boy, how that helped! I could finally keep the names straight, and once I had names, I could hang the key testimony from each person on that name. It was invaluable!  But the rules say no notes in jury deliberations. So before the trial ended, I knew I would have to memorize everything. 

Many of us approach the Bible like a jury hearing a trial—things are out of order and out of context, and no one points out which things are critical and which are trivial. And if you found yourself on a deserted island without a Bible, how much could you recall?

It was not always this way. Old Testament rabbis memorized long passages. Some committed the Torah—the first five BOOKS!—to memory. 

“Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee” Psalm 119:11.

We can learn from the rabbis’ example. We need the word in our heads, not our hands! 

When did you last memorize something powerful? 

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