Once again I find the Lord is talking to me through music. It is something He used to do in years past and I have missed those messages. And while I’m at this point let me share something I learned along the way. God has given us an imagination and He uses it to talk with us. Yes, sometimes we let ours run wild, but if we are focused on our relationship with Him and open up our mind He will use it. After all He created it.
That is how He has been talking with me for the past few weeks. He uses the words of songs to set messages stirring in my heart. Last week’s piece (What I Want) was a good example. There are others as well like:
This past week every morning on my walk He has been playing one particular worship song over and over in my mind and talking to me about His favorite subject; His Bride. The drift of our talks has been His concern that His bride doesn’t really understand what it means to be “His.” She doesn’t value herself like He does and because of that she doesn’t really know her bridegroom. He wants her to know Him as deeply as He knows her because out of that knowledge will come the same love that He has for her. After all, He is the one who created her and called her.
I have a Maker
He formed my heart
Before even time began
My life was in his hands
Go with me for a few minutes back to the message contained in the Song of Solomon. It is a pure love letter from bridegroom to the bride; from Christ to His church. Let me take just one small portion of that book to let you in on what the Lord has been showing me. In chapter 4 the Holy Spirit gives us a glimpse of how Jesus sees us as His bride. He points out 7 attributes He sees in each one of us. A good place to begin is to remember that 7 is the number of “perfection.” Let’s take them one by one and listen to what He showed me.
Song 4:1 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair;
He says that we are fair, twice to confirm the truth of it and show His sincerity and the fervency of His affection. He isn’t trying to flatter us but rather encourage us that no matter what others may say, in His eyes we is amiable; valuable. We are to value ourselves not on what is on the outside but what is on the inside; the comeliness of the grace which He put upon us. He sees us as fair because we reflect His light and we are clothed in His righteousness and adorned with His graces.
Ps 90:17 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us:
The point of His description is to show that in His eyes His bride is in all points beautiful and in eternity to come she will even become more beautiful. Let’s look at seven things that Jesus sees in us that are precious to Him:
Song 4:1-7 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead. 2 Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them. 3 Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks. 4 Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armory, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men. 5 Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies. 6 Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense. 7 Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.
1. Our Eyes – Thou hast doves’ eyes within thy locks:
Like the dove we are in His eyes pure and chaste. Within thy locks refers to the fact that the Jewish bride’s eyes were always behind a veil. Our eyes are not the eagle eyes that can look up at the sun but the eyes that are humble, modest and look down. They show our modesty, they are not wanton or wandering from our bridegroom.
Matt 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
Our eyes look at Him and not worldly idols.
Ezek 18:6 … neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel …
The eyes He has created in us have Holy Spirit discernment:
1John 2:27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
We just need to remember that as we are in this world our vision will not be perfect; we know only in part (that which we can see), but one day we will see all things clearly.
2. Our Hair – Thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.
Like a flock of goats our hair is white, reflecting His righteousness. Jesus puts value on what He sees and not what the world sees. The world just sees dark hair but He sees purity and righteousness.
Matt 10:30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Luke 21:18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
He sees our hair as the outward conversation that represents our inward thoughts. He also sees it as He saw His own hair as a Nazarene; it symbolized His consecration to the Lord
3. Our Teeth – Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.
Our teeth are the faith by which we feed upon the Word of God. They represent our ability to appropriate and assimilate the truth. He gave us teeth that are full (even shorn) so we can digest the fullness of the Word. As His bride we are to be mature and responsible for our knowledge of the Word, our knowledge of our bridegroom.
Heb 5:13-14 For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age …
He sees us like sheep that have just come up from washing; the washing of the Word that makes us pure and clean from the world’s pollution. It is the Word of God that we are to use our teeth to meditate upon. Like sheep we are to ruminate (think over, cogitate, meditate) on the Word
When he speaks of us bearing twins Jesus once again uses the sheep analogy. He called His apostles a little flock and like sheep they moved in “pairs” and none was left alone. As His bride we are to remain in fellowship with Him and others of the flock.
Eccl 4:12 and if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
And as His bride we are not to be barren. We are to bring forth souls to Jesus as nursing lambs. We are to replicate ourselves as we share the Gospel. We are to birth believers.
4. Our Lips – Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely:
Jesus sees our lips like a thread of scarlet; they are thin. Isaiah said that “my lips are unclean” but the bridegroom says our lips are pure and they are red because they are washed in His blood. To Him our speech, that which comes forth from our lips, is comely; a sign of good health. It is shown in our speech, which is full of His grace and is edifying to those who have ears to hear. All our words need to be washed in the “blood” of Jesus then they will be acceptable to God.
5. Our Temples (Cheeks) – Thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.
When you cut a pomegranate in half it’s like the blush on our cheeks. Jesus sees our thoughts as a pomegranate; fruitful and good:
Phil 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
It is our humility and modesty that causes us to blush. We remember our sin and sense of unworthiness at the honor He bestows on us. Within our locks means that we blush when no one else can see us but God and our conscience. He sees that we don’t seek to proclaim our humility to others; only to Him.
6. Our Neck – Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armory, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.
To our bridegroom our neck represents the “strong faith” by which we are united with the Him. The body (the bride) is united to the head (the bridegroom) by the neck; so is the believer so the church. The tower of David represents the weapons for spiritual warfare that He has given us; our buckler and shield is our faith:
Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
When our neck is straight and strong we go about our way with courage and don’t hang our head. On David’s tower hung the shields of might men – their valor was remembered. It is the same for us as His bride, our valor is remembered:
Heb 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?
His tower, like our neck, also speaks of peace just as the hanging of the shields signified peace, but when shields were missing the country was at war. And in war Jesus sees His bride as “mighty men,” a mighty army that is strong and victorious over our enemies.
7. Our Breasts – Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.
Jesus refers to His bride’s breasts in two ways. First they represent both the Old and New Testaments that we carry in our heart. They also represent two other things that we carry in our heart; the two sacraments – Blood and Body. And with these we can be seen feeding among the lilies. That is where the bridegroom will be found. We are to allow our shepherd feed us the Word so that we will be full of the milk of the Word and feed the lambs in the church.
And with these words of adornment Jesus invites us to draw near to Him for we, His bride, are precious in His sight.
Song 4:6 Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.7 Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.
In verse 1 the Jesus said that we are “fair” and here in verse 7 He says we are “all fair;” all over beautiful. He finds no spot or blemish in us because in Him we are fully sanctified.
2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Our problem is that we don’t see ourselves the way He does. He totally approves of His bride and has both passion and compassion for her. Jesus is truly impressed with and blessed by us and the Father sees His son’s bride through the perfection of His son; pure and spotless. But we know we are not there yet and so in the meantime we are to wash ourselves in the water of the Word and cover ourselves with the oil of the Spirit; the anointing for our calling.
He knows that we struggle with the sin that constantly spots and blemishes our souls but we have His sure Word that the end result will not be so. When we are ultimately presented to our bridegroom there will be no spot:
Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Jude 24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
Jesus looks on us not as we are but as we shall be. So, if that’s how the bridegroom sees the bride then the bride should strive to be so. Remember that He is constantly leading us through life to the goal of purity:
Our purity is in contrast with the sinfulness of the world we live in.
Our purity is effected by His redemption.
Our purity is wrought by the cleansing of the Holy Spirit.
Our purity renders us acceptable as His bride.
Our purity is a witness to a sinful world.
Our purity is a picture of the stainlessness of eternity.
What an awesome thing that Jesus sees us — His bride — that way. He sees nothing in us that reflects the sin which seems to surround us and dominate us at times. In His eyes we are His chaste and pure bride without spot or blemish. And when you think about it, why would it be any other way. After all He is the one who created us and He knows His bride by name.
He knows my name
He knows my every thought
He sees each tear that falls
And He hears me when I call