Skip to main content

Day 30: Jesus is King (SoS 1:4c)

"Draw me away! We will run after you. The king has brought me into his chambers. We will be glad and rejoice in you. We will remember your love more than wine. Rightly do they love you." Song of Songs 1:4
This is the first time the Bride is addressing her Beloved by a title. She didn't address Him with a pronoun as she previously had, and though her love for Him was budding she didn't refer to Him yet as Beloved, rather she referred to Him as King.

One would think all that the Bride has expressed, learned, done, and experienced so far would bring her straight to a revelation of Him as Beloved. But all she had been through so far was only a foundation for a life of intimacy. She had only learned the basic principles that fuel and sustains a life of intimacy. Until all those things were in place, intimacy couldn't happen.

Now, in response to all these, she receives first a revelation of Him as King. Why?

Jesus is many things. Healer, Provider, Deliverer, Miracle Worker... But we must understand that our experiences are subject to which revelation of His character or person we have. Every experience of Christ is tied to a revelation of Him. So when the light breaks in our hearts that He is the healer, we experience healing. When the light breaks that He is a miracle worker, we see miracles.

In John 15:14-15 Jesus says to His disciples:

“You show that you are my intimate friends when you obey all that I command you. I have never called you ‘servants,’  because a master doesn’t confide in his servants, and servants don’t always understand what the master is doing. But I call you my most intimate and cherished friends,  for I reveal to you everything that I’ve heard from my Father." (TPT)
Jesus in very simple terms states here that intimacy with Him happens in response to obedience to His commands because it is only by obeying His commands that we can be His friend.

God in the bible referred to Abraham as His friend. When was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah He spoke to Abraham about it first. Abraham knew the privilege he had and was able to negotiate Lot's safety from the destruction. Only one thing gave Abraham this privilege - his friendship with God. How did this friendship come to be?

In Genesis chapter 12 when Abraham was introduced, the first thing we saw him do is obeying a command of God to leave his family and follow Him. In subsequent encounters, we see Abraham obey over and over again even to the point of almost slitting His son's throat as an act of obedience.

Many want intimacy with Jesus but want to live life on their terms. That's impossible. The requirements of life in God are not suggestions, they are must-dos. Though Jesus stooped in love to bring us up to Himself, it doesn't change His position as Lord of all. 

When we submit to Jesus as one who has authority over us, we submit to His leading and guidance. One of the primary ways He guides us is to bring us into His chamber, His secret place. When we make a habit of disobeying His command, we won't follow when He leads. Without following when He leads, we will never have the privilege of knowing Him intimately.

PRAY WITH ME:
Lord Jesus, in any way I haven't followed your commandments, I repent today and ask that you forgive me. Reveal yourself to me as King: One who has authority over my everyday affairs and decisions. Give me the grace to follow and submit to your guidance as you lead from this day forward. Amen.

REFLECT AND ACT:
  • Are you a friend of God? Can you truly say you have lived in obedience to His commandments?
  • Do you live as though Jesus is King? What does that mean to you?


Comments

Post a Comment

What do you think about today's lesson? Please share something you learnt.

Popular posts from this blog

Day 53: The Unforced Rhythms of Grace (SoS 1:7a)

“ Tell me, O you whom I love, Where you feed your flock, Where you make it rest at noon. For why should I be as one who veils herself by the flocks of your companions? Song of Songs 1:7 Aft er the Bride's experience of being overworked, she didn't seek her Beloved in His chambers, nor did she seek Him in a place of leisure. Rather, she sought Him at His workplace. When we find ourselves in a spiritual crisis, especially when we're overworked or burnt out by activities, we must realize that oftentimes, the problem is not how much or what we're doing but how we are doing it. There is only so much the human flesh and mind can handle when it comes to physical work talk less spiritual. Paul did express in 1 Corinthians 15:58 in the Amplified version that we are to labor in our work for the Lord to the point of exhaustion . I believe it's why Paul in praying for the Ephesian church prayed for them to be strengthened with might by God's Spirit in their inner man . Thin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day 152: To the Mountain of Myrrh (SoS 4:6)

Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away, I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense. (Song of Songs 4:6) In the previous lesson, we began to examine the Bride's response to the Beloved's seven-fold compliment. We discussed how she finally gave a positive reply to a request he had previously tendered in SoS 2:17. We examined a part of her response, and now let's explore the next part: ...I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense. We have mentioned a couple of times in this series that myrrh is a burial spice. Its mention in the Bible often signifies death and sacrifice. It was one of the spices presented to Jesus at His birth and was also used to prepare Him for burial. In the same way that Jesus embraced death on the cross, the Bride goes to the mountain of myrrh embracing death to self. She knows resolute obedience will cost her that. Jesus said in Luke 14:27: ...whoever does not bear his cr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day 50: Keeping Your Vineyard (SoS 1:6d)

“Do not look upon me, because I am dark, Because the sun has tanned me. My mother’s sons were angry with me; They made me the keeper of the vineyards, But my own vineyard I have not kept. ”    Song of Songs 1:6 In John chapter 15 Jesus gives us the blueprint of a fruitful vineyard. He said He is the True Vine, God is the Vinedresser and we are the branches. Then He proceeds to state the responsibility of each party in keeping the vineyard. Let's look at them. 1. Responsibility of Jesus as the True Vine: Just like a branch cannot exist talk less bear fruit without the vine, we exist in God because of Jesus. He is the source and sustainer of eternal life which we received at salvation and it is this empowers us to bear fruit. 2. The Responsibilities of God as the Vinedresser: The Father is the One working on us to bring forth good works (fruits) for his glory. Jesus lists the responsibilities of God as the Vinedresser in verse 2. First to the branches that don't have fruit and t...
Post a Comment
Read more