Rev. David Holwick ZK Psalms
First Baptist Church (communion)
Ledgewood, New Jersey
December 7, 2014
Psalm 85:1-13
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I. Santa does it.
A. Christmas is an affectionate time of year.
1) Mistletoe is a popular tradition of the season.
a) No one really knows where the tradition came from.
1> Some say the pre-Christian Druids invented it.
b) More modern versions say Santa likes to kiss women
under mistletoe.
2) Holiday affection can be very dangerous.
a) Office parties are notorious for getting out of hand.
B. How I came up an unusual topic.
1) I was looking for appropriate psalms for Christmas and
Psalm 85 caught my eye.
a) It mentions peace and love and salvation - and kissing.
b) But it is a very strange kind of kissing, between
righteousness and peace.
c) That's not how we usually view romance.
2) Got me to thinking what the Bible says about kissing.
a) It says more than you might think. There are about
45 references to kissing in the Bible.
93% of kissing happens outside of marriage.
20% of kissing happens between a man and a woman.
73% of kissing happens between two men.
b) Jesus was kissed twice:
Once as a sign of devotion by a former prostitute.
Once as a sign of betrayal by a former disciple.
c) 5 times in the N.T. believers are COMMANDED to kiss. [1]
C. If you are a good Christian, you will want to do it right.
II. Kissing shows the closeness of relationships.
A. It is often a sign of affection between lovers.
1) For some conservative Christians, this is controversial.
2) They want to develop relationships that are pure and honor
God and think we should limit premarital affection.
a) Think of the Duggar family, who have strict rules on
affection (and also 19 kids).
1> The current New Yorker magazine spoofs them.
b) The people in the Bible certainly had a conservative
approach to intimacy but they were not this rigid.
3) Sometimes Biblical kissers are not even married.
a) Jacob kisses Rachel on their first "date." Gen 29:11
1> It must have been a torrid romance:
A> She is herding a bunch of sheep.
B> Jacob uncovers the well and waters the animals.
C> He kisses Rachel and starts crying.
2> Kissing is OK because they get married.
A> AFTER he marries her sister, but that is a
whole 'nuther story.
B> He kisses his father-in-law, too.
4) The Song of Solomon extols the romantic angle. Song 1:2
"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth -- for
your love is more delightful than wine."
That sounds pretty modern.
B. Kissing is most common within families.
1) Parents and children.
a) Jacob kisses his father Isaac. Gen 27:26-27
b) Moses kisses his father-in-law. Exod 18:7
c) Naomi kisses her daughters-in-law. Ruth 1:9
2) Siblings kiss a lot.
a) Jacob and Esau. Gen 33:1-4
1> This was more a kiss of relief.
2> Jacob was uncertain of his reception by his brother.
A> The 400 armed men with Esau was not encouraging.
B> So he sent the lesser of his family out in front.
C> That way, if Esau was bent on revenge, Jacob
could escape with his favorite wife.
3> As it turned out, they embraced each other. Gen 33:4
"But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he
threw his arms around his neck and kissed him.
And they wept."
C. A lot of emotion can be tied up in kissing.
1) I was surprised at the number of times Bible kisses are
combined with tears.
2) It is often an occasion of departure, or of seeing each
other after long years apart.
a) Joseph, who was betrayed by his brothers and sold into
slavery, then becomes powerful in Egypt, weeps and
kisses his long-lost brother Benjamin. Gen 45:14
b) Naomi kisses her daughters-in-law and weeps because
she is sending them away from her. Ruth 1:9
III. Kissing can also be dangerous.
A. Modern people know all about this.
1) Dutch research.
A recent Dutch study published in the journal Microbiome
says the more affectionate you are, the more germs
you get.
They found that a simple peck on the lips results in the
exchange of over 1,000 different kinds of germs.
Sloppy kisses are even worse.
A 10-second kiss transfers 80 million bacteria.
The shorter partner gets the worse of it, because the
bacteria flow downhill.
Want to be safer? Bump fists. #64649
2) The danger is not limited to germs.
a) Proverbs 7:13-19 warns about the kisses of an adulteress.
1> It says you are better off getting an arrow in your
liver.
b) Beware of the kisses of fake friends.
1> General Joab greets his rival Amasa with a kiss -
and stabs him in the stomach while he does it.
2> And we can relate to David's son, Absalom, who
wanted to take over as king.
A> He kissed everyone's hand, just like politicians
today.
B> Insincere, but very effective. 2 Sam 15:5-6
c) The book of Proverbs has some gems.
1> Proverbs 27:6 - "Wounds from a friend can be
trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses."
2> Proverbs 24:26 - "An honest answer is like a kiss
on the lips."
B. People in the Bible had deeper concerns than germs.
1) Hosea 13:2 mentions kissing calf-idols.
a) This was the ultimate disloyalty to God.
b) It is not a very appealing image, either.
2) Job and Elijah both make a vow to never do it.
IV. Kissing has an important spiritual dimension.
A. Kissing was a regular feature of early Christian worship.
1) It was a greeting that was equivalent to our handshake.
2) Outsiders imagined it was more intimate than it really
was, so churches stopped doing it.
B. Kissing reveals something special about God's character.
1) Psalm 85:10 uses a beautiful metaphor of God's righteousness
and peace kissing each other.
a) Love and faithfulness and salvation are tied in as well.
b) Throughout this psalm, God does all the loving.
1> He shows favor and restores fortunes.
2> He forgives sin and offers salvation.
2) The parable of the Prodigal Son shows God's love in a kiss.
a) We all should know the story of the wild young man
who gets his inheritance early, goes to the big
city and blows it on wild living.
Then he starves almost to death and vows to go back
home and beg to be taken in as a slave.
He knew his father could never forgive him.
He wasn't worthy to be called his son.
He could never pay his father back.
But he had to eat, so he started home...
Serm #64650
b) Luke 15:20 shows the outcome.
"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw
him and was filled with compassion for him;
he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and
kissed him."
The son never had to beg for forgiveness or even
for food.
The kiss told him he was loved again.
This is how God wants to welcome us.
The Puritans called these experiences "God's Kisses,"
when events in our lives give us an overwhelming
sense that God cares for us.
V. You can kiss God as well.
A. Psalm 2:12 says we should kiss the Son (=Messiah). Ps 2:12
"Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in
your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him."
1) This is all about giving our allegiance to Jesus.
2) We may not appreciate the wrath part, but God's
affection is not the only option.
B. Those who are wise will kiss him and take refuge in him.
1) Have you?
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
[1] Caleb Suko blog, “What the Bible Says About Kissing Might Surprise You,”
February 12, 2013. <http://sukofamily.org/what-the-bible-says-about-kissing-might-surprise-you/>
#64649 “What’s In A Kiss?” Illustration Exchange staff, December 2, 2014,
<www.IllustrationExchange.com>. Original source is “The Germy
Perils of a French Kiss, Especially if You Are Short,” by
Liz Neporent, posted Yahoo! News, November 19, 2014, via
Good Morning America.
Sermon #64650 “The Kiss of God,” Rev. Jeff Strite, church of Christ in
Logansport, Indiana, February 2013; <www.SermonCentral.com>.
These and 35,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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Derek Kidner Commentary
I. Overview.
A. Begins with chastened prayer.
B. Nourished by recollection.
C. Focus on God's promise.
1) Resolve to listen to God.
D. Climax is of concord, best in Bible.
1) Spiritual, moral and material.
II. Details.
A. Former mercies. (1-3)
1) You showed favor to us - back then. But not now.
2) They are not pining for past glories, but remembering
past mercies.
B. Present estrangement. (4-7)
1) Emphasis on "to turn" in the psalm.
2) Remembering God's self-consistency.
3) Judgment is God's strange work but salvation is his
standard response.
C. Pause for reflection. (8-9)
1) Singular response ("us" to "me") shows the psalmist
listening for God's answering word.
2) Peace - Isaiah 57:18ff may provide a commentary.
D. Harmonious prospect. (10-13)
Kisses in the Bible, Zondervan Pictorial Dictionary of the Bible
I. Human bonding.
A. Very emotional.
1) Often, tears mingle with the kisses.
a) Jacob, on meeting his desired bride. Gen 29:11
b) Joseph, seeing his long-lost brother Benjamin. Gen 45:14
c) Joseph and death of his father. Gen 50:1
d) Naomi, leaving her daughters-in-law. Ruth 1:9
e) David and Jonathan. 1 Sam 20:41
2) Blessings are also mixed with them.
a) Laban blessing grandchildren. Gen 31:55
b) David and Barzillai. 2 Sam 19:39
B. Family.
1) Fathers and sons.
a) Isaac and Jacob. Gen 27:26-27
b) Jacob (Israel) and Joseph. Gen 48:10-12
c) Moses and father-in-law. Exod 18:7
d) David reconciles with Absalom. 2 Sam 14:33
e) Elisha's desire to kiss parents good-bye. 1 Kg 19:20
2) Grandchildren.
a) Laban. Gen 31:27-29,55
3) Siblings.
a) Jacob and Esau. Gen 33:2-6
1> Jacob wasn't sure how he would be received.
b) Joseph and Benjamin and rest of them. Gen 45:14-15
c) Aaron meeting Moses on mountain. Exod 4:27
4) Potential relatives.
a) Jacob and Laban. Gen 29:13-14
C. Friends.
1) David and Jonathan. 1 Sam 20:41
a) Sworn friendship.
2) David and Barzillai. 2 Sam 19:39
D. Fake friends.
1) Absalom politicking. 2 Sam 15:5-6
2) Joab greeting Amasa - and killing him. 2 Sam 20:9-10
a) Judas and Jesus. Matt 26:48-49
3) Enemies who multiply kisses. Prov 27:6
a) Compare honest answers. Prov 24:26
II. Romance.
A. Lovers.
1) Jacob and Rachel. (on first date!) Gen 29:11
2) Song of Solomon. Song 1:2; 8:1
B. Adultery.
1) Prostitute-adulteress in Proverbs. Prov 7:13-19
III. Spiritual.
A. Samuel kisses Saul, whom he anointed as king. 1 Sam 10:1
B. Negative - Idolatry.
1) Elijah doesn't kiss idols of Baal. 1 Kings 19:18
2) Job doesn't kiss idols. Job 31:27
a) Would be unfaithful to God.
3) Kissing calf idols. Hos 13:2
C. Kissing the Son (=Messiah). Psalm 2:12
D. Righteousness and peace kiss. Psalm 85:10
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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