READING FOR JULY 14, 2025: SONG OF SONGS 8, 2 THESSALONIANS 2, PSALM 68:19-2 SONG OF SONGS 8 The woman appears to wish she would be able to show the same kind of public affection toward her beloved as was normal between brothers and sisters at that time. This includes bringing him to her mother’s home to offer him treats of spiced wine and enjoy intimate embraces. Once again, she counsels her watching friends not to awaken love before it desires. This is the third time she has made this comment, which may be her way of emphasizing not to get romantically involved with a man before the “right” one comes along.
In response her friends ask who is that person being supported by her beloved? They likely know it is the woman but perhaps are asking about who she really is at the essence of her being? She begins to reminisce about a special apple tree. This was a tree under which she first awakened his love, where his mother conceived him, and where his mother gave birth to him. Some couples have a special song they remember. No wonder this tree was meaningful to her. Then she calls upon her beloved to seal their relationship. She is not interested in a temporary marriage, but one that will last for life—as all marriages were designed by God to do: “Be careful then about your spirit, and see that none of you deals treacherously against the wife of your youth. ‘For I hate divorce,’ says the Lord, the God of Israel” (Mal 2:15-16). She states that true love is as strong and permanent as death and worth more than all one’s wealth.
The friends talk about a young sister whom they seek to protect from those who would violate her trust. Perhaps they were referring to the woman herself or a younger version of her. The woman in turn suggests that now she is a mature woman and fully able to give herself to her beloved. There is truth that there is a time both to protect a young girl from being manipulated and a time to release a mature woman to make her own choices. These times can be difficult for families to navigate. Then, as if on cue, her beloved calls out to her. She responds by asking him to come to her quickly—like a gazelle on a mountain full of spices. Do couples lose that sense of poetry, urgency, and romance after many years?
2 Thessalonians 2 Remember that Paul only had three weeks with the Thessalonians, and he feared that there might be details of the second coming of Jesus that were concerning them. His admonition to them not to let people deceive them totally applies to folks today. Let’s be careful with our understanding of this upcoming event. An important term appears in the fifth chapter of the previous letter and verse 2 of this one: “Day of the Lord.” That day seems to be defined in verse 1 as referring to the day 1) Jesus descends from heaven and 2) believers are gathered to him. This was described in some detail in 1 Thes. 4. As Paul told the
READING FOR JULY 14, 2025 CONTINUED: 2 THESSALONIANS 2, PSALM 68:19-27 Thessalonians, we don’t need to worry about missing it. It will be 100% visible to everyone: “He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him” (Rev. 1:7). We do need to be ready by being saved: “Those who perish, because they did not accept the love of the truth so as to be saved” (2 Thes. 2: 20).
Paul says the day of the Lord will not take place until apostasy takes place first, and the lawless man is revealed. Let’s first address apostasy: falling away from faith. Jesus’s half-brother Jude provides us a helpful warning about this: “Contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all time handed down to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into indecent behavior and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” What are some features that mark this following away or apostasy according to Jude?
- Any belief or practice that deviates from “the faith that was once for all time handed down to the saints.” In other words, anything that contradicts the Bible. It was/is true then, today, and tomorrow.
- Any belief that suggests God’s grace permits us to act in ways the Bible calls sinful or indecent.
- Any belief saying Jesus isn’t the only truth and that He isn’t totally our Lord: our ultimate authority.
Who is the “man or lawlessness” or as sometimes called the Antichrist?
- The title lawlessness would tend to support a person who advocates for bullet two above.
- Someone like Satan: deceptive, distorter, liar, and empowered to perform supernatural signs.
- He will emerge, be unrestrained for a time, be revealed for who he is, and be eliminated by Jesus.
PSALM 68:19-27 David begins by blessing God for what He has done and what He will do:
- He bears our burdens each day (not something we often consider).
- He has saved us (which means we were once lost before receiving Jesus).
- He provides an escape from death (which comes to us when we believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ).
- He will shatter the head of His enemies (from the Gen. 3:16 prophecy about Satan and Jesus: “I will make enemies of you and the woman, and of your offspring and her Descendant; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel”).
Then David describes a parade, although not your typical fourth of July parade:
- Singers led the parade.
- Instrumentalists followed close behind, including young women playing tambourines.
- Then there is a break in the parade to again bless God, this time for bringing forth Israel.
- The tribe of Benjamin is marching. (Here David gives a nod to his predecessor Saul’s tribe.)
- Then the leaders of Judah (David’s tribe), Zebulun, and Naphtali representing all the other tribes.
Maybe there should times of more festive praise in Yorktown, when we consider all that God has done and will do for us. A parade is so public and so positive, not hidden away within four walls. There could be a mass choir, followed by loud instruments (especially tambourines), and followed by representatives from each body of believers in our fair town marching to city hall.
