Day 87: Taste and See (SoS 2:3c)

  “Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, So is my beloved among the sons. I sat down in his shade with great delight, And his fruit was sweet to my taste.” 

Song of Songs 2:3

In the previous lesson, we discussed how Jesus gives shade from life's heat. But that wouldn't be enough. Apple trees are not just for shade, but also for fruits.

Fruits are a class of food and they can satisfy hunger. Apples are one of the favorite fruits consumed by men worldwide because of their delicious taste. Not just that, apple signifies sexual pleasure (which is considered the highest form of physical pleasure) and temptation. This shows its superiority to other fruits.

Fruits in the Bible refer to a variety of things; children, words, actions, character, prosperity, food, provision, etc. So many scriptures in the Bible use fruit to refer to man's words. Jesus used it in such a manner in Matthew 12:33-37. Many other scriptures do the same. One of them is Proverbs 18:20. It says:

 A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; From the produce of his lips he shall be filled. 

So, when we come under Jesus' shade to rest from life's heat, we must reach for His readily available fruit. Revelation 22:2 tells us that this fruit is available all year round. In the same way that the apple fruit is delicious and symbolizes great pleasure, so do Jesus' words. His word is sweet and delights our souls. And like the apple is considered superior to many other fruits, Jesus' words transcend men's. He said in John 6:63:

 ...The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. 

And Peter confirmed it when he said to Jesus in John 6:68:

 ...Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 

So when we find rest in Jesus' shade, our experience is not complete until we partake of His fruit. We cannot be fully satisfied until we partake of His word. It's the most significant thing we must do in His presence.

When you read Jesus' words in the Gospels, you'll see no one spoke like Him. His words were not just full of wisdom, they were full of power. Men often wondered what wisdom He spoke with. At His command, storms ceased, men were made whole and demons trembled out of their hosts.

If you're familiar with God's word and all the promises therein, you will testify to the fact that Christ's words are sweet. They bring joy to the heart just as David testified in Psalm 19:10 that they are sweeter than honey and the honeycomb itself.

Why and how do we taste Jesus' fruit?

In Lesson 52, we looked at the two rests a man can have in Jesus. The first is the rest of salvation He gives us when we come to Him. When He takes our burden of sin. The second is the rest we find by learning at His feet, partaking of His word.

David said in Psalm 34:8:

 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! 

This tells us that tasting precedes seeing. Seeing here means experiencing. So tasting precedes experience. To taste something, you have to put it in your mouth. You have to eat it. Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 15:16:

 Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart...

To eat the word is simply to meditate on it. It is likened to how ruminant animals after feeding sit down to regurgitate and chew again all they have eaten. David in his psalms always mentioned meditating on God's word day and night. No wonder all of God's promises to Him were fulfilled and he had such an enviable relationship with God.

If we want to experience Christ's fullness, we must taste His fruits. To eat His word by reading, studying, meditating on, obeying, and confessing it. 

I'll end with a popular scripture that perfectly describes mediation and the outcome of doing it. Joshua 1:8:

 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

PRAY WITH ME:

My beloved Jesus, Your word is sweeter than a honeycomb. Your words delight my heart. As I meditate continually on it, let it enlighten my heart. Let your words satisfy my hunger. Amen.

REFLECT & ACT:

• What promises of scripture have you experienced in the past that you can testify are sweet indeed?

• Set aside time every day to meditate on God's Word.
• Read Psalm 19:7-11 (preferably in different Bible versions) and note the benefits of God's word.