Song of Songs 5:2 I was sleeping, but my heart was awake. A sound! My love was knocking! Open to me, my sister, my companion, my dove, my perfect one. For my head is drenched with dew, my hair with droplets of the night. Song of Songs 5:3 I have taken off my clothing. How can I put it back on? I have washed my feet. How can I get them dirty? Song of Songs 5:4 My love thrust his hand through the opening, and my feelings were stirred for him. Song of Songs 5:5 I rose to open for my love. My hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with flowing myrrh on the handles of the bolt. Song of Songs 5:6 I opened to my love, but my love had turned and gone away. My heart sank because he had left. I sought him but did not find him. I called him, but he did not answer. Song of Songs 5:7 The guards who go about the city found me. They beat and wounded me; they took my cloak from me — the guardians of the walls. Song of Songs 5:8 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you, if you find my love, tell him that I am lovesick. Song of Songs 5:9 What makes the one you love better than another, most beautiful of women? What makes him better than another, that you would give us this charge?
gift of each other
Why him, and not someone else? Only a lover’s heart can answer. But the bride knows. The LORD has given couples a gift of each other, and we are happy only when enjoying each other’s company. We find it hard to bear when we are separated, even for short times.
LORD, some of the couples you have given to each other have to face separation for times. Help us to encourage them as they face these times.
Song of Songs 4:9 You have captured my heart, my sister, my bride. You have captured my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace. Song of Songs 4:10 How delightful your caresses are, my sister, my bride. Your caresses are much better than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume than any balsam. Song of Songs 4:11 Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride. Honey and milk are under your tongue. The fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon. Song of Songs 4:12 My sister, my bride, you are a locked garden — a locked garden and a sealed spring. Song of Songs 4:13 Your branches are a paradise of pomegranates with choicest fruits; henna with nard, Song of Songs 4:14 nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all the trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all the best spices. Song of Songs 4:15 You are a garden spring, a well of flowing water streaming from Lebanon. Song of Songs 4:16 Awaken, north wind; come, south wind. Blow on my garden and spread the fragrance of its spices. Let my love come to his garden and eat its choicest fruits. Song of Songs 5:1 I have come to my garden — my sister, my bride. I gather my myrrh with my spices. I eat my honeycomb with my honey. I drink my wine with my milk. Eat, friends! Drink, be intoxicated with love!
my garden
The groom relishes in his bride and describes her in terms of taste and beauty. She is his garden, filling him with delight. She invites him to come to his garden, and he joys in the memory of their time together. This is how marital love should be, and it joys our creator’s heart when we love each other so.
LORD, teach us (married and betrothed) how to delight in each other all the days of our
Song of Songs 4:1 How beautiful you are, my companion. How incredibly beautiful! Behind your veil, your eyes are doves. Your hair is like a flock of goats streaming down Mount Gilead. Song of Songs 4:2 Your teeth are like a flock of newly shorn sheep coming up from washing, each one bearing twins, and none has lost its young. Song of Songs 4:3 Your lips are like a scarlet cord, and your mouth is lovely. Behind your veil, your brow is like a slice of pomegranate. Song of Songs 4:4 Your neck is like the tower of David, constructed in layers. A thousand shields are hung on it — all of them shields of warriors. Song of Songs 4:5 Your breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle, that feed among the lilies. Song of Songs 4:6 Until the day breaks and the shadows flee, I will make my way to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense. Song of Songs 4:7 You are absolutely beautiful, my companion; there is no imperfection in you. Song of Songs 4:8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride; come with me from Lebanon! Descend from the peak of Amana, from the summit of Senir and Hermon, from the dens of the lions, from the mountains of the leopards.
the one
She is all that he can see. Her beauty has captivated his heart. There is no flaw in her. After seeing her, his desire for anything or anyone else disappears. She’s the one. And she feels the same way! Praise the LORD for the gift of marital love.
LORD, we celebrate the love of a bride and groom. Thank you for this gift.
Song of Songs 3:1 In my bed at night I sought the one I love; I sought him but did not find him. Song of Songs 3:2 I will get up now and go about the city, through the streets and the plazas. I will seek the one I love. I sought him but did not find him. Song of Songs 3:3 The guards who go about the city found me. I asked them, “Have you seen the one I love?” Song of Songs 3:4 I had just passed them when I found the one I love. I held on to him and would not let him go until I brought him to my mother’s house — to the chamber of the one who conceived me. Song of Songs 3:5 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and the wild does of the field, do not stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time. Song of Songs 3:6 Who is this coming up from the wilderness like columns of smoke, scented with myrrh and frankincense from every fragrant powder of the merchant? Song of Songs 3:7 Look! Solomon’s bed surrounded by sixty warriors from the mighty men of Israel. Song of Songs 3:8 All of them are skilled with swords and trained in warfare. Each has his sword at his side to guard against the terror of the night. Song of Songs 3:9 King Solomon made a carriage for himself with wood from Lebanon. Song of Songs 3:10 He made its posts of silver, its back of gold, and its seat of purple. Its interior is inlaid with love by the young women of Jerusalem. Song of Songs 3:11 Go out, young women of Zion, and gaze at King Solomon, wearing the crown his mother placed on him on the day of his wedding — the day of his heart’s rejoicing.
an intimate place
The bride dreams of looking for her lover, and then finding him. In her dream, she takes him to an intimate place. She sees Solomon “on the day of his wedding, on the day of the gladness of his heart.”
Even the longing for our time together can be a joyous thing. Marital love is one of the gifts from our heavenly Father.
LORD, thank you for the joy that is ours as married couples.
Song of Songs 2:8 Listen! My love is approaching. Look! Here he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills. Song of Songs 2:9 My love is like a gazelle or a young stag. See, he is standing behind our wall, gazing through the windows, peering through the lattice. Song of Songs 2:10 My love calls to me: Arise, my companion. Come away, my beautiful one. Song of Songs 2:11 For now the winter is past; the rain has ended and gone away. Song of Songs 2:12 The blossoms appear in the countryside. The time of singing has come, and the turtledove’s cooing rings in our land. Song of Songs 2:13 The fig tree ripens its figs; the blossoming vines give off their fragrance. Arise, my companion. Come away, my beautiful one. Song of Songs 2:14 My dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the crevices of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. Song of Songs 2:15 Catch the foxes for us — the little foxes that ruin the vineyards — for our vineyards are in bloom. Song of Songs 2:16 My love is mine and I am his; he feeds among the lilies. Song of Songs 2:17 Until the day breaks and the shadows flee, turn around, my love, and be like a gazelle or a young stag on the divided mountains.
little foxes
When the time is right, the hindrances and fears and distractions are overcome. Marital love is a beautiful thing at that time, a right thing. Nothing (even the mountains) should be allowed to spoil the joy that the LORD intends for lovers.
Yet the little foxes also try to spoil the vineyards. So she asks her lover to catch them. These are the things that might destroy the relationship before the springtime of love. Many a relationship has been destroyed because some fox has broken into the vineyard.
LORD, give us and our children wisdom to take care of the vineyard spoilers.
Song of Songs 1:9 I compare you, my companion, to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots. Song of Songs 1:10 Your cheeks are beautiful with jewelry, your neck with its necklace. Song of Songs 1:11 We will make gold jewelry for you, accented with silver. Song of Songs 1:12 While the king is on his couch, my perfume releases its fragrance. Song of Songs 1:13 The one I love is a sachet of myrrh to me, spending the night between my breasts. Song of Songs 1:14 The one I love is a cluster of henna blossoms to me, in the vineyards of En-gedi. Song of Songs 1:15 How beautiful you are, my companion. How incredibly beautiful! Your eyes are doves. Song of Songs 1:16 How handsome you are, my love. How delightful! Our bed is lush; Song of Songs 1:17 the beams of our house are cedars, and our rafters are cypresses. Song of Songs 2:1 I am a wildflower of Sharon, a lily of the valleys. Song of Songs 2:2 Like a lily among thorns, so is my companion among the young women. Song of Songs 2:3 Like an apricot tree among the trees of the forest, so is my love among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste. Song of Songs 2:4 He brought me to the banquet hall, and he looked on me with love. Song of Songs 2:5 Sustain me with raisins; refresh me with apricots, for I am lovesick. Song of Songs 2:6 May his left hand be under my head, and his right arm embrace me. Song of Songs 2:7 Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you by the gazelles and the wild does of the field, do not stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time.
the feast of love
The lovers in this song feast on each other’s beauty. They have eyes for each other, and all others become dull backdrops for the main attraction. She is a lily among brambles. He is an apple tree, giving both cool shade, and sweet fruit. Love is a feast, and one for which we can celebrate the master of the feast – the one who put a man and a woman in a garden to enjoy all its delights – including each other.
Song of Songs 1:1 The Song of Songs, which is Solomon’s. Song of Songs 1:2 Oh, that he would kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! Because your love is better than wine. Song of Songs 1:3 The fragrance of your perfume is intoxicating; your name is perfume poured out. No wonder young women adore you. Song of Songs 1:4 Take me with you — let’s hurry. The king has brought me to his chambers. We will rejoice and be glad in you; we will celebrate your caresses more than wine. It is only right that they adore you. Song of Songs 1:5 Daughters of Jerusalem, I am dark like the tents of Kedar, yet lovely like the curtains of Solomon. Song of Songs 1:6 Do not stare at me because I am dark, for the sun has gazed on me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; they made me take care of the vineyards. I have not taken care of my own vineyard. Song of Songs 1:7 Tell me, you whom I love: Where do you pasture your sheep? Where do you let them rest at noon? Why should I be like one who veils herself beside the flocks of your companions? Song of Songs 1:8 If you do not know, most beautiful of women, follow the tracks of the flock, and pasture your young goats near the shepherds’ tents.
drawn to each other
This love song begins with an invitation from the bride. She wants to spend more time with her betrothed. They are both shepherds, and she wants to bring her flocks to rest at noon beside his, so they can spend more time together. The lover’s response seems to indicate that she already knows where he is. They are drawn to each other.
LORD, may our love for each other show in the way we seek each other’s presence.
2 Chronicles 36:1 Then the common people took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father. 2 Chronicles 36:2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 36:3 The king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem and fined the land seventy-five hundred pounds of silver and seventy-five pounds of gold. 2 Chronicles 36:4 Then King Neco of Egypt made Jehoahaz’s brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took his brother Jehoahaz and brought him to Egypt. 2 Chronicles 36:5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of Yahvehhis God. 2 Chronicles 36:6 Now King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked him and bound him in bronze shackles to take him to Babylon. 2 Chronicles 36:7 Also Nebuchadnezzar took some of the articles of Yahveh’s temple to Babylon and put them in his temple in Babylon. 2 Chronicles 36:8 The rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim, the detestable actions he committed, and what was found against him, are written in the Book of Israel’s Kings. His son Jehoiachin became king in his place. 2 Chronicles 36:9 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in Yahveh’s sight. 2 Chronicles 36:10 In the spring Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon along with the valuable articles of Yahveh’s temple. Then he made Jehoiachin’s brother Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 36:11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 36:12 He did what was evil in the sight of Yahveh his God and did not humble himself before the prophet Jeremiah at Yahveh’s command. 2 Chronicles 36:13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear allegiance by God. He became obstinate and hardened his heart against returning to Yahveh, the God of Israel. 2 Chronicles 36:14 All the leaders of the priests and the people multiplied their unfaithful deeds, imitating all the detestable practices of the nations, and they defiled Yahveh’s temple that he had consecrated in Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 36:15 But Yahveh, the God of their ancestors sent word against them by the hand of his messengers, sending them time and time again, for he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. 2 Chronicles 36:16 But they kept ridiculing God’s messengers, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets, until Yahveh’s wrath was so stirred up against his people that there was no remedy. 2 Chronicles 36:17 So he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their fit young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary. He had no pity on young men or young women, elderly or aged; he handed them all over to him. 2 Chronicles 36:18 He took everything to Babylon– all the articles of God’s temple, large and small, the treasures of Yahveh’s temple, and the treasures of the king and his officials. 2 Chronicles 36:19 Then the Chaldeans burned God’s temple. They tore down Jerusalem’s wall, burned all its palaces, and destroyed all its valuable articles. 2 Chronicles 36:20 He deported those who escaped from the sword to Babylon, and they became servants to him and his sons until the rise of the Persian kingdom. 2 Chronicles 36:21 This fulfilled the word of Yahveh through Jeremiah, and the land enjoyed its Sabbath rest all the days of the desolation until seventy years were fulfilled. 2 Chronicles 36:22 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of Yahveh spoken through Jeremiah, Yahveh roused the breath of King Cyrus of Persia to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and also to put it in writing: 2 Chronicles 36:23 This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: Yahveh, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the land and has appointed me to build him a temple at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up and may Yahveh his God be with him.
We have followed the chronicler as he has retold the story of the kings of Judah. He took us through the good and the bad – mostly bad – times. Even the best of the kings did not look well when scrutinized by his omniscient-like reflection. The human heroes of the works turn out to be two people who were not kings of Judah: Jeremiah the prophet who predicted restoration, and Cyrus, king of Persia whose spirit was stirred up by the LORD to allow it. Both books are revealed to be less about the bad choices the kings of Judah made, and more about the opportunity that the readers have to make the right choices.
LORD, help us to make the right choices… ones that honor you and extend your kingdom.
2 Chronicles 35:20 After all this that Josiah had prepared for the temple, King Neco of Egypt marched up to fight at Carchemish by the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to confront him. 2 Chronicles 35:21 But Neco sent messengers to him, saying, “What is the issue between you and me, king of Judah? I have not come against you today, but I am fighting another dynasty. God told me to hurry. Stop opposing God who is with me; don’t make him destroy you!” 2 Chronicles 35:22 But Josiah did not turn away from him; instead, in order to fight with him he disguised himself. He did not listen to Neco’s words from the mouth of God but went to the Valley of Megiddo to fight. 2 Chronicles 35:23 The archers shot King Josiah, and he said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am severely wounded!” 2 Chronicles 35:24 So his servants took him out of the war chariot, carried him in his second chariot, and brought him to Jerusalem. Then he died, and they buried him in the tomb of his fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. 2 Chronicles 35:25 Jeremiah chanted a dirge over Josiah, and all the male and female singers still speak of Josiah in their dirges today. They established them as a statute for Israel, and indeed they are written in the Dirges. 2 Chronicles 35:26 The rest of the events of Josiah’s reign, along with his deeds of faithful love according to what is written in the law of Yahveh, 2 Chronicles 35:27 and his words, from beginning to end, are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah.
keep listening
We should not be surprised that the great reforming king Josiah would end his life in such an ignominious way. His story is of one who dared to respond to the word of the LORD. His only failure is that he did not recognize that word when it came from the mouth of the king of Egypt. Had Josiah only been listening, as he had before, he would have been able to keep up his reforms, and might have spared his kingdom much misery. May this be a lesson for believers to keep listening. It might be that the next word from our LORD will come from an unexpected mouth.
LORD, keep us willing to hear what you want us to know.
2 Chronicles 35:1 Josiah observed Yahveh’s Passover and slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2 Chronicles 35:2 He appointed the priests to their responsibilities and encouraged them to serve in Yahveh’s temple. 2 Chronicles 35:3 He said to the Levites who taught all Israel the holy things of Yahveh, “Put the holy ark in the temple built by Solomon son of David king of Israel. Since you do not have to carry it on your shoulders, now serve Yahveh your God and his people Israel. 2 Chronicles 35:4 “Organize your ancestral families by your divisions according to the written instruction of King David of Israel and that of his son Solomon. 2 Chronicles 35:5 Serve in the holy place by the groupings of the ancestral families for your brothers, the lay people, and according to the division of the Levites by family. 2 Chronicles 35:6 Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves, and make preparations for your brothers to carry out the word of Yahveh through Moses.” 2 Chronicles 35:7 Then Josiah donated thirty thousand sheep, lambs, and young goats, plus three thousand cattle from his own possessions, for the Passover sacrifices for all the lay people who were present. 2 Chronicles 35:8 His officials also donated willingly for the people, the priests, and the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, chief officials of God’s temple, gave twenty-six hundred Passover sacrifices and three hundred cattle for the priests. 2 Chronicles 35:9 Conaniah and his brothers Shemaiah and Nethanel, and Hashabiah, Jeiel, and Jozabad, officers of the Levites, donated five thousand Passover sacrifices for the Levites, plus five hundred cattle. 2 Chronicles 35:10 So the service was established; the priests stood at their posts and the Levites in their divisions according to the king’s command. 2 Chronicles 35:11 Then they slaughtered the Passover lambs, and while the Levites were skinning the animals, the priests splattered the blood they had been given. 2 Chronicles 35:12 They removed the burnt offerings so that they might be given to the groupings of the ancestral families of the lay people to offer to Yahveh, according to what is written in the book of Moses; they did the same with the cattle. 2 Chronicles 35:13 They roasted the Passover lambs with fire according to regulation. They boiled the holy sacrifices in pots, kettles, and bowls; and they quickly brought them to the lay people. 2 Chronicles 35:14 Afterward, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, since the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were busy offering up burnt offerings and fat until night. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the priests, the descendants of Aaron. 2 Chronicles 35:15 The singers, the descendants of Asaph, were at their stations according to the command of David, Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun the king’s seer. Also, the gatekeepers were at each temple gate. None of them left their tasks because their Levite brothers had prepared for them. 2 Chronicles 35:16 So all the service of Yahveh was established that day for observing the Passover and for offering burnt offerings on the altar of Yahveh, according to the command of King Josiah. 2 Chronicles 35:17 The Israelites who were present in Judah also observed the Passover at that time and the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. 2 Chronicles 35:18 No Passover had been observed like it in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel. None of the kings of Israel ever observed a Passover like the one that Josiah observed with the priests, the Levites, all Judah, the Israelites who were present in Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 35:19 In the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign, this Passover was observed.
the feast, the past and the future
In the same year that Josiah rediscovered the Book of the Law, he reinstituted the Passover, and celebrated it as none had ever done in his lifetime. It was a tremendous celebration of God’s grace, which looked back to the time that the LORD rescued the Israelites from bondage in Egypt, and looked forward to the day when the Messiah would die on a cross to rescue all sinners from death. Christians regularly remind ourselves of that grace when we partake of the LORD’s supper. That feast looks back on our deliverance at the cross, and forward to the day when we celebrate his grace in the renewed earth that grace will make possible.
LORD, teach us to look back at your grace, and forward to its result.
Devotions 