Page 259 - Radical Love by Linda Robinson

RADICAL LOVE

Mankind was created to display the glory of God. We were made in

their image, and thanks to the love-sacrifice of Jesus, the correct image
is being progressively restored. He tells her that He adores her eyes

because, as He gazes deep into them, He now sees the image of Himself
coming forth. The pain and anguish He went through on her behalf are

yielding results, and it ravishes His heart.

He says that her undying devotion to Him is the most yielded sacrifice.
Notice that it is not her undying, unwavering, unfailing obedience. We

all trip up, slip up, and mess up on occasion. Her heart desires to love
Him as He deserves; that matters most. We must remember this when

the enemy tries to discourage us and bring condemnation. It is our
hearts that Jesus looks at.

Interestingly, in the New International Version (NIV) and other

translations, the second stanza of verse 5 through verse 7 is a repetition
of compliments that the Bridegroom gave to the Shulamite in Chapter

4, verses 1–3. He knows that He has to convince us many times of His
love, admiration, and devotion before we believe it. This in itself is a

further indication of the kindness and compassion of our wonderful

God.

To remind you of some of the symbolism from other versions, we note

that the hair in verse 5 speaks of the strength of dedication to the
Lord—as was the case with Samson the Nazirite. She is a devoted,

living sacrifice unto God.

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