Saturday, July 20, 2013

Song of Solomon 1:14 “My Beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of En Gedi”

Henna is a shrub or small tree, but when cultivated henna can be grown in rows like small hedges. Because of its thorny branches, these cultivated hedges were often used to surround a vineyard to protect crops from wild prey.  The bride in the Song of Solomon likens her Beloved to the henna in the vineyards; that is to say He is like One who surrounds, protects and defends her from harm.  The Lord often referred to His people as His vineyard; and it is He who watches over us, His cherished bride, to protect and defend us. 

Another aspect of the henna shrub is its clusters of beautiful and fragrant flowers. Henna blossoms contain an essential oil used to make perfume, and is also used to make cosmetics to enhance beauty.  The fragrance of Jesus is intoxicating to those who love His presence! A cluster expresses the abundance and diversity of the Beloved’s beauty, grace, mercy, and love. Songs 5:16 says, “He is altogether beautiful…” There is none that compare to our Lord!

En Gedi is an oasis along the western shore of the Dead Sea.  There are many springs around the Dead Sea, but most of them have a high salt content. En Gedi is one of only two sites located on the western shore where fresh water springs are found. It is a desert oasis with waterfalls, springs of water, botanical gardens, and thriving date palms.

The bride not only likens her Beloved to the intoxicating fragrance of the henna blossom with the protective qualities of the hedge, but the setting she describes is an oasis in the desert. The Lord draws us with His fragrant love and promises to be our keeper, defender, and protector. He desires that we lean upon Him for our every need (Songs 8:5) and sustains and refreshes those who abide in Him, our everlasting spring of Life. Jeremiah 17:7-8 says, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."

I believe it was significant that En Gedi was one of the main places of refuge for David as he fled from Saul. 1 Sam 23:29 tells us that “David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of En Gedi.” David often referred to the Lord as his “stronghold” throughout the Psalms. Our Beloved delights for us to run to Him as our stronghold and place of refuge from our adversaries.

As a closing thought, it is interesting that the lowest point on land on earth is at the Dead Sea, which lies at 1,312 feet below sea level. While I don’t believe the Shulamite in the Song of Solomon had this in mind when she thought of En Gedi as the place where she encounters the beauty and fragrance of her Beloved, I can’t help but to think of how low Jesus went as He humbled Himself (Philippians 2:6-8) to redeem us as His cherished bride for all eternity.  It is from this lowest place that His extravagant beauty and fragrant love are revealed!

Devotional Prayer
Jesus, how intoxicating is the fragrance of Your beauty and love! The diversity of Your attributes is unsearchable. I thank You, Lord, that You delight to tend to Your vineyard, Your bride, and You nourish and protect me. You are the pursuer in our relationship and You draw me closer by Your fragrant love. Your love and presence refresh me like one who drinks from a pure spring; You are the sustainer of all life! Help me to run to You for refuge in the heat of the day, for You alone are my shelter, defender, protector, and provider. May I always be found leaning into You, my Beloved!

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Song of Solomon 1:13 “My Beloved is to me a bundle of myrrh that lies all night between my breast”


Myrrh is an aromatic resin that was used in making perfumes, the holy anointing oil, and in preparing a body for burial. The Hebrew word for myrrh, Mowr, comes from the root word Marar which means bitterness. Because myrrh was used in the embalming or anointing of the dead, it came to represent mortality, suffering, and sorrow. During biblical times myrrh was very costly and used in expensive perfumes. It was used in powdered form to perfume garments and beds and to make sachets which were worn between the breasts.

Here in the Song of Solomon, the Bride likens Jesus to a bundle of myrrh that lay on her heart through the night. Jesus’ death on the Cross is an extravagant and costly gift to His Bride and reveals the depths of His love for us. The Cross is the moment when the love of God is displayed like no other; it is the abandonment of His own life in pursuit to redeem His cherished Bride. We were created in the image of God to be His eternal companion forever, a perfect Bride for His Son. Jesus didn’t sacrifice His life to redeem fallen angels, but actually took on the form of man in flesh to demonstrate His passionate, fiery, jealous love and redeem us from sin and the consequence of eternal separation. One of Jesus’ last prayers was, “Father, I desire that they be with Me where I am” (Jn. 17:24). We were made for love – the objects of God’s affections!  I don’t think we will ever fully comprehend the mystery and wonder of the uncreated God wanting to join Himself to humanity in Jesus. Ephesians 5:30 states, “We are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.” The union we now experience with Jesus and our future destiny as His Bride for all eternity is only made possible because of the cleansing blood that Jesus shed on the Cross. “O precious is the flow that makes us white as snow…” We will never tire of mediating on the wonders of His love and the power of redemption that was accomplished on the Cross.

The night often speaks of times of temptations and trials and refers to the time of our Beloved’s absence.  In the night season one can feel weak in faith and abandoned by God; He often feels distant in these seasons which leaves us asking if He really hears, sees, and knows our difficulties. But as we mediate on the Cross (symbolic of myrrh between the breast, or over the heart) and His endless love for us demonstrated through His suffering, our faith becomes anchored in truth and we find confidence to trust that nothing can separate us from His unfailing love. Songs 7:10 says “I am my Beloved’s and His desire is for me.” Even in our failures and weakness, God demonstrated His own love for us as Jesus died on the cross, (Rom. 5:8)

The work of Calvary is vast and we will never exhaust the depths of all that was provided through this single act of love wrought by the Lover of our souls.  It should be a constant meditation upon our heart as it is our constant reminder and assurance of His desire for union with us.

Devotional Prayer
Father, thank You for Your perfect love with which You love me, even to the extent that You did not withhold Your only Son in order to redeem me and restore my relationship with You. Jesus, thank You that You were willing to leave Your throne of glory to take on the form of man in flesh, that I might become Your pure, spotless Bride and enjoy You forever without end! Thank You for the cleansing power of Your blood shed on the Cross and that Your Spirit now lives in me so that there is never a moment when You are not with me. May I keep the mediation of Your love displayed on the Cross always upon my heart until that moment when I see You face to face and we are together forever.