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Day 91: Dissatisfied Contentment (SoS 2:5)

 Sustain me with cakes of raisins, Refresh me with apples, For I am lovesick. 

Song of Songs 2:5 

In the previous lesson, we looked at one of the two lessons we can learn from this verse which is to guard against complacent satisfaction as we experience Christ's overwhelming love. In this lesson, we look at the second.

Verse 4 was set in a banqueting hall. A place of celebration and joy that requires energy. This banqueting hall as we previously said is a gathering of Jesus' friends. We find that in the church and fellowship with other believers. It's where we pursue the Lord in the company of like-minded people and by our service to Him.

In that state of celebration, contentment, and utter joy she cries for cakes of raisins and apples because she was fainting. Though public service and worship are delightful, they demand a lot from us. Just like we get tired in the company of friends though we're having so much fun. 

So she said:

     1. Sustain me with cakes of raisins:

In 1 Samuel chapter 30, when David found a weak Egyptian slave belonging to the Amalekites he was going after, he and his men gave him cakes of figs and clusters of raisins, and the slave's strength was restored.

Raisins are dried grapes. They are naturally sweet and high in sugar and calories. So they are known to give energy and strength. But what does this mean spiritually?

Grapes are known more commonly for something other than raisins: wine. The word translated as cakes of raisins is also sometimes translated as flagon. A jug that holds wine. Wine in the scriptures is sometimes synonymous with the Holy Spirit. An example is Ephesians 5:17.

In praying for the Ephesian church to know God's love in Ephesians 3, Paul starts by praying in verse 16:

May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self... (Amplified Version)

This can only mean that to be rooted and grounded in love, we must be strengthened by God's Spirit to do all that intimacy with Jesus requires from us. Isaiah 40:31 tells us how strength comes:

But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Strength is found in the presence of the Lord. In the same 1 Samuel 30 when David was exhausted, the bible tells us He encouraged himself in the Lord and asked Him in prayer what to do next. 

When must not wait until we are exhausted by our love for Jesus. We must constantly seek to be strengthened in His presence as the day goes on.

     2. Refresh me with apples:

In Lesson 87: Taste and See, we said apples are the words of Jesus. Everything written in the Bible reveals God and His heart for man. They are words of eternal life that preserve our lives in God.

But there is one significant thing about this statement. The Hebrew word translated as refresh means to spread out. To make a bed for support and comfort. In Lesson 77: Our Bed of Green, we said that the bed of green is the rich pasture of God's word. It's the table of fat things where we dine with Jesus. Feasting on His delicious fruit that satisfies our hunger and gives us rest.

In essence, what the Bride was asking for was not just strength to keep going, but a time of rest with her Beloved. They were in public, in sight of many people, but she desired another private, intimate time with him.

In Lesson 28: The Cycle of the Intimate, we said intimacy with Jesus is a cycle of running after Him both in pursuit and service and being drawn by Him. Running is exhausting. It makes you hungry. So, cakes of raisins provide strength to run after Him and apples represent a time of private communion and rest.

Lastly, scientists have discovered that alcohol increases hunger and appetite. Jesus' love though better than wine has similar characteristics and does the same to us. When we're intoxicated by it, it initiates a desire for more. It's a state of dissatisfied contentment. A state of both fullness and emptiness. Joy and longing. Wholeness and brokenness.

In the same way an alcoholic won't stop drinking because he is drunk, we must never stop our pursuit of Jesus no matter how much of Him we experience. The beauty of spiritual lovesickness is that we can be strongly rooted and satisfied in Jesus' love and yet be panting for it like a starving man. That is the state God will have us be in every single moment of our lives. 

And in the same way intoxication makes a man hungry, we must ask Jesus for cakes of raisins and apples to keep our pursuit of Him going without fainting.

PRAY WITH ME:

Dear Jesus, as I'm filled with love for You, pursuing and running after You, strengthen me by Your spirit so I do not faint. Grant me the grace to obtain this strength by waiting on You in prayer. Let my hunger for You and Your word never diminish. Amen.

REFLECT & ACT:

  • We must never wait till we faint before we require from Jesus strength and rest. So make time to wait on the Lord to renew your strength and find some rest by spending extra time studying and meditating on the word of God.

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