When the Apple of God’s eye declared in Psalm 23:2 that, “He makes me to lie down in green pastures”, whilst many of us may be tempted to regard “green pastures“ as referring to God supplying our every need in amazing abundance, whilst this is true, “green pastures” actually refers to something profoundly more significant, something much more precious and valuable. And it’s because of this much more valuable thing being put first, coming first, that all our basic needs are often then met.

     For in Matthew 6:33, hasn’t the LORD our God already defined the nature and proper order of our kingdom perspectives and priorities? Which is to FIRST AND FOREMOST, seek the “Kingdom of God and His righteousness”? And THEN, AND ONLY THEN, shall all these other things be added unto us? Which is God’s own way of letting us know that whilst we may have a view of what needs are priority, from God’s view, our most pressing and vital need, before all other needs, is not only to SEEK the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, but to FIND them.

     For has it not been said that God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, and that His ways are not our ways? For whereas the thoughts of man would define the hierarchy of man’s needs as beginning with man’s “basic and physiological needs” (Maslow), thereafter progressing up the hierarchy of needs towards “self-actualisation” at the very apex, as the very last of our needs, God’s thoughts and ways argue and state the opposite. God places finding our place, our identity, our meaning and our purpose as the primary and most exigent need, as a massive priority over our basic needs, being all those things that fall into the category of “all these other things shall be added unto you”.

    So with this in mind, and as the Lord has said “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isaiah 1:18), has it not been said: “Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair! You have dove’s eyes. Behold, you are handsome, my beloved! Yes, pleasant! Also our bed is green. The beams of our houses are cedar, And our rafters of fir.” (Song of Solomon‬ ‭1:15-17). And woven into these words is such a rich phalanx of symbolism and imagery, from the house, to the beams, to the cedars and firs, when it comes to, “Behold, you are fair, my love! Behold, you are fair! You have dove’s eyes”, is that not Jesus? For does Jesus not have the eyes of a dove? And when it says, “Behold, you are handsome, my beloved! Yes, pleasant!”, is that not also Jesus? For has it not been written, “One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD”? Psalm 27:4. And does it not furthermore say, “Also our BED IS GREEN”? And is a bed not where we “lie down”’together? And has David not said, He makes me to “lie down” in GREEN PASTURES? Which is to lie down in the tabernacle of our house on our “bed of green”? Being His green pastures?

     In this stunning portrayal in Song of Solomon of the beauty of marital union and communion, being the example of Jesus and His bride, “our houses“ refer, amongst other things, to not only where ALL our needs are met, being a “hierarchy of needs” from first to last, but our house also refers to where our bed is. Which, in Song of Solomon above, is the “bed of green”, being where they had fellowship and communion together. Which is in the place of the “green pastures of intimacy”. With intimacy being the primary and most exigent need in God’s hierarchy of needs. Which is the entire point and purpose of seeking His face with “all of our heart”. For isn’t true intimacy a matter for, and of, a whole heart? And of seeking the face of our loved one? For just like God’s house has an “outer court”, an “inner court” and the “Holy of Holies”, is the bed not the inner sanctuary of the Holy of Holies of the house? For is the Holy of Holies not the place of intimacy with God in His own house? For of all the various parts of any house, is the bed not the only place of “new life and new birth”? And is the colour green not also the colour of “new life and new birth”? Is this not therefore why it is called a “green bed”? Being the very same pastures, and the very same green, that the Lord makes us all to lie down in?

      And when it comes to new life and new birth, is the colour green not the colour of the “season of spring”? Being the richly verdant colour of “new birth and new life”? For does every occasion of intimacy with God not birth and produce the green shoots of new life? Is this not why God has created His four seasons? For the yearly season of spring to be a natural clue and constant reminder of what happens for man, when through proximity and intimacy, we lean towards and incline ourselves unto the light (God)? Which is when we (as the earth) tilt on our axis, and lean in towards Him (the sun), that new life immediately then follows? And in abundance? Where a world of green erupts all around us, like His pastures of green? For has it not been written, “For lo, the winter is past, The rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land.” (Song of Solomon‬ ‭2:11-12‬).

     Is this not why God prioritises seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness? For do the seasons also not portray what happens when the earth’s axis (representing the tilt of man’s heart), leans at times away from God (the sun)? Does everything not subsequently then wither and die? And unlike Maslow, is this not why God prioritises seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness above every other need? That before we “add unto us all these other things”, that before we wither and die, that we deliberately lean into the very bosom where we may find life, and life abundantly? Which, like the earth, is to incline the axis of our hearts towards where we find new life and new birth? Which is when upon entering His house, we press on into the inner sanctuary of the green bed of the Holy of Holies. For is the “Kingdom of God” not God’s house? And is righteousness not the fruit of our intimacy? And is it not through righteousness, that we find new birth and new life?