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Day 75: Behold Perfection (S0S 1:16a) (Bonus Lesson 11)

 "Behold, you are handsome, my beloved! Yes, pleasant! Also our bed is green."

Song of Songs 1:16

Here, the Bride calls her Beloved handsome. How can we describe our own Beloved, Jesus, without seeing Him with our physical eyes? Imagine Jesus was standing before you, how would you describe Him? I know you're probably thinking about those images of Jesus we've seen in the past. Perhaps like me, you're imagining Jonathan Roumie from The Chosen. What image do we attribute to Christ?

God forbade Israel from making images of Him, it's one of the things they struggled with. All around them were nations who could point to their gods but Israel's God was unseen. They didn't understand it was because God already had an image: man. He said in Genesis  1:26 “let us make man in our image and likeness...”

I love how the Contemporary English Version puts David's words in Psalm 8:4-5:

“Then I ask, “Why do you care about us humans? Why are you concerned for us weaklings?” You made us a little lower than you yourself, and you have crowned us with glory and honor.”
We often read it as a little lower than angels as made popular by the King James Version. The word translated as angels however is Elohim. The same one in Genesis 1:26 when God decided to make man.

The word translated man in Psalm 8 is not the same as the word man in Genesis 1:26. The word man in Genesis is Adam. Its root word means ‘red’ indicating the material from which man's body was made: clay. It was not an indication of his nature. His nature was God's. The word used in Psalm 8 however means mortal man. It indicates the weakness of man. So David was saying man in His fallen state is a little lower than God. The Message Translation says we narrowly missed being gods.

Man was made to be the very image and reflection of God. He was to be all that God was in heaven on earth.  Unfortunately, sin came into the world and corrupted the nature of man. Even still, whatever good we see in the fallen man can only be attributed to God because there is nothing good in satan and whatever he gives.

So, the coming of Jesus was not just to deal with sin, it was to restore man to His original state. The Bible says in Romans 8:29:

“For he knew all about us before we were born and he destined us from the beginning to share the likeness of his Son. This means the Son is the oldest among a vast family of brothers and sisters who will become just like him.” (The Passion Translation)

We were born again to share the likeness of Christ who according to John 1:14 is the perfect image of God. However, 1 John 3:2-3 says:

“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” 

Even though we can't attain the perfect image of Christ while this world remains, what sustains our Christian walk is the hope of becoming just like Jesus. John says it is the hope that purifies us from the corrupting influence of the fallen nature in our flesh. It is the most important reason we renew our minds and strive for personal transformation. Whatever He calls us, He calls us because He is. So, we must seek a revelation of His beauty. We must be able to exclaim to our Beloved like the Bride: Behold, You are handsome!

2 Corinthians 3 tells us that transformation happens as we behold Him in the word. When we take our eyes off our imperfections and focus on His perfection, we are gradually transformed into what we see.
Christ must be real to us (formed in us, revealed in our hearts) before we can have a healthy image of ourselves. We must carry the consciousness of Christ's image in our hearts and thoughts every moment of every day. Every addiction and flaw, every impurity of the flesh falls away as we behold Christ's beauty and perfection, not our imperfections.

PRAY WITH ME:
My Beloved Jesus, You are so beautiful! Thank you for the honor and privilege to be a reflection of You. I lose sight of my imperfections and fix my heart on the hope of becoming like you. I ask for a revelation of your beauty as I look in Your word, so I may continually be transformed into Your image. Amen.

REFLECT & ACT:
  • Memorize and meditate on 1 John 3:2-3.
  • Reflect on your Christian walk, what transformations have you seen so far? Can you remember the turning point and the events that led up to it?
  • How can you focus more on Christ's beauty as revealed in the word and in what aspect of your life or character do you need this revelation the most?




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