When the Presence of God departed from Mt. Horeb in Sinai, what was left?
The first answer is found in Exodus 21:5-6, another love law concerning bond slaves. A slave had absolutely no status, no rights, but a bond¬servant had the right to leave his master after his period of servitude was finished.
Howev¬er, if a bond¬servant married a wife, he could not legally take her away with him after he had served his contract with his master. He could keep his wife only if he stayed with his master in permanent servitude.
Furthermore, the bondservant who elected to stay with his master had to submit to a painful procedure as an outward sign of his submission. The ceremony was this: he would be taken to the front door of his master's house, whereupon his earlobe would be spiked through to the doorway. The nail would be immediately withdrawn, but the resulting scar would be an outward symbol that the man had chosen to stay with his master.
The scar would also be there, both in the ear and in the door, as if to say, "I love my wife and have given my¬self for her so I can give myself to her."
The bondservant is a parable of the love affair God has with mankind.
Jesus was also spiked through—in his hands and his feet—in order to redeem his Bride, his Body—you and me (1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 5:25-27).
The great King of the universe humbled Himself to become a bond-servant for our sakes. Christ gave Himself for us so that He could give Himself to us. God is love. That is what everything is about.
That is why we were born, to love and be loved. To know the love of all loves is the secret of all secrets. Know that, and you possess the answer to the meaning of life. A loveless Gospel is a contradiction—a sea without water, sun without light, honey without sweetness, bread without substance. The Gospel is ultimately nothing other than the expression of God's infinite love for us.
From Genesis to Revelation, the love epic moves from eternity to eternity: "I have loved you with an everlasting love," God says to us (Jer. 31:3). Hosea heard the cry of God. Israel was finally wandering into the darkness of their long historical night, and Hosea was permitted to catch the echo of the divine anguish.
"How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? . . . My heart churns within Me; my sympathy is stirred"
(Hos. 11:8).
“Love divine, all love excelling…”
The first answer is found in Exodus 21:5-6, another love law concerning bond slaves. A slave had absolutely no status, no rights, but a bond¬servant had the right to leave his master after his period of servitude was finished.
Howev¬er, if a bond¬servant married a wife, he could not legally take her away with him after he had served his contract with his master. He could keep his wife only if he stayed with his master in permanent servitude.
Furthermore, the bondservant who elected to stay with his master had to submit to a painful procedure as an outward sign of his submission. The ceremony was this: he would be taken to the front door of his master's house, whereupon his earlobe would be spiked through to the doorway. The nail would be immediately withdrawn, but the resulting scar would be an outward symbol that the man had chosen to stay with his master.
The scar would also be there, both in the ear and in the door, as if to say, "I love my wife and have given my¬self for her so I can give myself to her."
The bondservant is a parable of the love affair God has with mankind.
Jesus was also spiked through—in his hands and his feet—in order to redeem his Bride, his Body—you and me (1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 5:25-27).
The great King of the universe humbled Himself to become a bond-servant for our sakes. Christ gave Himself for us so that He could give Himself to us. God is love. That is what everything is about.
That is why we were born, to love and be loved. To know the love of all loves is the secret of all secrets. Know that, and you possess the answer to the meaning of life. A loveless Gospel is a contradiction—a sea without water, sun without light, honey without sweetness, bread without substance. The Gospel is ultimately nothing other than the expression of God's infinite love for us.
From Genesis to Revelation, the love epic moves from eternity to eternity: "I have loved you with an everlasting love," God says to us (Jer. 31:3). Hosea heard the cry of God. Israel was finally wandering into the darkness of their long historical night, and Hosea was permitted to catch the echo of the divine anguish.
"How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? . . . My heart churns within Me; my sympathy is stirred"
(Hos. 11:8).
“Love divine, all love excelling…”
