2013년 11월 1일 금요일

5th week: Kings & Chronicles and three other books

Kings of Judah

Name of king (Dynasty of David): Rehoboam (930-913)
Year of Reign: 17 years (1Ki 14:21)
Scripture References: 1Ki 12:1-24, 14:21-31
Good / bad king: Bad king (1Ki 12:3-14, 14:22-24)

1.
Battles:
·         There was constant war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam (1Ki 14:30)

Alliances:
·         N/A

Other key events (Summary):
·         Rehoboam refused the request from the leaders of Israel to lessen the burdens of labor and taxes but decided to make them even heavier based upon the counsel of the young men.
·         He mobilized the troop among the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to fight against the northern tribes of
Israel but did not go to war in obedience to the message from the Lord.
·         In the fifth year of his reign, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem and ransacked the treasuries of the LORD’s temple and the royal palace.

2.
Prophet’s name:
·         Shemaiah

Prophetic message:
·         Do not fight against your relatives, the Israelites. Go back home, for what has happened is my doing.

Response:
·         They obeyed the message and went home.

Fulfillment:
·         N/A

3. Other Observation:
·         The people of Israel followed the detestable practices of idolatry, building pagan shrines and sacred pillars and Asherah poles. It seems that as a punishment for that sin, God sent the king of Egypt to attack Jerusalem in the fifth year of Jing Rehoboam’s reign.

4. Remarks:
·         The king paid no attention to the people.
·         During Rehoboam’s reign, the people of Judah did what was evil in the LORD’s sight.


5. Leadership application:
·         To have many counsels could be a wise thing but foolish one just won’t stop seeking advice until he/she he gets what he/she wants to hear.
·          A little act of pride could result in a huge loss that he/she could not even imagine.
·         All the good-intended wisdom and counsel means nothing before the will of the LORD.



Name of king (Dynasty of David): Abijam (913-910)
Year of Reign: 3 years (1Ki 15:2)
Scripture References: 1Ki 15:1-8
Good / bad king: Bad king (1Ki 15:3)

1.
Battles:
·         There was constant war between Abijam and Jeroboam.

Alliances:
·         N/A

Other key events (Summary):
·         N/A

2.
Prophet’s name:
·         N/A

Prophetic message:
·         N/A

Response:
·         N/A

Fulfillment:
·         N/A

3. Other Observation:
·         Despite his unfaithfulness, God allowed his descendants to continue ruling and he gave Abijam a son to rule after him.

4. Remarks:
·         He committed the same sins as his father before him, and he was not faithful to the LORD his God, as his ancestor David had been.


5. Leadership application:
·         Leaders would be well advised to remember that their position as a leader might not be based on their own merits but for the grace and faithfulness of God.







Name of king (Dynasty of David): Asa (910-869)
Year of Reign: 41 years (1Ki 15:10)
Scripture References: 1Ki 15:1-24
Good / bad king: Good king (1Ki 15:11-15)

1.
Battles:
·         There was constant war between King Asa and King Baasha of Israel.

Alliances:
·         Ben-hadad, the king of Aram

Other key events (Summary):
·         He banished the male and female shrine prostitutes from the lan d and got rid of all the idols.
·         He deposed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made Asherah pole which he cut down and burned in the Kidron Valley.
·         He brought into the Temple of the LORD the silver and gold and other dedicated items.
·         He gave all the silver and gold in the treasuries of the Temple and the royal palace to the king of Aram to get help from them in fighting off Israel.
·         He used the materials left by Israel to fortify the town of Geba in Benjamin and the town of Mizpah.

2.
Prophet’s name:
·         N/A

Prophetic message:
·         N/A

Response:
·         N/A

Fulfillment:
·         N/A

3. Other Observation:
·         It seems to be a very odd turn of events that Asa whose heart was so dedicated to the LORD had to turn to the pagan nation for help in order to drive Israel out of Judah. To make a treaty with the king of Aram, he had to give all the silver and gold in the treasuries of the Temple which he and his father dedicated to the LORD. What if he asked help from the LORD? Why did he not do that? The scripture does not tell why. Anyway God credited him to be completely faithful to him throughout his life.

4. Remarks:
·         Asa did what was pleasing to the LORD’s sight and his heart remained completely faithful to the LORD throughout his life.


5. Leadership application:
·         Asa was so single-minded when he pursued God’s command to tear down all the idols and poles that he even denied his grandmother of her royal position. His act reminded me of what Jesus said to the disciples in the NT that they cannot follow him unless they deny their own father and mother and even their own life. Deposing his own flesh and blood might have not been an easy decision to make. However, he feared God more than anything else including the damage to his own refutation or relationship. Leaders have only one being whom they are accountable to thus in fear of, God.    












Name of king (Dynasty of David): Jehoshaphat (872-848)
Year of Reign: 25 years (1Ki 22:42)
Scripture References: 1Ki 22:1-49, 2Ki 3:7-27
Good / bad king: Good king (1Ki 22:43)

1.
Battles:
·         He joined King Ahab in the war against Ramoth-gilead (the king of Aram).
·         He joined King Joram in the war against King Mesha of Moab.

Alliances:
·         Israel

Other key events (Summary):
·         Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.
·         He banished from the land the rest of male and female prostitutes but failed to remove all the pagan shrines.
·         He built a fleet of trading ships to sail to Ophir for gold which, however, never set sail.

2.
Prophet’s name:
·         Micaiah son of Imlah
Prophetic message:
·         The campaign against Ramoth-gilead would fail which Jehoshaphat was going to join, and king Ahab would be killed.
Response:
·         King Ahab arrested the prophet and went out to war despite the prophecy, and Jehoshaphat joined him.
Fulfillment:
·         The troops of Israel and Judah were defeated by the Aramean army, and King Ahab was killed in the battle.

Prophet’s name:
·         Elisha son of Shaphat
Prophetic message:
·         The LORD would give them (the troops of Joram of Istrael and of Jehoshaphat of Judah) water and also victory over Moab.
Response:
·         They offered the morning sacrifice.
Fulfillment:
·         Water suddenly appeared and God defeated the Moabite army by making them delusional.

3. Remarks:
·         He did what was pleasing to the LORD’s sight.


4. Leadership application:
·         It was wise of him to seek the counsel of the LORD on whether they would go for war. However, he did not listen to the prophet’s warning against the war. It is not clear why he did that maybe because of the alliance he made with Ahab. Anyway his life was spared because it was not him whom God sought after. The leadership lesson I could draw from this episode is to hang out with good friends, not bad ones.
 

Name of king (Dynasty of David): Jehoram (853-842)  
Year of Reign: 8 years (2Ki 8:17)
Scripture References: 2Ki 8:16-24
Good / bad king: Bad king (2Ki 8:18)

1.
Battles:
·         Jehoram went out to war against the Edomites in response to their revolt but was defeated. As a result Edom has been independent from Judah.

Alliances:
·         N/A

Other key events (Summary):
·         He married one of Ahab’s daughters.

2.
Prophet’s name:
·         N/A
Prophetic message:
·         N/A
Response:
·         N/A
Fulfillment:
·         N/A

3. Remarks:
·         Jehoram followed the example of the kings of Israel, and was as wicked as Ahab. He did evil what was evil in the LORD’s sight.

4. Leadership application:
·         It is critical to choose the right spouse because that would have a huge impact on your life.


Name of king (Dynasty of David): Ahaziah (842-841)
Year of Reign: 1 year (2Ki 8:26)
Scripture References: 2Ki 8:25-9:29)
Good / bad king: Bad king (2Ki 8:27)

1.
Battles:
·         Ahaziah joined Joram, the king of Israel, in his war against King Hazael of Aram at Ramoth-gilead.

Alliances:
·         Israel

Other key events (Summary):
·         When King Joram was wounded in the battle, he went to Jezreel to visit him and there he was killed by Jehu along with Joram.

2.
Prophet’s name:
·         N/A
Prophetic message:
·         N/A
Response:
·         N/A
Fulfillment:
·         N/A

3. Remarks:
·         He did what was evil in the LORD’s sight, just as Ahab’s family had done.

4. Leadership application:
·         The Scripture says that he did evil following the deeds of Ahab’s family for he was related to the family of Ahab by marriage. Again whom you marry is very important. Also he was killed while he was visiting his ally in Israel. That again shows with whom you befriend can be a life-or-death decision.


Name of king (Dynasty of David): Athaliah (841-835)
Year of Reign: 6 years (2Ki 11:3)
Scripture References: 2Ki 11:1-16
Good / bad king: Bad queen (2Ki 11:1)

1.
Battles:
·         N/A

Alliances:
·         N/A

Other key events (Summary):
·         She killed the rest of the royal family to become a queen upon the new of death of his son.
·         Ahaziah’s sister Jehosheba hid Joash, Ahaziah’s infant son, in the Temple of the LORD for 6 years.
·         Led by Jehoiada the priest, Joash became king and Athaliah was killed.

2.
Prophet’s name:
·         N/A
Prophetic message:
·         N/A
Response:
·         N/A
Fulfillment:
·         N/A

3. Remarks:
·         N/A

4. Leadership application:
·         What was she thinking when she killed her own flesh and blood to be the top leader of the country? It serves us a good reminder of how wicked humans can be in order to get a hold of power.


Name of king (Dynasty of David): Joash (835-796)
Year of Reign: 40 years (2Ki 12:1)
Scripture References: 2Ki 11:2-12:21
Good / bad king: Good king (2Ki 12:2)

1.
Battles:
·         N/A

Alliances:
·         N/A

Other key events (Summary):
·         With the lead of Jehoiada the priest, the temple of Baal was torn down and the priest of Baal was killed.
·         Joash ordered the priests to repair the Temple of the LORD, which was followed through despite it had been delayed though.
·         At the threat of being attacked by King Hazael of Aram, he collected all the sacred objects that had been dedicated by his ancestors and himself to give them all to Hazael as a tribute, thus disaster averted.
·         He was assassinated by his trusted advisers.

2.
Prophet’s name:
·         N/A
Prophetic message:
·          
Response:
·          
Fulfillment:


3. Remarks:
·         All his life Joash did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight.

4. Leadership application:
·         Despite all the good works he had done throughout his life, he had a very tragic ending. Well his story is a reminder to me that our life on earth is not about doing good and having a happy ending.



Name of king (Dynasty of David): Amaziah (796-767)
Year of Reign: 29 years (2Ki 14:2)
Scripture References: 2Ki 14:1-20
Good / bad king: Good king (2Ki 14:3)

1.
Battles:
·         He waged a war against Israel but was defeated by them.

Alliances:
·         N/A

Other key events (Summary):
·         Amaziah executed those who had assassinated his father but spared their children.
·         He also killed 10,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt and also conquered Sela whose name was changed to Joktheel.
·         He was assassinated by his enemies.

2.
Prophet’s name:
·         N/A

Prophetic message:
·          

Response:
·          

Fulfillment:
·          

3. Remarks:
·         Amaziah did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight, but not like his ancestor David.


5. Leadership application:
·         After the victory over the Edomites, Amaziah became so proud that he would not listen to the advice given by King Jehoash of Israel. The price he had to pay for his wrong judgment was huge.


Name of king (Dynasty of David): Uzziah (792-740)
Year of Reign: 52 years (2Ch 26:3)
Scripture References: 2Ch 26:1-23
Good / bad king: Good king

1.
Battles:
·         He waged war with the Philistines, the Arabs of Gur, and the Meunites. And God gave him victory over them.

Alliances:
·          

Other key events (Summary):
·         He built fortification in Jerusalem, constructed forts in the wilderness, and dug many water cisterns.
·         He had many workers who cared for his farms and vineyards and also had great livestock.
·         He also had an army of well-trained warriors.
·         However, he became very proud because of his success and sinned against the LORD by burning incense to the LORD. As a punishment, he had leprosy and had to live in isolation for the rest of his life.

2.
Prophet’s name:
·          

Prophetic message:
·          

Response:
·          
Fulfillment:                                                                                                                                         
·          

3. Remarks:
·         Uzziah sought God during the days of Zechariah, who taught him to fear God. And as long as the king sought guidance from the LORD, God gave him success. But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall.


5. Leadership application:
·         Great success seems to bring the leader to the place of pride even when such success was given by God. Well, if it is that hard not to be proud after accomplishing a great success, it would be better not to desire too much success that one cannot handle.



Name of king (Dynasty of David): Jotham (750-735)
Year of Reign: 16 years (2Ch 27:1)
Scripture References: 2Ch 27:1-9
Good / bad king: Good king (2Ch 27:2)

1.
Battles:
·         He went to war against the Ammonites and conquered them.

Alliances:
·         N/A

Other key events (Summary):
·         He rebuilt the upper gate of the Temple of the LORD and did extensive construction works across the land of Judah.

2.
Prophet’s name:
·          

Prophetic message:
·          

Response:
·          

Fulfillment:
·          

3. Remarks:
·         King Jotham became powerful because he was careful to live in obedience to the LORD his God.


4. Leadership application:
·         Even though he was successful as his father was, Jotham could remain in the path of the righteous unlike his father because he lived in the fear of the LORD. Leaders should ask God for his grace to keep them in obedience to the LORD.


Name of king (Dynasty of David): Ahaz (735-719)
Year of Reign: 16 years (2Ch 28:1)
Scripture References: 2Ch 28:1-27
Good / bad king: Bad king

1.
Battles:
·         The king of Aram and the king of Israel defeated Judah, respectively, inflicting many casualties and exiling large numbers of his people.
·         King Ahaz asked the King of Assyria for help to drive out the army of Edom but King Tiglath-pileser betrayed Ahaz to attack Judah instead.

Alliances:
·         Assyria (but it betrayed Judah to attack it)

Other key events (Summary):
·         Ahaz worshiped pagan idols, following detestable practices of pagan nations.
·         The people of Judah were taken captive by Israel but at the warning of God given through Odeb the prophet were released.
·         He destroyed the various articles of the Temple of God and shut the door of the Temple to prevent people from worshipping God.

2.
Prophet’s name:
·         Odeb

Prophetic message:
·         God used Israel to punish Judah for idolatry but Israel went too far to the extent that they took the people of Judah as prisoners. Release them otherwise God would turn his fierce anger against the Israel.

Response:
·         Israel released the prisoners and took care of them.

Fulfillment:
·         N/A

3. Remarks:
·         Even during the time of trouble, King Ahaz continued to reject the LORD.


4. Leadership application:
·         Despite warning after warning by God, King Ahaz kept rejecting God and clung to all the other gods instead. He is a sad example of one whose heart is so darkened to recognize the light of salvation. I don’t know how to draw a leadership lesson here because it does not really depend on humans making efforts to seek the light. Rather it is a grace of God who breaks the hardened heart so as to repent.



Name of king (Dynasty of David): Hezekiah (727-715-698/686)
Year of Reign: 29 years (2Ch 29:1)
Scripture References: 2Ch 29:1-32:33, 2Ki 18:1-20:21
Good / bad king: Good king

1.
Battles:
·         King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah but the LORD sent an angel to destroy the Assyrian army.

Alliances:
·          

Other key events (Summary):
·         Hezekiah reopened the doors of the Temple of the LORD and repaired them. He restored the Temple to service.
·         He invited all the people of Judah and Israel to celebrate the Passover of the LORD and led them to follow God and his commands.
·         When he became deathly ill, he prayed God for healing, and God answered his prayer. However, he did not response appropriately to God’s kindness and became proud. But later Hezekiah humbled himself and repented of his pride.
·         But again he became proud that he showed the ambassadors from Babylon everything in the treasuries, for which God decided to punish Judah but not in his lifetime.

2.
Prophet’s name:
·         Isaiah
Prophetic message:
·         God would protect His city of Jerusalem from King Sennacherib of Assyria.
Response:
·         N/A
Fulfillment:
·         God sent his angel to kill 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. And King Sennacherib went back to Assyria and was killed by his sons.

Prophet’s name:
·         Isaiah
Prophetic message:
·         Everything in Hezekiah’s palace would be carried off to Babylon and some of his sons would be exiled there.
Response:
·         He took it as good, thinking that at least he could live in peace and security.
Fulfillment:
God carried out what he had said.


3. Remarks:
·         In all that he did in the service of the Temple of God and in his efforts to follow God’s laws and commands, Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly.


4. Leadership application:
·         Once again, the Scripture clearly shows that it is God who withholds a person’s heart so as not to sin. As soon as God withdrew from Hezekiah, he became proud and did stupid things. And it says that God did this to test him and to see what was really in his heart. Did God not know what was in his heart? Of course God knew but it was Hezekiah who did not know what’s in his heart. He must have been quite confident about his integrity and loyalty to God. Just think of all the good things he had done throughout his life! But he did not know it was only possible for the grace of God granted to him. I think God wanted to expose this to him in the test so that he could truly humble himself before God. But I am so sure if he got the message because his response did not sound like he did.   


Name of king (Dynasty of David): Manasseh (698-642)
Year of Reign: 55 years
Scripture References: 2Ch 33:1-20
Good / bad king: Bad king

1.
Battles:
·         The commanders of the Assyrian armies took Manasseh prisoner and led him away to Babylon.

Alliances:
·          

Other key events (Summary):
·         Manasseh rebuilt pagan shrines, constructed altars for Baal and all the powers of the heavens, set up Asherah poles, and even built pagan altars in the Temple of the LORD.
·         He sacrificed his own sons in the fire and practiced sorcery, divination, witchcraft and constructed with mediums and psychics.
·         While he was in exile, he repented and asked God for help, and God answered his prayer to send him back home. Then he removed the foreign gods and the idol from the Temple.

2.
Prophet’s name:
·         N/A

Prophetic message:
·          

Response:
·          

Fulfillment:
·          

3. Remarks:
·         Then Manasseh finally realized that the LORD alone is God!


4. Leadership application:
·         Despite so many evil acts and sins he committed throughout his life, I think Manasseh was truly blessed in the end because he got to sincerely humble himself before God and realize who God is.  


Name of king (Dynasty of David): Amon (642-640)
Year of Reign: 2 years
Scripture References: 2Ch 33:21-25
Good / bad king: Bad king

1.
Battles:
·         N/A

Alliances:
·         N/A

Other key events (Summary):
·         Amon worshiped and sacrificed to all the idols his father had made but unlike his father, he never humbled himself before God.
·         He got killed by his own officials in his palace.

2.
Prophet’s name:
·         N/A

Prophetic message:
·          

Response:
·          

Fulfillment:
·          

3. Remarks:
·         He did what was evil in the LORD’s sight.


4. Leadership application:
·         Well, I don’t know.






Name of king (Dynasty of David): Josiah (640-609)
Year of Reign: 31 years
Scripture References: 2Ch 34:1-35:27
Good / bad king: Bad king

1.
Battles:
·         King Josiah fought against King Neco of Egypt who first refused to fight with him, and was killed in the battle.

Alliances:
·         N/A

Other key events (Summary):
·         He purified Judah and Jerusalem, destroying all the pagan shrines, the Asherah poles, and carved idols and cast images.
·         He repaired the Temple of the LORD and found the Book of the Law written by Moses.
·         He called all the people of Judah to renew the covenant with God in the LORD’s presence and made sure they keep all his commands, laws and decrees.
·         He celebrated the Passover of the LORD with all the people in Jerusalem.

2.
Prophet’s name:
·         Huldah

Prophetic message:
·         God would bring disaster on Jerusalem and its people for their sins but not in the lifetime of Josiah.

Response:
·         He called all the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Temple and renewed the covenant.

Fulfillment:
·         God carried out his word.

3. Remarks:
·         He did not turn away from doing what was right.

4. Leadership application:
·         Unlike Hezekiah at the prophecy of calamity on his offspring, King Josiah truly repented of his sin and the sins of his ancestors. Also he led all his people to turn back from idolatry and turn to God. A true leader should take the destiny of his people as if it’s his/her own and stand in the gap between them and God as intercessor. King Josiah is a good example of such leadership.






Name of king (Dynasty of David): Jehoahaz (609)
Year of Reign: 3 months
Scripture References: 2Ch 36:1-4
Good / bad king: ?

1.
Battles:
·         The king of Egypt deposed him and took him to Egypt as a prisoner.

Alliances:
·         N/A

Other key events (Summary):
·         The king of Egypt demanded that Judah pay a tribute.

2.
Prophet’s name:
·         N/A

Prophetic message:
·          

Response:
·          

Fulfillment:
·          

3. Remarks:
·         N/A

4. Leadership application:
·         The period of his ruling is too short to commend on it.



Name of king (Dynasty of David): Jehoiakim (609-598)
Year of Reign: 11 years
Scripture References: 2Ch 36:4-8
Good / bad king: Bad king

1.
Battles:
·         King Nebuchadnezza of Babylon came to Jerusalem and captured it and bound Jehoiakim in chains and led him away to Bablyon.

Alliances:
·         N/A

Other key events (Summary):
·         Nebuchadnezza took some of the treasures from the Temple of the LORD and placed them in his palance.

2.
Prophet’s name:
·         N/A

Prophetic message:
·          

Response:
·          

Fulfillment:
·          

3. Remarks:
·         He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD his God.


4. Leadership application:
·         With an end of the kingdom approaching, the king still did evil and could not turn back. Well, that is how we are and what we are without God’s hand holding us. A good reminder.



Name of king (Dynasty of David): Jehoiachin (598-597)
Year of Reign: 3 months and 10 days
Scripture References: 2Ch 36:9-10
Good / bad king: Bad king

1.
Battles:
·         King Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin to Babylon and took many treasures from the Temple as well.

Alliances:
·         N/A

Other key events (Summary):
·         N/A

2.
Prophet’s name:
·         N/A

Prophetic message:
·          

Response:
·          

Fulfillment:
·          


3. Remarks:
·         He did what was evil in the LORD’s sight.


4. Leadership application:
·         The same lesson as above.

  
Name of king (Dynasty of David): Zedekiah (597-586)
Year of Reign: 11 years
Scripture References: 2Ch 36:11-20
Good / bad king: Bad king

1.
Battles:
·         King Zedekiah rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar who came to kill the people and destroy the temple and the wall of Jerusalem.

Alliances:
·         N/A

Other key events (Summary):
·         The few who survived were taken as exiles to Bablylon to become servants to the king and his sons.

2.
Prophet’s name:
·         Jeremiah

Prophetic message:
·         God would hand Judah over to Nebuchadnezzar so the people of Judah would be exiled to Babylon until the appointed time.

Response:
·         The leaders and people scoffed at the prophets and refused to turn back.

Fulfillment:
·         Judah was completely captured by Babylon as prophesied.

3. Remarks:
·         He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and refused to humble himself at the warning from the prophet.

4. Leadership application:
·         In his grace, God kept sending his prophets to warn his people who however refused to listen! They eventually turned to the LORD in many years later in the mist of anguish which could have been averted only if they listened to what the prophets said to them earlier. Well, I don’t know how to apply the lesson here because we humans tend to learn a lesson really hard way all the time.

Proverbs
For a long time, I have regarded the book of Proverbs as a book of giving good advice for daily life or moral/ethical standards hence…boring. However, when I read the book this time, I found something significant, which totally changed my perspective for reading Proverb. In Chapter 8, there appears a character called Wisdom which speaks like a person and actually gives us a very long speech. And her speech reminds me of a person whose characteristics found in the Bible match the descriptions about this Wisdom. For example, the scene described in verse 3 where Wisdom cried out to people by the gates at the entrance of the town, on the road reminds me of Jesus on the last day of great celebration standing on the road and speaking in a loud voice, “let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.” (John 7:37) Wisdom also promises that she will love all who love her and those who search will surely find her in verse 17. She also says she was there at the side of God when he was creating the world in verse 30. This finding just turned a boring moral book into a lot more interesting book of revealing Jesus to us.

Ecclesiastes
The main theme running throughout the book of Ecclesiastes, I found, is the acknowledgement of the sovereignty of God (vs. the nothingness of humans before him). In 1:13, Solomon says after life-long search for understanding and wisdom, “I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race and everything going on under the sun is meaningless.” We, humans, always compete with one another, but hear what the king says in 2:14, “Yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate.” And he accepts something that we, as self-centered beings believing the world is revolving around them, find very hard to accept. That is said in 6:10, “Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there is no use arguing with God about your destiny.” Does it sound like a doom? No! Exactly the opposite! Because that means our destiny as the church has been decided long ago to share the wonderful inheritance of God as a co-heir of Jesus Christ. This seemingly depressing book is, in fact, a book of hope and reassurance of our fate which is to be shaken by nothing.

Song of Songs     
On the surface, this book describes the loving relationship between King Solomon and his bride. And I agree with those who claim this is ultimately about the relationship between Jesus and his bride, the church, based on the belief that all books in the bible testify Jesus and Jesus alone. Honestly speaking, I don’t understand all the elements of the typology and metaphor described here. Nevertheless, I feel a little uncomfortable when I hear people expressing their discomfort at the thought that intimate relationship between a husband and a wife is a type for the relationship between Jesus and the church. Because I believe that this marriage relationship we see in our mundane human world was given by God to allow us or at least get a hint of the perfect relationship between us and Jesus as a type. Therefore, the relationship with Jesus and the church was there first and the husband-and-wife relationship came later, at least from where I see it, not the other way round. I believe Song of Songs depicts the most amazing and undeserving (on the church’s side) relationship between Jesus and the church in the most human, down-to-earth terms and expressions.  






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Flying Kiwi :

Interesting view on the books!