Skip to main content

Day 131: Faltering Love (SoS 2:8-3:5 Recap)

 The first section of the Song of Songs deals with foundational truths for intimacy with Christ. It contains principles that help us stay passionate about Jesus at every stage of our walk. 

This section of the SoS begins with the Beloved leaping over the mountains and hills to meet the Bride. She was awakened from rest by his voice. He had come to call her to come away with Him and gave seven reasons why.

It indicates how Jesus calls us to partner with Him after a season of rest. The seven reasons the Beloved gave the Bride represent the beginning and progression of spring. They are signs of the present ongoing harvest of souls and the end-time harvest.

Afterward, the Beloved calls her a dove in the cleft of the rock and in the secret places of the stairs. Doves are defenseless so they often find refuge in high ground and clefts of rocks. We find refuge in Jesus our Beloved, who was pierced on His side for our sake. The secret places of the stairs represent the place of private communion with God.

As Moses saw God's glory in the rock cleft, we can only see God as we abide in Christ. The essence of the secret place is to say of the Lord (i.e. have a revelation of Him). The secret place is not a physical location. It is a conscious awareness of God's presence that should stay with us wherever we are at all times.

We must never cling to comfort when the Lord calls us to go over hills and mountains. We must not withdraw as the Bride did but rather call on Him in prayer. God loves to hear our voices so we must never hesitate to ask for grace when we need it.

Lastly, the Beloved charged the Bride to catch for them the little foxes that destroy vines. We defined little foxes as anything that hinders love for God and people. To catch these foxes we must learn to walk in the Spirit at all times.

The Bride replies first by telling the daughters of Jerusalem that her Beloved belongs to her and her to him. In the same way, we have a bond of love and blood that makes Jesus ours and us His. Then she tells them that her Beloved will always feed His flock among the lilies. This is like Jesus always tends to His own in the congregation of believers.

She rejects the Beloved's request. She told him to go away and return in the cool of the day. She chose to be separated from her Beloved because she was afraid of being blackened by the sun as she had been in SoS 1.

Chapter 3 begins with her seeking her Beloved at night. Night seasons are difficult times. We learned from this that God is true to His promise to never leave nor forsake us. When we disobey Him, we build a barrier between us and Him. Sometimes there is a deep unexplained longing for God. This is not a result of separation by disobedience but a desire for deeper intimacy with Jesus than we are accustomed to.

The Bride arose as she should have earlier and went about the city searching for her Beloved. The church is a representation of God's city on earth. As we mature in Christ, we must become more dependent on the church.

As she wandered around the city, the watchmen found her and she asked them about the one her soul loves. Every believer is expected to watch for themselves and others in the body of Christ. Watchmen know the Lord and though they can't find God for us, they can point us in the right direction.

After the Bride left the watchmen, she found her Beloved. We said spiritual mentors and guides can point us in the right direction, but they cannot satisfy the longing in our hearts. We must be willing to forsake all to seek the Lord. When we find Him, we must hold on to Him and never let Him go. We must bring Him to our friends and family. We must let them know our stand for Jesus and minister to them just as we do to others. Once we find God, we must open the most secret parts of our lives to Him.

The section ends just as the previous one did. SoS 3:5 says:

I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the does of the field, Do not stir up nor awaken love Until it pleases.

In Lesson 93: Seasons of Rest, we examined an exact copy of this statement in SoS 2:7. Rest is essential to intimacy with Jesus.

The Bride's love though sincere faltered in this section when she let fear and the desire for comfort separate her from her Beloved. It does not however make her love less genuine and it's the same for us.

The Lord often gives us daunting tasks, asks us to step out into the unknown, or asks us to do things we have no skill or strength to pull off. We must remember that He supplies grace for every request.

If you've faltered, be reassured that it does not mean you do not love the Lord. You simply have to catch the foxes that hinder you from being with the Lord in complete obedience.

PRAY WITH ME:

My Beloved Jesus, in the ways I have faltered in my obedience and love for You, forgive me. Help me to obey You promptly and seek You wholeheartedly at all times. Help me forsake all for You and never let You go. Amen.

REFLECT AND ACT:

  • What lessons did you learn from this section of the SoS?
  • How have the lessons in this section influenced your obedience to the Lord's commands?
  • Are you assured of your love for God and how do you show it in your actions?
  • If your love for Christ has faltered in any way, retrace your steps. How can you prevent that from happening again?

Comments

Post a Comment

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

Popular posts from this blog

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 78: Mobile Temples, Living Stones (SoS 1:17)

  “The beams of our houses are cedar, And our rafters of fir.” Song of Songs 1:17 In this verse, the Bride describes her place of rest and satisfaction. First, she mentioned the bed in the previous verse and now the house is made with cedar and fir. When we look through the scriptures we'll see that Isaiah 9:10 says cedars are strong and reliable. In Psalm 80:10 they were compared to the righteous because they are stately, tall, and flourish beautifully. And in Song of Songs 4:11 are said to be fragrant. They do not rot easily and are not often attacked by insects. The word translated as fir also means cypress. So it's used interchangeably in many Bible versions. Cypress is said to be stronger than cedar so it can bear more weight. It is also more expensive because it grows more slowly. It's strong and durable, does not decay easily, and is water resistant. It was used in the Bible for not just construction but also to make musical instruments in 2 Samuel 6:5. Cypress is sa...
Post a Comment
Read more

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