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Day 122: The Reply (SoS 1:17)

Until the day breaks And the shadows flee away, Turn, my beloved, And be like a gazelle Or a young stag Upon the mountains of Bether. (Song of Songs 2:17)

In the previous verse, the Bride said to the daughters of Jerusalem:

My beloved is mine, and I am his...

This statement is beautiful and worthy of imitation until we consider that God is to be the top priority in every life. Then we'll realize that our focus should be more on us being His than Him being ours.

Although the Bride's love has grown, she places more emphasis on her own possession of her Beloved than on his possession of her. However, when it comes to loving Jesus and following Him, we must be willing to lose our lives and forsake our rights. Our desires should always come second to what Jesus wants.

In verse 16, while talking to the daughters of Jerusalem again, she told them where her Beloved could be found at all times, indicating her understanding of His request to come and partner with Him in His work.

She replies:

Until the day breaks and the shadows flee...

The word translated day indicates the time from sunrise to sunset. At this time the sun is out and hot. The word translated break here is more accurately to breathe/blow air (as a breeze). The fleeing shadows refer to when the sun is down and the shadows it cast are no longer visible.

In essence, she asked her beloved to come back in the cool of the day when the weather is pleasant rather than when the sun is high up in the sky.

In SoS 1 she labored under the sun and her skin was tanned. In Lesson 46, we said that according to Ecclesiastes the sun is a metaphor for the earth. She found the rest and satisfaction she sought. Now it's time to step out of her comfort zone to help the Beloved's flock find the same.

Rather than going with Him, she tells Him to scale the mountains of Bether. "Bether" means a cleft or separation, to divide something into parts or pieces. So, the Bride chooses to let the mountains and hills that the Beloved leaped over to reach her separate them again.

We cannot serve God and partner with Jesus when it's convenient. We cannot partner with Him on our terms or when we think the time is right. Jesus in John 9:4:

I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.

There will never be a favorable time to heed the Lord's call to labor with Him in bringing the unsaved into His Kingdom and nurturing His church to maturity. There will never be a comfortable time to step into our purposes and God-given assignments. The world will throw challenges at us: persecution, opposition, rejection... We must be ready to stick with Him regardless. Jesus said to His disciples in John 15:20:

...‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also.

When our Beloved Jesus calls us to do that which is uncomfortable, we must always remember that Jesus is the Apple Tree of trees that provide shade (rest) from the heat of life. He also provides satisfaction (food) for every need we may have. As long as we are with Jesus, even in the heat of the day (no matter what the world throws at us), we will thrive, flourish, and not be blackened by the world.

We must always keep in mind that though we are one with the Lord, we own nothing in that union. All that we have and all that we are is His. We must remember that He bought us with His blood and we have no lives of our own. We must remember His unchanging love and covenant with us. We must remember that it is the omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God of love we're in covenant with. We do not have to fear difficulties or hold back our service in His vineyard for fear of being hurt.

Our intimacy with Christ grows as we work alongside Him in the harvest fields. Just as He told Simon Peter, if we love Him we will feed His sheep among the lilies with Him even when it's most uncomfortable.

PRAY WITH ME:

Dear Lord, I lay my cares and fears at Your feet. I choose to forsake my comfort and follow You when You call. Help me keep my focus on You and not on the negative circumstances around me. Amen.

REFLECT & ACT:

  • Are you afraid to step out of your comfort zone to fulfill the Lord's purpose for you?
  • Meditate on 2 Timothy 1:7:

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control]. 

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