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The
Approbation of God
Wade
E Taylor
As
the lily among thorns, so is
My love among the daughters. Song of Solomon: 2.2
The
Lord uses this highly contrasting and compelling imagery to emphasize
His love for His Bride. This
speaks of the Approbation of God, or, the fact of His singular
attention and favor being uniquely toward her, and resting
upon her life. She has touched the heart of the Lord
and He has become singularly interested in her. In the midst of others, she stands out
before Him, as though she were the only one.
The
most important compliment that we could possibly receive from the
Lord would be to receive a similar expression of His approbation,
concerning us. This would mean that we have become the
recipient of His personal interest, concern, and activity.
We
have become His friend.
It
is possible for each one of us to attract the attention of our Lord
in such a way that He becomes both interested in, and active, within
our life experience and activities, as if we were the only person
in the universe. This is a divine mystery that we cannot
begin to understand. However,
it is very wonderful and rewarding to experience.
After
the Lord had singled out the Bride from among the Daughters of Jerusalem,
by comparing her to A lily among thorns (Song
of Solomon 2:2a),
she responded and told Him that He was as an apple tree among
the trees of the wood (Song
of Solomon 2:3a). Then she added:
I
sat down under His shadow with great delight, and His fruit was
sweet to my taste. Song of Solomon 2:3b
Notice,
that to her, His presence was but as a shadow. She had not yet become interested in the
reality of His personal presence.
At this time, the center of her interest was in the things
that she desired to receive from Him, rather than in Him as a person,
and in seeking to personally know Him.
Because
you say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing;
and know not that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and
blind, and naked: I counsel you to buy of Me gold tried in the fire,
that you may be rich
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if
any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him,
and will sup with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:17-18a, 20
Thinking
that all these gifts and blessings that He was able to supply would
satisfy the hunger that was within her, she asked Him for even more:
Stay
me with flagons, comfort me with apples. Song of Solomon 2:5a
He
responded to this expression of her desire and gave her so many
gifts and things, that she later said to Him:
...
I am
sick of love. Song of Solomon 2:5b
After
she had received from Him all that she wanted at that time, she
told Him that He could leave and do as He pleased.
Her only concern was where He would be, in case she had a
need.
He
feeds among the lilies. Until the day break, and the shadows flee
away, turn, my Beloved, and be You like a roe or a young hart upon
the mountains of Bether. Song of Solomon 2:16b-17
At
this time, her interest in the Lord centered around the things that
she was able to get from Him.
Thus, her testimony exposed her selfish attitude.
The reason she desired the Lords involvement in her life
was so He could provide for her wants.
Therefore she said:
My
Beloved is mine. Song of Solomon 2:16a
If
we listen carefully, our testimony will reveal the level of our
spiritual experience and expose to us the desire, or intent of our
heart, in relation to the Lord.
Still,
the Lord continued to bless her.
Later, when He felt she was ready to go beyond her initial
self-seeking, He began, in a determined way, to attract her
attention away from all these things, and direct it to Himself. It is important that we notice the method
He uses in doing this.
While
she was still very occupied within the realm of her self-satisfaction,
enjoying all of the gifts that He had given her, He began to position
Himself in ways that would provoke her to notice Him as a person,
apart from anything that He could do for her.
He
stands behind our wall, He looks forth at the windows, showing Himself
through the lattice. Song of Solomon 2:9b
This
wall speaks of the accumulative build-up of all those things,
which hinder or separates, the Bride (us)
from the Lords presence.
The materials that make up this hindering wall include,
among other things, a preoccupation with material things, a lack
in spiritual perception, and an indifference, or unwillingness to
respond to the presence of the Lord.
The
secret of the Lord is
with them that fear (reverence)
Him; and He will show them His covenant. Psalm 25:14 (comment
added)
He
made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. Psalm 103:7
This
spiritual dullness will greatly hinder our ability to experience
the deep inner satisfaction that results from an on-going cooperative
relationship with the Bridegroom, in which He makes His ways
known to us, and we experience His approbation resting
on our lives. And, it will blind us to the possibilities
of our progression into a fully committed, Holy Spirit-led, overcoming
life, into which the Bridegroom (Jesus)
desires to bring us.
Come,
My beloved (us)
... let us get up early to the vineyards ... there will I (Jesus)
give you My loves. Song
of Solomon 7:11-12 (comments
added)
It
is very important that we cultivate within us a spiritual sensitivity,
which will enable us to both notice and rightly respond to the Lord,
when He comes to take us further.
Where
there
is
no vision, the people perish. Proverbs 29:18a
These
windows represent the Brides spiritual vision. She became aware of these openings
that lead into His chambers through being quickened, or touched
by His presence when she, from time to time, had momentarily recognized
that there was something more (the
Lord Himself)
beyond all that she presently possessed.
However, she had not yet fully responded to this open
door into His presence.
Therefore,
He remained without, seeking her attention through this window (door)
that leads into His manifest presence.
She was still indifferent to His desire to come within to
be with her, because she had not yet experienced the lasting, inner
satisfaction of intimate communion with Him.
Jesus
answered and said to him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words:
and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our
abode with him. John 14:23
The
lattice speaks of the fact that His presence is always,
in some measure, veiled. God
is Spirit, and can only be known through spiritual perception and
recognition. Along with this, we cannot abide the full
glory of His presence, until we come into the purity of life that
is required for us to draw near to a holy and righteous God.
But
we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even
the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world to our glory:
Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known
it,
they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written,
Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the
heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love
Him. But God has revealed them
to us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the
deep things of God.
For
what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which
is in him? even so the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit
of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of
the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the
things that are freely given to us of God. I Corinthians 2:7-12
The
Heavenly Bridegroom, the Lord of all creation, stood alone, outside
of all that He desired, patiently waiting for her to notice Him. He longed for her fellowship as He looked
through the windows, gazing upon her in such a way that she could
see His eyes. Finally,
His patience met its reward.
She saw Him and felt the intensity of His desire to be with
her. All else faded
as she responded to this, and invited Him to come into the room
of her spiritual experience.
Immediately,
He came within (His
manifest presence)
and began to teach her concerning the way of entrance into this
new realm of spiritual life that He so desired for her.
Then He invited her to come with Him into His chambers that
she might begin to experience this new relationship of an abiding
communion with Him.
Rise
up, My love, My fair one, and come away. Song of Solomon 2:10b
His
intention was to take her beyond the unsatisfying relationship that
she had maintained with Him, which was built upon her desire for
all of the gifts and provisions that He had been giving her.
As in the past, He desired to please and to satisfy her,
but He had something far better to offer to her.
Therefore, He waited until she noticed Him, and invited Him
to come within.
It
was necessary that she recognize her need for Him alone. Only then would she be able to see her
true spiritual condition, and rightly respond to Him, and to all
that He intended for her in becoming His Bride.
For,
lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and
gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of
birds
is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land: The fig
tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with
the tender grape give a good
smell. Song of Solomon 2:11-13a
The
winter represents the time of spiritual barrenness she
experienced while she was content with all of the blessings she
had received, apart from the Lord Himself.
The rain had showered all of these blessings upon
her, but is about to be removed from her.
It is now over and gone, as she enters the night
season of her experience. It is here that she receives the treasures
of darkness.
The
resultant flowers speak of the fruit of the Spirit
that develops as a result of her coming through this night season,
and of being birthed into the realm of fellowship and identification
with Him in His purposes.
The
voice of the turtle speaks of her receiving a prophetic
anointing that abides within her, and enables her to better express
her love and worship to Him, as she comes into this new area of
experience. The fig tree, refers to Israel,
and the vines, to the Body of Christ. The present intense level of activity
in each of these indicates that we are living in the last days of
the Gentile Age.
First,
the Lord acknowledged her single eye toward Him.
O
My dove, that
are
in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places
of the stairs, let Me see your countenance, let Me hear your voice;
for sweet is
your voice, and your countenance is comely. Song of Solomon 2:14
Then,
He expressed His love for her and told her how much He longed to
hear the expression of her love toward Him, and how beautiful it
sounded to Him. This is a divine mystery, that we could
bring such joy and satisfaction to the Lord, who has all of the
hosts of heaven to enjoy.
After
she had received and accepted these expressions of His love for
her, she responded in thanksgiving and in worship.
Then, He replied and told her that her voice was sweet. The Lord longs for us to personally express
to Him our love for Him, and our desire to have His manifest presence
abide with us.
The
Lord greatly desires to hear our audible expression of worship toward
Him.
Then,
He placed her in the security of the clefts of the rock,
so her newfound, singular eye toward Him could be strengthened by
expanding her personal knowledge of Him through a further revelation
of His person, presence, and glory.
O
My dove, that
are
in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places
of the stairs. Song of Solomon 2:14a
Soon
He will hear an even sweeter expression of thanksgiving and worship
from her voice, as she begins to realize all that is happening to
her, and how much better this is than her past, limited experience.
It
was
but a little that I passed from them, but I found Him whom my soul
loves: I held Him, and would not let Him go. Song of Solomon 3:4a
As
these qualities developed within her, and she began to
seek the Lord for Himself, He repeated to her the second time:
Arise
My love, My fair one, and come away. Song of Solomon 2:13b
Now
comes the problem that she, along with all of us, must face. He must wean her from her past satisfaction
with the gifts and blessings of the Lord, alone (the
winter is past, the rain is over and gone).
She
had been more interested in His blessings (stay
me with flagons, comfort me with apples),
than she was in being with Him.
She is still not willing to respond to His urgent call to
rise up with Him, even though He has repeated it to her
twice.
Therefore,
He has no choice except to chasten her and further tighten the
rope, limiting her freedom to do as she pleases.
There is only one way that this can be done. It must be done at night, or
in a time of spiritual darkness, when (seemingly)
He withdraws the feeling of His presence, along with all of the
blessings and things that He had given her, at her requests.
After
He did this, we find her to be very upset.
By
night on my bed I sought Him whom my soul loves: I sought Him, but
I found Him not. Song of Solomon 3:1
The
blessings are gone, and she is unable to find her way in the spiritual
darkness that has settled upon her.
All at once, the methods that she once used to receive a
spiritual blessing, along with the way the Lord used her in ministry,
no longer worked. She was not able to feel, or sense the
presence of the Lord, yet she discovered that she had never been
so desirous for the Lord to reveal Himself to her as she was now.
Her
reaction to the withdrawal of His presence and blessing was panic.
I
will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the
broad ways I will seek Him whom my soul loves: I sought Him, but
found Him not. The watchmen that go about the city found me: to
whom I said,
Saw you Him whom my soul loves? Song of Solomon 3:2-3
These
watchmen are a type of the ministry. Before, she was content with all that
she had received through them.
Now, she is intensely hungry for the Lord Himself, and begins
to look for Him. She said, I will rise now and go about
the city. She
sought Him in all the places where she had been previously blessed. She searched in vain, for she could not
find Him.
She
found a minister to whom she said, Saw you Him whom my soul
loves? However, the Lord did not permit this
minister to help her, for the Lord was seeking to draw her to Himself. He desired to sup with her alone
in His chambers, and also to renew her according to the
potential that He had seen to be within her.
Therefore, the only thing that this minister was able to
say to her came from His own thoughts: You are probably backsliding;
you need to read your Bible and pray more.
In
obedience, she did as she had been told, but nothing happened because
the Lord did not permit it to happen (the
rain is over and gone). Therefore, she felt all the more as if
the Lord had gone on a vacation, or had forsaken her. No matter to whom she spoke, or what advice
they gave, none of these things worked or helped her in any way. The Lord had, insofar as feelings are
concerned, withdrawn Himself from her.
In
her distress, she sought all the more for Him. The intensity of this seeking, without
seemingly receiving any results or satisfaction, caused her to cry
out all the more for the Lord Himself.
Now, the very thing that the Lord has been waiting patiently
for is beginning to form, deep within her.
She is recognizing her need for Him, apart from things.
She is desiring Him above all else.
The single eye that the Lord had seen to be buried
within her is beginning to surface and to focus.
She
had prayed and said to the Lord:
Tell
me, O You whom my soul loves, where You feed, where You make Your
flock
to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turns aside by
the flocks of Your companions? Song of Solomon 1:7
In
the past, she had been satisfied with being nurtured only by others. Now, she intensely desires the Lord to
personally come that she might sup with Him (Revelation
3:20). She is beginning to realize that only
the Lord Himself is able to meet her need and has asked where she
can find Him. The Lord
heard this prayer and has begun, step upon step, to draw her to
Himself.
It
will greatly strengthen and encourage us, in our seeking after the
Lord Himself, to understand the necessity of the Brides going through
this experience of night.
She had been content with the blessings that were readily
available to her through an under-shepherd and had no desire to
go further, until the Lord removed these from her.
There
is a time in our spiritual growth when we should begin to hear from
the Lord Himself and receive directly from Him.
We are to be under tutors and governors until the time
appointed of the Father (Galatians
4:2). This appointed time had come
for her. Therefore,
even though she sought out one watchman after another,
she did not receive what she was seeking.
Finally, in desperation, she turned to the Lord Himself,
who had been patiently waiting, but veiled behind the lattice.
It
was
but a little that I passed from them, but I found Him... Song of Solomon 3:4a
There
had been a time when she was to receive from the Lord through others,
but now, the Lord caused their wells to dry up concerning her, as
it was time for her to mature.
I
found Him. He
had been there all along, but now she sees (Jesus)
in a different way. He
is no longer the shadow that she had been accustomed to
being near in the past. Now, she clearly sees Him. During their renewed time of communion
together, the Lord began to teach her concerning her ascent into
all that He had for her.
After
she submits to this process, and it becomes a personal reality within
her by being tested, the Lord again says to her, Rise up and
come away, knowing that now, she understands.
She is ready to experience His approbation, or singular attention,
and be further changed through her times of personal intimate communion
with Him alone. The
shadow with which she had once been satisfied, has become
the Lord Himself.
Now,
she has found the source of the satisfaction for which she had longed
- the Lord Himself. As
she communes with the Lord, and as He leads into a new spiritual
plateau, there is a further disclosure of His ways to her.
These unfolding cycles of revelation and spiritual understanding
will open to us, as we spend quality time in His presence.
The
Lord has led her through this period of darkness, in which it was
very crucial that she not become discouraged and turn aside. She has been faithful and searched until
she found Him.
I
held Him, and would not let Him go... Song of Solomon 3:4b
She
might have been turned aside by others, or become discouraged, but
she had caught a glimpse of Him and could no longer be content,
until she brought Him into her mothers house.
There,
she has become wonderfully satisfied, as His approbation now rests
upon her life.
Behold,
I have set before you an open door, and no man can shut it: for
you have a little strength, and have kept My word, and have not
denied My name. Revelation 3: 8b
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