"The Kiss"
Let us meditate for a few moments on, "The Kiss". When a kiss is given between two people who deeply love each other, I have given it the following definition. It is an intimate and outward expression to convey the inward feelings of a devoted and satisfied heart.
There are different kinds of kisses for different purposes. They are as follows:-
------The kiss of salutation
------The kiss of innocence (a child)
------The kiss of devoted love
------The kiss of goodbye
------The kiss of erotic gratification
The kiss is mentioned in the Bible a number of different times. I have chosen 7 different ones to meditate on.
When Joseph first revealed who he was to his brethren, they were afraid as we see in verse 3. They were afraid of what Joseph might do to them in retribution for what they had done to him. However they know nothing of Joseph's heart. His heart is filled with love for them, and now he must dispel their fears.
To do this Joseph says, "Come near unto me, I pray you." And they come near. This is the beginning of the healing process for them. Joseph now repeats what they had done to him, and goes on to show them that even though they did it out of hatred, God allowed it to preserve Joseph's family. (God's chosen people)
Then Joseph says to his brethren, "Haste ye! and go up to my father, bring him,your wives, and your children down to me. I will let you dwell in the land of Goshen. You will be NEAR UNTO ME. There I will NOURISH YOU."
Next Joseph says to his brethren, "Your eyes have seen my glory in Egypt. Your ears have heard that it is my mouth that speaks to you. Go and tell it to my family and bring them down to me." Then in verse 15 he kisses and weeps upon each of his brothers. Their fear is now put to rest. His kisses signal to his brothers his heart of love and forgiveness.
At the end of verse 15 it says, "They talked with him." That is they enjoyed communion together. How wonderful to see this family of brothers once again united and sharing together. We know that eventually the rest of the family was brought down (70 in all) and they dwelt at Goshen, near to Joseph, and he fed them (nourished) just a he said he would.
Can you see yourself in this picture? Well let me explain what I mean. Joseph had brothers that hated him without reason. When Jesus came into this world there were those that hated Him without a cause. This attitude of hatred is a demonstration of our sinful human nature. Joseph's brothers hatred caused them to do something. They sold him to Ishmeelites who took him to Egypt, out if their sight. They also took Joseph's coat, dipped it in blood and told their father he must have been killed. This was a lie, which is also a function of our old nature. So we see in Joseph's brothers a picture of ourselves before salvation.
Man's hatred of the Lord Jesus caused him to do something. That was to put the Jesus to death on the cross.
When Jesus was on the cross an amazing thing happened. He cried out, "Father forgive them, they know not what they do." In like manner when Joseph reveals himself to his brothers he says, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good." In both cases we see God working to accomplish His purposes in spite of the circumstances.
If Joseph had not been sold into Egypt, he would not have collected all that food, and his brothers could have died of starvation. Then there would not have been any children of Israel. But that was not God's plan.
Similarly if man's hatred had not put Christ on the cross there would not have been any salvation from sin for you and me. But that also was not God's plan.
When Joseph revealed himself to his brethren he said, "Come near unto me." And they came near. They experienced his kiss and his weeping on each brother. This brought about a change in each one. They were changed from hatred to love. They were changed from distance to nearness. They were changed from not talking to having sweet communion. They were changed from having fear to having confidence.
In like manner we too have been changed through faith in Christ. We have been changed from hatred to love. We have been changed from being afar off to being nigh. We can even enter within the veil. We have been changed in that once we had a guilty conscience before God, but now we have a purged conscience - no condemnation. Truly we have been richly blessed, as we read in Ephesians 1:3 we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
Joseph nourished his brothers when they came and dwelt near to him. We too can be nourished if we dwell near to our precious Saviour and read His word.
How wonderful is the story of Joseph, and the lessons it teaches us.
Let us meditate for a few moments on, "The Kiss". When a kiss is given between two people who deeply love each other, I have given it the following definition. It is an intimate and outward expression to convey the inward feelings of a devoted and satisfied heart.
There are different kinds of kisses for different purposes. They are as follows:-
------The kiss of salutation
------The kiss of innocence (a child)
------The kiss of devoted love
------The kiss of goodbye
------The kiss of erotic gratification
The kiss is mentioned in the Bible a number of different times. I have chosen 7 different ones to meditate on.
&--------&--------&--------&
Joseph
The first one we will look at is Joseph. In Genesis 45:15 it says, "Joseph kissed all his brethren and wept upon them. In this we see the tender, loving heart of Joseph toward his brethren, who had shown nothing but hatred and malice toward him.
Joseph
When Joseph first revealed who he was to his brethren, they were afraid as we see in verse 3. They were afraid of what Joseph might do to them in retribution for what they had done to him. However they know nothing of Joseph's heart. His heart is filled with love for them, and now he must dispel their fears.
To do this Joseph says, "Come near unto me, I pray you." And they come near. This is the beginning of the healing process for them. Joseph now repeats what they had done to him, and goes on to show them that even though they did it out of hatred, God allowed it to preserve Joseph's family. (God's chosen people)
Then Joseph says to his brethren, "Haste ye! and go up to my father, bring him,your wives, and your children down to me. I will let you dwell in the land of Goshen. You will be NEAR UNTO ME. There I will NOURISH YOU."
Next Joseph says to his brethren, "Your eyes have seen my glory in Egypt. Your ears have heard that it is my mouth that speaks to you. Go and tell it to my family and bring them down to me." Then in verse 15 he kisses and weeps upon each of his brothers. Their fear is now put to rest. His kisses signal to his brothers his heart of love and forgiveness.
At the end of verse 15 it says, "They talked with him." That is they enjoyed communion together. How wonderful to see this family of brothers once again united and sharing together. We know that eventually the rest of the family was brought down (70 in all) and they dwelt at Goshen, near to Joseph, and he fed them (nourished) just a he said he would.
Can you see yourself in this picture? Well let me explain what I mean. Joseph had brothers that hated him without reason. When Jesus came into this world there were those that hated Him without a cause. This attitude of hatred is a demonstration of our sinful human nature. Joseph's brothers hatred caused them to do something. They sold him to Ishmeelites who took him to Egypt, out if their sight. They also took Joseph's coat, dipped it in blood and told their father he must have been killed. This was a lie, which is also a function of our old nature. So we see in Joseph's brothers a picture of ourselves before salvation.
Man's hatred of the Lord Jesus caused him to do something. That was to put the Jesus to death on the cross.
When Jesus was on the cross an amazing thing happened. He cried out, "Father forgive them, they know not what they do." In like manner when Joseph reveals himself to his brothers he says, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good." In both cases we see God working to accomplish His purposes in spite of the circumstances.
If Joseph had not been sold into Egypt, he would not have collected all that food, and his brothers could have died of starvation. Then there would not have been any children of Israel. But that was not God's plan.
Similarly if man's hatred had not put Christ on the cross there would not have been any salvation from sin for you and me. But that also was not God's plan.
When Joseph revealed himself to his brethren he said, "Come near unto me." And they came near. They experienced his kiss and his weeping on each brother. This brought about a change in each one. They were changed from hatred to love. They were changed from distance to nearness. They were changed from not talking to having sweet communion. They were changed from having fear to having confidence.
In like manner we too have been changed through faith in Christ. We have been changed from hatred to love. We have been changed from being afar off to being nigh. We can even enter within the veil. We have been changed in that once we had a guilty conscience before God, but now we have a purged conscience - no condemnation. Truly we have been richly blessed, as we read in Ephesians 1:3 we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.
Joseph nourished his brothers when they came and dwelt near to him. We too can be nourished if we dwell near to our precious Saviour and read His word.
How wonderful is the story of Joseph, and the lessons it teaches us.
& -------- & -------- & -------- &
Mary of Bethany
The next person we shall meditate upon is Mary of Bethany, which we read about in John 12. She lived in Bethany with her sister Martha, and her brother Lazarus. Inside Bethany was a small group of people who loved Jesus. Outside of Bethany was a large group of people who hated Him. These were the chief priests, the Scribes, and the Pharisees. It was dangerous for Jesus to be visiting here, because Bethany is very close to Jerusalem where the head quarters was for the people who hated Him. Prior to this visit to Bethany, Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead.
We find that the chief priests in verses 10 and 11 wanted to put Lazarus to death. That was because many Jews were flocking to Jesus and believing on Him and leaving the synagogue. This angered the chief priests. Also the Pharisees did not believe in the resurrection, so Lazarus being raised destroyed their belief.
Jesus loved to come to Bethany because here was a remnant of Jews who loved Him. In Jerusalem were those who followed the law, but they did it out of custom, rather than because of love for the Lord, and a desire to be obedient to Him. What a pleasure it was to the Lord to see 3 people who whole heartedly loved Him. So we have to ask ourselves, why do we go to meeting? Is it because we do it for custom? Or do we whole heartedly love the Lord and desire to please Him.
With these 3 people e see 3 different acts of service to the Lord. Lazarus represents communion, because he sat at the table with the Lord. Martha represents service, because she served. Mary represents devotion, because she sat at His feet. We need to incorporate all 3 into our lives.
Mary came to the Lord and sat at His feet and anointed Him with Spikenard very costly. She knows Him as the resurrection, because she had seen Him resurrect her brother. But she also knows He is rejected, and that He is going to die. She does this in view of His burial, which Jesus appreciated very much. Not only does she anoint His feet, but she wipes them with her hair. Now a woman's hair is her glory. She so to speak lays that which is her glory at His feet. However in doing so she allows her hair to become saturated with the spikenard. In fact the whole house becomes filled with the odour of the ointment. Where ever she goes she will radiate this odour from her hair. This is a picture of what a Christian should be like. We should radiate the odour of Christ where ever we go.
As this account ends Martha ends up with her raised up brother. However Mary ends up with the Lord, who she loves dearly.
Now you may be saying, "I don't see anything here about kissing." Well don't forget there are four gospels each describing much the same thing. In the gospel of Luke, chapter 7, verses 37 to 50 this scene tells of a lot of kissing. Here again she is showing her affection for this Man who is God, who she loves so much. It challenges us as to how deep is our love for our precious Saviour?
Then there is the son received from the father. When a sinner comes to the Lord they receive the kiss of relationship, and grace, and mercy. What a wonderful kiss this is!
The father also has the fatted calf killed and there is music and dancing, and they began to be merry. No mention of the merriment and joy stopping. So to when we enter the Father's house there will be no end, it will be forever.
Now as you read this story father you find that the older son hears the music and dancing and he asked one of the servants what it meant. When he finds out that his young brother has come home, he is jealous and proud. He tells his dad that he never did anything wrong, but he never had a party like that, and he refuses to go into the house. Here is a picture of the self righteous who feel there is nothing wrong with them. These people will not be able to enter the Father's home above.
How very precious that we have confessed our sinful condition and accepted the salvation of the Lord, and will be able to enter the father's home above. Here we can gaze upon our precious Saviour, and behold His Glory. John 17. There is nothing more glorious than this.
In Ruth 1:14 it tells us that - They lifted up their voices, and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. In this case, with Orpah we have the kiss of goodbye. She did not realize or understand what Ruth did regarding the God of Israel. Unfortunately Naomi was able to persuade Orpah to go back to her false gods, and the land of Moab, which was an abomination to God. This was very sad. It is sad not only because Naomi persuaded Orpah to go back to Moab, with her false gods, but because Orpah turned her back on the God of Israel, who was the only true God, and the only One who could bring blessing into her life. Even today people are doing the same thing. They are turning their backs on the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only One who can give them salvation, and eternal blessing.
In contrast we have Ruth who in verse 16 of chapter 1 says, "Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go, where thou lodgest, I will lodge, thy people shall be my people,an thy God my God." What a beautiful spirit we see in Ruth. Remember she came from the same background as Orpah, but somehow she realized the God of Israel was different to her gods, and she chose to follow Him. How different from the choices that Elimelech and Naomi and their boys made in the earlier part of the chapter. The spiritual choices we make in life are extremely important. The choice Ruth made ends up with her marrying Boaz, and having a child called Obed which means "servant" and "worshipper." This reminds us of another child that was born to be a "servant" even the Lord Jesus Christ. It is interesting to realize that Ruth, Boaz and Obed are all part of the genealogy of Jesus.
The next person we shall meditate upon is Mary of Bethany, which we read about in John 12. She lived in Bethany with her sister Martha, and her brother Lazarus. Inside Bethany was a small group of people who loved Jesus. Outside of Bethany was a large group of people who hated Him. These were the chief priests, the Scribes, and the Pharisees. It was dangerous for Jesus to be visiting here, because Bethany is very close to Jerusalem where the head quarters was for the people who hated Him. Prior to this visit to Bethany, Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead.
We find that the chief priests in verses 10 and 11 wanted to put Lazarus to death. That was because many Jews were flocking to Jesus and believing on Him and leaving the synagogue. This angered the chief priests. Also the Pharisees did not believe in the resurrection, so Lazarus being raised destroyed their belief.
Jesus loved to come to Bethany because here was a remnant of Jews who loved Him. In Jerusalem were those who followed the law, but they did it out of custom, rather than because of love for the Lord, and a desire to be obedient to Him. What a pleasure it was to the Lord to see 3 people who whole heartedly loved Him. So we have to ask ourselves, why do we go to meeting? Is it because we do it for custom? Or do we whole heartedly love the Lord and desire to please Him.
With these 3 people e see 3 different acts of service to the Lord. Lazarus represents communion, because he sat at the table with the Lord. Martha represents service, because she served. Mary represents devotion, because she sat at His feet. We need to incorporate all 3 into our lives.
Mary came to the Lord and sat at His feet and anointed Him with Spikenard very costly. She knows Him as the resurrection, because she had seen Him resurrect her brother. But she also knows He is rejected, and that He is going to die. She does this in view of His burial, which Jesus appreciated very much. Not only does she anoint His feet, but she wipes them with her hair. Now a woman's hair is her glory. She so to speak lays that which is her glory at His feet. However in doing so she allows her hair to become saturated with the spikenard. In fact the whole house becomes filled with the odour of the ointment. Where ever she goes she will radiate this odour from her hair. This is a picture of what a Christian should be like. We should radiate the odour of Christ where ever we go.
As this account ends Martha ends up with her raised up brother. However Mary ends up with the Lord, who she loves dearly.
Now you may be saying, "I don't see anything here about kissing." Well don't forget there are four gospels each describing much the same thing. In the gospel of Luke, chapter 7, verses 37 to 50 this scene tells of a lot of kissing. Here again she is showing her affection for this Man who is God, who she loves so much. It challenges us as to how deep is our love for our precious Saviour?
& -------- & -------- & -------- &
The Prodigal Son
For this account we need to turn to Luke 15. As you know the younger son could not wait for his father to die, so he could inherit his portion of his father's estate. So he asks his father to give him the portion due to him right now. His father complies, and the younger son packs his bags and takes off. He heads for a far country, and there spends his money on riotous living. When his money ran out he went and got a job with a farmer who kept pigs. The farmer gave him the job of feeding the pigs. He got so hungry he felt like he could eat the food he was feeding to the pigs. Then it says, "He came to himself." This means he suddenly realized where he was and the plight he was in, and he also remembered that his dad had hired servants who were better off than he was right now. So he decides to go home and ask his dad if he can become one of his servants.
Then in all his dirty smelly clothes, and worn out shoes, he sets off for home. As he is walking down the road that leads to his home, his father sees him when he is afar off. His father must have been watching for him to have this happen. The father runs and catches up with his son before he gets home. He had compassion on him, and he fell on his neck and kissed him. The son says, "I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son." By this time they are up to the house and he does not get a chance to say, "make me as one of thy hired servants." His father then instructs his servants to bring forth the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger, and shoes on his feet.
This is a picture of a sinner who accepts the Lord Jesus as saviour. He receives the robe of righteousness. The ring of eternal relationship. And shoes to walk before the Lord in holiness. What a beautiful picture.
Then in all his dirty smelly clothes, and worn out shoes, he sets off for home. As he is walking down the road that leads to his home, his father sees him when he is afar off. His father must have been watching for him to have this happen. The father runs and catches up with his son before he gets home. He had compassion on him, and he fell on his neck and kissed him. The son says, "I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son." By this time they are up to the house and he does not get a chance to say, "make me as one of thy hired servants." His father then instructs his servants to bring forth the best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger, and shoes on his feet.
This is a picture of a sinner who accepts the Lord Jesus as saviour. He receives the robe of righteousness. The ring of eternal relationship. And shoes to walk before the Lord in holiness. What a beautiful picture.
Then there is the son received from the father. When a sinner comes to the Lord they receive the kiss of relationship, and grace, and mercy. What a wonderful kiss this is!
The father also has the fatted calf killed and there is music and dancing, and they began to be merry. No mention of the merriment and joy stopping. So to when we enter the Father's house there will be no end, it will be forever.
Now as you read this story father you find that the older son hears the music and dancing and he asked one of the servants what it meant. When he finds out that his young brother has come home, he is jealous and proud. He tells his dad that he never did anything wrong, but he never had a party like that, and he refuses to go into the house. Here is a picture of the self righteous who feel there is nothing wrong with them. These people will not be able to enter the Father's home above.
How very precious that we have confessed our sinful condition and accepted the salvation of the Lord, and will be able to enter the father's home above. Here we can gaze upon our precious Saviour, and behold His Glory. John 17. There is nothing more glorious than this.
& -------- & -------- & -------- &
Judas Iscariot
The next person we will consider is Judas Iscariot. He was one of the twelve disciples. We might ask, "Why did Jesus choose him, when He knew he would betray Him? We have to remember that Judas was with the Lord when He healed the sick, in the case of Lazarus He raised the dead. Judas saw Him feed the five thousand, and have compassion on the children. All these things should have touched his heart. But the heart of Judas was stone cold, it could not be touched. His conscience was seared. The character of Judas was displayed as the worst evil seen in a human, and the desperate heart of mankind. It displayed how evil and corrupt man can be. Judas stands in stark contrast to the beloved disciple John, who when he was in the upper room with Jesus at the last supper, laid his head on Jesus' bosom. John's heart was deeply touched as he got to know the One who is the source of love itself.
Judas on the other hand, out of his heart of evil, does one of the most despicable things, he betrays Jesus to the Jews who wanted to kill Him. He betrays Jesus with a kiss. In Matt 26:49 Judas comes to Jesus and says, "Hail master" and kisses Him. What a strange thing for him to say. He did not own Jesus as master. It was an insult. And then to kiss Him was the most insulting thing of all. How Judas displays the evil of the human heart. Maybe you are saying, "My heart is not like that." As a child of Adam yes it is. But as a child of God it has been changed. May we ever display the heart of God in our lives.
The next person we will consider is Judas Iscariot. He was one of the twelve disciples. We might ask, "Why did Jesus choose him, when He knew he would betray Him? We have to remember that Judas was with the Lord when He healed the sick, in the case of Lazarus He raised the dead. Judas saw Him feed the five thousand, and have compassion on the children. All these things should have touched his heart. But the heart of Judas was stone cold, it could not be touched. His conscience was seared. The character of Judas was displayed as the worst evil seen in a human, and the desperate heart of mankind. It displayed how evil and corrupt man can be. Judas stands in stark contrast to the beloved disciple John, who when he was in the upper room with Jesus at the last supper, laid his head on Jesus' bosom. John's heart was deeply touched as he got to know the One who is the source of love itself.
Judas on the other hand, out of his heart of evil, does one of the most despicable things, he betrays Jesus to the Jews who wanted to kill Him. He betrays Jesus with a kiss. In Matt 26:49 Judas comes to Jesus and says, "Hail master" and kisses Him. What a strange thing for him to say. He did not own Jesus as master. It was an insult. And then to kiss Him was the most insulting thing of all. How Judas displays the evil of the human heart. Maybe you are saying, "My heart is not like that." As a child of Adam yes it is. But as a child of God it has been changed. May we ever display the heart of God in our lives.
&-------- & -------- & -------- &
Ruth and Orpah
In Ruth 1:14 it tells us that - They lifted up their voices, and wept again; and Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. In this case, with Orpah we have the kiss of goodbye. She did not realize or understand what Ruth did regarding the God of Israel. Unfortunately Naomi was able to persuade Orpah to go back to her false gods, and the land of Moab, which was an abomination to God. This was very sad. It is sad not only because Naomi persuaded Orpah to go back to Moab, with her false gods, but because Orpah turned her back on the God of Israel, who was the only true God, and the only One who could bring blessing into her life. Even today people are doing the same thing. They are turning their backs on the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only One who can give them salvation, and eternal blessing.
In contrast we have Ruth who in verse 16 of chapter 1 says, "Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go, where thou lodgest, I will lodge, thy people shall be my people,an thy God my God." What a beautiful spirit we see in Ruth. Remember she came from the same background as Orpah, but somehow she realized the God of Israel was different to her gods, and she chose to follow Him. How different from the choices that Elimelech and Naomi and their boys made in the earlier part of the chapter. The spiritual choices we make in life are extremely important. The choice Ruth made ends up with her marrying Boaz, and having a child called Obed which means "servant" and "worshipper." This reminds us of another child that was born to be a "servant" even the Lord Jesus Christ. It is interesting to realize that Ruth, Boaz and Obed are all part of the genealogy of Jesus.
& -------- & -------- & -------- &
Jonathon and David
Jonathon and David
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