Category: Song of Solomon

As she now begins to enter into the full maturity of unrestrained communion with Christ, her thoughts no longer turn indulgently upon herself. There is no self-interest anymore. Her love in Christ is so strong and inclusive (never exclusive), she begins to look to another who is sadly incomplete (8:8). She intercedes to her heavenly husband as to what can be done. If this ‘little sister’ is a common wall, she wants to adorn her with silver; if she is an ordinary wooden door, she wants to enrich her with boards of cedar wood. The love of Christ constrains us as to how to reach others so that they too may know His love. It is for His service and His kingdom that we have been saved and brought into union and communion with Christ. Thus, we would see His kingdom come and His name glorified. The prayer to make haste (8:14) is that the Lord Jesus should quickly come and do all these things in our lives.

PRAYER :- “Lord, help me to see that I am not my own, but that I am bought with a price. Therefore, let my whole mind, body and spirit be used to glorify you for evermore. Amen!”

As His love begins to have full sway in her life, the fruits of union with Himself begin to be recognized as she enters into the measure and stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). She is compared to a palm tree (7:7), which is an emblem of uprightness and is found in both Solomon’s and Ezekiel’s temples. It is unaffected by the heat of the desert sun and yields much fruit. Her union with Christ is so complete, she no longer speaks of ‘me’ and ’mine’, but says “let us go” and “let us arise” (7:11,12) and see how fruitful her ‘garden’ life is. There is mutual joy of walking with Him and not thinking only about ourselves. In this relationship, there is no limit to what she would gladly give, counting loss as gain (Philippians 3:8). This is true communion with Christ in all its maturity.

PRAYER :- “Lord, help me to know more and more of you and walk ever closer with You.”

Communion is restored as she looks and finds Him, once more, in the garden that He is tending. He pours out His love for her as even a look from her overcomes him (6:5). This is what He longs for; He wants to be with her always. He will make His church into more than she ever imagined, fair as the moon, clear as the sun; things that never entered her thoughts (see 1 Corinthians 2:9), doing far more abundantly than was ever thought possible and all because of His transcendent love for her (Ephesians 3:20). O, what joy awaits. Why then, are we so slow to respond? Return, you who were once despised, return fully and unconditionally to Him.

PRAYER :- “Lord, thank you for your overwhelming love; I give you all that I am.”

Despite all the promises and potential for our lives, under His careful eye, becoming a ‘beautiful garden’, communion is once again broken. He knocked at the door of her life but she was asleep and did not answer. When she did answer, He had gone (5:6). It is sad when we think that we have so ‘matured in Christ’ that we can do things in our own strength and no longer need His support. There is none to compare with Him and the words of His mouth are sweeter than any other (5:16). We don’t live by ‘our bread’ alone but by every word that He speaks to us. It is a lesson we must all learn that we need Him all the more, not less, as we grow in Him.

PRAYER :- “Lord, help me always to constantly depend upon You and never do things on my own.”

In Christ’s description of His bride, He compares her to a garden, closed and locked down with no flowing water (4:12). His tender touch is needed to make the waters flow, so that the plants may thrive. But, the cold north winds of trials are also needed (4:16), but they only come at His suggestion and with her permission. Vernalisation is a botanical term that refers to a period of cold, such as winter, which is needed before the buds and blossoms of spring can burst forth. Don’t avoid, or overprotect yourself from difficulties. With the chief Gardener, the Husbandman, in control we can embrace every trial, knowing that His character will be formed in us, making the ‘garden’ of our lives more and more beautiful for Him.

PRAYER :- “Lord, thank you that you care enough to prune from my life all that does not produce fruit for you.”

The description of Him is wonderful, but when He speaks and His voice is heard, it is even greater. Such is His love for His bride that He does not speak of Himself, but everything He says is what He thinks of her. He takes her to the high places of Lebanon, the ‘heavenlies’ and shows her that though the lions may roar and the leopards devour (4:8), she is utterly safe with Him. As we walk with Him, He deals with all our fears.

PRAYER :- “Lord, thank you that we sit with you in heavenly places and see all things through your eyes and with your perspective.”

Even though she is looking in the wrong place, He comes to her as from the dry places of the wilderness. He appears as the leader of an army, ready to do battle with every foe that dares to come between us and Him. His appearance is majestic but near the top of the description is that He is perfumed with myrrh (3:6). It is by His death that He conquers. It is by His death that He has thrown down the enemies of sin, Satan and death and He makes us to share in His glorious victory. O, wonderful Christ that you should come to fight my battles and destroy all my enemies.

PRAYER :- “Lord, may I never stray from you, so that your triumphs also become mine.”

The unsurpassed communion of life with Christ can be, sadly, all too easily broken. God desires that we live in the full ‘daylight’ of His love and grace. Events can happen in the ‘night’ that cause us to wonder where He has gone (3:1). Frets turn to worry as we rise up and seek Him. She looks in the ‘broad’ places of the world. This is the wrong place, so it is no surprise that she does not find Him there. Our communion with Christ is not of this world and therefore, the world cannot help us. Things come to disturb us and the enemy is always ready to spoil our communion with Him. God knows how vulnerable we are. Do not be afraid of the changes which ‘night’ brings. Rest and trust in the truth of His word and He shall quickly come to comfort.

PRAYER :- “Lord, you know my fears, but thank you, that your perfect love casts out every fear.”

God, in Christ, not only cleanses and forgives all our sin, but also brings us into His house of ‘feasting’ where the ‘food’ of a new life is freely available. He bids us rise and leave behind the winter and cold rain of sadness and enter this new life of singing, beauty, rejoicing and fruitfulness (2:11-13). In addition to these wonderful things, the best is to know the intimacy of having our faces seen and voices heard by none other than the King of kings. His is the life that we can so enjoy. What a privilege to know that Christ has come that we may such an abundant life (John 10:10).

PRAYER :- “Lord, help me in my response to you so that I may fully know this abundant life of Christ.”

While we lived in Malawi, I was once asked to speak to young lady who was dying of AIDS. By her own admission, she had contracted HIV by a very foolish act. As we talked, after 2-3 weeks, she began to open her heart to the Lord. One night, she had a dream of standing outside the gates of heaven. Her own brother was inside and said, “Though I know you, I cannot let you in because you are not yet qualified. Go back to earth and get qualified.” The young lady asked me what the dream meant. I explained that because of His great love, Christ died for her and that if she trusted in Him, though she had laid among the thorns of sin, He could cleanse her and make her as pure as a lily (2:2). We prayed together and she believed. His death can take the darkest of us and make us clean so we are fully accepted with Him and ‘qualified’ to enter heaven and be with Him forever.

PRAYER :- “Lord, thank you that your death washes away every sin of my past.”