In the Throes of Passion [Worship], Joy

I think that when the Bible is nebulous about something, about an interpretation, I think that God meant it that way. He knew we would have a hard time interpreting his Word when it's not completely clear. Like Song of Songs - where is God talking and we are we talking? It's hard to say one way or the other. And even though the beloved in the book does say that fire burns like a flame of Yah, if that's God talking, it wouldn't be the first time God called another member of the Trinity his Lord (Psalm 110:1). I think it can be hard for a man to relate to Jesus using the bridal imagery used so often. Eg Do we as men take on femininity to relate to Jesus as our Lover? No. We are who we are. And it takes both the strength of men and the beauty of women to image God (Genesis 1:27). So God could easily be speaking throughout the book of Song of Songs as either the Lover or the Beloved. I think God is nebulous sometimes because he wants to be desired, pursued.

Truly you are a God who hides himself - Isaiah 45:15 (NIV)

I think that's the part of him who is imaged more by women - women want to be pursued by their men.

I love this Christian philosopher Peter Kreeft. I've quoted him several times, but I think he's really onto something that couldn't be more obvious when we realize who we are as image bearers of God (that's what sanctification is about, us becoming more like Jesus' image-which is what God originally made us to be in the first place; so in a very realistic way, we are becoming who we were meant to be, who we really are). Joy and pleasure go hand in hand with worship. Our life with God is about falling in love with him, more than anything and everyone else. It's a love story :) That's the first commandment, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; it's not just us as slaves yielding to our Master, which is the very reason Jesus said I have not called you servants but friends (John15:15). It's to adore and love him with everything we are, body, soul, and mind. And our earthly marriages are the image we have of our relationship to God we will have with him in eternity. That's the big picture of the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. And worshiping our Lover is suppose to be something far more intimate, far more close, far more joyful and pleasurable and celebratory than anything else in the world, even sex-which is the closest thing we have to worship, John Eldredge said in Journey of Desire. Eldredge went on to ask, does your worship of God come anywhere close to your wedding night? Of course not! But it should. Kreeft said of submitting to God, that "it is exactly like a woman's voluntary sexual surrender to a man." (Joy; I highly recommend looking up his website and reading this and also his essay on Sex in Heaven?) And he went on to say,

Even the tiny foretaste of heaven that we can all have here on earth by surrendering to God is as much more joyful than the greatest ecstasy sex can give, just as being with your beloved is more joyful than being with her picture.

Take Song of Songs 1 (From The Message):

Kiss me—full on the mouth!
Yes! For your love is better than wine,
headier than your aromatic oils.
The syllables of your name murmur like a meadow brook.
No wonder everyone loves to say your name!

Take me away with you! Let's run off together!
An elopement with my King-Lover!
We'll celebrate, we'll sing,
we'll make great music.
Yes! For your love is better than vintage wine.
Everyone loves you—of course! And why not?

This is joy together, joy and happiness and pleasure in relationship; it's worship of the other. And complete rejoicing, worshiping always. We can say that about our Lover God, and God can say the same thing back to us (we're even coheirs with Christ and we reign with him; we have everything our heart's could ever desire in our beautiful God, how wonderful and lovely and perfect he is?!?!). He said

As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you - Isaiah 62:5 (NIV)

And as God's lover we will forever rejoice in his love, his embrace, his kisses; we will never be separated from him - Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow--not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love Romans 8:38.

And we will rejoice in the consummation of our marriage to our God Jesus Christ. And it will be incredible, wonderful, perfect, joyful, pleasurable; it will put a smile on our faces and make us dance for joy. As Kreeft said in Is There Sex in Heaven?

This spiritual intercourse with God is the ecstasy hinted at in all earthly intercourse, physical or spiritual. It is the ultimate reason why sexual passion is so strong, so different from other passions, so heavy with suggestions of profound meanings that just elude our grasp.

As John Eldredge and Brent Curtis wrote in The Sacred Romance, as we read Song of Songs and watch these two lovers through their bedroom window, we turn and look into God's eyes and realize that what he desires with us is something much more sensuous, much more exotic than sex itself.

As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 2:9, no eye as seen, nor ear heard, nor mind conceived the things which God has prepared for those who love him.

As Psalm 37:4 said about us delighting in Jesus and him giving us our heart's desires, perhaps the things he has prepared for us, is what he plans to do with us once we are all his. Can you imagine the honeymoon he must have planned? We give God such great pleasure by worshiping him, he must have something incredible, amazing planned for us with him. The most sensual, joyful intimacy with our Lover filled with unending romantic rendezvouses. Imagine playing with him, laughing and giggling in his arms with your heart fully satisfied. Going for swims in the pool, stretching out in his embrace on the beach. And can you imagine the food? i bet it will be awesome. Or what about dancing with him? (Jeremiah 31:4 says we will have a huge dance after God returns to earth; I bet it wouldn't take much to get him out to the dancefloor ;) He even wants to serenade you for crying out loud - Zephaniah 3:17. It couldn't be more obvious, our God is a Lover at heart. And his love is true, because it's so true and real that he even died to save us from a cent of condemnation. We are his, forever and ever. So when the world gets you down, or you feel like you are missing out on this sex-crazed culture we live in, or feeling lonely because you are alone, renew your heart and soul and body in this hope we have for the life we will live with our Beloved Jesus Christ as his lover.

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him - Psalm 62:5

And let everyone see it too! Don't hide your joy, as Peter wrote:

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have - 1 Peter 3:15

And then we can live in this culture purely, since 'all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure' - 1 John 3:3

I delight to sit in his shade,
and his fruit is sweet to my taste.
Let him lead me to the banquet hall,
and let his banner over me be love.
Strengthen me with raisins,
refresh me with apples,
for I am faint with love. Song of songs 2:3

And then we will walk off into the sunset with him, forever his, together with each other and him.