On The Road To Emmaus: Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament

Forward

“The Old Testament is one big picture book!”

That’s what the preacher said!  

He continued, “You see, we are all children and we need stories, like a comic book, we need illustrations, in order to learn what our Father would want us to know.”

The year was 1995, I had been a Christian for over twenty years but I had never heard that!  You mean the Old Testament isn’t just a long treatise on how God wants us to live?  How we should try to be good.  You mean it’s not just the documentation of how we are all inadequate and thus need the New Testament with Jesus with his death & resurrection replacing our inability to save us on our own?

Nope…He said that the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.  He continued that the Old Testament stories and pictures typified New Testament principles and truths.  Physical battles in the Old portray spiritual battles in the New.  Taking out every person of a neighboring enemy country, always sounding pretty harsh to me, really was talking about sending away my flesh, going “all in’ for Jesus, it was talking about the spiritual, not the physical.  Applications to my life just started pouring forth, what a revelation it was!

And not only principles, but prophecy too.  I learned that kings and nations, psalms and inanimate objects, spoke of future events and people.  Pictures of Antichrist, Satan, the End Times & of course our hero, Jesus Christ were all there to be amazed by & considered.

So, this is the purpose I have & what I want you to experience in writing this book.  I hope you get to feel the excitement I felt as you see the Old Testament in a new and bigger way.  As you see it as one big children’s book showing us our wonderful Savior Jesus Christ. 

Introduction

And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about (seven miles).  And they talked together of all these things which had happened.  And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them…Then he said unto them…Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?  And beginning at Moses (the five books of Moses) and the prophets (prophetical writings), he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.  Luke 24:13-27

What a Bible study that must have been!  Jesus the Christ explained to these two privileged men from all the scriptures in the Old Testament things speaking of & picturing him.  The Teacher undoubtedly spoke of Abel, of Joseph, of David & of Isaac.  He must have mentioned Boaz & Joshua & Solomon & Esther.  He likely told of how the Old Testament sacrifices, the Rock in the wilderness, the Tabernacle and the weekly Sabbath all pointed to him.  I’m sure he suggested the prophecies of his suffering found in the Psalms, in Isaiah, in Hosea & in Zechariah.  Yes, what a mind-blowing, mind expanding time that must have been for those two men!  

Now the secret was out!  The Old Testament is all about Jesus.  If we will look, we will see that the words of Moses & David, the words of Isaiah & Zechariah all point to him!  What a revelation that must have been.  What a revelation it still is!  Christians, brothers & sisters…the Old Testament is about Jesus!  It’s not about rules & regulations so much, it’s not about Jewish history & poetry per say, it’s speaks, it pictures, it typifies our Lord.  It tells of our Savior and Friend in a way that makes it impossible for the man or the woman with eyes to see, to think & say anything other than “Jesus is Lord!”

Scholars call this idea of Jesus being interlaced everywhere in the Old Testament the “Red Thread.” 

Yes, Jesus is present everywhere in the Old Testament.

Let’s look together. In so doing we will see people pointing to Jesus, pictures typifying Jesus, prophecies proclaiming Jesus & poems singing of Jesus.

Part I: People Pointing to Jesus: Excerpts

Joseph: Betrayed by his Brothers

After Jesus explained Isaac’s story to those two blessed men on the road to Emmaus he undoubtedly came to Joseph.  And what a story he could tell!  Remember Jesus had just been rejected by his brothers, the leaders of Israel, it was the third day after all of these things had transpired, and now the echo of Joseph’s rejection could be heard loudly!  

Let’s listen.

Joseph was with his brethren and brought unto his father their evil report.  Now Israel loved Joseph…And when his brethren saw that their father loved him…they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.  And Joseph dreamed a dream and he told his brethren:  And they hated him yet more…And his brethren envied him. Genesis 37:3-11 (excerpts)

Just as Jesus was not what his brothers, the Jews, expected in the Messiah so too Joseph, as the youngest of his ten brothers in this story, was hated and envied.  Jesus spake the truth to the men of Israel and the truth they could not bear.  Likewise, Joseph prophesied hard truths which also his brothers, the men from which the tribes of Israel were formed, could not accept.

And Israel said to Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? … Go I pray thee, and see if it be well with thy brethren…So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. Genesis 37:13-14

Israel, who pictures the Father in this story was concerned about Joseph’s brothers.  They were in Shechem.  The significance of their local can easily be missed but is an important little nugget.  Shechem was the town just outside of the Promised Land where Jacob had first resided when had returned from the East.  There, his daughter Dianna was raped by the son of the town leader and Simeon and Levi retaliated by killing the men of Shechem.  This place had bad memories for Jacob and rightly so!  

So in telling Joseph to seek out his brethren in Shechem, Jacob was really telling him to go get those boys out of that bad place.  Likewise, the Father saw the nation of Israel living in a place outside of his promises and called his son Jesus to visit them.

In Joseph’s story we learn that he left his father in Hebron to visit his brothers.  Once again the name of the city tells a story.  In this case Hebron means “fellowship!”  Joseph left the place of fellowship with his father just as Jesus left heaven, that place of perfect fellowship with the Father, to look for his brethren!

And he came to Shechem.  And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wondering in the field:  And the man asked him, saying, What seekest thou?  And he said, I seek my brethren:  Tell me, I pray thee, where they feed their flocks.  And the man said, they are departed hence; for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan.  And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan. Genesis 37:15-17

The men of Israel left the place outside of the Promised Land and now were in Dothan.  The meaning of Dothan tells of their state for Dothan means “two wells” or more correctly in this story it means “double pits” or “double darkness.”  The brothers were in a place of double darkness just as the nation of Israel had been led into a place outside of God’s Word & promises by their double errors of rituals and traditions.

And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. Genesis 37:18

Likewise, the Jews also conspired to slay Jesus when he was still far from them.  They saw him as rabble rousing rabbi from a no-name village in Galilee.  In their preconceived blindness of who Jesus was and were he came from they were unable to see the Light of the World!

And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer cometh.  Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit…And Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hands; and said let us not kill him. Genesis 37:19-21

In like manner, “Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man” (Luke 23:4). Reuben, the oldest of the brothers and supposedly the leader, like Pilate, was ultimately inept and unable to save Joseph from the evil intentions of his brothers. 

And it came to pass, when Joseph was come to his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colors that was on him; and they took him, and cast him into a pit. Genesis 37:23-24

Jesus too was stripped, abused and subsequently cast into the pit we know as the Garden Tomb.

And they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph for twenty pieces of silver: Genesis 37:28

True to the type, Jesus arose out of the tomb also.  But instead of twenty pieces of silver our Lord was betrayed into that pit for thirty pieces!  (Matthew 26:15)

In Joseph’s story, he left and went to Egypt where he became second only to Pharaoh in power and prestige.  For the last 2,000 years Jesus has risen to be with the Father, where he too has been glorified, equal to the Almighty.  In Joseph’s story, he later tested his brothers when they came to Egypt to buy bread early in the seven year world-wide famine.  Likewise, Jesus will test his brethren, the Jews, in that still to come seven year famine we understand to be the Tribulation.  Jesus will subsequently rescue his family just as the one who is pictured in our story rescued Jacob and the sons of Israel in that day.

Yes, most certainly Joseph’s ordeal was included on that wonderful walk on the road to Emmaus!

Before we leave Joseph’s amazing testimony we must again reflect upon the oft repeated truth in God’s Word that things are not always as they appear!  From Joseph’s perspective, his life was a mess.  He was abused by his brethren, sold into slavery and later betrayed by the wife of his master Potiphar who had him placed in jail for two years.  Things could not have been worse for him really.  All the while, Jacob his father, was led to believe that his beloved son was dead, killed by some wild beast.  He was quoted as saying “For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning” (Genesis 37:35).  And, “Me have ye bereaved of my children:  Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away:  All these things are against me” (Genesis 42:36).

Neither Joseph nor Jacob understood that God was behind the scenes working everything out to fulfill the bigger purpose.  To complete the “Bid Idea!”  In this case, God used Joseph to deliver his brothers from their pathetic and starved state just as Jesus was used to deliver both Jew & Gentile from our hopeless & doomed condition. 

Later Joseph did receive insight into the reasons for his plight.  He said to his brothers, 

Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither:  For God did send me before you to preserve life. …And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. Genesis 45:5&7

On that day still to come, we will hear the angel say “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments” (Revelation 16:7)

Yes, God’s ways are not our ways.  God plans are not always how we might map things out.  And most importantly, God does not exist for us!  On the contrary, we exist for him.  He is the Potter and we are the clay.  His purposes will always be achieved.  And wonderfully we must always remember when we come to that place of uncertain grief & pain that God is in control, that God is on the throne, that God has the whole world in his hand!

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

Benjamin:  Son of My Right Arm

In the youngest son of Jacob we have yet another picture of Jesus Christ.  His name does the painting.

And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was a little way to come to Ephrath (Bethlehem):  And Rachel travailed, and she had hard labor.  And it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.  And it came to pass, as her soul was departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni:  But his father named him Benjamin. Genesis 35:16-18

In her sorrow & grief, in her travail and despair, as life departed from her, Rachel named her son Benoni.  “Son of my sorrow” is the name she gave her son.  In her sorrow, in her labor, in her death she brought forth life! 

That’s what Jesus did also.  In his sorrow, in his labor, in his death on the cross, he too gave life.  Life to you and me, life to all who would come to him!  Jesus is Benoni!  Jesus is Son of my sorrow!

Behold, my servant…he hath no form or comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows…For he was cut off from the land of the living:  For the transgression of my people was he stricken. Isaiah 52 & 53 (excerpts)

And yet Jacob, his father, renamed his son “Benjamin.”  The new name the patriarch gave his son was “son of my right arm.”  No longer was Benjamin to be the son who reminded Jacob of the sorrow he and Rachel shared.  His son was to be his strength.  Benjamin was the completer of his posterity.  Benjamin was his glory!

Likewise, the Lord Jesus is the completer, is the strength, is the glory of his Father.  In his sorrow, he too became the Son of his Father’s right arm.

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  Who, being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God; but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  Philippians 2:5-8

This is Benoni!

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11

This is Benjamin!  This is the new name that was given to the Son of Sorrows, the new name which is above every name, the name indicative of his Father’s strength and glory.

Now the application to this story is vitally important.  Like Rachel, like Jesus, I need to die.  In dying there is life!  It’s a paradox, yet I know it is true.  When I die to myself I actually begin to live.  When I stop thinking about myself and look to build up others, then I find life.  That’s all that dying to self means!  Stop thinking about me!  Forget about me!  Think to bless others, think to sacrificially help others, like Jesus did…then I too will be exalted and honored!  I too will be given a new name.

Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out:  And I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God:  And I will write upon him my new name. Revelation 3:12

Part II:  Pictures Typifying Jesus: Excerpt

The Red Heifer:  The Purification for Sin

On the Road to Emmaus, Jesus certainly must have mentioned the typology associated with Israel’s Red Heifer.  The similarities of this sacrifice scream out crying, “this is Jesus, look, this is what we did to him!”

This is the ordinance of the law which the Lord hath commanded, saying, Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring thee a red heifer without spot, wherein is no blemish, and upon which never came yoke. Numbers 19:2

A red heifer was rare.  An uncommon recessive gene is what scientifically allowed a cow to be completely red.  Likewise, Jesus, as the only begotten of the Father, is unique.  He is one of a kind just as the red heifer would be at any given time in Israel.  Also the sacrifice was to be without spot and blemish.  In Jesus we see his beauty, perfection and sinlessness illustrated, don’t we?  Lastly, no yoke was to have come upon that animal.  Jesus of course, in his walk was never under any human control or authority.

And ye shall bring her unto…the priest (the high priest), that he may bring her forth without the camp, and one (another) shall slay her before his face. Numbers 19:3

This verse makes me cry as I consider that the Jews do not see this!  This is exactly what happened to the rabbi called Yeshua!  On the night of his passion the cohort of men brought Jesus to the high priest, Caiaphas.  He arranged for Jesus to be taken outside of the camp (Calvary) where another (the Romans) slew Jesus before his (Caiaphas’) face!

Of note, this was the only sacrifice that the priests did not actually slay themselves.  All others, the bulls, goats, lambs & birds were sacrificed directly by the priests to reveal to the people the seriousness of their sins. Once again, the uniqueness of this sacrifice points to our Lord’s matchless offering!

And…the (high) priest shall take of her blood with his finger, and sprinkle of her blood directly before the tabernacle of the congregation seven times. Numbers 19:4

Seven is that perfect number speaking of completeness.  In this case, the blood of the heifer completely purifies just as does the blood of the Redeemer.  We also remember that our Savior was pierced in seven places to which I think this verse also speaks.  His hands, feet, back, head & side were all bloodied to cleanse us from our sin.

And one shall burn the heifer in his sight; her skin, and her flesh, and her blood, with her dung, shall he burn. Numbers 19:5

This sacrifice was completely consumed by fire.  It was dramatic, it was disturbing, it was fierce.  In like manner, the consuming fire of the Father’s wrath toward sin came down upon the One of whom the red heifer speaks.

And the priest shall take cedar wood, and hyssop, and scarlet, and cast it into the midst of the burning of the heifer. Numbers 19:6

These three items come up time and time again as pictures found portraying the crucifixion story.  The cedar wood of his cross, the hyssop wood likely used to deliver his blows when he was scourged and the scarlet blood that he shed. 

Then the priest shall wash his clothes, and he shall bathe his flesh in water…and the priest shall be unclean… Numbers 19:7

This offering is particularly singled out as defiling the high priest.  Likewise, Caiaphas and the Jews also despoiled themselves in condemning the One pictured in this sacrifice.  And in their refusal to cleanse thereafter they permanently cursed themselves.

And a man that is clean shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and lay them up without the camp in a clean place. Numbers 19:9a

This of course prophesizes of how Joseph of Arimathea, a clean man not involved in the brutal activities of that day, gathered up our Lord’s fleshly carcass and placed him in a new tomb wherein no man had been laid.

And it shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Israel…it is a purification for sin. Numbers 19:9b

For the children of Israel, this is the purpose of the sacrifice of the Red Heifer.  It was the purification for sin.  It was the payment for sin.  Likewise, in considering the meaning of the word “Israel” for those who are governed by God, those believers who have submitted to God, our Lord’s sacrifice is the purification for sin!

What a picture indeed!  As I said, the sacrifice of the red heifer can only be sounding one call, only one song, only one name…Jesus!

Now before we leave this sacrifice there one more interesting and unusual detail to consider.  That is, this offering was particularly singled out to be female.  No other sacrifice was required to be of Eve’s gender.  It didn’t matter for goats, lambs and birds.  Of course the sacrifice of bulls by definition needs to be male.  But here we have the only female sacrifice.  How does that relate to Jesus?  The answer lies in one of the names of God.  He is God Almighty, in Hebrew that is El Shaddai.  He is “El” meaning manly, masculine, powerful.  But he is “Shaddai” meaning the breasted one, the compassionate one, the feminine one.  You see, Jesus is complete.  He is the One who upholds everything by the word of his power (Hebrews 1:3) yet he also is the One who seeks out the one lost sheep, tells the children to come to him and like a mother tells us he will never leave or forsake us.  Unlike Adam who needed to marry Eve to be completed (Genesis 2:24), Jesus is whole in himself.  He is both masculine and feminine.  He is the sacrificed bull & he is the Red Heifer.  He is the one & only, El Shaddai!

Part III:  Prophecies Proclaiming Jesus: Excerpt

This Day is this Scripture Fulfilled in Your Ears

In the early days of his ministry, Jesus was indeed a celebrity.  To use the vernacular of our day, he was a “rock star!”  His fame was proceeding forth as he traveled from village to village in Galilee teaching with authority and healing by the power of God.  People were amazed and awed by this rabbi who seemingly had appeared out of nowhere.  So when this holy man everyone was talking about arrived back in his little home town of Nazareth the elders of the synagogue were perplexed.  Here was one of their own, one from low estate and not felt to be of much potential now acting like a prophet of old.  Indeed, they must have been confused and more than a bit skeptical!

With that as a backdrop, let’s look at the amazing words which were spoken;

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee:  And there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.  And he taught in their synagogues being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up:  And, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. Luke 4:14-16

On the Sabbath it was customary for adult men, those of age thirty to fifty, to read from the scriptures and then to expound upon the words to those listening.  When it came Jesus’ turn came to read, he was given the book of Isaiah…

And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written (Jesus knew the Word & knew what he wanted to share!).  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord. Luke 4:17-19 (parenthesis added)

Jesus read one and a half verses from today’s Old Testament Bible.  The words of Luke then say that Jesus closed the book, gave it to the minister, and sat down.  With all eyes fastened upon him, the listeners were eager to hear what this Rabbi would say about the words he had read.

Then he began to say to them, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Luke 4:21

Jesus didn’t say, “This scriptures means such & such” no, he said today, this very day, the words I am reading to you are fulfilled in my presence.  That is, Jesus was clearly stating to those elders and listeners the he, Yeshua of Nazareth, was the Anointed One sent by God to preach the gospel to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, preach deliverance to the captives, heal the blind, set at liberty the bruised and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.  He was clearly proclaiming to those skeptics in his home town that he was Messiah!

The story continued by noting that the men of Nazareth did not accept that this “little one” of their own could be the one sent from God for the nation’s deliverance, thus they attempted to kill God’s Anointed by pushing him off the cliff the village sat upon.  Luke implied that it was not Jesus’ time to die as he writes that Jesus simply and powerfully walked through the midst of the enraged men as they were powerless to stop this One preaching the acceptable year of the Lord!  

But in looking at this section of scripture from Isaiah, the student of the Word will note that our Lord stopped right in the middle of the prophecy given by God to Isaiah.  After proclaiming the acceptable year of the Lord, the words of Isaiah go on to say “and the day of vengeance of our God” (Isaiah 61:2).

Jesus stopped where he did because he understood that he was not there on that day to proclaim the day of vengeance of our God.  Jesus correctly divided the scriptures as he taught on that Sabbath.  He could not have said to those men “this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” if he had read that next phrase, as that portion of Isaiah’s prophecy was not yet to be fulfilled.  We know in hindsight that the day of vengeance of our God is still in the future.  Today, we live in the Age of Grace, awaiting the Second Coming of the Anointed.  On that day, a day of awesome fury still in the future, Jesus will physically come back to earth in the clouds with power and great glory.  It will be on that day that the final portion of Isaiah’s prophecy will be fulfilled.  It will be a day that the Book of Revelation teaches we will see blood flowing up to the horse’s mane in the valley of Armageddon.  That will be the day of vengeance of our God upon those who unfortunately do not embrace the One who previously came proclaiming the acceptable day of the Lord!

Part IV:  Poems Singing of Jesus: Excerpt

The Song of Songs:  The Shepherd-King with His Bride

The Song of Solomon, written in the 10th Century B.C. is the only one of a thousand & five songs penned by King Solomon which God directed to be included into his Holy Word.  To the unspiritual person, to the natural man, the Song of Songs is seen as an unattainable love manual for a husband and a wife to seek after, realizing that its perfection may not be reachable.  Others, of baser intellect, see only an erotic oriental love poem in its verses.  But we, three thousand years after its inspiration, can see The Song of Solomon in its proper light.  Scholars have concluded that there are two interpretive points of view.  Portraits which are independent from each other but both correct nonetheless.  First, the Song is a divine picture of pure love.  Love without lust on the one hand or austerity & somberness on the other.  It can be seen as God ordained love, later called “agape” love in the New Testament where the concept of self is lost in the presence of such a powerful force.  It indeed can be seen as a goal for the God-ordained human marriage.  The second and more important interpretive point of view is that Solomon’s Song of Songs is a wonderful and mystical love story between a Shepherd-King and his beautiful wife.  We can see a powerful allegory & a prophetic picture of the ongoing marriage between the Son of Solomon, Jesus Christ the Shepherd-King, and his wife the Church of Christ, made up of both Jews & Gentiles, as we consider the Song of Songs.  So let’s reflect upon this stunning poem which sings of our Lord.  It’s not only a top-forty hit, but it’s one of the greatest and most profound songs ever sung!

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth:  For thy love is better than wine. The Song of Solomon 1:2

In the Bible, wine is synonymous with joy.  We see in this verse that intimacy and joy are bed partners.  Truly intimacy with our Husband is most joyous.  As the David proclaimed, “In thy presence is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11).  For the Christian marriage today, this type of intimacy can only be attained as a couple focuses together upon Jesus.

Because of the savor of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. The Song of Solomon 1:3

Ointments were the medicines of the day.  Of course, the Bible types oil as the Holy Spirit.  Indeed our Husband is spiritual health to our souls.  Also, we see that the virgins, those people of purity, will be attracted to the Lord.  They will love him.

Draw me, we will run after thee… The Song of Solomon 1:4a

I can’t reach my Lord on my own.  I’m a sinner without the ability to find him.  The Bible teaches that it’s the Spirit which woos our hearts.  Jesus told his disciples that they did not choose him but it was he which chose them (John 15:16).  

But look, after being drawn by him, then we can run after him.  How good is that!

I am black, but comely…as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. The Song of Solomon 1:5

What a wonderful dichotomy.  The Bride recognizes that she is black like the tents of Kedar, that is, we understand our sin nature and of our need of repentance.  But she also notes her comeliness, she grasps that she is white like the curtains of Solomon.  Likewise, we comprehend that we have this wonderful treasure in earthen vessels.  We revel in our knowledge that we have Christ in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27)!

Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon:  For why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of the companions? The Song of Solomon 1:7

Here we see that the King is also a Shepherd.  Of course, in this we see Jesus the Good Shepherd loud & clear.  But also, isn’t this so much like we are!  The bride asks, “where are you Lord? I don’t want to hang out with the sheep I want to just be with you.”  Look at his answer…

If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds’ tents. The Song of Solomon 1:8

You will find me, the King replies, when you travel with the flock.  In other words, I’m into church, look for me there along with other believers & I will be found.  And feed the kids, take care of the little ones, I will be there too! …