I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them.
The Song of Solomon represents a beautiful exchange between two people in love. The young man says that she is the most beautiful among women. The young woman says that her lover is pleasing beyond words. There is a lot of veiled sexual imagery in this passage, however, the young woman reminds other young women not to awaken love until it is time, to wait until marriage before becoming sexually active.
The young woman says of the young man that he belongs to her and she belongs to him. The young man says that she has captured his heart and is his treasure. It is wonderful to be in such a relationship. I love my wife and this passage reflects my feelings towards her. I am hers and she is mine. She has captured my heart and is my treasure.
Paul tells the Corinthians that when he suggested to Titus that Titus return to Corinth, Titus enthusiastically embraced the idea. In addition, Paul was sending two other believers with Titus. One was a man praised by all of the churches in Macedonia for his service to the Gospel and chosen by them to accompany Paul in taking their offerings to the believers in Jerusalem. The second man is someone whom Paul has chosen for his enthusiasm in serving the Lord. Paul tells the church in Corinth to tell those who wonder whether Titus can be trusted that he has been a partner with Paul in his ministry.
In this passage Paul gives us a model to follow when gathering money for a charitable cause. When the money has been gathered, Paul is sending it accompanied by two men from the local churches. They have been chosen because they are known and trusted by the people who had given the money. Paul is careful to take every effort to make sure that everyone can be confident that he (and Titus) are handling the money according to the wishes of those who gave it.
In the same way, we today should manage the financial affairs of our congregations and other organizations striving to do God’s work so that everyone can have confidence that we are spending the money in the manner and for the purposes which we claim.
The psalmist tells us that God will summon all of humanity before Him and at that time He will pass judgment on those who have entered into a covenant with Him. He does not need our material possessions and giving them to Him is not going to appease His anger. He wants us to be thankful to Him and to fulfill His will in all of our actions. Those who join in with thieves and adulterers will gain nothing from reciting God’s words or promising to enter into a covenant with Him. The only path to salvation from God’s judgment is to accept His free gift and to thankfully honor Him in all that we do.
Just because the law will allow you to exploit the poor and prevent the needy to have recourse to the courts to stop your taking advantage of them does not mean that you will be home free. The courts may not defend the poor and needy, but God will. We will all answer to Him for how we treat our fellow man.