SOS 1:13-14 HIS SUFFERING, OUR VICTORY IN THE NIGHT

Chapter 1:13-14

“My beloved is to me a pouch of myrrh which lies all night between my breasts. My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of Engedi.”

Throughout the song, “my beloved” refers to the Bridegroom. It is the bride speaking.

Myrrh was a sweet smelling burial spice, and it was also used as an expensive cosmetic. It speaks of a sweet anointing unto death and burial. A pouch of myrrh would have been a very expensive gift at the time for a man to give, and this represents Jesus’ sweetly given (willingly, out of love) and expensive gift to us of his death on the cross for us. It is the heart revealed in the willing sacrifice of the cross which is able to comfort us and empower us as we face suffering as well, (“all night”) knowing that he suffered for us and is that committed to us, even when our circumstances may temporarily be giving us the idea that he isn’t. The bride says her beloved is a pouch of myrrh (a sweet burial anointing) which lies all night (through the dark times) between her breasts. (close to her heart)

His heart revealed in the cross is a great source of assurance, comfort, and faith during “the night,” empowering our heart and our faithfulness.

Henna blossoms were a very sweet, pleasant smelling flower. Engedi was a renowned pleasant smelling vineyard filled with them. She says he is a pouch of myrrh through the night and also a cluster of henna blossoms from Engedi.

She is saying that she holds the revelation of Jesus’ suffering on the cross close to her heart during dark times, and that she hasn’t lost trust in him even then. He is still sweet and pleasant to her. The appearances of circumstances don’t change his heart. He has proven his love and faithfulness already.

We all face suffering in a fallen world, and oftentimes it doesn’t make sense. We can feel like God has abandoned us. Does he hate us? Is he indifferent? Is he a liar? Why would he allow us to suffer like this? It doesn’t seem like that many people get a clear answer for why they are suffering when they are. It can be a tremendous stumbling block to our view of God’s heart toward us. We may not know why we are suffering, but what we do know is that Jesus suffered for us first and clearly proved his heart toward us. He also demonstrated that there is a resurrection for every death we walk into.

God the creator of all chose to suffer tremendously for us, and so when we are suffering, we can know that he isn’t abandoning us or abusing us, but that he is faithful to keep his word to help us through it and even bring us to greater glory by it. It is as he himself modeled; going through the cross to the resurrection and to the throne. He isn’t leaving us, but is even suffering with us as it was said about us all “when you did it to the least of these you did it unto me.” He identifies with us so much that he goes through what we go through.

He has paid the price himself to empower us to be more than conquerors in all our trials through his love for us even in the midst of them. (The end of Romans 8 tells us, speaking of believers going through famine, persecution, trial, etc “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us,” not only when we are delivered from them are we conquerors/greek meaning: superconquerors, but IN all these things)

Romans 8:17-18 “If (we are) children, (we are) heirs also, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him, for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

Our suffering and temptations to think that God has abandoned us in them can be turned into an experience of “the fellowship of his sufferings,” with sure faith that he is working all things to our good and our greater glory and greater knowledge of him. He is even providing the grace to overcome what we ourselves cannot, and to remain faithful throughout.

Paul said that he had counted all things loss compared to the knowledge of Jesus Christ in the fellowship of his sufferings and in the power of his resurrection. We all want to know the power of his resurrection, but what is this “fellowship of his sufferings” spoken of by Paul? It is when we suffer with Christ out of love for God and for those he loves, as Jesus did, going the way of the cross willingly, and even for our enemies. We gain a knowledge of his heart which can only come by experiencing that walk. We become like him, and more trustworthy to him, having taken on his own ways. There are things we can only know by doing.

No, he has not abandoned us in our suffering. He is drawing us closer and is promoting us through even the very evil which by itself totally contradicts his heart towards us. He is that big to even use what is totally against himself. He proved it all on the cross. Jesus called the cross “the hour of the power of darkness.” It was the work of the Devil, and yes, the will of God is opposite of everything the Devil does, yet God was able to accomplish his greatest purposes, redemption itself, through that very thing the Devil did to Jesus. It is forever a testimony that Father is willing and able to work out his best purposes even in the midst of the worst situations. He will do no less for us in our dark times.

We may not have all the answers in our suffering, but we know that he suffered for us, he overcame for us, and that he showed us the way. We know that he is with us in everything we face, providing access to everything we need to overcome by his grace. He became a human being to face it all himself for us, for that very purpose. When we couldn't see, He revealed his heart.