Date:
Monday, June 15, 2009
Time: 11:12 AM
CWBS - SONG OF SOLOMON #3
Growing Love; Song of Solomon 3:6-5:1
1. The believer's union with the Lord (SOS 3:6-11)
SOS 3:6
Who is this coming out of the wilderness
Like pillars of smoke,
Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,
With all the merchant’s fragrant powders?
"wilderness" - place of testing, trials, darkness
"smoke" is released through the existence of fire. The fire had been there because the Holy Spirit was working on the Shulamite woman.
Matt 3:11 "He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and the fire"
Matt 3:12 "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
"chaff" refers to the worthless things that will not help us with eternity.
Ish 4:4 "spirit of judgement and by the spirit of burning" The Holy Spirit has come to purge the worthless things in the believer.
"pillars" speak of strength - the Holy Spirit is dealing with the believer strongy; are you willing to pay the price to go up to the next level?
Luk 4:1 Jesus was led "by the Spirit" into the wilderness. God uses the wilderness to test us, to help us learn faith and endurance. God is more interested in building our character than in our comfort.
"wilderness" = midbar (Hebrew) = speech. God speaks to us in the wilderness.
Wilderness can last for days or years depending on our willingness. Deu 8:2 - they got stuck in the wilderness for "forty years" because of their stubborness.
.: Our goal is to go through the wilderness victorous!
"perfumed with myrrh and frankincense" - myrrh = meekness; frankincense = inward part of the believer - the fire burns our attitude, character, and what comes out should be sweet. Frankincense speaks of genuine faith that comes through the fire (1 Peter 1:7). Faith can become non-genuine and self-centred.
Ish 45:3 "treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places" - don't come out of the wilderness empty-handed. Don't waste the experience! Not every darkness is of the devil.
Luk 4:4 "Jesus returned in the power".
Humble yourself before God. Be meek in front of God - the meek shall inherit the earth (Matt 5:5)!
"merchant" Matt 13:45-46 kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking pearls; willing to sacrifice all to be who the Lord wants her to be.
Luk 14:27 "bear his cross" There are 2 crosses in every person's life:
- Jesus' cross - legal death; for the penalty of sin
- My own cross - moral death; death to the power of sin
Once, at conversion, we die to sin (in Christ).
Daily, we have to die to self (like Christ).
Gal 5:19 Paul was talking to Christians, not sinners only!
Gal 5:24 "crucified the flesh" = carrying the cross.
Rom 6:6 we can be saved but still enslaved to sin.
Conversion (penalty of sin) vs. Santification (power of sin).
"knowing this" - Ginosoko (Greek) = to know by experience (vs. theory). Is in present continous tense - need to be continous encounters!
One needs to ask God for a personal experience of the dying of the old man!
SOS 3:7
Behold, it is Solomon’s couch,
With sixty valiant men around it,
Of the valiant of Israel.
"Solomon's couch" - is like a sedan which has to be carried on the shoulders. Speaks of burdens that we have to carry: (1) Burden of sin; (2) God's burden.
"sixty valiant men" - 6 (men) x 10 (no. of commandments. John 14:15. Testing. Rev 2:10). Speaks of men who love and are obedient to God.
SOS 3:8
They all hold swords,
Being expert in war.
Every man has his sword on his thigh
Because of fear in the night.
"sword" - word of God
"on his thigh" - alert and prepared because in the darkness there is fear.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit - to become warriors in spiritual warfare for the Lord. Learn to fight problems and fear!
Sedan chair - marriage chair. The shulamite woman has passed through the wilderness and she is ready to be married; united with Christ.
2 Tim 2:11 "faithful saying" - lasts forever.
1 Peter 2:21
Heb 5:8 - there is no shortcut to obedience.
Rom 6:5 - you need to pray for encounters!
SOS 4:6
Until the day breaks
And the shadows flee away,
I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh
And to the hill of frankincense.
Spoken by the shulamite (as seen in SOS 2:17). She acknowledges her imperfectness.
James 4:10 "humble yourselves" - humility is an attitude you adopt for yourself.
Rom 7:14 "But I am carnal, sold under sin" - even for Paul, an apostle, he did not deny his sinful nature!
Humility is not the denial of strength; it's the ability to acknowledge weakness.
Rom 7:24 - Godly sorrows needed for true repentence that will last.
Psalm 51:17 - brokenness of the spirit and the heart. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Baby christians have thin skins and a thick heart (eaily offended) while mature christians have thick skins and thin hearts (easily touched). The person who is unbroken is full of self-love.
"myrrh" - bitterness and suffering.
"mountain" - climbing up the mountain is usually done on knees and hands; humility.
Ish 50:10-11 - when you walk with God, there will be God given darkness. Even if you try to create your own light (i.e. shortcut out of darkness), you will be tormented.
Need to increase God centredness!
2. See Pastor's notes.
3. The call to the Heavenlies (SOS 4:7-15)
SOS 4:7
You are all fair, my love,
And there is no spot in you.
Shulamite preparing herself for marriage.
Eph 5:17 - Place of santification and purfication.
Job 23:10 "tested me" --> "gold" - Trails are like fire that purifies the gold.
SOS 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!
Your love is blessing God's heart; begin to carry the presence of God.
SOS 4:11
Your lips, O my spouse,
Drip as the honeycomb;
Honey and milk are under your tongue;
And the fragrance of your garments
Is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
"drips" - measured with words.
"honey (sweetness) and milk (pureness)" of God's word.
SOS 4:12
A garden enclosed
Is my sister, my spouse,
A spring shut up,
A fountain sealed.
"garden" is a place to enjoy. God enjoys coming to us!
SOS 4:13-14
Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates
With pleasant fruits,
Fragrant henna with spikenard,
Spikenard and saffron,
Calamus and cinnamon,
With all trees of frankincense,
Myrrh and aloes,
With all the chief spices—
9 spices = 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control).
SOS 4:15
A fountain of gardens,
A well of living waters,
And streams from Lebanon.
"Lebanon" - higher level.
SOS 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.
"north wind" - cold and harsh. Shulamite has come to a place of maturity where she is able to withstand trials.
Power of resurrection <-> suffering.
"south wind" - warm and nice. The anointing flows through the bittersweet of experience.
Esther - bitter herbs and sweet oil.
SOS 5:1
I have come to my garden, my sister, my spouse;
I have gathered my myrrh with my spice;
I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey;
I have drunk my wine with my milk.
Are the 9 fruits of the Spirit evident in your life? You are not just a blessing to God - you are to be a blessing to the world!
In our Christian walk, there are 2 types of dedication -
- Dedication of growing believer - I, me, myself (receiving)
- Dedication of mature believer - Jesus, use me to be a blessing to others (giving)
SOS 4:16-5:1 can be seen in Eph 3:16-20.
God will not stop at the baptism of the Holy Spirit. You will see visions and dreams and be strengthened on the inside.
"to know the love" - ginosko
"width" - acceptance
"length" - patience
"depth" - His love for us
"height" - how much He wants to lift you up
Rom 10:12 - homologeo (Greek) = saying the same (as what God has shown you).
Labels: CWBS, Growing Love, Song of Solomon