Intimacy with GOD by Esher Shoshannah (e book reading free .txt) 📕

to become one of us, a human being. So He became our kinsmen after the flesh, see (Phil. 2:5-7).

Read Psa. 107:2. The word "redeemed" is used and in the Hebrew "kinsmen" and "redeemer" are the exact same words. Read Ruth 4:6. The word used for "kinsmen" or "relative" is the same word used for "redeem" in that passage. Jesus is our "Kinsman-Redeemer"! Luke 19:10 says, "The Son of Man (our human relative) came to seek and to save that which was lost." (redeem - buy us back). He had to become a human first before we could be His "spouse"! And O what a desire for us and what cost to Him! I love it when I hear Him say, "My sister", "My spouse"! Praise God He uses the possessive word "my". It is blessedly reassuring to hear Him say, "You belong to Me!"

 

"...with one chain of thy neck."

This is the chain made by the Lord to adorn her neck in 1:11. She gladly displays it around her neck so that all might know to Whom she belongs, loves and obeys. O how this fills His heart! Do those with whom you come in contact see Jesus in your life? Are you delighted to have Him displayed in your walk and talk? Dying to self (Mt. Hermon) allows more and more of His image to be seen in us (Rom. 8:29; II Cor. 4:10). Surrendering each fleshly moment is dying to self!

She is not embarrassed to display the chain of surrender and the crucified life to others. It represents all that honors Him through her choices and actions that please Him. Her life is like a living letter being read by all (II Cor. 3:2-3). The chain says, "I belong to my Beloved alone! He has changed me and my life is no longer mine (Gal. 2:20)." It is His to do with it whatever He desires (Phil. 2:13). He knows best. Her devoted love moves Him so deeply that He shares His heart to her by saying...

 

V.10 "How fair (beautiful) is thy love, my sister, my spouse! how much better is thy love than wine! and the smell of thine ointments than all spices!"

Why is her love so beautiful to Him? What is it that He sees in her eyes? Previously, He described her features but now, for the first time, it is her love! What's the difference about her love now? It is love that is controlled by faith and an allconsuming passion to please Him. She was willing to have the unproductive, worthless areas of her life taken to the Mountain of Myrrh for crucifixion. Next, she chose to walk in holiness (hill of frankincense), fully separated to Him. This demonstrated to her Beloved that she would do anything to please Him. There had been a dramatic change - she willingly went with Him allowing the Holy Spirit to deal with her self-life. This is exquisite spiritual beauty to Him. For what pleased Him pleased her. Once again He shares His heart with her, "You have no idea just how much I love to quietly look at you. I walk all around in the room of your heart and see so much of My glory there. That is why I enjoy it when you just sit for a while and have a devotional time with Me during the day. Others get so busy with the temporal and forget Me. Sadly, I’ll have to wait until they get to Heaven to see the change in them."

 

"...how much better thy love than wine..."

Wine represents joy (Judges 9:13; Psa. 104:15). Think of it! The Lord looked out over the universe at His marvelous creation, and said, "It is good"! What pleasure it must bring Him. The glory of the stars and galaxies, surely they must be enough! Yet, He says, "That is not enough to satisfy My heart's need for love!" He gazes upon the faithful Seraphim, with their wings folded, crying out "holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty!" day after day (Isa. 6:3)! Surely, the joy He derives from them will suffice! He looks, but O the emptiness! They are not enough to make His heart complete! The Beloved watches intently the ever obedient angelic realm, but His heart still has the longing. Then He looks at you, dear surrendered believer and exclaims, "Her love and passion for Me satisfies My heart! One glance of her loving gaze overwhelms Me. O how much better is her love than all the joys of My glorious creation!" He speaks with intensity to all the hosts of heaven, "There is nothing like her! Nothing! Absolutely nothing!"

 

"...how much better the smell of thine ointments than all spices."

She had applied the myrrh and frankincense with the merchant's powders! All the beautiful characteristics of a Holy Spirit-Jesus filled life. The fragrance thrilled Him. It was a heavenly fragrance of Himself. Her eyes, her neck, the fragrances spoke clearly that she was wholly filled up with Jesus her Beloved! The bride was living in Rom. 13:14, "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof." A Christian who displays Christ brings a sweet refreshing aroma in this world that is filled with a stench of evil. Once again Jesus gazes at His beautiful blood bought bride and says over and over, "How beautiful! O how beautiful! Father, thank You for giving her to Me (John 10:29)!"

 

PRAY WITH ME: "O Lord, I am ready to burst, this is too much for me to ponder. In grace I accept these amazing revelations of Your heart to me. O my Beloved, is it true that there is nothing which is able to turn Your heart away from loving me for even a microsecond? Praise You dear Bridegroom of my heart - there is absolutely nothing which will distract You from being consumed with me. O precious Holy Spirit may there never be anything that attracts my eyes away from my all glorious Lord! Holy Spirit guard my ears, my lips, my eyes! May I have only one purpose in living, that I continually increase in pleasing Him whom my soul loveth! I worship You! I adore You! I magnify Your glorious name dear Lord Jesus!"

 

V.11 "Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon."

Her lips bring the Beloved great happiness. He once again takes note of the joy the lips of His bride brings to His heart! Why? In 1:2 she yearned for Him to kiss her with the kisses of His mouth. O how He enjoys kissing us with precious revelations from His Word. But now she gives back what He had given to her - the Word with thankfulness and praise! She now kisses her Beloved with what He has abundantly blessed her. This is the first time her lips are described as being filled! The first step was the application of the scarlet (the blood) in v. 3. Her lips have been made ready to bless His heart only after the life changing experiences on the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense. The surrendered life has brought her to this point.

 

"Honeycomb, honey"

She is filled with His Holy Word. How do we know? The expressions of "honey" and "honeycomb" represent the Word. Honey and milk speak of abundance (Ex. 3:8). The delights of the Word of God are compared to honey dripping from the honeycomb (Psa. 19:9,10; 119:103)! Nothing pleases Him more than faith-filled words speaking out the very oracles of God. It was her faith working through His love that made her lips exquisite to Him (Gal. 5:6)! Only faith pleases Him (Heb. 11:6). How did all of this come about? As she obeyed Him and left the dangers of the lion's den and mountains of leopards (4:8), she walked and listened to the Lover of her soul. Like the honeycomb which is patiently filled with its delectable sweetness, so also is the heart of this adoring bride, filled with indescribable word revelations of Jesus, (John 14:21) which always come through a loving, obedient heart. Jesus Himself said in Luke 6:45, "...for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh." Are you, dear Christian, so filled up with Jesus, who is the Word, that your lips automatically overflow with honey of praise and thanks?

 

"...milk..."

Milk also represents the pure Word of God (I Pet. 2:2). The bride began to take it in when she first came to know Him in surrender. It had fallen on "good ground" and was now bearing fruit for Him (Mt. 13:23). Those beginning joys found in His Word never left her. She still counted precious the first simple truths which led her into a deeper walk with her Beloved Husband.

Lips that please the Lord Jesus Christ are those that are in agreement with His word. It begins with a heartfelt prayer to Him. Listen to her prayer! "I love You so much my dear Bridegroom and want to please You always, so I ask You to, 'Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.' (Psa. 141:3)!" Time passes and He has fulfilled that prayer request with wonderful results. She prays again, "Thank You my Beloved Husband, I am so blessed by You among the children of men. Grace is poured into my lips from You (Psa. 45:2). I am so thrilled that I find my lips joyfully praising You more and more (Psa. 63:3,5) since I prayed Psa. 141:3! O how quick You were to answer it. My lips have continued to greatly rejoice in singing because of Your redemption in my soul (Psa. 71:23)! You have caused many to be touched spiritually through what has come from my lips and what a pleasure it is to see them blessed by You through me dear Lord (Prov. 10:21). You have given me spiritual discernment as to what is acceptable to say (Prov. 10:32). Your knowledge has made me an exquisite jewel in Your sight my glorious Husband (Prov. 20:15). My heart is bowed in thanksgiving to You, my Love, for I can sense Your approval and pleasure of what You hear from my lips. Only You could have changed my lips! I love You so much!"

You now understand why the Beloved is so taken up with her lips again. Is this true of you? If not, pray Psa. 141:3 and Psa. 19:14! Dear Christian bride, then your Bridegroom will speak v. 11 to your heart!

 

"...and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon."

O yes, when you are filled up with Jesus your spiritual garments will exude the wonderful fragrance of Jesus Himself - the garments of salvation and the robe of righteousness (Isa. 61:10)! The cedars of Lebanon gave off a wonderful scent. The cedar tree speaks of the perfect, sinless life of Jesus. The wood of this tree was rot-resistant, strong and stately (see 1:17). Garments placed in a cedar chest have a special fragrance all their own. The surrendered believer's life is "hid in Christ" (Col. 3:3) and as we sit quietly enwrapped in His arms, His fragrance permeates us. He is the cedar (1:17). O to have His fragrance (presence of the Lord) observed in our daily walk by others! Every believer has been resurrected from the spiritual dead, but so many are still wearing spiritual grave clothes (old habits and bondages brought over into the new life. The abundant life is activated exclusively through daily surrender of each circumstance to Him. Each time you do this you are proclaiming, "I love You Jesus!" It’s the spiritual fragrance of Lebanon my friend!

 

PRAY WITH ME: "O dear Lord, may my heart gather Your honey 'till I overflow! You alone are the sweetness,