DELIGHT yourself in the ‘SHADE’ of the ALMIGHTY!
July 13
Bible Reading: Song of Solomon Chapters 1-3
DELIGHT yourself in the ‘SHADE’ of the ALMIGHTY!
"Like an apple tree among the
trees of the woods, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down in his shade
with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste." (Song 2:3)
In the above
passage, the Shulamite girl is speaking about her beloved in flowery terms as
she compares her beloved to the apple tree among all the trees in the forest.
Just like an apple tree nourishes and cherishes any one with its juicy and
delicious apples as well as provide shade from the scorching sunlight to the
weary traveler, so is her beloved to the Shulamite. She sits under his shade
with great delight and feeds on him to satisfy her hunger as his fruit is sweet
to her taste.
When we
interpret the Song of Solomon on a spiritual level, the theme of this book is
the spiritual journey of the Church
(the bride, represented by the ‘Shulamite girl’) to be drawn near to Jesus Christ (the bridegroom, represented by
her ‘beloved’)in intimacy, and then to
run in deep partnership with Him in ministry. As the Church rests under the
shade of the finished work of the cross at Calvary, she is both nourished and
nurtured by her beloved Jesus who is sweet to her heart. She experiences the
superior pleasures of knowing God as she feeds at His table and lives under the
banner of His excellent leadership. The
goal of her life is her own spiritual happiness, and that happens best when she
experiences God's presence through an intimate relationship with Him!
We can
delight ourselves in the shade of the Almighty God when we sit at the feet of
Jesus’ feet as Mary did when Jesus visited her home (Luke 10:39; John 11:32;
12:3). Jesus forever settled the debate about the importance of sitting at His
feet by calling it the “one thing needed”
and choosing the “good” way to live (Luke
10:42). Her decisions had eternal implications in being remembered by Jesus
forever.
Like Mary of
Bethany who sat at Jesus’ feet, we must sit before Jesus and experience His
refreshing shade that protects us from the scorching heat of this fallen age. The
cross is the only tree that can shade
from the scorching heat of our sin. We only enjoy the shade of God’s Word by
resting in the shade of Jesus’ cross. One
of the greatest pleasures available to the human spirit is when we feed on His
Word and feel His presence. The Word brings delight and is sweet to all who
will continually feast on Jesus in spirit and truth.
Let us experience the sweetness of God’s presence by sitting under His shadow and feeding on His Word. We will experience the delight and refreshing of Jesus as the apple tree by feeding on His Word with the help of the Holy Spirit. "In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalms 16:11). "I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart" (Psalms 40:8). "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart" (Psalms 37:4).
