Good morning church family,
When a man decides to pursue a woman, he must first summon sufficient nerve to approach her. Stuffing his self-conscious apprehension into his socks, allowing his stammering tongue to swing loose on its hinges, and tying himself to the mast; he steps up and makes his intentions known. Looking her in the eye, he delivers the lines he’s rehearsed as best he can. Whether the look she gives in reply be coy, quizzical, or bedeviling; he must not be deterred in finally laying it on the line. “Will you…,” he asks; his soul being poured like water into her hands, “will you go out with me?”
I’ve always been fascinated with this standard bit of language that men often use; asking a woman if she’d “go out” with him. No matter the feelings a woman may have tucked away in her heart for a man and no matter how those feelings may find expression in private conversation and correspondence; the man who is truly interested in a woman will eventually want her affection to be made public – very public. He wants her to walk into town on his arm, be seated with him at a café table for two, be introduced to everyone as his date, and – one day – he’ll want her to wear his ring and even take his name. He wants her to be “out” with him.
As I ponder on this, it reminds of a lovely bit of verse from King Solomon’s Song of Songs poem. The dashing, young king discovers a beautiful country girl and begins to woo her. This Shulammite woman is shy and humble; regarding herself as but a wildflower compared to the lovely, cultivated blooms of the King’s Court. She’s awed by the King’s stature, power, and handsome manner. He flatters her and showers her with gifts. But she wonders if his interest in her goes any deeper than her skin. What if she is just another conquest of his? What if the king is only interested in whatever pleasure she may bring him but not interested in her for who she is? What if Solomon is the type of man who will poach an elephant for its ivory? But these fears proved all for nothing. For you can almost hear the relief and rapturous joy in the young woman’s heart as she recounts what the King did for her: “He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.” (Song of Songs 2:4)
You cannot be more “out” than to be by the king’s side at his banqueting house. Solomon brings this country girl to the capital city of Jerusalem and there, in front of his family and friends, military aids and government officials, prophets and priests, the aristocratic elite and VIPs; there he makes his entrance with the young woman on his arm. And the banner over her – or, if you will, the billboard in big block letters, the press conference with a hundred microphones to pick up and broadcast the news, the trumpet’s fanfare blast – the banner over her was the king’s love. How wonderful for her.
I think of this sometimes when Jesus asked those men long ago to drop what they were doing to come and follow Him. What Jesus was asking them to do was to be publicly associated with Him and His kingdom. Christ wanted His disciples to be “out” with Him. I remember very well when the Lord called me and asked me to follow Him. He came to me in the privacy of my heart and in the sanctuary of my spirit and my reply was favorable. But, before long came the call to step out and make my commitment public. God called me to testify, to be baptized, to join the Church, and to take the name of Jesus; calling myself a Christian. I confess to having had some apprehension and fear. I think I would have liked for my interest in God to remain private. I wasn’t very comfortable exposing myself to the scrutiny of family and friends or with taking a position on right and wrong, eternity and judgment.
But, in the end, it was the Lord’s public commitment to me that led me to live my life for Him. Jesus left the perfection of Heaven to come and make a way for me to go back to Heaven with Him; walking the line of righteousness, battling Satan, and being lifted up on the cross to be the atonement for my sin. At Calvary, Jesus brought me into the banqueting house and His banner over me was love.
If the Lord is pursuing you today – don’t be shy about accepting His invitation. For, to be out with Jesus is far better than being left in and all alone without Him.
We’re looking forward to gathering together tomorrow morning to sing God’s praises, study His Word, and take steps on the path He’s marked out for us. We are His and He is ours – what a blessing! And what a joy to welcome others in to His banqueting house. May the Lord, mighty God, bless and continue to keep us!
- Pastor Tate
