THE ULTAMATE 2 FOLD TEST OF MATURITY.
( 5:2-8 )
5:2; I sleep, but my heart is awake. It is the voice of my Beloved. He knocks, saying, "open for Me, My sister, My love, My dove, My perfect one; For my head is covered with dew, My locks, with the drops of the night.
I sleep, but my heart is awake: Confident and at peace with the Lord.
Voice of my Beloved: ( Philippians 3:10 ); Jesus calling His bride in to the fellowship of His sufferings.
He knocks: A call to open up to God in our hearts in a new way ( Revelation 3:20 ).
Open up for me: The Lord is calling us to open up our hearts to the work of the righteous Holy Spirit.
My sister: His identification with her humanity ( Hebrews 2:16-18 ).
My love: Reminding her of His infinite love for her. Affirming her.
My dove: Her gentle nature.
My perfect one: Maturity/obedience; The one who has sold her heart completely to the cross of Christ.
…Dew…Locks: The dew and the locks speak of His hair being soaked from the moisture of the night ( Luke 22:44 ).
* Our confidence needs to be directly in the Lord and the Lord alone. We need to pray earnestly that the Lord would help us grow more in love! The ability to endure hardships and trials is a powerful reality that we all need to walk in. when financial structures fail, when your health fails, with heartache and pressure, and yes even when family and close friends die, no matter the size of the matter, it having a transformed heart, being able to stand in that day and in that hour and say, "I trust in the Lord, Lord find no offense in my heart"! All things that are dear to us in this life will pass away, with out the Lord fully alive In our hearts we will have no foundation to stand on in times of hardship.
* I love the way that the Lord affirms His bride, over and over He claims His burning desire of love over us. He utterly longs for all of our affections to be in Him. We need this revelation of His love to soak in deep, to the core of bones, so that we even sweat out of our pours the love of God. Ephesians 3:16-19; Oh to be rooted and grounded in the revelation that we are the inheritance of the son of the living God, Jesus could of asked for the stars, He could of even asked for something greater than anything we have the brain to concoct, but He asked for us instead. Not only did He ask for us, He came down and became one of us that He might conquer death and create a way to the Father through Him. We are all that He wants. He could care less about all the other glorious things He could have. He wants us, and He is calling each of us everyday to walk further, to open our hearts more that we might understand His vast being.
* Philippians 3:10-11; Hebrews 2:16-18: We need a deep revelation of what it means to partake in the fellowship of the sufferings of Christ. I love Colossians 1:9-12; Paul prays for the church, that they might walk according to the cross, faithfully exhorting fruits of righteousness, that they might be strengthened deep in the inner man to walk worthy of their calling. To fully please our Lord takes sacrifice of all things that we find comfort in ( money, entertainment, family, cars, houses….etc ). Then, walking out the faith with all patience and long suffering with joy. With joy give all things over to the submission of the cross ( Colossians 3:2-3 ). The Lords knock may be quiet and gentle, but it can also be loud and forceful. Either way, Gods knock is a demonstration of His care and desire to push us forward in the Spirit.
5:3; I have taken off my robe; How can I put it on again? I have washed my feet; How can I defile them again?
Robe: Speaks of her actions and her deeds.
* Isaiah 61:10; 64:6; Zechariah 3:1-5. She has taken of her filthy rags and put on the robe of righteousness. She refuses to put on the filthy rags again. Our feet get dirty through the defilement of the world as we try to serve God, the washing of the feet is a fresh cleansing from that defilement. He Lord has placed us higher than the angels. He has clothed us in robes of righteousness, even though we are filthy and our iniquity supersedes our righteousness. Jesus has chosen to stand as our mediator. Jesus is calling us to put off our filthy rags of shame and condemnation, we are being called to clothe ourselves in clean and pure robes. So put off this body of death and stand for all that is of cleanliness, bringing forth life to those around you.
5:4; My Beloved put His hand by the latch of the door, and my heart yearned for Him.
Hand: Grace of God ( Acts 11:21-23 ).
Latch: Door of our hearts.
* The hand of God is upon our hearts. Only He can take a dull heart and turn it, and cause it to yearn for the affections of His son. Oh that we would awaken to love. There is a reason to live a Joel 2:12-17 lifestyle. Because it is a catalyst that will cause your heart to burn for the deep things of God. When we embrace the Lord, when we let Him in, it causes us to put all of our affections in Him and His will for our life. If we do not, if we grieve the Holy Spirit of His work, if we harden our hearts from the tender ravishing love of Jesus, and for the hope of the redemption of the cross. Then I am afraid to so that we will not be ready, and we will not stand in the day of crisis, no matter the size of conflict, we can only trust and rely in the Lords faithfulness. SO LET GOD IN!!!
5:5; I arose to open for my Beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with liquid myrrh. On the handles of the lock.
I arose: Obedience.
Hands and fingers: Ministry and faith that embraces the cross in love.
Myrrh: Burial spice. Represents self death.
Handles of the lock: Our heart, needing to be opened.
* She is fully obedient and yearning for the affections of her love. She is not compromising, but rather, she is ready to embrace the life of the cross. We need to cry out in desperation for this yearning, when we become lovesick, that’s when things make since, not that it gets easier, but we will have a firmer foundation to stand on in times of crisis. Self death, long suffering, and perseverance with joy towards God is a must needed thing in this generation of fast food theology.
5:6; I opened for my Beloved, but my Beloved had turned away and was gone. My heart leaped up when He spoke. I sought Him, but I could not find Him; I called Him, but He gave me no answer.
I opened for my Beloved: In obedience, she is saying, "I long for you Jesus, I am in this for You oh God".
My Beloved had turned: Jesus removes His manifest presence so that she would seek Him with a yearning heart.
My heart leaped up when He spoke: No resistance in her heart, she came to the door immediately.
I sought Him, but I could not find Him: His silence to cause us to search deeper into His depths.
* The brilliance of God. He withdraws His manifest presence to test us, not from sin of disobedience, but in response to her prayer in Song of Songs 4:16. Gods grace gives us the power to embrace sacrifice in our hearts. This causes us to desire Him more. God wants to take us deeper. Sometimes when we feel desperate for God and it seems like He is not there. Behold, He is there, saying, "this is my beloved son or daughter in whom I am well pleased". The more we press into God, the better we know Him. So if our greatest desire is to feel and know God ( Songs 2:3-6 ), than we must be purged and trained to build up a ravished and longing heart.
5:7; The watchmen who went about the city found me. They struck me, they wounded me; The keepers of the wall took my veil away form me.
Watchmen/Keepers: Spiritual authorities in the body of Christ.
Found me: They were searching, with an agenda.
They struck me, they wounded me: Spiritual leaders with authority rise up against her.
My veil: Spiritual covering ( 1st Corinthians 11:10 ).
* Matthew 11:6; Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me. Second test of suffering is from within the church walls.
There are 2 types of watchmen:
1. Helpful David like characters.
2. Carnal, jealous Saul like characters.
Isaiah 62:6; Ezekiel chapter 33. We are all called to be an intercessor/watchmen. This doesn’t mean that we are called to lay down and join the house of prayer, but it does mean that no matter where the Lord calls you that you are stilled called to a lifestyle of prayer with fasting, as well, we must stand as a light and or watchmen to all those who are in need of the knowledge of God. In the case of the shulamite, she is going through persecution from the carnal leaders in her church, again, we need to be firmly rooted and grounded in the love of God ( Ephesians 3:16-19 ).
We need the knowledge of God ( Ephesians 1:17-19 ). What will we do if even the church rises against us, we need to pursue the knowledge of God violently ( the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force ). The leaders make her out to be a heretical, false, she is rejected. Does this sound familiar? Jesus had the same done to Him by the church of His day. Colossians 1:11; Partaking of the sufferings of Christ with joy and patience, pursuing Him at all cost without offence. Job 36:26; We do not know God ( Joel 2:12-17; Ephesians 1:17-19 ). We need to embrace the knowledge of He whom was crucified for us.
5:8; I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem. If you find my Beloved, that you tell Him that I am lovesick.
I charge you: With spiritual authority, she calls upon the immature church to help her seek Him.
Daughters: Immature church.
* Oh to be lovesick for Jesus. She is yearning for God through all persecution from the leaders. She is declaring that she will not back down, and she calls upon the church to come and seek Jesus with her. Her response is amazing. Instead of being offended at the church, she runs to them for help. Again, Matthew 11:6; Blessed is he whom is not offended because of me.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
March/April update:
Hello, sorry it has been a little while since i have blogged. The past 2 months have been extremely busy. I am working at Subway here in Tauranga, New Zealand 40 hours a week. As well i am on part time staff at the Tauranga House Of Prayer.
Just a quick overview of the last two months:
-I turned 24 on March 8th. Thank you all for an amazing weekend full of different gatherings to celebrate my life. I love you all, you all are an extraordinary group of friends.
-I have taken up rock climbing. its fun and challenging. As well i have designed more workout to strengthen me in this area.
-I have played tons of soccer with my dear freind Tristan Glas. Although i am down with a knee injury at the moment.
-I am going to be an uncle again from 2 different family members. WOOHOO!!! Lots of little ones to cherish.
-I have picked up going to the driving range, its is quite fun when you get the hang of hitting a golf ball.
-The Lord has done some mighty work in my heart when it comes to relations with people in general.
And here is a quick over view of what the Lord is doing in my heart at the moment.
-Joel 2:12-17 as always is pressing on from above. To fast, weep and mourn for the things that are on God's heart.
-The election process of the chosen of God/pre-destination has been the major pressing issue of my heart in the last month. Not to say i am full on calvinistic, or to say i am sideing with the full on free will crowd. i dont wish to discuss the issue at the moment. If you want to ask me than email me: robbins.britton@gmail.com---- lets just leave it as Job 36:26 God is great and we do not know Him.
-Something else brewing in my gut is wether i should move to kc missouri and do a 4 year preaching school. so pray for me on this, i feel as though i have permission from God, but He has also given me the choice to stay and labour here in New Zealand. Lets just say a good friend told me to see if there was a gut check, well i have a gut check on moving, but i am still undesided.
-Regaurdless of whether i go to kc or not, i will be coming to the states for my sisters wedding, which is june 21st. if i do return to New Zealand it will be at least month before i return.
be blessed , i will post some pics and give a more thurough update when things have been desided.
Just a quick overview of the last two months:
-I turned 24 on March 8th. Thank you all for an amazing weekend full of different gatherings to celebrate my life. I love you all, you all are an extraordinary group of friends.
-I have taken up rock climbing. its fun and challenging. As well i have designed more workout to strengthen me in this area.
-I have played tons of soccer with my dear freind Tristan Glas. Although i am down with a knee injury at the moment.
-I am going to be an uncle again from 2 different family members. WOOHOO!!! Lots of little ones to cherish.
-I have picked up going to the driving range, its is quite fun when you get the hang of hitting a golf ball.
-The Lord has done some mighty work in my heart when it comes to relations with people in general.
And here is a quick over view of what the Lord is doing in my heart at the moment.
-Joel 2:12-17 as always is pressing on from above. To fast, weep and mourn for the things that are on God's heart.
-The election process of the chosen of God/pre-destination has been the major pressing issue of my heart in the last month. Not to say i am full on calvinistic, or to say i am sideing with the full on free will crowd. i dont wish to discuss the issue at the moment. If you want to ask me than email me: robbins.britton@gmail.com---- lets just leave it as Job 36:26 God is great and we do not know Him.
-Something else brewing in my gut is wether i should move to kc missouri and do a 4 year preaching school. so pray for me on this, i feel as though i have permission from God, but He has also given me the choice to stay and labour here in New Zealand. Lets just say a good friend told me to see if there was a gut check, well i have a gut check on moving, but i am still undesided.
-Regaurdless of whether i go to kc or not, i will be coming to the states for my sisters wedding, which is june 21st. if i do return to New Zealand it will be at least month before i return.
be blessed , i will post some pics and give a more thurough update when things have been desided.
SONG OF SONGS: THE RAVISHED HEART OF THE HEAVENLY BRIDEGROOM (4:9-5:1)
THE RAVISHED HEART OF THE HEAVENLY BRIDEGROOM. ( 4:9-5:1 )
4:9; You have ravished my heart, My sister, My spouse: You have ravished my heart. With one look of your eyes, with one link of your necklace.
You have ravished my heart: Jesus reveals how lovely we are to Him. He is ravished by us and not by our accomplishments.
My sister: Human relationship ( Matthew 12:49-50 ).
My spouse: Bride; Jesus longs for His bride. He longs for partnership with His love.
With one look of your eyes: Every act of devotion towards Jesus moves His heart. If one glance can move the heart of God, what will a fixed gaze do?
With one link of your necklace: One link ( each individual response ); submission of our free will to God and God alone.
* Jesus relates to us in a human language so that we might understand the context of His heart. Jesus is absolutely ravished by our weak cries and attempts in seeking Him. Jesus longs for a bride and come the end of the age He will have a pure and holy bride, she will cry out to Him in longings and groans ( Revelation 22:17 ). Jesus is forever faithful ( read the book of Hosea ). The most amazing part, one glance moves the Saviors heart to compassion and mercy. ( Psalms 136 ).
4:10; How fair is your love, My sister, My spouse! How much better than wine is your love, and the scent of your perfumes than all spices!
How fair is your love: How beautiful is your love to Me. ( 1st Corinthians ).
My sister, My spouse: Sister identifies the human race. Spouse emphasizes Jesus’ longing for bridal partnership with the human race.
How much better than wine is your love: Jesus’ is affirming to her that her love to Him is far better than the finer things in the earth. She is His desire. Just as she is His desire. ( Songs 1:2 ). He telling her the same things she has spoken to Him. Union between God and man.
Perfumes: Her thought life.
Than all the spices: ( 2nd Corinthians 2:14-16 ). We are all the fragrance of Christ Jesus. And this my friend pleases God more than any other fragrance.
* Our love is beautiful to the Lord! Again, the Lord relates to us as family, even as the future bride. He is truly ravished by our thoughts and devotions unto Him. He chose death by the cross over the finer things and riches of the world, that is a testimony of how much the Lord loves us in itself. The fragrance of our life as a devotion unto Him is the loveliest of all the fragrances to Him. ( Revelation 5:8 ); Our prayers are before the Lord, and their fragrance is always before Him. Again, we are the desire of the Lord, and He will perfect and make holy that which is His ( Psalm 138:8 ).
4:11; Your lips, My spouse, drip as the honeycomb; Honey and milk are under your tongue; and the fragrance of your garments are like the fragrance of Lebanon.
Lips: Communication with Jesus!
Honeycomb: Sweet!
Honey and milk are under your tongue: A healthy balance of her love for God and her knowledge of God. Her agreement between her tongue and her heart ( Colossians 4:6 ).
Garments: Righteousness; Revelation 6:11, Revelation 7:9, Revelation 7:13-14. Her deeds are full of righteousness.
Lebanon: Strong and beautiful; Our love is strong and beautiful to the Lord!
* The Lord hears our thoughts and prayers. Again they are a sweet aroma that He holds dear to Him, this cannot be over emphasized! God looks beyond our failures, He see’s the finished work of the cross, the blood of the Lamb. Through that God see’s all our pure actions, and all that we do is far lovelier and the acts of the perishing ways of our generation ( Psalm 45 ). Revelation 7:9-17, we will be clothed in white robes, pure and holy, seated in heavenly places. And in this case if we are martyred we will have the honor of being apart of the prayer meeting in heaven which is spoken in this chapter.
4:12; A garden enclosed is My sister, My spouse, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
Garden: A place of pleasure, solitude and rest. We as the people of God have been set apart as His garden ( 1st Corinthians 3:6-9 ).
Enclosed: She is protecting herself, as well God is also protecting her ( Psalm 61:4 ).
My sister, My spouse: Third time in a row that the Lord speaks in this language to her. Sister identifies with us as the human race. Spouse emphasizes God’s longing with bridal partnership with weak and broken humans.
A fountain sealed up: ( Ephesians 4:30 ); We are very sacred and reserved to be holy unto the Lord. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, for we are reserved for Christ, and to resist is carnality, and carnality is death ( Romans 8:6 ). ( 1st Corinthians 6:20; 7:23 ).
* ( Isaiah 58:11 ); God promised to make His church a well watered garden, who’s springs would not fail. Just as God created us so that He might have a people His Spirit could rest in, we need to come to God everyday so that we might find joyful rest in Him for our lives everyday! We are pretty simple creatures. We can’t even go more than 24 hours without sleep or we become physically and mentally drained. In the same way that rest restores our bodies to carry on the next day, we need to find rest in Jesus, to put all our problems at the cross. This will strengthen as well it will guide us down straight paths.
"Oh, to see God’s garden flourishing in the darkness of a fallen world!"
Mike Bickel
4:13; Your plants are an orchid of pomegranates with pleasant fruits, fragrant henna with spikenard.
Plants: Fruitful ministry.
Pomegranates: Her ministry is sweet to God.
Pleasant fruits: Her impact on others by the fruit of her ministry to God.
Fragrant henna with spikenard: The fragrance of the precious and costly work of God in her life.
* Jesus’ heart is so easily conquered by those whom sincerely love Him. Weak people capture His heart when they come to Him with a willing spirit. ( Hebrews 6:10 ); He see’s our good and sincere heart and He will not forget those deeds of good faith that we did for Him, the Lord’s heart is burning in love with us in love with Him. Our ministry/devotion to the Lord is a sweet aroma burning before the Lord.
4:14; Spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon. With all tree’s of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices.
Spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon: A continuation of 4:13; The fragrance of the precious and costly work of God in her life.
With all tree’s of frankincense: Her prayer life.
Myrrh and aloes: The cross; Death to self.
With all the chief spices: His grace flowing into our inner man ( Ephesians 3:16-19 ).
* We must again survey that old rugged cross. The cost of discipleship is that of great sacrifice. A life of prayer and fasting ( Joel 2:12-17 ). We were dead in our sins, than Jesus became the atonement, so now, with this revelation, that we are deserving of eternal punishment, we must embrace the cross as if we were not worthy of salvation in any way shape or form, thus thrusting us in to a perpetual desire to cry out to God with fasting and weeping. He will give to us His Spirit, but it requires great sacrifice! A one thing desire ( psalm 27:4 ).
4:15; A fountain of gardens. A well of living waters. And streams from Lebanon.
A fountain of gardens: Christ is a fountain hidden within us.
A well of living waters: Our history and foundation in God.
And streams form Lebanon: Abundance of grace.
* Christ is hidden within each of us. From the beginning we have had the ability to partnership with the Holy Spirit. I forget who says this but it is amazing,
"It’s not when we get saved that we can have access to the Holy Spirit, but rather when we get saved the Holy Spirit can finally have access to us"!!!
Again we need to strive to live a life as though we were already dead to it. Build a foundation worthy of the cross, so that when the day has approached He might find you pure and spotless through the works of the teachings of the cross of Christ.
4:16; Awake, O north wind, and come, O south, blow upon my garden, that its spices may flow out. Let my Beloved come to His garden, and eat its pleasant fruits.
Awake, O north wind: The difficult things in our lives that come up and try to overcome us; Anger, pride, lust…..etc……
And come, O south: Other personal life and ministry.
Blow upon my garden: The yes in our heart for God to come.
That its spices may flow out: The cry for the groan of God to be in our life.
Let my Beloved come to His garden, and eat its pleasant fruits: The cry for the anointing of God in our lives, as well a cry for the Lord’s consecration over our lives.
* The affirmation of the Lord is what awakens us to the revelation of the love of God in our lives. She is yearning for the Lord to do a mighty work is her life, thus she cries out to Him, she absolutely and utterly longs for the deep emotions of God to come and overtake her. She realizes that the pain and suffering that it will take to get there will all be worth it, her desire for healing and for all of God in her life are the most important.
5:1; I have come to My garden My spouse: I have gathered My myrrh with My spice; I have eaten My honeycomb with My honey. I have drank My wine with My milk. Eat O friends! Drink, yes, drink deeply O beloved ones.
I have come to My garden: He wants full possession of what is rightfully His.
I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey: He is partaking in her life.
I have drank my wine with my milk: He is celebrating the love that the bride has for Him.
Eat: Feed off the edification of one another.
Friends: We are the friends of God. ( John 3:29 ).
Drink: Strengthen and nourish one another.
* Jesus I a safe God! The Lord wants to posses a people. He wants a people who long for the righteous attributes of His character. He wants to fully partake in each of our lives. Therefore pick up your cross daily, that you might die to sin and the unclean things of this age, so that you can partake in the goodness of God. And in this He is utterly ravished to the core of His being, come friends of God, partake in the beautiful glory of our God. And in this strengthen and encourage one another, so that we might grow in this together.
* I also would like to emphasize on the issue of holiness unto the Lord. ( Ephesians 5:29 ); The Lord loves and nourishes His church. He is forever faithful and will come and redeem His people. But lest we sleep and take in vein what being a Christian really implies, I fear far to many of us think that we can wade through the ocean, but without realizing we are diving into hurricane per portions.
The following scriptures are all taken from letters to the church, written to believers, so please don’t write yourself out of the equation, also be urgent in your prayers for yourself as well for others, we have all fallen short of the glory of God, and we all rightfully deserving of death for our transgressions.
Hebrews 10:22-25; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together, as in the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching.
Colossians 1:9-12; For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and long suffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints of the light.
Romans 8:12-17; Therefore, brethren, we are debtors-not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh, for if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you did not receive the Spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out "Abba Father". the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we also may be glorified together
4:9; You have ravished my heart, My sister, My spouse: You have ravished my heart. With one look of your eyes, with one link of your necklace.
You have ravished my heart: Jesus reveals how lovely we are to Him. He is ravished by us and not by our accomplishments.
My sister: Human relationship ( Matthew 12:49-50 ).
My spouse: Bride; Jesus longs for His bride. He longs for partnership with His love.
With one look of your eyes: Every act of devotion towards Jesus moves His heart. If one glance can move the heart of God, what will a fixed gaze do?
With one link of your necklace: One link ( each individual response ); submission of our free will to God and God alone.
* Jesus relates to us in a human language so that we might understand the context of His heart. Jesus is absolutely ravished by our weak cries and attempts in seeking Him. Jesus longs for a bride and come the end of the age He will have a pure and holy bride, she will cry out to Him in longings and groans ( Revelation 22:17 ). Jesus is forever faithful ( read the book of Hosea ). The most amazing part, one glance moves the Saviors heart to compassion and mercy. ( Psalms 136 ).
4:10; How fair is your love, My sister, My spouse! How much better than wine is your love, and the scent of your perfumes than all spices!
How fair is your love: How beautiful is your love to Me. ( 1st Corinthians ).
My sister, My spouse: Sister identifies the human race. Spouse emphasizes Jesus’ longing for bridal partnership with the human race.
How much better than wine is your love: Jesus’ is affirming to her that her love to Him is far better than the finer things in the earth. She is His desire. Just as she is His desire. ( Songs 1:2 ). He telling her the same things she has spoken to Him. Union between God and man.
Perfumes: Her thought life.
Than all the spices: ( 2nd Corinthians 2:14-16 ). We are all the fragrance of Christ Jesus. And this my friend pleases God more than any other fragrance.
* Our love is beautiful to the Lord! Again, the Lord relates to us as family, even as the future bride. He is truly ravished by our thoughts and devotions unto Him. He chose death by the cross over the finer things and riches of the world, that is a testimony of how much the Lord loves us in itself. The fragrance of our life as a devotion unto Him is the loveliest of all the fragrances to Him. ( Revelation 5:8 ); Our prayers are before the Lord, and their fragrance is always before Him. Again, we are the desire of the Lord, and He will perfect and make holy that which is His ( Psalm 138:8 ).
4:11; Your lips, My spouse, drip as the honeycomb; Honey and milk are under your tongue; and the fragrance of your garments are like the fragrance of Lebanon.
Lips: Communication with Jesus!
Honeycomb: Sweet!
Honey and milk are under your tongue: A healthy balance of her love for God and her knowledge of God. Her agreement between her tongue and her heart ( Colossians 4:6 ).
Garments: Righteousness; Revelation 6:11, Revelation 7:9, Revelation 7:13-14. Her deeds are full of righteousness.
Lebanon: Strong and beautiful; Our love is strong and beautiful to the Lord!
* The Lord hears our thoughts and prayers. Again they are a sweet aroma that He holds dear to Him, this cannot be over emphasized! God looks beyond our failures, He see’s the finished work of the cross, the blood of the Lamb. Through that God see’s all our pure actions, and all that we do is far lovelier and the acts of the perishing ways of our generation ( Psalm 45 ). Revelation 7:9-17, we will be clothed in white robes, pure and holy, seated in heavenly places. And in this case if we are martyred we will have the honor of being apart of the prayer meeting in heaven which is spoken in this chapter.
4:12; A garden enclosed is My sister, My spouse, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.
Garden: A place of pleasure, solitude and rest. We as the people of God have been set apart as His garden ( 1st Corinthians 3:6-9 ).
Enclosed: She is protecting herself, as well God is also protecting her ( Psalm 61:4 ).
My sister, My spouse: Third time in a row that the Lord speaks in this language to her. Sister identifies with us as the human race. Spouse emphasizes God’s longing with bridal partnership with weak and broken humans.
A fountain sealed up: ( Ephesians 4:30 ); We are very sacred and reserved to be holy unto the Lord. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, for we are reserved for Christ, and to resist is carnality, and carnality is death ( Romans 8:6 ). ( 1st Corinthians 6:20; 7:23 ).
* ( Isaiah 58:11 ); God promised to make His church a well watered garden, who’s springs would not fail. Just as God created us so that He might have a people His Spirit could rest in, we need to come to God everyday so that we might find joyful rest in Him for our lives everyday! We are pretty simple creatures. We can’t even go more than 24 hours without sleep or we become physically and mentally drained. In the same way that rest restores our bodies to carry on the next day, we need to find rest in Jesus, to put all our problems at the cross. This will strengthen as well it will guide us down straight paths.
"Oh, to see God’s garden flourishing in the darkness of a fallen world!"
Mike Bickel
4:13; Your plants are an orchid of pomegranates with pleasant fruits, fragrant henna with spikenard.
Plants: Fruitful ministry.
Pomegranates: Her ministry is sweet to God.
Pleasant fruits: Her impact on others by the fruit of her ministry to God.
Fragrant henna with spikenard: The fragrance of the precious and costly work of God in her life.
* Jesus’ heart is so easily conquered by those whom sincerely love Him. Weak people capture His heart when they come to Him with a willing spirit. ( Hebrews 6:10 ); He see’s our good and sincere heart and He will not forget those deeds of good faith that we did for Him, the Lord’s heart is burning in love with us in love with Him. Our ministry/devotion to the Lord is a sweet aroma burning before the Lord.
4:14; Spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon. With all tree’s of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices.
Spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon: A continuation of 4:13; The fragrance of the precious and costly work of God in her life.
With all tree’s of frankincense: Her prayer life.
Myrrh and aloes: The cross; Death to self.
With all the chief spices: His grace flowing into our inner man ( Ephesians 3:16-19 ).
* We must again survey that old rugged cross. The cost of discipleship is that of great sacrifice. A life of prayer and fasting ( Joel 2:12-17 ). We were dead in our sins, than Jesus became the atonement, so now, with this revelation, that we are deserving of eternal punishment, we must embrace the cross as if we were not worthy of salvation in any way shape or form, thus thrusting us in to a perpetual desire to cry out to God with fasting and weeping. He will give to us His Spirit, but it requires great sacrifice! A one thing desire ( psalm 27:4 ).
4:15; A fountain of gardens. A well of living waters. And streams from Lebanon.
A fountain of gardens: Christ is a fountain hidden within us.
A well of living waters: Our history and foundation in God.
And streams form Lebanon: Abundance of grace.
* Christ is hidden within each of us. From the beginning we have had the ability to partnership with the Holy Spirit. I forget who says this but it is amazing,
"It’s not when we get saved that we can have access to the Holy Spirit, but rather when we get saved the Holy Spirit can finally have access to us"!!!
Again we need to strive to live a life as though we were already dead to it. Build a foundation worthy of the cross, so that when the day has approached He might find you pure and spotless through the works of the teachings of the cross of Christ.
4:16; Awake, O north wind, and come, O south, blow upon my garden, that its spices may flow out. Let my Beloved come to His garden, and eat its pleasant fruits.
Awake, O north wind: The difficult things in our lives that come up and try to overcome us; Anger, pride, lust…..etc……
And come, O south: Other personal life and ministry.
Blow upon my garden: The yes in our heart for God to come.
That its spices may flow out: The cry for the groan of God to be in our life.
Let my Beloved come to His garden, and eat its pleasant fruits: The cry for the anointing of God in our lives, as well a cry for the Lord’s consecration over our lives.
* The affirmation of the Lord is what awakens us to the revelation of the love of God in our lives. She is yearning for the Lord to do a mighty work is her life, thus she cries out to Him, she absolutely and utterly longs for the deep emotions of God to come and overtake her. She realizes that the pain and suffering that it will take to get there will all be worth it, her desire for healing and for all of God in her life are the most important.
5:1; I have come to My garden My spouse: I have gathered My myrrh with My spice; I have eaten My honeycomb with My honey. I have drank My wine with My milk. Eat O friends! Drink, yes, drink deeply O beloved ones.
I have come to My garden: He wants full possession of what is rightfully His.
I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey: He is partaking in her life.
I have drank my wine with my milk: He is celebrating the love that the bride has for Him.
Eat: Feed off the edification of one another.
Friends: We are the friends of God. ( John 3:29 ).
Drink: Strengthen and nourish one another.
* Jesus I a safe God! The Lord wants to posses a people. He wants a people who long for the righteous attributes of His character. He wants to fully partake in each of our lives. Therefore pick up your cross daily, that you might die to sin and the unclean things of this age, so that you can partake in the goodness of God. And in this He is utterly ravished to the core of His being, come friends of God, partake in the beautiful glory of our God. And in this strengthen and encourage one another, so that we might grow in this together.
* I also would like to emphasize on the issue of holiness unto the Lord. ( Ephesians 5:29 ); The Lord loves and nourishes His church. He is forever faithful and will come and redeem His people. But lest we sleep and take in vein what being a Christian really implies, I fear far to many of us think that we can wade through the ocean, but without realizing we are diving into hurricane per portions.
The following scriptures are all taken from letters to the church, written to believers, so please don’t write yourself out of the equation, also be urgent in your prayers for yourself as well for others, we have all fallen short of the glory of God, and we all rightfully deserving of death for our transgressions.
Hebrews 10:22-25; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together, as in the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching.
Colossians 1:9-12; For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and long suffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints of the light.
Romans 8:12-17; Therefore, brethren, we are debtors-not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh, for if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you did not receive the Spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out "Abba Father". the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we also may be glorified together
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