Hosea (Program #2) – On Hosea (1)—The Introductory Word and The Symbol of a Wife of Harlotries (1)
Do you realize that the subject of the two bookends of the Bible is the same? It is marriage. The Bible both begins and ends with the loving union of a husband and a wife. In Genesis chapter two, the couple is Adam and Eve. In Revelation 21 and 22, the couple is Christ and the church which becomes the New Jerusalem. In fact the entire Bible is the story of Romance. A romance between God and His corporate people. In Genesis, Adam is really a type of Christ and Eve a type of the church. In Song of Songs, Solomon typifies Christ while the Shulammite maiden represents the church. In the books of the prophets, the bride is typified by the nation of Israel. So now we can see truly the Bible is a romance, the story of a divine person pursuing, wooing and eventually winning the delight of His heart. By Revelation 21, we are told that the bride has made herself ready and that she is spotless and without blemish. But she was not always so. As we see in many places in the Bible, like Hosea, this bride needs much work before she can be ready to be presented to the most lovely and attractive One in the universe, the Lamb of God, our dear Lord Jesus, our bridegroom.
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Ephesians (Program #54) – Warfare to Deal with the Spiritual Enemy (1)
With our last program of Song of Songs, we have now concluded all of our life study in the Old Testament. In Song of Songs, which is an extract of the whole Bible, the seeking believer, who typifies us as the seeking believers of Christ, prays to the Lord : “Draw me…” (v.2), “Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth” (v.4). This shows that we need to have a personal and affectionate relationship with our dear Lord Jesus. We should tell the Lord, “Lord, draw me to Yourself. Lord, kiss me with the kisses of Your mouth.” We need to tell the Lord every day, even right now, “Lord Jesus, I love You”. This is to be in the divine romance. May we all give ourselves to love the Lord.