Reading for February 7th

 Read Ephesians 1.3-14. In 1.3-14: Praise to God. The repetitions of praise (vv. 6, 12, 14) divide the one Greek sentence into three parts (vv. 3-6; 7-12; 13-14). In verse 3: Heavenly places occurs nowhere else in the New testament but Ephesians (1.20; 2.6; 3.10; 6.12). In verses 5-6: Adoption, a favorite concept for Paul (Gal 4.15; Rom 8.15, 23; 9.4); Paul never uses beloved to characterize Christ though later Christian writers, like Ignatius, do. In verse 7: For Paul, redemption (a purchase payment) covers all of the believers' loves and is completed only at the second coming ("parousia"). (See 3.24; 8.23; 1 Cor 1.30; see also 1 Cor 15.23). Ephesians holds a similar view but never mentions parousia. In verse 8: Wisdom and insight emphasize adequate perception; the recipients should avoid deceit and spread truth (4.14, 25; 5.6; 6.14). In verse 9: Mystery, Colossians reserves this expression for Christ (Col 1.26-27; 2.2;4.3); here it indicates God's reconciliation of all things, including Jews and gentiles in the body of Christ (3.3-4, 9). In verse 10: Gather up, "headup": Jesus is head of the body and the church grows toward the head. In verse 11: Paul links adoption to inheritance (Gal 3.29; 4.7; Rom 8.17). In verses 12-14: We you connects vv. 7-12 to 13-24, anticipating the direct address to gentiles in 2.1 and 3.1. A seal confirms authenticity; a pledge is a deposit against the full amount to be paid later; both are used similarly in Paul's undisputed letters (2 Cor 1.22; 5.5; Rom 8.23). Comments or Questions.  

Reading for February 6th

Read Ephesians 1.1-2. In 1.1-2: The epistolary opening. It is typical for Paul's letters: Identification of the letter's sender and recipients, followed by words or greetings. Comments or Questions. 

Reading for February 5th

 Read Song of Songs 8.6-14: In verses 6-7: Sayings on love. Documents were secured with wax, which were then stamped with a seal bearing the owner's distinctive symbol. The woman marks the man as her own. In verses 8-14: Miscellaneous poems. The brothers, mentioned in ch. 1, speak. In verse 9: If on her wedding day she has been chaste (a wall), they will give her silver ornaments. If she has not, they will guard her. In verse 10: She maintains that she is chaste, and mature with full breasts (towers). In verses 11-12: The man maintains that his vineyard (that is, the woman) is better than that of Solomon, where a single piece of fruit was worth a thousand pieces of silver. Baal-harmon means "possessor of wealth." The location is unknown. In verse 13: The woman speaks these final verses. Comments or Questions..

Reading for February 4th

 Read Song of Songs 8.1-5. In 8.1-5: Expressions of desire. The woman is aware of the social constraints on their expressions of love. She wishes for the same freedom of affection and shared space that she would have with a brother. In verse 2: As elsewhere, pomegranates is a sexual image. In verse 5: The words of the chorus reveal that the lovers have been together in the countryside, perhaps having consummated their desire. For a third time, the woman connects their intimate moments with events of their own conceptions (3.4;8.2). Comments or Questions..

Reading for February 3rd.

 Read Song of Songs 7.6-13. In 7.6-13: Dialogue between lovers. The man expresses his desire to touch the woman: She is a delectable as fruit and delicious as wine. In verses 10-13: The woman invites the man into the fields: There, were blooms opening, she will give herself to him. In many cultures mandrakes are considered aphrodisiacs (Gen 30.14-16). Comments or Questions..

Reading for February 2nd

 Read Song of Songs 7.1-5. In 7.1-5: The man praises the woman's body. In his third description of the beauty of the woman's body, the man reverses his gaze and describes her from foot to head. Greater intimacy is implied by these images: He speaks of her navel and belly, normally hidden by clothing. In verses 4-7: The woman is compared to majestic geography and architecture. Hesbon: South of Jerusalem, known for its large reservoir. Bath-rabbim: Literary, "daughter of great ones." Carmel is a mountain range in northwestern Israel. Comments or Questions.

Reading for February 1st

 Read Song of 6.11-13. In verses 11-12: The woman speaks. The regal imagery continues, as the woman calls her lover my prince. In verse 13: A call to the woman. Shulammite: The woman is called "the Shulammite," meaning unclear. it could be a feminine form of the name Solomon, indicating nobility. An unidentified group asks to  gaze upon her. The man rebuffs the request. A dance before two armies may refer to a specific kind of dance or perhaps explains that such a display would be as lewd as a woman dancing in front of two armies of men. Comments or Questions..