Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone should hear My voice and open the door I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. Rev. 3:20.
Jesus presents Himself as standing outside the door into Laodicea, knocking and seeking an invitation to enter. Philadelphia's door is the door of salvation. Christ holds it open, and no one can shut it. But the door here is shut not by Jesus but by Laodicea itself. It is an allusion to the Song of Solomon. Note the story behind this imagery.
"I slept but my heart was awake. Listen! My lover is knocking:
" 'Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.'
" 'I have taken off my robe--must I put it on again? I have washed my feet--must I soil them again?"
"My lover thrusts his hand through the latch-opening; my heart began to pound for him. I arose to open for my lover, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with flowing myrrh, on the handles of the lock. I opened for my lover, but my lover had left; he was gone. My heart sank at his departure. I looked for him but did not find him. I called him but he did not answer" (S. of Sol. 5:2-6, NIV).
Solomon's original wife was the daughter of Pharaoh, king of Egypt (1 Kings 3:1, 2). Though based on a political alliance, a loving marriage seems to have developed. While in later life Solomon assembled a massive harem, recent research suggests that he was monogomous for the first 20 years (1 Kings 9:9, 10; 11:1-4) (Richard Davidson, Flame of Yahweh: A Theology of Sexuality on the Old Testament). Affairs of state were such that direct contact between the king and queen may have been quite intermittent, since they lived in different but adjoining palaces (1 Kings 7:7, 8).
The story told in this song may reflect a night when the queen knew Solomon was in town and thinking of her.
The Song of Solomon is the story of a particular woman in Solomon's harem, who may have been his favorite. She had been hoping he would come for her that night. After waiting and waiting, she finally gave up and went to sleep. Then he arrives! But in her sleepiness she did not jump up and invite him in. "No, not now. I don't feel like getting up and putting my robe on again. My feet might get dirty on the floor." Finally she has a change of heart and runs to the door and opens it. The tragedy is that he is already gone.
This is a scary scenario when applied to a church. Jesus does not force His way in, but allows us to make the choice. The message here is that the church has no time to lose. If Laodicea does not act soon, it will be too late.
Lord, am I ignoring You? Am I deaf to Your knocking at my heart? Draw me to the door of my heart today! I don't want to delay opening to You.
Jesus presents Himself as standing outside the door into Laodicea, knocking and seeking an invitation to enter. Philadelphia's door is the door of salvation. Christ holds it open, and no one can shut it. But the door here is shut not by Jesus but by Laodicea itself. It is an allusion to the Song of Solomon. Note the story behind this imagery.
"I slept but my heart was awake. Listen! My lover is knocking:
" 'Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.'
" 'I have taken off my robe--must I put it on again? I have washed my feet--must I soil them again?"
"My lover thrusts his hand through the latch-opening; my heart began to pound for him. I arose to open for my lover, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with flowing myrrh, on the handles of the lock. I opened for my lover, but my lover had left; he was gone. My heart sank at his departure. I looked for him but did not find him. I called him but he did not answer" (S. of Sol. 5:2-6, NIV).
Solomon's original wife was the daughter of Pharaoh, king of Egypt (1 Kings 3:1, 2). Though based on a political alliance, a loving marriage seems to have developed. While in later life Solomon assembled a massive harem, recent research suggests that he was monogomous for the first 20 years (1 Kings 9:9, 10; 11:1-4) (Richard Davidson, Flame of Yahweh: A Theology of Sexuality on the Old Testament). Affairs of state were such that direct contact between the king and queen may have been quite intermittent, since they lived in different but adjoining palaces (1 Kings 7:7, 8).
The story told in this song may reflect a night when the queen knew Solomon was in town and thinking of her.
The Song of Solomon is the story of a particular woman in Solomon's harem, who may have been his favorite. She had been hoping he would come for her that night. After waiting and waiting, she finally gave up and went to sleep. Then he arrives! But in her sleepiness she did not jump up and invite him in. "No, not now. I don't feel like getting up and putting my robe on again. My feet might get dirty on the floor." Finally she has a change of heart and runs to the door and opens it. The tragedy is that he is already gone.
This is a scary scenario when applied to a church. Jesus does not force His way in, but allows us to make the choice. The message here is that the church has no time to lose. If Laodicea does not act soon, it will be too late.
Lord, am I ignoring You? Am I deaf to Your knocking at my heart? Draw me to the door of my heart today! I don't want to delay opening to You.
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