June 28 ▪ Day 179

Scripture Readings

Psalms 57:11
Song of Solomon 3–4
Revelation 17–18
Proverbs 29

Verse Focus (Psalms 57:11)

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
      let your glory be over all the earth.

Meditation

Our verse focus today, Psalms 57:11, comes from one of my favorite psalms. “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.”

God is exalted above the heavens, of course. But this verse calls us to recognize that fact first and then to work to see that God’s glory is recognized everywhere on earth. So how do we do that? I think speaking and singing God’s praise is one step. That helps to remind us of Who is in control.

But as we turn to God and praise Him, we also need to see if there are areas of our life that we are not submitting to Him. Take some time for confession. What are you holding back from God? Ask for forgiveness, and re-dedicate yourself to the Creator and Lover of your soul.

Finally, thanksgiving. I think being very intentional about thanking God is one of the keys to glorifying Him. So live in gratitude. Find things to thank God for as you go about your day. If there’s something you’re not particularly grateful for, look to see what else you might be able to thank Him for. I didn’t particularly like the long commute I used to have for work. But I did enjoy listening to audiobooks en route. And if you look to see what praises might be hidden right next to the item causing you some stress, you’ll have a better attitude overall.

If we live with peace and joy, if we are resting in God and His comfort — I think that is what most spreads His glory over all the earth. At least insofar as I have anything to do with it. 🙂

Father God, I praise you because you are exalted. You are more glorious than even the earth and the heavens — and your created world is extremely beautiful. Let your peace and joy rest upon me this day, and may your glory shine through me to others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Today we read chapters 3 and 4 of the Song of Solomon. In chapter 3, the woman longs for her lover but does not find him. She searches the city for him, and then encounters the watchmen. But soon after that, she finds her beloved and she takes him to her mother’s house. Again, the woman cautions the daughters of Jerusalem against awakening love before its time. The rest of the chapter speaks of Solomon’s wedding procession, with its grandeur and pomp.

In chapter 4, the man praises his bride for her beauty. He first compares her to a locked garden, but then says that she is a “fountain, a well of living water, and flowing streams from Lebanon (v. 15).” As the chapter ends, in verse 16 the bride invites her new husband to come enjoy his “garden.”

Most view the beginning of chapter 3 as a repeated dream that the bride to be has. She longs for her lover and dreams of losing him. It illustrates the intensity of the love and desire that the woman has for her fiancé, as well as her fear that she might lose this happiness. Whether her encounter with the city watchmen is also part of the dream or a description of how she hastens to go find her love upon awakening are two alternate interpretations that you will encounter. (There is an interesting parallel between this chapter and what happens in chapter 5, but we will discuss that tomorrow.)

Verse 5 implores, “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or the does of the field, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases.” This repeating refrain through Song of Songs contains a play on words in the Hebrew. In Judaism, one may only swear by God, but one may adjure by things which are not God. In appealing to “the gazelles or the does of the field,” the speaker is using phrases that sound very similar to certain names of God — [the God] of hosts, and [God] Almighty. Not being experts in Hebrew, most English commentators see a parallel between the “gentleness” of such shy and timid creatures to the genuineness of love, which is shy of scrutiny and need be approached as cautiously as one would approach gazelles and does of the field.

According to the NIV introduction to Song of Songs, “Traditional wedding celebrations in the Middle East cast the bride and groom in the roles of a king and his queen. The festivities include love songs and also special songs that praise the physical beauty of the bride or the handsomeness of the groom.” This poetry is a perfect example of that wedding tradition. But, of course, Solomon is mentioned three times in chapter 3, so this is clearly meant to be his wedding and not the metaphorical wedding of any groom or “king.”

Verse 8 is interesting. It describes Solomon’s guards and companions — 60 “warriors (v. 7)” who are “prepared for the terrors of the night.” This may be a subtle comment on the night terrors that the woman experienced; metaphorically speaking, Jesus and his angels are more than able to take on any beings that would trouble his Church.

In chapter 4, Solomon admires the beauty of his new wife. Verse 4 always brings a smile to my face. Culturally, I can’t imagine that too many women of our society would feel complimented at being told, “Your neck is like the tower of David.” But Solomon also says, in verse 7, “There is no flaw in you.” And verse 9 says, “You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride.”

When Solomon speaks of his bride as “a garden locked (v. 12),” he speaks not only of the purity and chastity of his bride, but of the exclusivity of their relationship. The bride’s garden pleasures are for him alone. Keeping their sexual relationship private becomes a source of renewal for them both — hence, the allusion to the fountain of life in verse 15.

Indeed, the metaphor of the garden for the marriage bed is a lovely and discreet way to speak of the passion the couple share.

Revelation 17 begins a new section of book as John is carried away “in the Spirit (v. 3)” to see the judgment of the “great prostitute (v. 1).” She is described as an immoral woman, wearing expensive jewelry and regal clothing. She is riding a beast — presumably the first beast described in Revelation 13 — and seems to have some control over the beast, although later in the chapter we learn that the beast hates the woman (v. 16). Her name or title — a “mystery” that God reveals to his saints — is given in verse 5 as “Babylon the Great, Mother of Prostitutes and of Earth’s Abominations.” She is sitting on or beside “many waters (v. 1),” which are interpreted in verse 15 to be “peoples and multitudes and nations and languages.” The woman is also described in verse 18 as “the great city that has dominion over the kings of the earth.”

In verse 8, the beast is described as one who “was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction.” In this manner (because “it was and is not and is to come”), the beast imperfectly mimics God who is “the one who is, who was, and who is to come (Revelation 1:8).” The seven heads of the beast are seven hills (or mountains) on which the woman sits; they are also seven kings (v. 9-10). These are the verses that point to Rome, which is known for being located upon seven hills. And this is also why many interpret the first beast as the Roman Empire. A popular interpretation of the whore that rides the beast — Babylon the Great — is that she represents the Roman Catholic Church. This was certainly a view taken during the Reformation! Today, however, there are some who view the Whore of Babylon as the United States of America.

In another interpretation, the Whore of Babylon is not a specific nation or entity, but is rather the spirit of wickedness (or of seductive culture) that permeates all societies; its goal is to deceive and destroy the people of God. In this view, the beast is the anti-Christian governments that prop up the whore.

The beast is also described as an eighth king that belongs to the seven kings that the seven heads symbolize (v. 11); this is the presumably what the beast will be when it comes again before it goes to destruction. The ten horns are ten kings to come who will have authority for “one hour (v. 12)” along with the beast; after that, they will give their power to the beast and together they will war against the Lamb. It is during the time of the ten kings that they will turn against the Whore of Babylon and they will “make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire (v. 16).”

Revelation 18 speaks of the fall of Babylon the Great. A particularly bright and glorious angel announces the fall of Babylon. But then another voice in heaven calls the saints out of Babylon “lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues (v. 4).” Twice I note how Babylon is condemned because of her love of luxury. Verse 3 says, “the merchants of the earth have grown rich from the power of her luxurious living,” while verse 7 states, “she gloried herself and lived in luxury.” She is also condemned for “her sorcery (v. 23).”

I also note a refrain that comes three times in this chapter — how in “a single hour” Babylon is laid waste. Verse 10 says, “For in a single hour your judgment has come.” Verse 17 also comments, “For in a single hour all this wealth has been laid waste.” And verse 19 also says, “For in a single hour she has been laid waste.”

It appears that Babylon’s judgment will be swift and brutal. Verse 8 says, “Her plagues will come in a single day, death and mourning and famine, and she will be burned up with fire.” Although this is God’s judgment on Babylon the Great, it appears from the context of the prior chapter that the beast and the ten kings are the actual agents of Babylon’s destruction.

Even though we know that the “single hour” is likely symbolic (just as it was in the previous chapter when it spoke of the ten kings having power for one hour), we live in a world with nuclear missiles and such devastation within a tiny time frame is very possible. The repeated remarks about Babylon “burning” along with the thrice-repeated comment that her devastation takes place within a “single hour” — prior ages might not have interpreted the chapter this way, but it is hard for me to think of anything other than a nuclear holocaust. Perhaps my interpretation springs from fear. But this idea, more than anything else we have read in the book of Revelation, convinces me that we must be living in the end times. Of course, I do not expect our technology to disappear. And we could be living with this destructive capability for centuries still to come — but that does not negate the possibility that we are currently living in the end times of the planet earth.

Indeed, I think the purpose of Revelation is for Christians to understand the urgency of the coming judgments. If we truly believe that Jesus is returning soon, it will alter our priorities and how we interact with the world.

Proverbs 29 contains one of my all-time favorite proverbs. Verse 18 says, in the NIV of 1984, “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.” To me, this speaks of why we need to read the Bible and seek God regularly. The Holy Spirit reveals God to us as we read Scripture; without this revelation, we drift away. We “cast off restraint.”

Another favorite is verse 20. As the CSB says, “Do you see someone who speaks too soon? There is more hope for a fool than for him.” With everything that Proverbs has taught us about fools, this is a particularly damning assessment of those who speak too quickly.

Today, it is verse 12 that speaks to me. As the ESV says, “If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked.” Certainly we have seen how prevalent corruption is in government. To me, this is one reason why it is so important that those we elect into leadership be people of integrity. Personally, I believe the character of the individual matters as much if not more than the character of the party he or she represents. But I also think about this proverb in terms of other rulers — parents, bosses, pastors, teachers, coaches, community leaders, and whomever else might be in a position of authority. If a parent believes the lies a child tells, all the other children will be encouraged to lie too. This is why it is so important that all of us must ask for discernment about the truth. If we are unable to recognize those who lie, we will foster an environment of corruption. We must be people who value integrity; people who search for the truth in all things.

Father God, please give us wisdom and discernment so that we might recognize when people attempt to deceive us. Give us pure hearts, so that we do not see falsehood where it does not exist. Thank you that we can rely on your Scripture and the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. I continue to pray that you will give us wisdom in interpreting the book of Revelation. It’s a scary thought to think we are living in the end times. Show us how we should live for you, and how we can bring glory to you in our daily lives. Thank you that you see the Church as a lovely and beautiful bride; thank you that Christ will make us flawless in your presence. We pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.