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Day 112: The Secret Place (SoS 2:14b)

 “O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, In the secret places of the cliff, Let me see your face, Let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet, And your face is lovely.” (Song of Songs 2:14)

The word translated cliff here actually means a steep/inaccessible place or a step (stair). The word is singular and emphasizes the direction of travel more than the location. It is also used to express height and by some spiritual level. Its only other use is in Ezekiel 38:20 when God said He would pull down steep places and walls. In essence, high leveled places that depicted security.

When you consider all this, one Bible verse expresses this idea perfectly. Psalm 91:1&2:

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” 

To dwell in the secret place of the Most High is to dwell in the most high place where the Most High Himself is.

Another scripture that communicates this when you consider the Bride is called a dove is Psalm 24:3&4:

Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart...

The blood of Jesus according to 1 John 1:7 cleanses us from all unrighteousness. So every believer is pure and clean before the Lord. Because of Jesus' blood, we can ascend the hill of the Lord. We can dwell in the secret place of our Holy God reserved only for His lovers, His Bride. 

In the previous lesson, we said the cleft was a place of refuge and revelation. The secret place of the cliff/stairs is also a place of refuge and revelation. A place of safety and fellowship. The cross and Christ's wounds gave us a hiding place and access to the secret place of the Most High.

In chapter one verse 4, the Bride was led into the chamber, the secret place. Now she abides there. Finds her rest and satisfaction there. This is one of the remarkable results of seasons of rest. It teaches us to dwell and abide in the secret place. To not move back and forth but remain day in and day out.

When you read our text today slowly, you can sense the Beloved's tenderness and delight. Our Beloved Jesus loves it when we dwell and abide. He told Martha in Luke 10 that Mary who sat continually at His feet had chosen the good part.

To dwell or abide means to remain, never leave. It is not enough to know our position in Christ. We must abide in Him. In Lesson 50, we said to abide is to stay in fellowship with Him. To spend extended periods with Him in our closets and still carry His presence as we go about our daily responsibilities.

There is only one place the believer should always be found: in His presence. 

Even though the rock and the cliff are places of protection, our reason for abiding there must not be for fear of the enemy. Elijah in 1 Kings 19 was in a cave in the mountain of the Lord as Moses was in Exodus 33. Unlike Moses, however, the Lord did not put him there. Rather He asked him in verse 9: ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?' Unlike Moses, he was not there to see the Lord's glory. He was there because he was afraid of Jezebel.

In verse 2 of Psalm 91, David said that as he dwells and abides, he will say of the Lord. Our reason for dwelling and abiding in the secret place should not be what we get, but that we may say of the Lord. The power of the secret place is in our saying (revelation knowledge) of the Lord. Enjoying the benefits of the secret place is dependent on what we say of the Lord.

When the Beloved beckons on us, we must realize that being in the cleft and cliff is being in a position in the Spirit. The secret place is not a fixed physical location. It is wherever He is. Whether in the chamber or in the mountains and hills, safety is where the Lord is. It is what we know by revelation of Him that gives us the confidence to follow Him regardless of the topography.

PRAY WITH ME:

Dear God, thank You for access and protection through Jesus Christ. Open my eyes to the revelation of You I need today as I dwell and abide in the secret place so I may say the right things of You. Amen.

REFLECT & ACT:

  • What do you say of the Lord when you see mountains and hills before you?
  • Have you remained in hiding when the Lord is beckoning you to come over the mountains and hills with Him? 
  • What revelation of God do you need in this season of your life that will help you step out of your comfort zone?

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