April 1 LEAD ME TO CALVARY Jennie Evelyn Hussey, 1874–1958 Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:3) This is the season of the year when we give special attention to Christ’s suffering, death, and victorious resurrection. In the church calendar, an awareness of these events begins with the Christian observance of Lent, a 40-day period (excluding Sundays) that is set aside each year prior to Easter to concentrate on the circumstances that led to the death of God’s Son on a Roman cross. (Easter is always the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or after March 21—the spring equinox. This date was first set in a.d. 325 by the ancient church). The Lenten period should result in a spiritual self-examination and in rededicated living for each devout believer, preparing us for the celebration of our risen Lord. The cross of Christ is either a blessing or a curse, depending on our response to it. Either it leads to our eternal redemption, or it condemns us to eternal damnation. This is demonstrated by the two thieves who hung on either side of the Savior. One responded and received divine mercy; the other rebelled his way into hell. God never violates man’s free will and forces His love on anyone. But He has never rejected anyone who cries out to Him in believing faith. It is man who rejects God and the salvation that He provided at Calvary. Jennie Hussey was a life-long Quaker. Much of her life was a time of hardship and suffering, especially in her care of an invalid sister. Yet Jennie was known for her cheerful and courageous attitude. In all she wrote approximately 150 hymn texts. “Lead Me to Calvary” first appeared in New Songs of Praise and Power in 1921. These thoughtful words can deepen our spiritual lives as we move further through this important Lenten season. King of my life I crown Thee now—Thine shall the glory be; lest I forget Thy thorn-crowned brow, lead me to Calvary. Show me the tomb where Thou wast laid, tenderly mourned and wept; angels in robes of light arrayed guarded Thee whilst Thou slept. Let me like Mary, thru the gloom, come with a gift to Thee; show to me now the empty tomb—lead me to Calvary. May I be willing, Lord, to bear daily my cross for Thee; even Thy cup of grief to share—Thou hast borne all for me. Chorus: Lest I forget Gethsemane, lest I forget Thine agony, lest I forget Thy love for me, lead me to Calvary.
For Today: Isaiah 53:5; John 19:17; 1 Corinthians 15:3; Galatians 2:20
Ask God to use this Lenten season to awaken your appreciation of His suffering and death at Calvary and to be more desirous of sharing His love with others. Carry this musical reminder with you—
“I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me” (Song 7:10).This ancient love song reminds us to rejoice in God’s gift of marital intimacy, and to welcome that gift without hesitation or shame.
Background
Debate concerning Song of Songs focuses on two questions: What is this poem really about? and, What is the role of Solomon? Some have been uncomfortable with the erotic elements in this poem, and have sought to “sanctify” them with a typical or allegorical interpretation. Commentators have suggested the poem is actually about the relationship between God, as Lover, and His Old Testament or New Testament people as His beloved. It is best, however, to take the book in its plain sense as love poetry, celebrating the joys of desire and intimacy experienced by a man and woman who become husband and wife. In this view there is nothing vulgar or “unspiritual” in the experience of sex, which God created to deepen the bond of commitment in marriage. The text identifies this love poem as “Solomon’s.” Many characteristics of the Hebrew text suggest an ancient origin, and there is no good reason to doubt that it does date from the 10th century G.p. Still, Solomon’s role is not clear. Some believe that this love poem was not composed by him, but was dedicated to him on the occasion of one of his weddings. However we understand Solomon’s role, Song itself remains one of the world’s most sensitive and beautiful poems; a joyous and moving celebration of married love.
Overview
This lyric poem captures the joy and passion of two people who fall in love (1:1–2:7), experience growing desire (v. 8–3:5), and marry (v. 6–5:1). They are separated for a time (v. 2–8:4) but then are united again (vv. 5–14).
Understanding the Text
“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth” Song 1:1–2:7. Falling in love was as delightful for the ancients as for us. He sees her as the “most beautiful of women,” while she thinks, “How handsome you are, my lover!” It’s almost impossible not to think of the modern teenager, who breathlessly tells her friends how she was almost ready to faint when he touched her, when we read, “Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love” (2:5). There’s something special about first love. For those of us who have been married for years, this section of Song reminds us—and helps us appreciate the mature love that has grown from those early, giddy feelings. This poem alternates speakers, sharing the thoughts of the Beloved, the Lover, and a chorus of friends. The niv identifies each speaker.
“I looked for the one my heart loves” Song 2:8–3:5. The old saying, absence makes the heart grow fonder, is reflected in the longing expressed in these verses. “Let my lover come into his garden” Song 3:6–5:1. Many believe Solomon, seen approaching with a host of retainers in 3:6–11, met the bride-to-be while visiting his kingdom in disguise. On his return she discovered her lover was king of the land, who intended to take her to his royal palace. The next major section describes the physical charms of the bride (4:1–15), and finally moves to the marriage bed (v. 16–5:1). There in delicate symbolism that is found often in ancient Near Eastern love poetry, the lover comes “into his garden” to “taste its choice fruits.” While the imagery is delicate and tasteful, its erotic intent is unmistakable. (See DEVOTIONAL.) “Where has your lover gone, most beautiful of women?” Song 5:2–8:4 Again the lovers were separated. Each was restless, and thought of the other’s charms. The memory of their intimacy had not reduced, but intensified their desire. “I have become in his eyes like one bringing contentment” Song 8:5–14. Reunited, the couple retreated to enjoy their relationship, and they learned that a love that burns “like blazing fire” does in time become a comfortable intimacy “bringing contentment.”
DEVOTIONAL
Recapturing Sexual Love(Song 4:1–5:1)
“Sex” has been a four-letter word for far too many years. Playboy, the movies, and increasingly TV, exploit our sexuality by portraying situations that titillate and arouse. We can pick up the telephone, dial a number, and listen as a stranger invites us to imagine joining her as she describes explicit sex acts. Even PG-13 films now strive not only for a quota of filthy language but also a quota of scenes advertising immorality. What’s happened is that the world has recognized the importance of sex, and set about so distorting sexuality that Christians have become somewhat embarrassed about being sexual creatures. Reading Song of Songs, and especially these verses that so erotically and yet sensitively portray sexual love, reminds us that Hollywood didn’t invent sex. God did. It reminds us that sex isn’t “evil.” Sex is a gift given to us by God. Our Creator, who made us male and female, designed our bodies for every sexual delight. And He sanctified sex by making foreplay and intercourse a bonding act, intended to unite one man and woman in a unique and exclusive relationship. It’s this that we Christians have to recapture. We need to cleanse from sex that slimy but tingly sense of sin with which it is associated in the modern world. We need to purify our marriages of any residue of shame. And we need not only announce to the world that sex in Christian marriage is a pure and fulfilling delight, but also commit ourselves to exploring that delight fully with our spouse. It is perhaps here that Song of Songs makes its greatest contribution to our lives. It reminds us that sex-talk can be beautiful, and need not be dirty. And it reminds us that true spirituality does not rule out the full enjoyment of the sexual side of married life.
Personal Application
Recapturing sex from the world begins in the Christian home.
Quotable
“Sex is holy as well as wholesome . . . it is the means by which we may cooperate with God in bringing into the world children of His own destined for eternal life. Anyone, who has once understood that, will be quite as careful as any Puritan to avoid making jokes about sex; not because it is nasty, but because it is sacred. He would no more joke about sex than he would joke about the Holy Communion—and for exactly the same reasons. To joke about it is to treat with lightness something that deserves reverence.”—William Temple
This book, taken by some as an allegory of the believer’s relationship with God, is better understood in its plain sense as a lyric love poem. Its joyful and sometimes erotic portrayal of the relationship between a lover and his beloved reminds us that intimacy within marriage is a gift, given by the God who created human beings male and female.
“Fear God and kepp His commanments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgement, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Ecc 12:13–14).Life truly is short. Unless we learn to live with eternity in view, our lives will also be meaningless.
Overview
The Teacher continued to explore the choices a secular man can make in view of life’s essential meaninglessness. His advice: Enjoy life while you can (9:1–12), choose wisdom’s ways (v. 13–10:20), prepare for the future (11:1–6), and enjoy your youth (v. 7–12:8). Finally, stepping out of his secular role, the Teacher advised: “Fear God and keep His commandments” (vv. 9–14).
Understanding the Text
“All share a common destiny” Ecc. 9:1–10.
Death is the destiny that awaits all men. This, when life is viewed from a secular viewpoint, is all one can say. The dead have no “part in anything that happens under the sun.” As far as one can tell apart from divine revelation “the dead know nothing; they have no furthur reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten.” If this life is all there is, then all one can do is enjoy and live this life to the full (chaps. 9–10). It’s important to remember that the writer was not serving as God’s spokesman, but as spokesman for secular man. The text represents what man can discover about the most basic issues of life using only reason and data available to the senses. such phrases as “the dead know nothing” are not revelations from God, but reasoned human conclusions. Perfume jars like these were used in Old Testaments times to hold sweet-smelling ointments. The image in Ecclesiates 10:1 of dead fliews spoiling the odor of perfume has given us the saying, “there’s a fly in the ointment.” We use it to mean that something has gone seriously wrong. “Wisdom is better” Ecc. 9:11–10:20. In this extended passage the Teacher expressed his preference for wisdom over folly. But there’s a fly in the ointment! While wisdom is preferable, wisdom cannot quarantee anyone a better life! What is seriously wrong with wisdom? First, Solomon asked us to realize that nothing in this life can guarantee success (9:11–12). The swift do not always win the race. The largest army is not always victorious. Wisdom is no guarantee of wealth. In this world men are vulnerable, likely to be “trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.” Chance is not the only factor that makes wisdom of uncertain benefit. Here is the writer’s list: 9:13–16. Wisdom is often unrecognized. People pay more attention to rich fools than to poor wise men. 9:17–10:1. Wisdom can be thwarted, by those in authority (9:17), by moral deficiency (v. 18), and by mistaking spoiled advice for the real thing (10:1). 10:2–3. Folly, which is the opposite of wisdom and is associated with wickedness, competes with wisdom, and we are vulnerable. 10:4–7. When offended we are likely to react foolishly—and since so many fools hold high positions, we’re likely to be offended. Here the author drifted slightly and examined the consequences of folly: 10:8–11. Any foolish action has bad consequences for the actor, as illustrated by several sayings and proverbs. 10:12–14. Wise words are “gracious.” The word means kind, appropriate, helpful. But foolish words degenerate into even wilder thoughts and actions, including pronouncements about a future no one can know. 10:15. Fools are incompetent guides to life: A fool can’t even find his way into town! 10:16–20. Folly in national life, as in the individual, leads to disaster. “Sow your seed in the morning” Ecc. 11:1–6. While no one can control the futre (v. 3), it is best to prepare for it as carefully as possible. “Let him enjoy them all” Ecc. 11:7–12:6. It is best to enjoy each day as it comes, and especially while you are young. The exhortation to “remember your Creator in the days of your youth” is not a call to monastic life, but an invitation to enjoy all the good things God has provided in this creation. All too soon old age—the “days of trouble”—will come, when we lose the capacity to enjoy things. Then the world becomes dark (v. 2), for the body stoops (v. 3), teath wear out (v. 3), eyes dim (v. 3) and hearing fades (v. 4). Weakness brings fear (v. 5) and drains desire (v. 5). Then man, like a cut cord, a broken bowl, or a shattered pitcher, is useful no more, and the “the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” Man is born. Man lives a brief and empty life. Man dies, and returns to dust. If this is all there is, then life truly is meaningless. “Now all has been heard” Ecc. 12:9–14. It’s comforting to suppose that the Teacher, who the text here and in other places suggests is solomon, stepped out of his role as representative of secular man at the end of Ecclesiastes. Although even here he did not use the name Yahweh, he did speak of God’s commandments, which are least implies some self-revelation. If solomon is in fact the Teacher, and he did step out of his secular role, his words are especially powerful. In the end we must all turn to find hope and meaning. When we not only look back to see God as Creator, but also look up to see Him as our Lord and ahead to see Him as mankind’s Judge, then we discover not only who God is, but whi we are as well. Then we realize that any life lived for the Lord will find its meaning in Him.
DEVOTIONAL
Wise Too Late(Ecc. 11:7–12:14)
Solomon, who most believe is the Teacher of Ecclesiastes, was a godly young man. But in middle age, like the Teacher, he turned aside from wholly following the Lord. First Kings 11 tells us that passion for his foreign wives led him astray, even to the extent of worshipping their gods. During this extended perios of his life Solomon lived as a secular man. He accrued vast wealth, undertook massive building projects, and denied himself no pleasures. But then having “had it all,” Solomon saw how empty his life was. “Meaningless! Meaningless!” is a cry of anguish that surely fits the tragic experience of Israel’s most spolndid king. How sad that Solomon, so wise in many ways, lost his spiritual moorings. If indeed Solomon is the one who urges us “to remember the days of our youth,” uttering these words must have been tragic for him indeed. there is no greater tragedy than to become wise and old at the same time, and to look back and realize one has lived a wasted life. I know unsolicted advice is about as welcome as unexpected visitors who appear on the doorstep with luggage in hand. But at least Solomon’s advice is cheap. Not to him, of course. He pais for everything he learned in becoming wise too late. For us the advice is free. Only if we fail to follow it will we pay the truly terrible cost.
Personal Application
Put God first today. Tomorrow will be too little, too late.
Quotable
“He belongs to you, but more than that, He longs to be in you, living and ruling in you, as the head lives and rules in the body. He wants His breath to be in your breath, His heart in your heart, and His soul in your soul, so that you may indeed, ‘Glorify God and bear Him in your body, that the life of Jesus may be manifest in you.’ ”—Jean Eudes
a man in life, during the few and meaningless days he passes through like a shadow?” (Ecc. 6:12)As we sense the despair that grips the Teacher’s heart in his role as secular man, we realize afresh how great God’s salvation is. Making the best of a meaningless life is secular man’s fate. Our challenge is to make a meaningful life better!
Overview
In his role as secular man the Teacher showed life’s meaninglessness by a further critique of religion (5:1–7), riches (vv. 8–20), and the brevity of life (6:1–12). His theme proven, the Teacher then suggested how to make the best of an essentially meaningless life (7:1–8:17).
Understanding the Text
“Let your words be few” Ecc. 5:1–7. In natural religion human beings seek to reach up to God from earth, and find Him distant and unreachable. This is the implication of the saying, “God is in heaven, you are on earth.” God may know man, but man does not know God. Thus the religious person should let his words be few, stand in awe, and if he makes a vow to God, should fulfill it quickly lest the unknown God be angry. In revealed religion, God is initiator. He reaches down from heaven to reveal Himself to man. This God is known on earth, and His will is known too. How terrible it is to be driven by reason to acknowledge God’s existence, but to know nothing about Him! How wonderful that in His Word and in Christ, our God has spoken to us of His love, compassion, and salvation. “As he comes, so he departs” Ecc. 5:8–20. Several reasons are offered to show why wealth is incapable of providing life with meaning. A person may work hard—but his profits are eaten up in taxes (vv. 8–9). Even a rich man isn’t satisfied with his wealth. He just wants more (v. 10). The more one earns the more he spends (v. 11). People with money lie awake worrying about keeping it (v. 12). Hoarded wealth is more likely to do harm than good—and when a man dies he can’t take it with him (vv. 13–17). In short, the only value of wealth is as a narcotic, to keep a man so occupied with earthly pleasures that he doesn’t realize how empty his life really is (vv. 18–20). When a Christian adopts materialistic values, he or she has chosen the empty, meaningless way of life of secular man. Christ died in part to free us from an unhealthy love of money. “Even if he lives a thousand years” Ecc. 6:1–12. One of the most grievous evils identified by the Teacher is that, however long a man lives, it is not long enough. Even a person with wealth, possessions, and honor soon dies, with his appetites still unsatisfied. In saying that “all man’s efforts are for his mouth,” the writer suggested that secular man is on a treadmill. He works to satisfy his physical needs and desires, yet however well-fed, he becomes hungry again, and however supplied with drink his thirst returns. In it all, his deepest need, the nameless desire for meaning, persists as an aching desire that no food or drink can quench. “Whatever exists has already been named.” Life on earth is an endless repetition, a treadmill on which each new generation walks or runs until their “few and meaningless days” are over. There is no meaning to be found in the life lived by secular man. “Is better than” Ecc. 7:1–8:17. With the close of chapter 6, the author had finished presenting proof that life under the sun, without a personal relationship with God, is meaningless. But he continued his quest. Given the meaninglessness of life, what should a person do? Solomon, unlike the authors of other ancient pessimistic wisdom literature, did not suggest suicide. Instead he suggested that a man examine his options, and choose the lesser of evils. We can trace the options he suggested in 7:1–12:8. In today’s reading, here is the advice of the Teacher concerning choices open to secular man. 7:1–12. Even if life is meaningless, some things in life are better than others. For instance, sorrow is better than laughter—if only because it is more realistic! For the same reason, it’s foolish to say that “the old days” were better than today! Although these conclusions may not be obvious, it is obvious that some things are better than others. For instance, the end of a matter is better than the beginning. Patience is better than pride. The wise are better off than fools. Given this, the Teacher offers his advice. 7:13–14. Adopt a fatalistic attitude. What God has determined cannot be changed, and no one can know ahead of time whether God’s future holds good times or bad for him. 7:15–22. Avoid extremes. Don’t set out to be too righteous or too wicked, and ignore what other people may say about you. 7:23–8:1. Wisdom is better than stupidity. But wisdom has its limits. It will not enable a person to discover “the scheme of things,” and it will not make a person righteous. In fact, wisdom forces one to the conclusion that while God may have made man upright, “men have gone in search of many schemes.” 8:2–10. Adjust to the rules of your society. It is far better to fit in than to be a rebel. This thought underlies the Teacher’s call to obey the king, and not rock the boat by challenging his authority. 8:11–14. Fear God as Judge. This is a difficult call, for one must take it on faith that in the end God will punish the wicked—despite the present prosperity of so many wicked men. In essence the Teacher suggested, don’t take chances where God is concerned. Wisdom tells us He is there, even if we do not know anything else about Him. 8:15. Enjoy while you can. Take what pleasure is possible from this life, even though it is meaningless. 8:16–17. Finally the writer made a significant confession. Even the conclusions he had drawn rested on insufficient evidence! No one can really “comprehend what goes on under the sun.” Human reason is incapable of drawing all the evidence together and reaching correct conclusions. Human reason cannot truly describe, or even comprehend, all of reality. We conclude with this thought. The conclusions of secular man about the meaninglessness of life are faulty, simply because secular man does not have all the evidence, nor is he able to fit it together accurately. The best that secular man can do is guess about the true nature of the universe in which he lives. And his best guesses lead, inevitably, to the conclusion that life for the individual is empty and meaningless. How wonderful that you and I do not have to guess! How wonderful that we know. We know the origin of our universe and its destiny. We know that we human beings have been created in the image of God, are loved by Him, and are destined to live forever! We know the saving power God has unleashed in this world through Jesus. And, because we know, we are freed from secular man’s bondage to despair.
DEVOTIONAL
“Better Than” Choices(Ecc. 7–8)
Any set of beliefs that a person adopts is to be used as criteria to evaluate choices. This may sound a little stuffy. But it expresses a vital truth. The Teacher of Ecclesiastes concluded that life was meaningless, and from that starting point went on to distinguish options in life which were better than others. We Christians start with a different set of conclusions. We believe that life is meaningful. God loves us, and has chosen us, in Jesus’ words, “to go and bear fruit” (John 15:16). Other New Testament passages put it a little differently, but the thought is the same. We have been chosen that we might “be for the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:12). We are God’s workmanship, “created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (2:10). This is not a secular universe, formed by chance. It is a universe created by a personal God, who has chosen to love us—and chosen us to love and serve Him. What options then are “better” if our set of beliefs about the world is formed by a belief in God and by experience of His love? Well, some of life’s better things for the Christian include: Caring more about people than about things. Giving ourselves to serve rather than be served. Storing up treasure in heaven rather than on earth. Spending time with God’s Word rather than TV sitcoms. Making time for our families rather than spending all our time and energy on our jobs. Depending on God rather than on ourselves, and expressing that dependence in prayer. And so on. You can add to this list just as easily as I can. You see, our problem isn’t in knowing what “better than” choices are open to us as Christians. Our problem is in making those choices daily. No, this isn’t one of those “let’s add on some more guilt” devotionals. It’s just a reminder. The life of secular man really is meaningless. God’s call to you and me to make “better than” choices is His invitation to discover something that secular man can never know. A truly meaningful, and thus blessed, life.
Personal Application
The “better than” choices we make for Jesus’ sake end up as blessings for us.
Quotable
“Wisdom is knowing what to do next, skill is knowing how to do it, and virtue is doing it.”—David Starr Jordan
This is my personal collection of thoughts and writings, mainly from much smarter people than I, which challenge me in my discipleship walk. Don't rush by these thoughts, but ponder them.
Milo 