Altogether lovely

The songs of songs is one of the most beautiful books of the Bible. Love then wasn’t like love now. Love
wasn’t just an emotion; it was a decision.

Let’s read a small conversation from chapter 5.

The daughters of Jerusalem: How is your beloved better than others, most beautiful of women? How is
your beloved better than others, that you so charge us?

Song of Songs 5:9 NIV

This was the question asked to the young women. She then goes on to explain how and concludes by
stating a very beautiful fact:

His mouth is sweetness itself; he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, this is my friend, daughters of
Jerusalem.

Song of Songs 5:16 NIV

Altogether lovely! What a beautiful phrase! Wholly, completely, fully, in every way…

Our world is bombarded with romance…every other day love songs are being made..which forces us to
think in a particular way, movies are made which encourage romantic ideas and desires. Our
advertisements, culture usually revolve around this. It is made to be the need of the hour. We are
programmed to think of love and our subject is usually the mere creatures, objects.

Creation, no matter how beautiful, will one day fade away and lose whatever loveliness it had. But the
Creator, he is the very source of every loveliness.

Are you not able to see Him in his loveliness today? What is stopping you?

There are many ways in which He is lovely. I’ll share one way in which He is lovely to me.

He is lovely as a redeemer: For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet
for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 NIV

We read a lot about Peter in the Bible. Simon Peter, one of the 12, walked very closely with Christ. The
saddest phase for him was the time when he denied the very Christ for whom he was willing to chip off
the ear of a roman soldier.

Luke 22:62 states that he went out and wept bitterly. I’m sure we can relate to the times we have
forsaken Him. We have retreated ourselves in the same manner many times. But look at what happens
after that.

Jesus is risen from the grave overthrowing death and sin. When the women went out to the grave the
next morning, they receive a message from the angel of the Lord. And the message is more specifically
for Peter:

Mark 16:7
But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as
he told you.’ ”

Though we deny or wrong him, he will not break friendship with us. He is constant and unchangeable.

How lovely is Christ as a friend! A kind of friend the world can never be.

Read the scriptures and ponder on our Lord’s loveliness. Let it move you and capture your heart.

John Flavel shares this insight: If you see no beauty in Christ that causes you to desire Him, it is because
the god of this world has blinded your mind.

I pray that may it never be the case with us.