"Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame." (S.O.S. 8:6)
"Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH. For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbor under the vine and under the fig tree." (Zechariah 3:8-10)
So yesterday I heard something encouraging, just in case I might feel like giving up: that Martin Luther started a commentary on the Book of Zechariah and did not finish it; apparently it was too convicting and was not what he expected it to be. Don't be concerned, I have not given much thought to giving up; some, but not much! Call me a glutton for punishment, as it is and always has been my nature to take on things others might otherwise run from.
What's that saying, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Well, therein is the summary of what I see is a deeper meaning within this particular verse: we cannot die, therefore we are destined to become stronger and stronger, even in death we have the victory! Say what you will, I don't mind being called names. As a child I was always short, made fun of because of my shortness; so I took on the name, Shorty, and became something of a legend among my peers.
Strange thing is, that is how I met my wife. She was told to watch out for me, because I was trouble; then six years latter, when she heard I was back in town, she came and found me; taking my heart and turning me into another person. That is the secret to the message, the mark is not just a mark that is set upon us; the mark is a sign of what we are all about. When Christ changes us, we become His vessel for life! Not that we are His vessel for our lifetime, because we are automatically; but that we are representing the eternal life associated with knowing Him.
Seeing the content of this from a more simple illustration, the request to be a seal, is not for the benefit of being the mark, but to be the reason that the mark is exploited or used up. It is like saying, Let all that I am be about serving you, even though it may not be accepted among my peers, that it is settled within me! Oddly enough, this is the main reason that there are so many that give up; if they are even thinking about giving up, it is not based upon what the Lord thinks of them, but what they perceive that others around them think.
Thus the extreme passionate metaphors about death and the grave: we enter into a love that is like death, in that it has finality; the jealousy is the zeal that causes us to forsake all others, as does the grave, in that it is the place of no return. If anyone is gong to be united with us again, it will be there that we shall see them, the grave! I know that might sound harsh and over the top; but in reality, that is why Jesus said what He did, when He said; "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26)
Basically, it is all about commitment to following the LORD, at all cost, and without expecting any reward for doing so, but the life that He has to offer; that is the mark for life: eternal life in Christ. It changes your whole outlook on life...
"Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give peace unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." (Roman 12:19-21)
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