The Cost of Freedom
As I sit with the Lord, the view from my window boasts two flags waving proudly across the distance - an American flag and the other, the Texas flag. As a U.S. citizen, looking at the flag and all it represents makes my heart swell with gratitude. I enjoy so many freedoms living in this land because of the sacrifices of many brave men and women. But it doesn’t compare to the gratitude I feel when I am reminded of the freedoms I have in Christ because He paid the ultimate sacrifice for me and you. He did this so that we could experience freedom from sin and become citizens of Heaven. But He also did this to restore our relationship with Him, so that we could once again experience intimacy with Him as Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden. That is lavish love! And I am reminded of Song of Songs 2:4.
The Banner of Love
The Song of Songs has been interpreted in several ways by Bible scholars. One interpretation suggests it is an allegory of God’s love for Israel. Yet another submits that it can be read as an allegory of Jesus’s love for the Church. If we use the latter, modern Christians might view the Shulamite woman in this story as the church and the Beloved as Jesus. Regardless of the interpretation one lands on, what appears consistent is a portrayal of maturing love. In chapter 2 verse 4 she is declaring about her relationship with her beloved, “and his banner over me is love.” In the Old Testament, a banner was what we might consider a flag today. When a banner was waived, it was telling other nations, especially during battle, which tribe the people under it belonged to. The Hebrew word used here for banner is degel1. It’s used 14 times in the Old Testament; 13 times referring to a tribe or the twelve tribes of Israel, and one time in this verse in the Song of Songs. In other words, the Shulamite woman is declaring that she belongs to her beloved and abides under his love. Friends, isn’t this true about us and our beloved Savior?
When we receive the salvation that Jesus offers to us made possible by His great sacrifice on the cross, we inherit the promises of God not by birth, but by a gift. We then become part of God’s tribe of Love. While the banner being waved over the citizens of Heaven is not visible in the natural realm, we let others know which tribe we belong to by being ambassadors of God’s love. Jesus tells us in John 13:34–35 that people will know we belong to Him if we love each other. Our world is fragile and needs us to share God’s love with them. Many are perishing in the spiritual battle, but there is hope for all! It’s our beautiful calling to lead them to the One who waits to welcome them into His love-tribe and call them His own.
Living in the Land of Love
Upon salvation, we are adopted into the royal family of God and all the blessings of the Kingdom of Heaven are ours! God’s blessings for us are bountiful and eternal. Living in the Land of Love means freedom from condemnation. It means enjoying peace with God and abiding with an internal rest that all is well with our souls. It’s protection from the assaults of the spiritual battle around us. It’s an invitation to abandon our heavy burdens and cast our cares on God. It’s being perfectly loved by our Creator exactly as we are. It’s healing for our bodies and hearts. It’s the privilege of being able to speak with God Almighty and have access to Him 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. May your heart overflow with gratitude today and everyday as it shouts, “and his banner over me is love!” May that zeal compel you to share this lavish love with others so they too can live in the Land of Love.
Read the following scriptures. What are the blessings that are accessible for those who are in Christ?
Galatians 3:28–29
Psalm 91
Romans 5:1–5
Romans 8:1–2
Romans 8:37–38
1 "H1714 - deḡel - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv)." Blue Letter Bible. Accessed 4 Jul, 2024. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h1714/kjv/wlc/0-1/
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