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Day 145: Virtues of the Maturing Bride 2 (SoS 4:1)

 Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair! You have dove’s eyes behind your veil. Your hair is like a flock of goats, Going down from Mount Gilead. (Song of Songs 4:1)

The second virtue of the maturing Bride is coded in the Beloved's compliment on her hair.

The most significant mention of hair in the Bible is in Numbers 6 when the Lord gave the Nazirite law to Moses. Nazirites were people who took a vow to be separated/consecrated to the Lord for some time. There were many rules they were to abide by, and some of them were abstinence from alcohol (wine), vinegar, grapes (dried or fresh), and dead bodies.

The most significant law however was that no razor could touch a Nazirite's head until their vow was complete. If they were defiled/unclean before the vowed period was over, they were to shave their heads, offer a sin offering and start the vow again. If they however completed the vowed days without being defied, the shaved hair was offered in the fire on the Lord's altar alongside a peace offering.

A popular Nazirite in the scriptures was Samson. At his conception in Judges 13, the angel of the Lord instructed his parents that his mother must abstain from grapes and all their products while pregnant. He also instructed them that no razor should touch his head after birth.

When Samson was deceived by Delilah and his head was shaved in Judges 16, he lost his strength. The source of his strength was his consecration/separation to God. The shaved head indicated the end of his consecration. However, when his hair began to grow, his strength returned.

So hair is a symbol of dedication/consecration to God. The Bride's hair is however specifically said to be like a flock of goats going down from Mount Gilead. How does our dedication/consecration to God relate to a flock of goats going down from Mount Gilead?

Mount Gilead is a very rich pastureland. Shepherds led their flocks here to feed. The goats seen on this mount had very beautiful and shining hair coats because of how well-fed they were. These goats going down from Mount Gilead would have made the hillside vibrate with life and vigor from a distance.

In Proverbs 30:29-31, goats are one of the animals mentioned to have a stately, majestic walk. Being dedicated to God is having a beautiful walk before Him.

The word Gilead is from a Hebrew word that means Heap of Testimony or Witness Heap. One of the names for God's law/word in the Old Testament is testimony.

As the goats going down are well fed on Mount Gilead, to have a stately walk dedicated to God, we must know, understand, and obey His word. We must defer to Him in every decision we make, big or small. David said in Psalm 1:1&2:

Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.

The difference between the sinner/wicked/ungodly man and the blessed/righteous man is their commitment to the Lord's law. We are only as dedicated as we are consecrated to God and obeying His word.

The more our dedication, consecration, and devotion to God's word increases, the more we mature. The more we mature in love and intimacy with Christ, the more dedicated, consecrated, and devoted to God and His word we become.

Just like Samson's strength was his hair, we are only spiritually strong and healthy as we are dedicated. As the Nazirites' hair was sacrificed to God, our dedication to God and His word is a pleasing sacrifice to Him.

The Passion Translation writes this portion of our text thus:

...What devotion I see each time I gaze upon you. You are like a sacrifice ready to be offered.

In 1 Corinthians 11:5-6, Paul said a woman with an uncovered (bald) head disregards her husband's authority. In verse 15 of the same chapter he said that long hair is the glory (beauty) and covering for a woman. We are also only as covered (protected) and beautified by God's glory as our dedication to Him and His word.

Just as healthy hair grows longer, thicker, and more beautiful with time, as we mature in our love for God, our dedication to Him increases. This becomes more obvious to everyone around us, as well as more appealing with time.

PRAY WITH ME:

Dear Lord, I submit to Your word as the only authority in my life. As I commit myself to studying and obeying Your word, grant me the strength to live a blameless life before You. Amen.

REFLECT & ACT:

  • How dedicated/consecrated are you to God and His word? Evaluate your day-to-day life. Do you acknowledge God and His word in every decision you make?
  • Meditate on Psalm 1.
  • Find the verses about the testimonies of the Lord in Psalm 119. Note the Psalmist's attitude towards them.

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