Intimacy with GOD, Esher Shoshannah [red queen free ebook .txt] 📗

"...I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate...."

There is a very different lesson the Holy Spirit is trying to teach us here than in the other two verses where “pomegranate” is mentioned in 4:3 and 6:7. In those verses the Lord speaks of a "slice of pomegranate". He used it as a description of her. It was not actually in her possession. Here, it is her own personal pomegranate. In 4:3 and 6:7 she had some but not all of the characteristics of a pomegranate in her life which was worship of her Beloved. Now, she gives Him the juice of the fruit. To extract juice the pomegranate must be crushed. Jesus was bruised (crushed) for our iniquities and it pleased the Lord to bruise (crush) Him (Isa.53:5,10). What has been crushed in her life – it is her will. What greater act of worship could you give your Beloved than the crucified life (Rom.6:6-14)? What greater offering than to present your body as a living sacrifice to Him (Rom.12:1)? Praise God!

PRAY WITH ME: "Dear blessed Lord, drink from my life all the day long and may it always be the taste of the spiced wine of surrender. Your joy is my joy! Your life is my life! Your will is my will! I love You with all of my heart! In Jesus name, Amen"

V.3 "His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me."

His left hand is the Word of God to guide my thinking in every decision. However, if this is to happen I must first rest my thinking (head) in His left hand and accept (submitting my will) what God's Word says about a concern I have without question. Oh to have the "mind of Christ", which we already possess (I Cor. 2:16), to have dominion over my thoughts. His mind is His Word.

His right hand represents the strength of the Holy Spirit. In an embrace it is the right arm (Psa. 44:3; Isa. 62:8) that holds the weight of the other person. Spiritually the Holy Spirit (also known as the Spirit of Christ) is our strength (Acts 1:8). I must rest my spiritual body in the arms of His strength.His right arm will guide me or restrain me whatever the need may be. The Beloved does not need the strength of my good intentions. If I plan without consulting Him; if I proceed without His power - no matter how good it might be, it is the flesh trying to do good. The glory will go to the flesh and not to the Beloved.

I like the Word "should" here. When I am faced with a decision, the Holy Spirit reminds me that the Bridegroom's hand should be guiding my thinking in the decision. If I am truly in love with my Beloved, then I need to make sure to run to His arms for that particular circumstance. He loves that kind of "first love", love from our hearts. Waiting in His arms is so important. Don’t rush with a decision but be patient (Psa. 25:3,5,21; 37:7). He will give you absolute peace concerning it in His time! Stay in His Word, for through it you will experience Psa. 119:105, "Your Word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path."

She yearns to have Him control and support her emotional thought life (left hand under her head) and her actions (right hand embracing her). She is saying to Him, "embrace my thoughts and my ways; be my restraint and constraint. I love you with all of my heart and I don't want to make one move without your gentle but strong embrace around me! As I go out to minister I must have Your spiritual arms embracing." This request He will gladly fulfill! Isn't this what is meant in II Cor. 5:14, "For the love of Christ constraineth us..."? Dear reader is this the desire of your heart?

PRAY WITH ME: "My Holy Bridegroom, Beloved of my heart, keep me ever so spiritually sensitive that I will always know when I have moved slightly to the right or left of Your will for me. Crush my will! Crucify it! Press out all the juice of my pomegranate so I may give You a drink of what real, true love is for You! I know You’ll never leave me nor forsake me. I want nothing but You! What is important today is that Your heart is blessed and Your will is accomplished in my life. I desire nothing but You! Nothing but You!"

Caring so deeply for the welfare of His wife He says...

V.4 "I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, until he ("she") please."

Each time He has caused her to sleep He was preparing her for a new spiritual step. It is the same now. Between verses four and five much time passes. Together they are about to embark on a long journey into the fearful wilderness of this world (v.5 implies that they have been gone for a time). He knows she will need rest for this very difficult journey fraught with dangers, yet filled with glory! So He takes her into His arms. Jesus says the same thing to you as He did to His disciples, "Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while." (Mk. 6:31).

How beautiful, she falls asleep without a worry or care about anything. She is so peaceful and secure when her soul is totally enwrapped in His presence. May we feel that kind of rest, for it is so needed today. So often we are busy, busy, busy but there is little time for Him. We don't even hear our Beloved and ask Him to embrace us as in v.3. We burn out mentally and give up spiritually. This ought never to be! Falling into His embrace is simply a complete surrender to His strength. Listen to His voice saying to you personally, "My love, come away for awhile and just sit with Me and rest. Let Me embrace you and hold your hand." He will make sure you have time to rest and there will be no guilt! You might just sit back and quote quietly to yourself the 23rd Psalm, meditating upon it. Sit with Him outside and enjoy a tree, a mountain, flower, lake, a gentle breeze or a sunset that He has made. Tell Him how appreciative you are of it.

"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." Phil. 4:8

"My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches." Psa. 63:5,6

Because of v. 5 we know that some time has passed. How much time, we do not know. It is obvious that she awoke from her restful sleep and went with her Beloved, hand in hand, ministering and serving in His many vineyards. The daughters of Jerusalem longed for them to return. They were chosen to be intimate helpers to prepare the bride for the journey. O what joy it brought to them! Each day they looked with expectancy out over the horizon.

Questions arise in their hearts: Did she continue on with the Bridegroom? Was there a time in the journey where she decided to go on no further? Did she keep her commitment of total surrender? Is her love for Him still as deep as it was just before they left? Then one day early in the morning, as the sun rose in the east, two figures appear. Excitement fills her intimate friends' hearts as one of them asks:

V.5 "Who is this that comes up from the wilderness leaning upon her beloved?..."

All their loving concerns were answered when they recognized that the two coming up out of the wilderness were Jesus and His bride! Observed is a full and enduring "first love" love for Jesus. Is this how those close to you see your relationship with Jesus? Love leans! Here is the fulfillment of His heart's longing as expressed in Rev. 2:1-5. Remember, the Ephesus church had everything going for them as a church except they had fallen out of love with Jesus.

The Holy Spirit beckons for you to draw near to this couple as He whispers into your spirit, "Dear redeemed one, come and gaze upon hallowed things. Drink deeply the glory you are about to see and hear. I will allow you to see what this bride experienced in the wilderness with her Beloved! Because of your surrender I will teach you the deep things of God (I Cor.2:10) for your own wilderness journey with Me!"

Dear reader, are you not spellbound by the sight of Jesus and His bride totally immersed in each other? And this is toward the end of their journey. Is not your heart beating faster as you long for this same relationship? Mine is! Does it not ache to grow in this beautiful leaning upon Him during your wilderness journey? Here is the answer to the abundant Christian life – LEAN! LEAN! LEAN! So many Christians will say, “I’m hanging in there!” NO! NO! NO! We are called upon to lean on Him! Lean on His promises. Lean on His love and rest in Him!

The Holy Spirit speaks to you again dear reader, “This is exactly why I am leading you to watch them. I want you, my precious holy one, to know how to walk in your wilderness journey! Be patient! Lean on Me! You have already begun to walk in this manner without realizing it. The Bridegroom is so pleased that you, His blood bought child, are going to join Him in this intimate, hand in hand walk into eternity! Look, at the pathway on which they are walking. Isn't it glorious? But first, I must have you look at what you do not desire to see, so that your love may grow even stronger in Him. What you will witness will cause your love to lean on Jesus that much more."

The Holy Spirit turns your eyes away from the pathway itself to see what was enveloping both sides of the narrow path on which they are traveling. Your heart sinks. You are in shock and feel faint. You are seeing the wilderness as it actually is, in all of its sheer, naked evil. Never before in your wildest imagination had you conceived of anything so offensive, atrocious, foul, obscene, destructive and hateful.

Evil spirits of depression, lust, dullness, boredom, spiritual disinterest, distraction, gossip and unforgiveness claw and scratch at the minds of the poor souls who are not walking in total submission to the Beloved. There are believers wallowing in the mire of self, all the while thinking that they are pleasing God in their lackadaisical walk! Within their reach is the path of safety, surrender and full satisfaction, but sadly, they turn away. They but need to repent and pray the protective promises of God's Holy Word in faith, then glorious restoration on the true path of victory and the abundant life will be experienced!

A cold and convicting pain of sadness sweeps over your soul as you are seeing much of what your spiritual walk has been. It has been neither hot nor cold, but a halfhearted faithfulness, all the while thinking that nothing was really wrong. You cry out, "O dear God, how I have sinned against You! Precious Holy Spirit deliver me from lukewarmness! Oh how I have hurt my Beloved! Cause me to walk like this couple! Let me feel the