Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / July 8 - Song of Solomon 6

Transcript

July 8 - Song of Solomon 6 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

• 0:11
  Hello. Friends, it's Sean here.
• 0:14
  And Yvonne? And it is the 8th of July.
• 0:18
  It's a Tuesday. Thank you for tapping on play
• 0:21
  and inviting us either as we are continuing reading through the
• 0:26
  Song of Solomon together. It is a strange book, unlike so
• 0:31
  many of the others that we have been reading, and something that
• 0:35
  makes it quite strange and quite of its time, and not so much of
• 0:38
  this time, is the way that it introduces and represents
• 0:43
  romantic love and sexuality without any kind of shame or
• 0:48
  embarrassment. This is in our world where our
• 0:50
  culture often represents sex with a negative edge with this
• 0:55
  over sexualized nature or as a tool or a or a marketing product
• 1:00
  or or something with a nefarious undertone.
• 1:03
  But here we have this poetry that just celebrates that desire
• 1:09
  and love and sexuality. These are beautiful things and
• 1:13
  so it presents them just like that.
• 1:16
  So as we read this today together, we can just reflect on
• 1:21
  the way God has made these things beautiful and that is the
• 1:25
  way He intends for us to enjoy them.
• 1:28
  So having said all that, let us continue with our duo reading
• 1:32
  this together as we read Song of Solomon's Chapter 6.
• 1:46
  Where has your lover gone, O woman of rare beauty?
• 1:49
  Which way did he turn so we can help you find him?
• 1:53
  My lover has gone down to his garden, to his spice beds, to
• 1:58
  browse in the gardens and gather the lilies.
• 2:01
  I am my lovers and my lover is mine.
• 2:04
  He browses among the lilies. You are beautiful, my darling,
• 2:10
  Like the lovely city of Terza. Yes, as beautiful as Jerusalem,
• 2:16
  as majestic as an army with billowing banners.
• 2:21
  Turn your eyes away, for they overpower me.
• 2:24
  Your hair falls in waves, like a flock of goats winding down the
• 2:29
  slopes of Gilead. Your teeth are as white as sheep
• 2:34
  that are freshly washed. Your smile is flawless, each
• 2:38
  tooth matched with its twin. Your cheeks are like rosy
• 2:43
  pomegranates behind your veil. Even among 60 Queens and 80
• 2:48
  concubines and countless young women, I would still choose my
• 2:53
  dove, my perfect 1, the favourite of her mother, dearly
• 2:57
  loved by the one who bore her. The young women who see her and
• 3:02
  praise her, even Queens and royal concubines sing her
• 3:06
  praises. Who is this arising like the
• 3:10
  dawn, as fair as the moon, as bright as the sun, as majestic
• 3:15
  as an army with billowing banners?
• 3:20
  I went down to the Grove of walnut trees and out to the
• 3:23
  valley to see the new spring growth, to see whether the
• 3:27
  grapevines had budded or the pomegranates were in bloom.
• 3:31
  Before I realised it, my strong desires had taken me to the
• 3:35
  chariot of a nobleman. Return.
• 3:40
  Return to us, O made of Shulam. Come back.
• 3:43
  Come back that we may see you again.
• 3:48
  Why do you stare at this young woman of Shulam as she moves so
• 3:52
  gracefully between 2 lines of dancers?
• 4:05
  My Lord, we make things so complicated, don't we?
• 4:08
  We take your beautiful gifts and we mix them with our own broken
• 4:12
  humanness, and chaos ensues. But here we have this moment,
• 4:19
  this snapshot of beautiful innocence, of this love, of this
• 4:25
  passion. Well, thank you for this poetry
• 4:28
  that shows us how simple things can be with you and your love
• 4:34
  for us. Uncomplicated, deep and
• 4:38
  wonderful. And Lord, as we go about living
• 4:41
  our lives, I pray that you help us cut through all of the
• 4:46
  nonsense that the world layers on the gifts that you give us.
• 4:51
  Lord, help us to enjoy the simple things of connection, of
• 4:55
  love, of simple pleasures that you have given us that the world
• 5:00
  might look down on as unsophisticated, but you know
• 5:05
  they are the things that are going to deeply fulfil us.
• 5:09
  So we come to you with open hearts, ready to receive all
• 5:13
  these beautiful things that you offer us, and we thank you for
• 5:16
  your love and commitment to us all.
• 5:19
  In Jesus name we pray, Amen.