He brought me to the banqueting house, And his banner over me was Love.
Song of Solomon 2:4

And we pray:

May God bring you to His Abode: Place of rest, fulfilment, enjoyment and merriment. May His banner of Love spread all over and surround you in Jesus’ name, Amen.

The Kingdom of God is known within our spirits, and God resides in the temple of our hearts.

who is God, where is God, what is God? There is no doubt that a Creator exists. Just because some people are atheists and don’t believe in a God, and some others are agnostics, it doesn’t deny the presence of the existence of a Creator whom we call God.

Some people believe in the Big Bang theory, that everything came out of a chemical explosion, but then, who caused that explosion and how did a unique being like a human with 30 trillion cells, with an intelligent brain and a heart come into existence? Who created the sun, the moon, the stars, the birds, the animals and the flowers? There is no doubt that there is a Creator whom we call God. But who is this God?

Because we have grown up thinking that God is a man, a woman, we believe that God is made of bone and skin, God has a name, God has a form. We do not realise the truth that God is a Power. God is not Hindu or Christian. God doesn’t belong to any religion. God is the Supreme Immortal Power. Nobody created God. God is birthless, God is deathless. God is beginning less and God is endless. God has no name. God does not live in a temple or a church. That’s why the scriptures say, ‘The kingdom of God is within,’ and ‘God lives in the temple of our heart.’ Although ancient scriptures tell us that God is a Power, we have been taught otherwise by our religion, our parents, and our teachers.

The end result of our knowledge is that we pray to God, not in the form of a statue, an idol or an object. We serve an indescribable, undefinable Source.

As long as we do not realise the truth about God, we will continue to go round and round in circles. We cannot find God. God is the Supreme Immortal Power. That Power is in you and that Power is in me. We have to realise God and the only way to God-Realisation is through Self-Realisation. When we realise, ‘I am not the body, I am not the mind, I am the Divine soul’, we realise that The Supreme Immortal Power is the Source in one and all.

Song of Songs 2:3-4 (NIV)
She: “Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my beloved among the young men. I delight to sit in His shade, and His fruit is sweet to my taste. Let Him lead me to the banquet hall, and let His banner over me be Love.”

Song of Solomon 2:3-4 (MSG)
The Woman: “As an apricot tree stands out in the forest, my Lover stands above the young men in town. All I want is to sit in His shade, to taste and savor His delicious Love. He took me home with Him for a festive meal, but His eyes feasted on me!”
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“Like an apple tree [rare and welcome] among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men! In His shade I took great delight and sat down,
And His fruit was sweet and delicious to my palate. He has brought me to His banqueting place, and His banner over me is Love [waving overhead to protect and comfort me].” -AMPLIFIED

The use of banners was quite common in Biblical times. The word banner in our text in Hebrew is dagal. Dagal refers to a military standard or flag. This would be a flag would often display the name of the general, the king or the nation that the army was marching for. The banner would announce and make communicate who this military group represented and where your loyalties lie. Bottom line: it was a declaration of who you were willing to fight and die for.

Her: “My Love is like an apple tree in a wooded forest; He is a ripe tree among a grove of saplings, those young men. I sat beneath his ample shade, filled with such joy. I tasted the sweetness of his fruit and longed for more. He placed me at his banquet table, for everyone to see that his banner over me declares His Love.” -(VOICE)

We find the Beloved comparing her Lover to an apple tree. She was basically informing us that her man was one step above the average man. In her book he was tops.

She implies to us that she enjoys sitting in his shade; this fills her with joy. The fruit that is mentioned is a metaphor for his loving caresses, kisses and hugs. Our bride enjoys, even delights, in her time spent with her bridegroom.

We are then told that the Lover escorts his bride to his banqueting table. There, he places over her his dagal, his banner, declaring his great love for her. He makes this public knowledge, she is mine, I will defend her with my life.

The Girl: “My Lover is an apple tree, the finest in the orchard as compared with any of the other youths. I am seated in his much-desired shade and his fruit is lovely to eat. He brings me to the banquet hall, and everyone can see how much he loves me.” -(TLB)

“The figure of the bride and the bridegroom is used very frequently in Scripture. Isaiah in the Old Testament says, “As the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.” It is used of the Church in the New Testament, “Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word.” And when the apostle Paul speaks of the divine institution of marriage he says, “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the Church.” And then writing to the Corinthian believers, he says, “I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” Therefore, this delightful figure of the sweet and intimate marriage relationship is used through-out Scripture to set forth our union and communion with the Eternal Lover of our souls.” ~Harry A. Ironside

True Love is willing to protect and defend, 1 Corinthians 13 teaches us this truth. God gave us The Perfect example of this Truth.

“For God so [greatly] Loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send The Son into the world to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him.” -John 3:16-17 (AMP)

“God proved His Love on the Cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, “I Love you.”” ~Billy Graham

Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, about God’s unfathomable Love for us. Paul wrote:

“But God, with the unfathomable richness of His Love and mercy focused on us, united us with the Anointed One and infused our lifeless souls with life—even though we were buried under mountains of sin—and saved us by His grace. He raised us up with Him and seated us in the Heavenly realms with our beloved Jesus The Anointed, The Liberating King.” -Ephesians 2:4-6 (VOICE)

“We know how much God Loves us because we have felt His Love and because we believe Him when He tells us that He Loves us dearly. God is Love, and anyone who lives in Love is living with God and God is living in him.” -1 John 4:16 (TLB)

I remind you, God is the epitome of Love; He is LOVE! The Apostle John told us this:

“God is completely sovereign. God is infinite in wisdom. God is perfect in Love. God in His Love always wills what is best for us. In His wisdom He always knows what is best, and in His sovereignty He has the power to bring it about.”
~Jerry Bridges

My friend, God’s banner over us is Love. Love…Love that has redeemed us, Love that protects and defends us, overwhelming Love that wants the very best for us. Experience His Love for you today.

“Everything God does is Love — even when we do not understand Him.”
~Basilea Schlink