Glory to God! The Lord our God Almighty has blessed us with yet another week in our lives that we may live and glorify God for everything the Lord God has done in our life through His presence, protection, and provision. As the highly favored children of God, let us stay close to the throne of Grace and hold fast unto the Lord God Almighty and listen from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be filled with the Holy Spirit, so that we can have the courage, power, and authority to live our life according to God’s will and purpose and do the things that God wants us to do. God wants us [as His children] to do what is right and just, as it is mentioned: To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice (Proverbs 21:3). The Lord God will bless and work for the good of everyone who loves Him and does what is right and just before Him, as Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Rome: We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). Therefore, let us try our best to live our life worthy of His calling on us.

The Lord God has blessed us with a very meaningful and life impacting Scripture passage for our SftW meditation this week, which is taken from the book of Song of Songs and says: He brought me to the banqueting house, And his banner over me was love (2:4). The book of Song of Songs in the Bible is a very interesting book from a real world perspective as well as spiritual perspective but very rarely do people read from it or hear sermons out of it. If one thinks according to the pattern of this world, this passage (2:4) is one of the best example that explains the love and care extended between a man and his wife, but, in the spiritual perspective, it explains God’s love for His people or Christ’s [the bridegroom] love for His church [the bride]; which means, the book tries to explore the nature of true love that exists among humanity while unveiling the true nature of spiritual relationship between God and His people. As a whole, the book of Song of Songs tries to unveil the true meaning of a in-depth-love-relationship between a man and a women that overflows with deep affection, care, and compassion in order to exemplify the spiritual truth regarding God’s love for His people or Christ’s love for His church [or to an individual who follow Him wholeheartedly]. This indicates that God, who is rich in mercy, revealed His love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord in order to save us from our fallen nature and seat us with Him in the heavenly realms, as Apostle Paul makes it clear: But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-6).

Regarding the authorship of Song of Solomon, there are unsettled arguments which exist among many Bible scholars, historians, and theologians since there is no specific indication concerning who wrote the book. Despite the ongoing arguments and debates regarding the authorship of the book, a vast majority believe that it is written by king Solomon who reigned in ancient Israel (1:1, 5; 3:7, 9, 11; 8:11-12) because of its poetic-style and wisdom-nature that is evident in his other writings like the books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and so on. The Scripture states that the Lord his God blessed king Solomon with a wise and discerning heart in response to his request to bless him with a discerning heart to govern the people and to distinguish between right and wrong (1 Kings 3:9): [God said to king Solomon] I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings (1 Kings 3:12-13; also refer to 4:29-34; Proverbs 2:6; James 1:5).

The main focus of the Scripture passage we have chosen for our meditation is nothing but Love, as it is mentioned in here that His banner over me was love (2:4b). Banquet hall is the another subject matter discussed in the same passage, as it is mentioned: He has brought me to his banquet hall (2:4a). Most of us know that a banquet hall is a secured place with professional services, amenities, and convenience for conducting events like weddings, receptions, private parties, public events, social gatherings, and so on, where people will be celebrating and feasting an important day/event in their life along with their family members, friends, well-wishers, and others who are part of our life. That means, a banqueting house is a place for rejoicing together with family and friends and others who are part of one’s life where refreshments and meals are served generously and the guests are entertained with various programs. Being in a banquet hall could be a breathtaking experience because the place will be vast and spacious, and the settings will be sumptuous, the provisions will be boundless, and the guests will be dressed-up and present themselves as best as they can. For instance, king Xerxes, who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush, gave a lavish banquet for all his nobles, including the princes, officials, military leaders, and so on for about 187 days (Esther 1:1-5); and his wife queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in the royal palace of King Xerxes (Esther 1:9). From the passage Esther 1:6-8, we can understand that how lavish and luxurious was the banquet king Xerxes gave to his nobles and officials (Esther 1:6-8).

Once, while Jesus was teaching His disciples and others, He shared a parable regarding a certain man giving a great banquet to his invited guests in connection with the feast that will be held in the kingdom of God. We can notice in the parable Jesus shared (Luke 14:15-24) that a certain man invited his friends and well-wishers and prepared a great banquet for them. As the preparations for the banquet were completed and the meal was ready to serve, he sent his servants to invite his guests, but his invited guests made excuses snd they did not show up for the banquet he prepared for them. The first person / party said, I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me (Luke 14:18); the second person / party said: I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me (Luke 14:19); the third person / party said: I just got married, so I can’t come (Luke 14:20). Since none of the invited guests showed up for the banquet prepared, the owner of the house said to his servants to go and invite people from the streets and alleys of the town and invite them for the great banquet is prepared, as it is mentioned: Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame (Luke 14:21). And the servants did as he commanded them. As the banquet hall was not fully filled with those invitees, the owner of the house said to his servants again: Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full (Luke 14:23). The owner of the house, who knew very well how much efforts and resources he put in to prepare the banquet for his friends and well-wishers (Matthew 22:4), did not waste time to sit and regret about his guests’ excuses, rather he extended his invitation to others like the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame who were not initially invited for the banquet [in fact, such groups of people are deliberately avoided thinking that they are socially ineligible get into the guest list of such great banquet]. Jesus shared the parable of the great banquet with those around Him to let them know that while religiously, politically, socially, and culturally privileged people turn their back on the truth of the gospel of Christ, many who are religiously, politically, socially, and culturally underprivileged or downtrodden will accepts the truth of the gospel of Christ and eat at the feast in the kingdom of God (Luke 14:15-24; also refer to Matthew 22:1-14). Remember, when God blessed His chosen people Israel with a land as their inheritance, He gave them a vast and most fertile land – a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8; Numbers 13:23-27; Deuteronomy 26:9). Also, God blessed king Solomon such a way that his splendid appearance and the provisions he gave or received was beyond anyone who did before or after him (1 Kings 3:11-13; 10:1-29). When God blesses someone, He blesses them abundantly and does not add sorrow with it, as king Solomon stated: The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no sorrow with it (Proverbs 10:22).

As we have mentioned above, the main focus of the Scripture passage we have chosen for our meditation is Love (2:4b). The Scripture talks a lot about love – love between God and the humankind, between parents and their children, between siblings, between husband and wife, between friends, between us and our neighbors, between us and rest of our countryman, between us and everyone else in the world, and so on. Love is nothing but one’s feeling of great affection or fondness towards someone or something. Many a people talk about love but most of the time it is not visible in their actions. At the same time, many do not talk about love much but show/prove it through their actions. Yet, there are many who talk about it and, at the same time, demonstrate it through their word and deed (1 John 3:18). Such people care for others and fulfill their needs through compassion and care, as Jesus said: For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me (Matthew 25:35-36). Apostle Paul urged the believers in Philippi that Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:9; also refer to 1 Timothy 5:8; James 1:22). Everyone who does exactly what the Scripture tells him/her to do is like a person who built his house on the rock, as Jesus said: Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock (Matthew 7:24). As James the brother of Jesus said, faith without deed is dead (James 2:17 [vs 14-26]), we can also say that love without showing kindness to others who are in need is not true love at all (refer to Proverbs 19:17; Luke 3:11; James 2:15-16; 1 John 3:17). Jesus said: As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love (John 15:9). Apostle John stated: And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them (1John 4:16).

The characteristics of true love could be understood from the writings of Apostle Paul to the believers in Corinth, which says:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a).

Apostle John added to it saying, There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love (1 John 4:18). If the love we claim as love does not show these characteristics, the love we claim as love is not true love at all. The true love never demands anything from anyone for one’s personal gain. For instance, when God loved the world, He just loved the world as it is, as Apostle John stated: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Apostle Paul added to it saying: God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). If we boast that we love God, we ought to know the reality that we love Him because he first loved us (1 John 4:19).

Now, we may be able to understand the significance [may not be fully but, at least, a small part of it] of the Scripture passage we read that He brought me to the banqueting house, And his banner over me was love (Song of Songs 2:4). While the banqueting house provides plenty of provisions for life, the banner of love assures presence, protection, and identity. This experience assures one’s security with another’s presence, protection and provision. This is exactly what God promised through prophet Isaiah to the remnants of Israel and to us [you and me] as His chosen people in this generation: Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10). This is the way God the Father [the Lord God Almighty] loved His beloved Son [Jesus]; this is the way God the Son [Jesus Christ] loved His church [the bride]; this is the way God the Holy Spirit loves God’s chosen people [including you and I]. God loved His chosen people and made a covenant with them to love them and protect them and provide for them. God is true to keep what He says and faithful to fulfill what He promises (Psalm 33:4; also refer to Numbers 23:19; Joshua 21:45; 1 Kings 8:56; Isaiah 55:11; Luke 1:37).

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, as we conclude our SftW meditation this week, let us know that the Lord our God loves us and cares for us. When we feel tired or weary, when we feel our faith is diminishing away as days goes by, when we feel that God has left us alone in the struggle we go through, when we feel that no one loves us or cares for us, believe that God is still there for us and He will lead us to the banqueting hall where we can enjoy the delicacies of His provisions and He will cover us with the banner of His love, which will shield and protect us from all kinds of harm and dangers during our spiritual journey. Let us be aware of the kind of love the Father has lavished on us that we are called the children of God, as Apostle John [who is commonly known as the apostle of love] stated: See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him (1 John 3:1). John continued saying: This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (1 John 4:9-11; also refer to John 13:34-35; 15:12-13). Therefore, let us abide in the shadow of the Almighty and experience the love He has for us and enjoy the rest He offers to us, as it is mentioned: Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1). The Scripture assures that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6, 8; Hebrews 13:5). May the Lord God Almighty bless us all! Amen!