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

Control – (I Cor. 9:25); Loving Jesus' appearing and keeping the faith (II Tim. 4:8); Persevering under trials (James 1:12); Keeping, care giving or shepherding other Christians (I Pet. 5:1-4); Faithful in suffering for Christ (Rev. 2:10). Will you have the infinite joy of casting crowns at Jesus' feet as the elders will do (Rev. 4:10)? Read Col. 3:24,25 again! Please don't rob Jesus of the joy of giving to you or rob yourself of the joy of giving to Him. Read Acts 20:35 again.

Now the question asked by the Holy Spirit in 1:6 can be answered, "Will she ever be able to truly minister in the vineyard her Lord had chosen for her?" Has this beautiful spiritual bride been made ready to be a "keeper" also? Yes! Reflect back to when she shared with us just what her Christian life was like before surrender – the constant burden of a multiplicity of activities in 1:6, "…my mother’s children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept". The frustration is evident. "I can’t do what I am truly called to do!" You can feel the desperation of her heart in 1:6 that she was burned out and crying for help. The Lord allows us to come to the end of Christian "busyness" and waits to hear us cry out for life-fulfilling spiritual intimacy with Him.

Then, the Holy Spirit sent a Marybeth into her life and asked, "Have you ever surrendered all of this over to your Heavenly Bridegroom?" A spiritual hunger came! This bride said, "No! No one ever told me that I had a Heavenly Bridegroom who wants to be intimate with me!" There are a great many believers, like this bride, who do not know anything about being His bride. So many know Bible doctrine but know nothing of intimacy with their beloved Lord.

Then one day in desperation her soul cried out, "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine." (1:2). This was heavenly music to His ears! And oh, how He fulfilled it, as we have seen traveling with her through these wonderful eight chapters watching Him disciple His bride through intimacy.

Now she is seen as the keeper of her own vineyard. She proclaims it with joy in v.12. What has changed from 1:6, "…but mine own vineyard have I not kept." to this precious moment in 8:12?

 

V.12 "My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred."

How did her Bridegroom transform His bride from an ordinary believer, who had been filled with the extreme exhaustion in 1:6, to a blessed, joyful keeper of her own vineyard ready to bless her heavenly Bridegroom with a thousand pieces of silver from a great harvest? Her Abba Father was allowed to prune her branch freely (John 15:1)!

This journey began when a desperate seeking fell over her soul for an intimate relationship with the Beloved. Next came a revelation of His heart when He described in detail just how deeply special she was to His heart. She experienced the destructive little foxes and the emptiness they bring (2:15; 3:1). She learned the great need to protect this special intimacy with her Bridegroom. Next came the painful hesitation to go with Him and the suffering which resulted (5:2-7). His precious bride had learned that a truly surrendered heart does not hesitate to obey what she knows is His "…good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (see Rom. 12:1,2). This difficult lesson would cause her vineyard to be ready in producing much fruit!

In 6:11 He took her to see how productive His beautiful vineyards could be. She had learned to never tend her vineyard alone! After these vineyard lessons then came the beginning of fulfillment in 7:12. She said, "Let us rise early and go to the vineyards; Let us see whether the vine has budded and its blossoms have opened, and whether the pomegranates have bloomed. There I will give you my love." This is really where we can give our Beloved Bridegroom our full love and see beautiful fruit produced for Him and by Him to bless many others.

Her heart garden from chapter 4 had grown into a full-fledged vineyard of her Beloved. It took time and patience but she did not give up! It was all part of His plan to see His greatly loved bride become a beautiful garden with which He and others would be blessed. In chapter 8 the bride leans upon her Beloved and seals her surrendered heart with His seal. She now is moved to minister to her younger sister. The work of her vineyard became personal one-on-one. What does all this mean to you dear reader, dear bride? Your Beloved Bridegroom has given you your own special vineyard in which both of you can minister together. What is this spiritual vineyard? Let the Holy Spirit reveal it to you in Isa. 5:7, "For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel…" It is His people! Yes, your vineyard is made up of all the people who are in your life: family, friends, co-workers; all the daily issues and circumstances brought your way by the Holy Spirit. May those who are brought into this vineyard be able to pick His fruit from your branch in all your actions and attitudes.

 The more we are obedient the more (Col. 3:11-17, 23,24); and James 3:17 will appear in her vineyard. Oh, my dear partner in the vineyard of the Beloved, it is by His fruit produced in us that others will truly see Him. And here it is, in John 13:34-35, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

May you and I always realize that even though we call it my vineyard it is really our vineyard! He is actually ministering through us. As His bride never forget to learn the meaning of the vision given to her in 1:14, "My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of Engedi." He is the center and purpose of the vineyard. The Beloved is the picture of life and resurrection that others may be drawn to Him.

Then comes the reward, the harvest (Gal. 6:9; Col. 3:23,24) as He blesses His keepers with a portion for them to enjoy – 200 pieces of silver. Now the bride has the great, great joy of offering to Him the 1000 pieces of silver. Oh the joy in rewarding our Bridegroom with the harvest of a surrendered, redeemed life. It will come when you stand before Him at the Judgment Seat (Rom. 14:10). Oh the joy He will receive as He finds a great amount of silver appearing from the intimate, surrendered, obedient life you lived while on this earth! Oh just seeing the joy on His face and in His eyes will be worth it all (I Cor. 3:11-15).

The blessings of having His specially selected vineyard for your life is an honor but very, very serious if you do not surrender each day and its circumstances to Him. Sowing obedient, intimate faith and trust in the promises of your Bridegroom keeps the vineyard beautiful and healthy. Then others will come, attracted to Jesus’ fruit in you! They will taste His life-giving goodness and discover what you discovered in 2:3, "As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste." (see Psa. 34:8; 119:103). Read Heb. 2:9. Jesus tasted death that others might taste His life through you! Intimacy with your Bridegroom through surrender to His Word will protect your vine from becoming a rancid curse:

"Many shepherds have ruined My vineyard, They have trampled down My field; They have made My pleasant field a desolate wilderness." (Jer. 12:10).

How many have been turned away from the Lord because their so-called Christian life portrays little difference than those who do not belong to Him? It is awful to look at joyless, uninterested, so-called believers, who disdain keeping His loving commandments found in the 66 love letters He wrote to His bride to follow as the true way to show Him how much she loves Him! 1 John 5:3 "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." Read Psa. 1; Psa. 19.

 

PRAY WITH ME: "Praise You dear Lord for giving me a vineyard so that I may have much fruit to give back to You! Thank You my Beloved that there is also a portion for me (200) that I may share with my fellow workers in order to bless them! Lord, I have no means in myself to care for the vineyard. Thank You for giving me spiritual gifts, talents from the Holy Spirit to accomplish Your plan for the vineyard in Your power! Thank You, dear Abba Father, my Vinedresser! Thank You so much for Your promise, 'Faithful is he that calls you, who also will do it.' (I Thess.5:24). May much redeemed silver be sent to glory each day from my life. May Your heart receive great joy at the Judgment Seat. I will, in joy, cast any crowns given at Your feet! In the Name of my King, the Lord Jesus Christ, amen."

 

V.13 "Thou that dwellest in the gardens, the companions hearken to thy voice: cause me to hear it."

God loves corporate worship and corporate fellowship. He began this Song with a group desirous of intimate fellowship with Him (1:2-3). And now, as the Spirit brings to a conclusion this beautiful Song He speaks of "companions". Remember back in chapter three the bride was given a special vision. She saw men and women working together in communion with the King. The bride was being taught the importance of true fellowship with other believers. When people who love Jesus come together it brings to us His glorious presence as no other way can.

Each individual believer is a garden (already discussed at length in chapter four). Jesus loves to dwell in the garden of our heart. He loves to talk and share with us through His Word. But He also loves to have us talk and share with Him the desires, distresses and delights of our heart (2:14)! He wants so much to be wanted. Does your wonderful Lord look into the fullness of your heart and hear, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee (Psa. 73:25; 42:1; 119:10)". What a joy it is to fellowship with other truly surrendered believers ("companions") and spend time just talking about our favorite topic - our Bridegroom Jesus!

 Will you "companion" with those who are in love with Jesus? Will you seek them out? A surrendered heart just can't help it. It is a holy compelling in them to meet with other like-minded lilies! When they begin to share what is on their heart, you are hearing the voice of your Beloved Lord. Get with other surrendered lilies, spend time sharing with each other about Him and Eph. 3:17-19 will be fulfilled in your hearing, "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God."

 

"...thy voice: cause me to hear it."

Remember, something special happens when two or three gather together just to talk about Him