Scripture Readings
Psalms 68:19
Song of Solomon 7–8
Revelation 21–22
Proverbs 31
Verse Focus (Psalms 68:19)
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
who daily bears our burdens.
Meditation
Congratulations, everyone! With today’s reading, we complete six months of the reading plan. That’s a fairly significant milestone. You have read through all of the New Testament, the Psalms, and the Proverbs, and, of course, half of the Old Testament. Yay, you! (Yay, me!!) 😀
Our verse focus today is Psalms 68:19. It’s a lovely verse (as so many of them are), but it means a lot to me today. “Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” God daily bears our burdens. I appreciate that.
We’ve been having a record heat wave in the Pacific Northwest, and since most of us don’t have air conditioners in our homes, it’s been a tough time. I haven’t slept well for several nights now. When I got up today, I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to write today’s meditation — I’m just so dang tired. But God is gracious. He daily bears our burdens. And I was refreshed by going to Bible Study tonight, and by enjoying a bit of cool air as I walked through the gardens at the church, admiring the roses. So I’m feeling a lot more optimistic about writing today’s meditation.
Day after day, no matter whether our load has gotten heavier or if it’s gotten lighter, God is still there to carry our burdens. No matter what we face, we always have Someone who is bigger than our problems and stronger than our worries. You remember how — in the movies and in books from a bygone era — a boy who was sweet on a girl might walk her home and carry her schoolbooks for her. And in a way, that’s what God does for us. Because He is sweet on us. He loves us, and He helps us. Day after day. Hour by hour, if need be. As the ESV translates this verse, “God is our salvation. Selah.” Hallelujah!
Father God, thank you that you are always here and always willing to carry whatever is weighing us down. Help us find new strength in you each and every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Today we finish reading Song of Solomon. In chapter 7, Solomon compliments his bride for her various attributes, starting with her feet and moving up to the crown of her head. Again, verse 4 makes me smile as Solomon tells his bride, “Your nose is like a tower of Lebanon, which looks toward Damascus.” Few women would think that a compliment today. Although I assume it would have been complimentary to the bride, perhaps I’m wrong about that. Perhaps the perception of beauty hasn’t changed as much as I think. Perhaps the bride felt insecure because she had a prominent nose; perhaps she thought it was her worst feature — but with Solomon complimenting her, he is telling her that whatever seems like a flaw is actually something he adores.
The bride responds to her lover, using his same metaphors. He says her mouth is like the best wine; she replies that the wine flows smoothly for him. Indeed, she reiterates that she belongs to her husband. She invites him to go out to the countryside to share their love. The chapter ends with an interesting verse. “The mandrakes send out their fragrance, and at our door is every delicacy, both new and old, that I have stored up for you, my beloved.” The dance of love is a very old dance, but it is still new for these lovers.
Song of Songs 7:13 reminds me of Matthew 13:52 — in our walk with God, we should have both old treasures and new. We must treasure God’s faithfulness to us in the past, but, to keep love fresh, we must also look to find new treasures with God. So, also, the lovers must share the old — what their love is founded upon — but also continue to share the new.
In chapter 8, the bride wishes that her lover were like a brother — then she might show affection to him publicly. Again, we have the warning to the daughters of Jerusalem not to arouse or awaken love before its time. It is interesting that there is no mention this time round of the gazelles and does — does that mean their love is no longer shy?
Verses 6 and 7 speak of the nature of love, both human love and the allegorical love between God and his people:
6Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.
7Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot sweep it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of one’s house for love,
it would be utterly scorned.
Verse 9 is a little more obscure, but seems to refer to the young girl’s sexual purity (or to the believer’s purity). If she is a wall — if she is virtuous, she will be given more glory; if however she is a door — weak in faith, not as virtuous as hoped, then she will be protected and strengthened with cedar.
The poem ends with the bride’s call to her lover. “Make haste, my beloved,” she cries in verse 14. In this, some of the Bible commentators from the past century see a parallel to the next to the last verse in Revelation — “Come, Lord Jesus.”
Today we also finish reading the book of Revelation. In Revelation 21, John sees the establishment of a new heaven and a new earth. The New Jerusalem comes out of heaven and is presumably established on earth (the text only mentions that the city comes out of heaven). But it is the utopia we have been waiting for. This is the place where God will wipe away every tear. There will be no more death, “neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away (v. 4).”
God declares that He is making all things new. Indeed, it is finished and complete. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. God invites us to come and drink. He invites us to be a part of His family. But He warns that the wicked will perish in the second death.
The New Jerusalem is described as “the Bride, the wife of the Lamb (v. 9).” An angel gives John a tour, measuring the size of the city, its gates, and its walls. The twelve foundations of the city bear the names of the twelve apostles of Jesus. The foundations are decorated with precious gems. The list of jewels for the foundations echoes the jewels that are in Aaron’s breastpiece in Exodus 28:17-20. They are not identical lists, but 10 out of 12 of the stones are the same. (I imagine that they actually are identical; apparently the Hebrew in Exodus for these verses is a bit obscure and so the scholars are not entirely positive about the identification of all the gems.)
The street of the city is “pure gold, like transparent glass (v. 21).” John notes that there is no temple in the city because God Himself is there. Verse 23 says, “And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.”
I’ve always felt a little sad at verse 25 — “there will be no night there” — because nighttime is beautiful. But I think this verse is meant to be understood metaphorically rather than literally.
Revelation 22 describes a river of “the water of life (v. 1)” flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. Echoes of Ezekiel 47! The river is lined with trees that yield “twelve kinds of fruit (v. 2),” bearing a crop each month. The leaves of the trees are used for healing. God dwells with His people. They bear His name on their foreheads.
The angel that has been showing things to John says, in verse 10, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.”
Three times in this last chapter Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming soon.” In verse 7, verse 12, and verse 20. We have a summary of names and titles again. Jesus is “the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end (v. 13).” He is also “the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star (v. 16).” Again, we receive the invitation to come and drink of the water of life, without price (v. 17).
The chapter ends with the plea for Jesus to come soon (“Come, Lord Jesus!”) and the prayer for Christ’s grace to be with us all.
So now that we’ve finished reading Revelation, what conclusions are we to draw from this book? If we are living in the end times, does that change how we need to behave? Three times Jesus says he is coming soon. But when we read the gospels, when Jesus speaks of the master returning at an hour his servants did not expect, the main point is that Jesus expects to find us doing our regular business (Matthew 24:45-51). Yes, we are to be alert. We are to be watchful. We are to be ready. But what do we do while we watch and wait? We do what we’re supposed to do — we feed the other servants, manage the household, and maintain business as if his return might be delayed indefinitely. In practical terms, this means caring for the environment (not assuming, well, the earth is going to be destroyed anyway). It means getting involved in politics, or with church outreach. It means following the dreams that God has given you. Working now for His glory.
The fact that Jesus is coming soon should be more reason to spend ourselves for the kingdom. I don’t understand why some people think that living in the end times means that our efforts don’t matter. I think it means that it matters all that much more. I continue to pray that God will give you wisdom and understanding to know how you should apply the things you learn from this prophecy.
Proverbs 31 contains the last two sections of our anthology of wisdom. There is a short section of advice from King Lemuel, and there is also the poem colloquially described as “The Proverbs 31 Woman.” I enjoy King Lemuel’s mother’s advice — especially her concern that he not drink to excess. Let that be reserved for those who are truly suffering! I have also always liked verse 8. “Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed.”
The wife of noble character — otherwise known as The Proverbs 31 Woman — describes the characteristics of an ideal woman, that is, of a woman who fears the LORD. What strikes me about this list is how industrious she is! She runs several businesses on top of caring for her own household. She works hard, manages money and reinvests her profits — this is very far removed from the traditional religious view that sees godly women only in terms of their roles as mothers!
In this passage, I have always loved verse 26. “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.” This is the kind of woman I want to be!
Today, in re-reading this chapter, I also noticed verse 17. The ESV says, “She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.” I’m not as familiar with the ESV translation as I am with some of the others. But as I read this verse, it struck me that it is talking about exercise. Well, at least, that’s part of what this verse is talking about. I think dressing oneself in strength also has to do with building up your faith. But we need strength physically as much as we need strength spiritually. So, let’s go make our arms strong!
Father God, thank you so much for helping me to write this devotional today. Thank you for bearing my burdens today. Thank you that you will help me bear my burdens tomorrow, whatever they might be. Thank you for your love and for how you speak to us through your Scripture. Please help us to understand the depth of your love. May we be found faithful when Christ returns. Help us to know your will for us in our daily interactions. Give us wisdom and insight and direction. We pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
The bride in Song if Solomon is praised for the beauty Solomon sees in her, and the attributes of young love and passion, within a monogamous relationship. In Proverbs 31, the wife is praised for her beauty in character and the woman she has gracefully aged into. It easily could be the same woman, so to speak, at different phases of her life. I used to hate sermons on Proverbs 31 as she seemed to never tire, being an early riser when I’m not a morning person, etc., and when my kids were little, then as a sine working mom, I felt like I could never exemplify the high standards this woman set. Then I realized she had servants! Aha, a bit of grace as I have no servants. She had servants to do the daily toil and grunt work, enabling her to do the other activities described. Today, it strikes me that mankind, emphasis on the man, picks and chooses how to apply scripture. Women were not allowed to own land, even inherit it, in many cultures. Yet Proverbs 31 shows a woman buying land with her own money. She must have had a beautiful marriage. The verses refer to her seeking the best for husband, and he does not seem threatened by her independence.
Kirsty , thank you for the past 6 months of excellent devotionals.
Your sharing of knowledge and insights are greatly appreciated.
I am thankful God knows my needs, he cares for me daily.
In reading psalm 31 Vs 8 and 9 stood out to me -the need to help and defend those who cannot help themselves
Congratulations Kirsty for living out your dream of writing these devotions. I have greatly benefited from the wisdom and insight with which you write. Clearly God is given you strength! Yes, living in the end times means we are alert and working with our gifts wherever we can. I also enjoyed the walk around the church gardens in the cool night air. God bless you!