Kisses

 “And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.”  (Gen. 27:26)

A kiss is usually an outward expression of love.  There are many “kisses” in the Bible (in 19 verses) that speak of the character of man.  I offer a few of them in this document.

1. The kiss of affection:
    In the verse I selected, the first “kiss” in the Bible, Jacob greets his beloved son with a kiss.  He seems to know there is something amiss, but blesses Jacob anyway, instead of Esau.   Though deceptive on Jacob’s part, the kiss was an expression of affection by Isaac.  
    A kiss can speak of many diabolical deceptions, and it can be a gesture of endearment, and love, it can go both ways. 

2. The kiss of deception:
In 2 Samuel 20:9 we read; “And Joab said to Amasa, Art thou in health, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him.”

This is a very diabolical and subtle kiss, with evil intent.
To kiss in this manner, or to feign to do so, speaks of trust and companionship to the one, but evil is the motive of the other.  This kiss betrays trust and catches the unwary victim by subtlety. 

3. The kiss of allegiance and loyalty:
Though used metaphorically, we have another type of kiss which speaks;

“Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.”  (1 Kings 19:18)

This is where Elijah sought refuge in the Lord because of Jezebel.  Though he seemed despondent, the Lord assured him that He had seven thousand faithful followers in Jerusalem, that had “kissed” the Lord, and not Baal. 

4. The kiss of faith:
This is also a kiss of loyalty and love.  Again we see the word “kiss” used metaphorically, as an act of endearment, but aimed in the right direction.  The verse I refer to is Psa. 2:12:

“Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”

 To “kiss the Son (note the capital “S”) is to draw close to Jesus; it is to hold Him in our heart, and admire Him greatly in our thoughts, and it speaks of intimacy with our Lord, without which we have nothing. 

5. The kiss of reward and appreciation:

“Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer.” (Prov. 24:26)

Again we see the metaphor for kiss.  The word “kiss” seems to speak many different “languages“, and apply many different ways.  Men respect an honest man whether they admit it or not.  They may never let him know it, but they respect his honesty and openness, it is natural to do so.  Most likely, the man that gives a right answer will be upright in his affairs, he will be honest in business. 

6. The kiss of betrayal:

“Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.”  (Mt. 26:48)

The kisses of a false friend hurt deeply when he is discovered; they pierce us to the heart, and cause much consternation in our life, yet they are more common, I think, than we realize.  Jesus asked Judas a convicting question: “But Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?” (Lk. 22:48).  One wonders how low we can go when betrayal is our goal?  Perhaps it was more than the money, the thirty pieces of silver, which amounted to quite a sum for them, perhaps it was a deep-seated evil a love for the world--Satan’s world, hidden deep within his heart.  Betrayal on any level is evil; whether in marriage, in business, or in societal matters, their always seems to be an ulterior motive.

7.  The kiss of salutation:

Five verses, the last five in the Bible that contain the word “kiss” speak of greeting “one another with a holy kiss” (Rom. 16:16); or 1 Cor. 16:20~2 Cor. 13:12~1 Thess. 5:26, each of these say essentially the same thing but the last mention of “kiss” changes just a bit:

“Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.” (1 Pet. 5:14)

A “kiss of charity“, of brotherly love; of giving to the need of a brother.  Charity means the same thing it means today, loving enough to see to the needs of others. This too is a wonderful and kindly and God-like kiss.