By REV. CHRIS SHELTON
The Music of Solomon, or as verse one of many guide calls it, the Music of Songs, is an outline of the fellowship between the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church. The Christian life is worried with rising increasingly into the likeness of Christ by the grace of God. This development promotes communion and love. Jesus requested, “Can two stroll collectively if they don’t agree?”
Salvation is about deliverance from the guilt and corruption of sin. Music of Songs 2:1-7 describes the wealthy fellowship of a believer who sees the glory of Christ in salvation and delights in drawing close to to the Lord and feasting on His Phrase. She enjoys the shade of His safety, the refreshment of His Spirit, and the sustaining power of His presence.
Blissful is the Christian when he has a season of strolling shut with the Lord. He’s fruitful in his ideas, coronary heart, and works. However seasons change, and the Christian can discover himself in a non secular season like winter; his coronary heart is chilly, his listening to of the Lord’s phrase is formal, and the Lord Jesus appears far off. Such has been the situation of the soul on this passage (Music of Solomon 2:8-17).
The Christian is described as behind a wall, whereas the Lord is exterior wanting in by means of a window (verse 9). There was a season of winter within the non secular lifetime of the believer (verse 11). The wall between the soul and the Lord is much like what we learn of the church in Laodicea in Revelation 3.
There the Lord Jesus is exterior a door knocking. He’s exterior as a result of His folks inside had develop into so comfy with the prosperity of the world they now not felt a lot want for the Lord. They have been lukewarm of their affections for Christ. The Lord mentioned that of their situation they have been truly “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and bare.” Their outward situation might have been affluent, however their inward, non secular situation was impoverished.
What do you do in such a situation? The treatment is to hearken to the voice of the Lord and reply. The author of Hebrews says, “Immediately, for those who hear his voice, don’t harden your coronary heart.” He additionally says, “Watch out brothers, lest by means of an evil, unbelieving coronary heart, any drift away from the dwelling God.” The apostle was utilizing the unbelief of the Israelites within the desert to warn Christians of the hazard of not listening to the phrase of the Lord.
He makes use of the phrase “Immediately” within the sense of urgency. In the event you delay responding to the Lord, you danger hardening your coronary heart. There’s a place past the attain of mercy. The winter of the soul is just not corresponding to the place the place there is no such thing as a mitigation of distress, nor any risk of escaping it. The Lord will typically remind His folks of this to return them to readability of their non secular eyesight.
All the time keep in mind the Lord loves mercy. You could have resisted and abused many calls from the Lord in His phrase to repent and return to your former affections and devotion to Him. However the Lord Jesus is at all times able to welcome his sheep who lament their methods and are available to Him for cleaning.
Our passage describes the enjoyment of the believer when she responds to the Lord’s voice in phrases likened to ample life: “Come up my love, my lovely one, and are available away, for behold, the winter is previous, the rain is over and gone. The flowers seem on the earth, the time of singing has come, the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land” (2:10-13).
Christ is an overflowing fountain of goodness. In all places He went, He was doing good: proclaiming the dominion of God; therapeutic the sick; giving the blind sight, the deaf ears to listen to, the lame legs to stroll, and on and on. He’s the creator of life. To withstand Him is to withstand all good. To embrace Him is to embrace goodness itself. If you’re considering of Christ rightly, you may be considering of Him extremely.
There’ll at all times be obstacles whereas we’re on this world to our stroll with Christ. That is what the foxes spoiling the winery discuss with (verse 15). Jesus known as Herod a “fox” as a result of he was an enemy of God’s kingdom. Ezekiel known as false prophets in Israel “foxes.” There are various varieties “foxes” take.
Our tradition has turned towards the Christian religion; good is named evil and evil good. Our personal satisfaction and self-sufficiency hinder our admiration and like to Christ. This passage directs us to hunt Christ and name upon Him day-to-day, to hearken to Him with a responding and humble coronary heart.
The Rev. Chris Shelton is pastor of Union’s First Presbyterian Church.
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