Jim Gallagher

Song of Songs 6:9

“My dove, my perfect one, Is the only one, the only one of her mother, the favorite of the one who bore her. The daughters saw her and called her blessed, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.”

This young Shulamite woman has become the envy of everyone in the nation. She is looked upon as the favorite of her mother and receives praises from queens and concubines alike. Her beauty seems to have no rival within Israel, and she is put upon display for all the world to see. This had not always been the case. Earlier we read of how this young woman was viewed by those who knew her.

Song of Songs 1:6 “Do not look upon me, because I am dark, because the sun has tanned me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; they made me the…

Song of Songs 7:1

“How beautiful are your feet in sandals, O prince’s daughter!”

Song of Solomon is like a series of love letters between Solomon and his bride, designed to express the great love they have for one another. Writing love letters is not unique to their relationship. Thousands of years later, it is still common for two people who are in love to write to one another. I recall a time when my wife and I were dating, she drove to the grocery store where I was working, just to put a note on my car,  so when my shift ended I would know she was thinking of me. Sadly, in many cases, as the years pass, love notes are replaced with “honey-do-lists”, and our relationship becomes more like partners working together for a common goal. In a time where communication is at high speed and easy access, many…

Ephesians 1:16
“I do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers . . .”

Prayer is the place where we express our greatest desires. It is at the Throne of Grace our hearts pour out their deepest cries to God. Paul spoke to the Romans about those times when our hearts cry is so great, it is manifested with “groaning’s that cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26). Here we find the Apostle crying out in prayer for the saints and we learn what his greatest desires are for the Christian. His prayer consists of four requests.

“May God give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him . . .”

Jesus defined eternal life as “knowing God”. It is when we receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, that we begin a relationship with God. Paul’s plea is…

Song of Songs 4:

“You are all fair, my love, and there is no spot in you.”

In addition to being a love story, Song of Solomon also illustrates the love God has for us. Perhaps, nowhere is that more evident than in this verse. It has been stated, love is blind; because when two people are truly in love they do not focus on what is wrong with one another. It is not that God’s love is blind and He does not notice sin in His children, but through the cross, He has washed our sins away. When God looks upon those who have been born again, He sees us as holy and blameless. Two different applications cry out to us from this one verse.

First, since we are holy, we should seek to live holy. It is important that our lifestyle lines up with the fact that we…

Song of Songs 3:11

“Go forth, O daughters of Zion,

And see King Solomon with the crown

With which his mother crowned him

On the day of his wedding,

The day of the gladness of his heart.”

Most of us have heard the phrase, “Honeymoon experience.” It carries the idea that the bliss we experience at the moment will soon pass and the reality of life will begin to set in. This phrase is applied to an array of new experiences, including getting a new job, car, house or beginning a new relationship. The sentiment is derived from people’s view of marriage. It will begin with bliss, but will soon settle into monotony or something worse. This view of marriage is both common and tragic. Common, because we see it happening all around us. Tragic, because this was never God’s intent for marriage.

In many cases, the model of marriage…

Galatians 6:12

“As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh, these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.”

Galatia was located northwest of Syria. It was a region consisting of such places as Tarsus, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. It was the location of Paul’s first missionary journey. As Paul and Barnabas traveled throughout Galatia preaching the Gospel, many trusted in Christ and churches were birthed. While nothing matches the thrill of seeing someone come to Christ, the preaching in Galatia came at a very high price. It was there, Paul was beaten and left for dead. Some suggest, the vision problems that plagued him, were a result of the severe beating he endured at the hands of those who rejected Christ. This persecution was initiated by the Jewish people who refused to accept that…

Song of Songs 2:7

“I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the does of the field, do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases.”

Song of Solomon is a poetic love story between Solomon and a young Shulamite woman. Throughout the story, we read of their passionate expressions of love for one another. There is much for every married couple to learn, but there is another message tucked away within the story. It is a warning repeated three times throughout the book. The warning is simple, yet profound, “Do not stir up nor awaken love until it pleases.” All those who hear the words of this poem, are to also hear the exhortation; the expressions of love declared in these pages have an appropriate place. That place is within the covenant of marriage.

It seems the lessons of Song of Solomon are ignored…

Song of Songs 1:6
“Do not look upon me, because I am dark, Because the sun has tanned me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; They made me the keeper of the vineyards, But my own vineyard I have not kept.”

Song of Songs 1:15

“Behold, you are fair, my love. Behold, you are fair! You have dove’s eyes.”

The Song of Solomon is a poetic drama. It tells the story of a love relationship between Solomon and a young woman. Within its pages we will find many lessons to apply to our marriage relationship. The first of these is the value of building up one another.

This young woman did not consider herself to be beautiful. Like many women, when she looked in the mirror, she only saw her faults. She saw, because of long days working in the hot sun, she would never fit the mold of…

There is an interesting progression of commands found in Galatians 5. We are exhorted to stand, run and walk. Each of these terms, reveals something important about how to follow Jesus.

Galatians 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”

Sin is like a shackle that holds us in bondage. When we receive Christ, those chains are broken and we are set free; sin no longer has dominion over us. However, it is possible to let sin back into our lives, and we become enslaved to it once again. In order to ensure our freedom from sin, Paul exhorts us to “stand fast.” This term is used to speak of not being easily moved. It is a term that would describe an offensive lineman in football. He knows that at the snap of…

Ecclesiastes 12:13

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.”

The book of Ecclesiastes is a bit like an experiment. Solomon looked at life the way a scientist does an experiment. He sought to discover the meaning of life by asking questions, doing research, creating an hypothesis, and drawing a conclusion. It is here, at the end, that he makes his discovery known to his readers. His conclusion, after years of experimentation, is that the purpose of life will be found in fearing God and keeping His Word.

Fearing God is a reoccurring theme in the Bible. It is first mentioned in the story of Abraham being asked to offer his only son to God. This was a test to determine if Abraham loved God more than anything else in life. The conclusion we draw is that fearing…