Manifest Refreshing

(This week's message is part of a concurrent series on the Song of Solomon. For more on the Canticles, please visit our archives)

Last week we spoke of lingering in the presence of the Lord, and about the apples that refresh. Secret prayer releases signs and wonders – power in the natural realm. Look at any notable miracle worker throughout church history and you will see a resume of hours upon hours of one-on-one time with the Lord.

Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love (Song 2:5).

Let’s talk about these apples a bit more. This week we will look at the refreshing of God’s presence, and the manifestations sometimes associated with it. Sometimes standing firm in the word of God means you are unable to get off the floor. As I was preparing this for this word in prayer last week, I had to physically crawl in order to reach the restroom because of the heavy glory and faintness that the Lord swept over me. This is the nature of things under the apple tree. Does it always make sense to press into this Kingdom in such a way? Not to the natural mind.

We should note in the previous verse of this passage, “He has taken me to the banquet hall” (verse 4), that the banquet hall can be literally translated as “House of Wine.” It is a place of heavy drinking in the presence of the Lord. God is all about a good party, and when He steps into the room, you can expect glorious chaos to ensue.

:: manifestation ::

The glory in the secret place will impact the body and soul realm at times in powerful manifestation. Again, it is not that we pursue manifestation, but in our honest pursuit of the Lord, such activity is sometimes a byproduct – as it has always been throughout scripture and church history. Sometimes God is hidden, and at other times, He is manifest. We should never base or hinge our spirituality on manifestation, but neither should we reject it as if it were altogether unbiblical. We have a clear precedent in this regard from Pentecost forward. Even in the Old Testament, the Lord moved prophetically on His holy men in much more a bizarre fashion than simply making them flop on the floor. Isaiah walked naked for three years. Ezekiel lay on his side for more than a year, flipping only once. And when the glory rested in the temple, the priests could not even stand to perform their duties, because it came upon them so strongly.

It is humorous to consider the writings of great revivalists and missionaries of the past, and how they would occasionally speak of gathering together to be “refreshed” in the Holy Spirit. Ever wonder what that looked like? We’ve stereotyped so many of our forerunners as stiff-necked, starch-collared holy rollers. But many of them were complete Holy Ghost drunks. In Jonathan Edwards’ meetings, people swooned and fell over and entered trances under the weighty hand of God. John Wesley writes of prayer meetings with George Whitefield and others where they all fell to the ground in awe and amazement at the presence. An early Methodist convert wrote in 1807, “I thought they were distracted, such fools I’d never seen. They’d stamp and clap and tremble, and wail and cry and scream.” An even earlier such gathering in 1776 was described as follows: “the assembly appeared to be all in confusion, and must seem to one at a little distance more like a drunken rabble than the worshippers of God.” Quakers and Shakers were so named because they physically shook and trembled under the mighty presence of God.

We should get used to a few physical manifestations in the church – every revival has been marked by them. If we can’t handle someone falling over in a church service, how will we cope with blood and fire and billows of smoke when the Lord releases Mosaic signs and wonders back into the earth? Do we want revival, or a funeral dirge?

Clean cut, predictable worship services may be nice, but if we want the strength of the ox, the stall is going to get messy. We must learn to think spiritually, so that we do not get hung up on messy services full of manifestation, laughing and flopping. We must set our eyes on what God is doing amidst it all. Often, he is simply moving on hearts and playing with His children. Usually, He is filling us with power.

:: fiery embrace ::

The renewal of the mind brings great power.

His left arm is under my head, and His right arm embraces me (verse 6).

The left arm speaks of the spiritual side. Even in the oldest Christian icons, artists painted Jesus’ left and right sides differently, to reflect the duality of his divine and human nature. The left arm under the head here speaks of a spiritual understanding that bypasses the carnal mind – actually renews it – while giving rest to the thoughts and release from the cares and the worries of the world. This spiritual perspective is what makes Christians often look like idiots in contrast to the wisdom of the age. We are supposed to be that way. We are salt and light. We do not try to offend, but the cross is an offense. Seeming blind trust in God stirs up frustration among the religious and the ungodly, who are working so hard in their own strife. If you begin to operate in the favor, ease and buttered feet of the anointing, those who strive will become envious.

When we let the Holy Spirit come upon us and do as He pleases, we ourselves will become a sign and a wonder. On a very basic level, that is really even the point of physical manifestations. Brother Lawrence, who made it his sole ambition to practice God’s presence, said that when the glory came upon him very strongly, he would often do very silly, childish things because he couldn’t physically contain it. We mentioned in a previous study that people came from miles around just to watch him wash dishes, because of the way God visibly manifested the Holy Spirit through his actions.

Our spirituality must be intrinsically connected to our natural lifestyle. Christ was both God and flesh. In the same way, our spiritual side (and even the spiritual practice of prayer) should in some way birth visible, tangible fruit in the natural realm.

It is the right arm of the Lord in this passage that embraces us. The right hand is the one that is extended into the world, the “strong arm,” with which we carry out most of our natural business. The right side is the natural side in most biblical typologies. In regard to manifesting the kingdom in the earth through giftings, miracles and the like, that is a right arm affair. Yes, this is an embrace of love in verse 6. But it also speaks of a supernatural endowment imparted to us. This is not just the Holy Spirit “in” us, as much as it is the Holy Spirit “on” us. There is a difference. The fire burns both within and without. When the Holy Spirit rests on a person, like a blanket or a mantle, then there is a release of supernatural activity that spills over into the natural realm. The right hand speaks of God’s hand of power and authority in the earth, stretched into the natural realm. Jesus, the extension of the Trinity who stepped from Heaven into the earth, sits at the Father’s right hand. The right hand is the one God stretches into our earthly dimension to demonstrate His power. The embrace of God’s love and the embracing mantle of supernatural power in the life of a believer should go hand in hand.

Remember how the apostles prayed in Acts 4? “Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” And after that prayer, what happened? The place was shaken, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and they “spoke the word of God boldly.” Keep in mind this was two chapters after Pentecost, and this represented an entire new level of glory and power than was seen at first when they began to speak with tongues of fire. By Acts 5, the manifest presence of God’s power had increased to the point that people started falling dead in the glory with their sins, because it rested so strongly on the church.

:: glory realm ::

With each new level and realm of glory we enter, the old man passes away to another degree. The deeper we go, the more we lay aside. There are things you can get away with in the outer and inner courts that will get you killed in the Most Holy Place. Even our old ministry style must be laid to rest. There is a lamp stand and some measure of light – some measure of revelation even in the inner court. But as we enter the glory realm, the oil flows and the fire burns beyond our control. It is no longer enjoying God at our own pace and pleasure. This is a place of full possession, where you are utterly at His disposal. Leave the dim light behind and press into the all-consuming fire. We are on a constant pursuit from new wineskin to new wineskin, because the old bags can’t hold the new wine. This is the substance of renewal.

This type of “right arm embrace” can be a bold, powerful infusion of the miraculous. Many still worship the Lord according to outer court systems of human regulation: Do not eat, do not touch, do not taste. Wear this to church, organize the pews in such and such a manner, etc. Still others press into the inner courts and have a few visitations, get words of prophecy, taste the revelatory realm and see that God is good. But we want more than visitation, we want habitation.
Where are those who will go deeper still, to the level of full possession? To go into the Most Holy Place means they may be dragging you back out by the rope around your ankle. This is a level of power that you do not control, it controls you. It is a sword that you do not bear – the sword itself wields you. And sometimes strikes you. Remember when Joshua asked the angel of the Lord before a battle, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” How did the angel respond? He said “No.” He represented the interest of one who was altogether above the fray.

This level of glory is not about twisting God’s arm and pleading for Him to back your own cause. This is a level of glory wherein we get on board with His agenda. And since we are no longer in control, there is a certain holy wildness that comes over us. It is the unfettered wildness of love.

Lingering

I am really drunk as I am writing this right now, but I will do my best. This week, we are going under the apple tree. And as I entered that realm to pull out some bit of revelation to share, the hand of the Lord was again heavy upon me with holy intoxication.

Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest is my lover among the young men. I delight to sit in his shade, and his fruit is sweet to my taste (Song 2:3).

Stepping into the shade of the Lord is to step into the secret place of His presence.

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. Surely He shall deliver you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge. … (Ps. 91:1-4).

In this shadow of the Holiest Place – in the presence of God where we find protection and sustenance, we are literally covered as with a blanket, with the thick, honey-like substance of His Holy Spirit. It is the warm, rich place of worship, where our spirits literally incubate and grow into maturity. There is no true maturity outside the presence of God.

In this deep place of His abiding presence, where our attention is captivated by God, we find that a number of principles are at work in us. Among these are healing, strengthening and life itself which begins to saturate us to the core (not as a direct result of our labor, or even of our intention to gain blessing. But these things simply splash over onto those whose focused is lost on the Lover of their souls). In fact, to pursue the Lord for these wonderful byproducts can be utterly selfish if our hearts are not foremost sold out to Him and Him alone.

Jesus is the Tree of Life, from whom we must eat. And in consuming His fruit, we find that we can tap into the Kingdom dynamic of “eternal life” immediately in the here and now. We are living our eternal life right now – it doesn’t start when we get to Heaven, though it originates from there. Why wait until Heaven before we take advantage of its potential? We can begin to pull things from the spiritual realm into our life here on earth (Your Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven), when we know the heart of the Father. This was a basic principle of how Jesus operated in the miraculous. He spent hours tucked away in the presence of the Father, soaking in the atmosphere of Heaven. Now through Jesus, we have access to that same Heavenly dimension. The Kingdom is at hand.

:: tree of life ::

Jesus Himself is The Life. Many Christians live their entire lives still eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (note that good and evil have the same root). While their lives may not bear the semblance of sin, and in fact may bear the fruit of a number of “good deeds,” the radiant presence of God, the spark of inner flame of life itself, is woefully missing. In their religious doldrums, they are often the last to recognize it, still trapped in the rights and wrongs of a moral law system, while never ascending to deep relationship with the Lord, which is really what true life is all about.

There were two trees in the garden. We are not called merely to good, and obviously not to evil. We are called to Jesus Christ, a living person. That is why when we pray, it is often beneficial to just let go of our thoughts and be still and quiet. Prayer is not a time to think about Jesus Christ or the Father or the Holy Spirit. Why sit around thinking about Jesus and the Father and the Holy Spirit when you can encounter them! Thoughts are nice, but an encounter is much more productive.

We are too busy and fretful to stop for God. We spend more time thinking about going into the prayer closet than we actually spend in prayer. And when we do stop for prayer, we rarely take the time to get centered and really focused on God. We’ve got a million other distractions and hang-ups. It takes a good 15 minutes just to get acclimated and to no longer feel guilty for not praying enough. Then, after that, we go through our intercessory list of needs and wants and asking and me, me, me. When will we ever get to the God stuff? Hear what He wants to say? I think prayer should be about 15 percent talking and 85 percent listening. And that’s a conservative figure.

It is the performance system of do-gooding – that slavery mentality – that keeps our prayers limited to an obligatory intercession time, but never ascending to the ecstasies of actually visiting and enjoying the Lord just for who He is.

Getting back to the text, understand that the sustaining shade of the Lord covers us much more thoroughly than a mere branch. The apostle Paul says that we are “in Christ.” We have a hiding place much deeper – we are inside of God. Much of our prayer should just be exploring the depths of God’s inmost being. It is not just a conversation, it is an experience.

One time, in prayer with my daughter, we were both in the Spirit and we stepped into the Tree of Life. I saw in a vision that the Tree itself had a doorway, and inside was a room. As we entered it, there was a fire in the center that burned. Meanwhile, I knew that the enemy was pursuing us, and I felt that we were supposed to step into the fire. We did so, but the fire did not consume us. This fire is the burning presence of the Holy Spirit that rested on Moses’ bush (a foreshadow of Jesus, aflame with the Spirit). As I stood in the center of the flame, the enemy was unable to draw near. It is in the center of the fiery presence of the Lord that we are made invulnerable. Even as the Spirit dwelled within Jesus, so He dwells within us. It is the eye of the storm that we are most safe and protected in His refuge. In the fires of God’s refining furnace, we are protected from the thugs of Babylon.

:: secret exposure ::

He has taken me to the banquet hall, and his banner over me is love (verse 4).

The covering presence of the Lord is truly a hiding place, but not the secretive, dodgy kind of hiding as is typical with the kingdom of darkness. In the Lord, all things – even things done before the Father in secret – are exposed in the light. Nothing is hidden that will not be revealed. Although we technically “hide” in God, he is loudly proclaiming and displaying Himself over us like a banner for all to see. The paradox is that, as we tuck ourselves away in secret with God, we begin to glow brilliantly. When we sneak away with Him, we are revealed. When you begin to hide and saturate in God’s presence, it becomes plain to everyone. Humble yourself, and He will lift you up. On the other hand, if you exalt yourself, He will have to oppose you. But here in the place of God’s presence, we are filled with the good things of His table. In the days of kings, everyone knew those who sat to eat the rich bounty of the king’s table – they were the ones known throughout the land, because of their favor. To those who devote themselves to the Lord in secret, He will exalt them at the proper time.

:: the waiting ::

Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love (verse 5).

The shadow of the Most High is a place of strengthening. It is a place of quiet and waiting – just sitting with Him and being with Him. They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. Remember that waiting, tarrying, was a prerequisite for the disciples before they were endowed with power in Jerusalem after the Lord’s ascension.

It is critical that we recapture the discipline of waiting in the stillness of the Lord’s presence. Without the rich stream of contemplative prayer in our lives, we can never come into a quiet reliance upon the strength of the Almighty One. Our own strength will burn out quickly like the tail of a comet, but the Lord’s strength is exponential. He moves from strength to strength – inviting us to likewise move from glory to glory. God is not like some nuclear reactor in the sky that will eventually run out of energy after its half-life is over. Nor is He like a dying star that slowly loses its fire. He is ever burning hotter, growing in intensity – as He will forever.

Do the angels always cry “Holy, Holy, Holy” because they are forever mesmerized – constantly discovering some new, unseen aspect of the Lord, which they are speechless to describe? Perhaps it is more than that. Perhaps the Lord Himself is ever “developing,” expanding, intensifying in His glory (not that there is a measurability or limit to His present glory. But perhaps the endlessly Perfect One is actually getting better all the time!). The nature of His eternal substance will forever be a mystery.

The point is, we must stop and take the time to drink in this God of wonder. We cannot be too busy. It is the “raisins” that strengthen us. Raisins are not a fruit of immediacy, or instant gratification, consumer Christianity. It takes time for them to soak in the sun. They speak of a lingering. Waiting.

There is also a freshness of expectancy we should have when we linger under the apple tree. There is also ripe, fresh fruit there that is picked just today. The rhema word – freshly spoken words that are rightly fitted for the moment. Rightly fitted apples. “A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver,” (Pr. 25:11). The presence of the Lord is a place of refreshing and renewal, but we should not draw into the process of waiting without an expectancy that God is going to show up. To have faith is to know that He is with you. Waiting is not a boring duty or an end in itself. We linger in the presence because it is a place of sweetness and delight and fresh revelation.

And although we begin to be strengthened and refreshed in this place, we can hardly keep our balance, because we are “faint with love.”

Maintaining a House of Intimacy

In recent weeks, we have been walking through the Song of Solomon, where we will now continue. …

The beams of our house are cedars; our rafters are firs (Song 1:17).

Here, we see the exquisite, yet unbending nature of the relationship shared between the Lover and the Beloved. Not only is this dwelling place of love built of rich materials ­– cedars and firs – but this house of intimacy is a sturdy, safe place of covering. There is no safer place than the secret place of His presence, where we are called to dwell.

But even amid the initial intoxication of holy love, there is a call to the necessary consistency and diligence it takes to maintain this relationship. The Christian life will not always be a continuous string of ecstasies and supernatural experience, though we live a Kingdom lifestyle. Yes, we need more of the supernatural, but neither can we forsake the very basic disciplines of prayer, study, giving and demonstrating good character. It is one thing to take new land in the Kingdom; it is another thing to mow the lawn. Let us look briefly at another passage from Solomon related to these beams and rafters:

If a man is lazy, the rafters sag; if his hands are idle, the house leaks (Eccl. 10:18).

The Lord will never abandon us, but we can abandon the fires of intimacy in such a way that our hearts grow cold toward Him. Through slothfulness and idle hands, the rafters will fall in, as we gradually abandon the zeal we had once cultivated for the Lord. What begin as little leaks in this roof can eventually lead to an entire house of decay.

Small compromises lead to devastating sins.

There is an assertion here of the effort that goes into this house of love. It is a volitional, calculated pursuit of God that we are on. It takes time to dig out a deep, secret relationship with Him. And quite frankly, it is not always an emotionally exhilarating process. I do not think it ever has to be dry and boring, but sometimes the glory is masqueraded behind the mundane things of life.

:: everyday lovers ::

In a marriage, or a relationship with a friend, emotions are involved, but not all of the time. There is just the everyday fabric of life that consists of simply being together and being aware of one another that makes up the bulk of a loving co-existence. Intimacy is not just an emotional exhilaration, but a life of honesty, humility and transparency lived before God and men that most demonstrates the Kingdom.

We cannot talk about intimacy with God, while ignoring the needs of our neighbors, hating our spouses and abandoning our children. There are basic principles of the Christian life that must be maintained as part of this house of intimacy. We serve Jesus when we serve the poor. We love Jesus when we love the broken hearted. We visit Jesus when we visit the prisoner, and feed Him when we feed the hungry. This is putting hands and feet to the gospel.

We want God’s presence to saturate our everyday lives, whether we are washing dishes, doing business reports, hammering nails or studying algebra. We want His Kingdom to be manifest within our common lives and vocations and thus be released in the earth. The very nature of a “calling” is that one task, job, venture or career that a man is driven to perform, because he most experiences the anointing of God smeared on it. Under the blood, the Genesis 3 curse of toil is reversed, and a man can actually enjoy the works of his hands and walk with God in the midst of his earthly activity. Our pursuit of God’s heart is never so “spiritual” that it is divorced from the activities of the natural realm. Adam walked with God, and he tended a garden. God does not negate natural activities, but His presence actually enhances them.

On the same token, we do not want to confuse the common with the sacred – though the two often walk side-by-side, like Almighty God birthed in a manger. Yes, we are called to a thorough, holistic diligence in our pursuit of God in every area of our normal, natural lives. Yet, at our core must always be kindled that undying spiritual flame which says “There must be more!” The Christian life is not a gray balance between the black and white of natural and spiritual life. We need to be more spiritual and more natural. The result is a life of vibrancy and color.

:: diligent heart ::

As for the spiritual end of this pursuit, too often, the Christian life is reduced to a set of morals, practices and disciplined character, yet the intensity of a deep, supernatural chase of the person of Jesus Christ is somehow shuffled to the side. In our removal of “laziness,” therefore, understand that we are not merely advocating a lifestyle of outward performance and activity. This is ultimately a kingdom not built by hands that we chase hard after. We can never forget the bottom line – that it is all about Him and Him alone.

The diligence of which I speak does indeed produce the fruit of good deeds and character. But this is foremost a maintenance of the fire that burns in the altar of our hearts. The fire of holy passion is the heartbeat of every believer. And, I believe, it is the sole thing we will be called to account for when our deeds are weighed by the Lord. On this matter, I believe that a major key to keeping this house strong is found in the next two verses:

I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.
Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens (Song 2:1-2).

It is imperative that I identify myself foremost as a lover of God. I am a rose of Sharon. I am the beautiful one, the fragrant one he adores. Yes, I may be a tailor, a butcher, an accountant – but I am foremost the Beloved.

:: rose of sharon ::

Sharon means “plain” and it is a place of grazing. The deepest roots of the word speak of the heat of jealousy, to vie with a rival, or to burn, blaze up and wax hot with anger or jealousy. You see, this is a place of strife, a place of pressing in, a place of warfare. It takes a real diligence to maintain the heart, because it is where the crux of all determination takes place. A place of decision where two kingdoms are jealously vying for our lives. The course of a man’s life is determined by the substance of his heart.

But Sharon is also a place of grazing. A place of feeding. Unless we actively engage in the wrestling process of diligently pursuing the Lord, we cannot feed on the best of the land. No victory comes without pressing in. Like mature eagles, we no longer depend on others for regurgitated food in this place, but we learn to pursue meat on our own. We dig out revelation from the Word. We get hungry for the things of heaven.

It is here that we become a thing of beauty in the midst of the struggle. The lily among thorns is one who receives and gives revelation. Lily means “trumpet,” speaking of one who declares the prophetic word among the maidens and among the thorny system of the world. It is in this place of adversity that we will either be crushed, or we will grow most fruitful. We must learn to view opposition and warfare not as an altogether bad thing. The Lord allows opposition, because He always wants us to turn it into opportunity. The greatest saints always used the enemy’s attacks to propel them to altogether new levels of intimacy and power. Challenges should always serve to bring us to a higher level in our walk with God.

Perhaps the primary tactic of the enemy during warfare has always been to question our identity as it correlates to the identity of God. This is because he despises the relationship between God and man. How did he constantly tempt Jesus in the desert? “If you are the Son of God. … If you are the Son of God. …” He questioned Jesus’ identity.

Amid the warfare, the struggles and the strife between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness, we should never surrender our identity as the beautiful Beloved. As the one loved by God. This is the secret source of our strength. In fact, many think Jesus is the lily of the valley in this passage, but we see that the Lord is really talking about us, “Like a lily … is my darling. …”

Of course, the original text of the Song does not even differentiate which words are spoken by the Lover and which are spoken by the Beloved. In the deep place of spiritual union, the two merge into one to such a degree that there is no separation. In that place, “to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). Dying – letting go of all self-will, self-esteem, self-determination and self-identification means to be filled with the increase of God’s will, God’s love, God’s zeal and God’s life. It is to identify ever more with God’s name and authority.

Mutual Adoration

As we venture deeper into the Song of Solomon, we should not take for granted the graphic nature of holy sensuality that is expressed in the passages we will encounter. The most subtle shadows and intimate innuendos are given to awaken our spiritual sensitivities. It is my belief that this book holds the potential for activating our prophetic senses like none other in scripture, and so we should walk slowly and methodically through its pages, savoring every encounter.

The mystics like Ruysbroeck, Guyon, Lawrence and John of the Cross pulled no punches with the erotic terminology they used to describe deep and holy interactions with the tangible presence of God. I would almost caution the reader of the danger at hand by going deeper here. As the senses are awakened, we find that our appetite and capacity for intimacy literally increases, and there is always the potential for running to substitutes. Remember Solomon, the very writer of this book, fell into gross polygamy – taking a thousand wives – who eventually led him into idolatry.

There is a level of passion to which the Lord calls us that should ultimately overtake all our good senses, even our best wisdom, and inevitably wreck us completely for his heart. I don’t recommend that you turn back from the Song, but I do suggest that you prepare to be wrecked.

My lover is to me a sachet of myrrh resting between my breasts. My lover is a cluster of henna blossoms from the vineyards of En Gedi (Song 1:13-14).

Myrrh is another fragrance representative of the anointing. It is actually one of the scriptural ingredients in anointing oil. It is noteworthy to mention that it is a spice used for embalming as well, speaking of a sacrificial death that makes it a life-giving aroma. Although it is aromatic, it is bitter to the taste, and refers to the crucified life. Notice that this fragrance speaks of the Lord Himself, “My lover is …,” who is emanating from me. As we begin to fall in love with the Lord, He inhabits us more and more. And it is the presence of God, close to my heart, that enables me to nurture and give life, hence the symbolism of the breasts. Any fruitfulness or life-giving that can ever come from the believer hinges solely on the degree to which the presence of the Lord is manifest as an aroma from his or her life.

It is “not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit” the Lord says, that we are built as temples for His glory (Zech. 4:6). Jesus alone is the fruit bearer, and as we abide on the vine, His saps flow through us. It is His presence – His anointing – that is the source of our ability to give life to the church and the world. We can only give true life to the degree that we have learned to carve out a place of intimate communion with Him.

:: En Gedi ::

Obviously there is great prophetic detail laced even in the way these fragrances are made – the way the herbs are collected, crushed, and their various uses in ancient Hebrew practice. But we are not undertaking a strict exegesis as much as we are simply allowing our hearts to be captured by some prophetic imagery.

I will, however, discuss briefly the fragrant henna blossoms. These come from En Gedi, which is the desert oasis where David hid in the crags as he was being pursued by Saul. Again, we see reference of pulling aside to a secret place, a refuge, a hiding place of intimate abiding where the fragrance of the Lord is cultivated. An oasis in the desert.

It was also here in En Gedi that “the Lord delivered Saul into David’s hands.” The Lord offered Saul to David on a silver platter, but David chose to show Saul mercy. Remember that Saul entered a cave to relieve himself where David was hiding. David crept up behind Saul, but instead of killing him, only cut off a piece of his garment, to later prove to Saul that he meant him no harm. David had every right to kill him, but he always said “far be it from me to raise my hand against the Lord’s anointed.” David always respected the anointing that God had placed on Saul, even when Saul had fallen to his worst low.

David was so humble that he even felt guilty about cutting Saul’s robe. David had already been “anointed” by Samuel to be king over Israel, but he knew better than to take this role by force. David never rebelled against Saul, though Saul treated him unjustly.

If David had killed Saul, I think that David too would have died by the sword. And while the Lord would have blessed David, he would not have been given an eternal legacy. The Lord’s heart is stirred immensely by those who show mercy. Because he went above and beyond the call, the Lord blessed him above and beyond. Even after David became king, he was always looking for ways to bless the descendants of Saul’s household. David always genuinely loved Saul, even when Saul turned against him.

Henna comes from the word “kaphar,” meaning “to cover, forgive, make atonement.” It is symbolic of redemption, and was even used to make red dye, obviously pointing to the blood of Christ.

:: love that covers ::

What does this have to do with intimate communion with the presence of God? Simple. If we cannot honor the anointing on the lives of our leaders, how then can the Lord ever entrust us with the anointing? How can he draw near if we are still unwilling to (as we mentioned last week) “graze … by the tents of the shepherds?” (Song 1:8)

A signature mark of love is that it covers. It is truly a shame to the church the way we consistently uncover one another – uncover our leaders, uncover members of our own body. We are quick to criticize and devour. I firmly believe that gossip and backbiting is as serious a sin as murder. At least where the heart is concerned. It is divisive and truly a work of the flesh. The problem is, we do not take sin seriously. The tongue is a fire of hell that can kindle all manner of evil. Of course there is place to confront sin and expose works of darkness, but only through the proper processes laid out by the Lord – and then with much fear and trembling, knowing that we too have our own share of impurities. Any time we confront sin, the goal and primary aim should always be to bring about restoration.

One of my favorite stories of the Desert Fathers is about a third century monk named Abbot Moses. A brother had once committed a fault, and the elders gathered to deal with the situation. They kept calling for Moses to be part of their council, but he did not want to come. Finally, he came, dragging behind him an old basket full of holes which he had filled with sand. As the elders came out to meet him, they asked him the meaning of the basket.

“My sins are running out behind me, and I do not see them, and today I come to judge the sins of another!” said Moses. After hearing this, the elders said nothing more to the brother but forgave his fault.

Coming back to our text, let us simply remember that our Lover is the fragrance of mercy. For the second time in the Song, He now speaks:

How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes are like doves (verse 15).

We see again that the Lover’s eyes do no perceive the darkness of the Beloved, but only her beauty. He sees only Himself in her eyes. When our eyes are fixed on Him, His light fills our entire being. Jesus essentially said that the eye is the lamp of the body, and wherever we fix our gaze, that is the thing we will become. Whatever we focus on, that thing will we emulate. The thing you repeatedly stare at – become fixed upon – is the thing you worship. And you are what you worship. If our eye is full of darkness, our whole body will be full of darkness. It is when we see Him as He is, that we will become like Him.

:: eye of the dove ::

By now, I believe that the Beloved has already begun to take a step closer toward true and holy love. Already the talk of her darkness has subsided, because her eye has fixed its gaze on the Lord. Doves represent the Holy Spirit. But curiously, the name “Jonah” also means dove. We think of him as the fleeting, running prophet. But the story of Jonah is really about the abounding grace and mercy the Lord offered him, even as he was running the opposite way of obedience. The Lord also used Jonah as a vessel to deliver His mercy to the Ninevites, although it took a strong word to affect their repentance. Nothing arrests the heart like God’s mercy.

One of my favorite quotes from Thomas Merton is simply this, “Jonas my child have you not had sight of me? Mercy within mercy within mercy.” I am Jonas.

A dove’s eyes are very singular. They are capable only of focusing on one thing. And really, the same is true of us. If we are focused on our own shortcomings, we will be locked there. If we are focusing on someone else’s sin or the enemy’s schemes, we will likewise be trapped in that dark abyss. But as we turn our eyes to the Lord himself, our single gaze is captivated by the one who is over and above it all. We must hone in. Get focused. When light is focused, it holds tremendous power. Think of a magnifying glass, or a laser beam. As we are renewed in heart and mind, with single vision, we find that it is actually the Lord whose heart is fluttering at our gaze.

Peter, in a moment of intense revelation, had to ask the Lord to turn away the intensity of his gaze. But do you ever think a worshipper could so grab the attention of the Lord – so overwhelm God Himself with passion – as to make Him say “Stop! I can’t take it any more!” I do. Those are the ones, like Enoch or Elijah, whom the Lord just has to take home early. He can’t bear the separation any longer. Enoch walked with God and he was no more. God was just so consumed with desire for Enoch that he had to take him home early.

In the same way, we must realize that the Lord is intensely, passionately focused on us, and through our redemption, he is captivated by our beauty. But what should be our response to this adoration we receive from the God of the universe? How does one respond to the Lord when He remarks on your beauty? False humility would tell us to almost reject his advances, “Oh whatever God, I’m just a miserable sinner.” But here, we see that the Beloved responds appropriately. She is just too enamored with the King to even think about herself at all.

How handsome are you, my lover! Oh, how charming! And our bed is verdant (verse 16).

Her response is praise. And in this place of mutual adoration, there is true fruitfulness. Verdant means fruitful. Our bed is verdant. In fact, the entire Song is a journey toward fruitfulness, because intimate conception is always a prerequisite to bearing fruit. Whether our fruitfulness in life seems limited in our ministry, in our relationships, in our jobs or in our character – there is a spiritual conception by the Holy Spirit that is needed in each of these arenas, wherein the seed of God’s word is planted into us as we come into contact with His presence. We see the obvious connotation of the bed as a place of union, but it also carries the nuance as a place of rest, wherein God’s spirit overtakes the yoke of my labors. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.