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Day 141: Go Forth (SoS 3:11a)

 Go forth, O daughters of Zion, And see King Solomon with the crown With which his mother crowned him On the day of his wedding, The day of the gladness of his heart. (Song of Songs 3:11

When a great procession such as Solomon's passed through ancient towns, people often came out of their homes and left their workstations to watch. They came out not just to watch but to pay their respects and homage.

We see an excellent example of this in Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem in Matthew 21. The Bible says that as He rode through the streets on a donkey, multitudes came out to welcome Him. They spread their clothes and palm fronds on the ground before Him and sang His praise as He passed through.

The bride instructs the daughters to go forth to see the King with His crown. This indicates that to behold Jesus in all His beauty and splendor, we must go out of our way. We must arise from complacency, go out of our comfort zones, and do more than the average Joe. We must leave all occupations and distractions to gaze on and worship Him.

The difference between our passion for, convictions about, commitment to, and sacrifices for Jesus is how much of Him we have seen or been revealed to us.

The determining factor is not Christ or the Father. Christ has come to our towns and squares. He has come to us through the written word, testimonies, reports, and sermons we hear about Him. He has manifested in all His beauty and glory. His Bride: those who have experienced Him testify to His beauty and splendor. However, only those who heed the Bride's invitation truly see the King in His beauty.

We must like Moses did in Exodus 3 turn aside to see Jesus. We must have the same attitude about beholding Him as David in Psalm 27:4 when he said:

One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.

David was so enamored by God's beauty that it was all He wanted to do for the rest of His life. He knew the importance of seeing God. It's not enough to read or hear about Him. It must be our life priority to see Jesus as He is.

In Lesson 75, we discussed the importance of beholding Jesus. How our lives, circumstances, and attitudes are transformed by what we see in His Word. How our fellowship with Him changes us.

In Lesson 36 we discussed how Job testified in Job 42:5:

In the past, I knew only what others had told me, but now I have seen you with my own eyes (Good News Translation)

His life was forever changed by that simple encounter where He received a revelation of who God is.

We must make it a habit to turn aside, go forth each day, and forsake all at certain times of the day, week, month, and season of life to behold Jesus.

In SoS 3:4, the Bride introduces King Solomon to her most intimate friends and family. Now she invites the whole town to see the king publicly so that their hearts will yearn for Him and they'll pursue Him as she began to do in SoS 1:2-4.

Our task as believers is not just to evangelize Christ to the unsaved and bring Him home to our most intimate friends and family, but we must also invite fellow believers to come into an intimate relationship with Jesus. By doing all we can, we can help them experience a deepening daily fellowship with Jesus.

As we behold, we must help others see. We must like Aquila and Priscilla in Acts help other believers gain a deeper knowledge of God. We must invite them into an experience that draws their hearts to intimacy with Jesus.

PRAY WITH ME:

Dear Lord, I commit to pursuing a deeper knowledge of and intimacy with You. I decide today to turn aside each day to behold You and bring others to experience Your beauty and splendor. Grant me the grace to do these. Amen.

REFLECT & ACT:

  • How often do you forsake all to worship, gaze at Jesus and worship Him?
  • How are you inviting and bringing other believers to experience Christ Jesus?

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