God Has Seen

Song of Solomon 7:9-13

And the roof of thy mouth like the best wine for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak.

For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Here the Song has found a few new compliments of her own for her Solomon, even as her beloved. By these choice words we can be sure of the Song's speech even as one quite gracious herself. It is a wonderful thing indeed to find a woman responding to her man; so, the does Song in this text here. Often, we tend to become bitter or critical towards our spouses as young love becomes older love. It is in these times that some of us tend to present to the therapy clinic. I know, there is a strong temptation to lay out the spouses for old grievances both for the beatings, for the daughters of Jerusalem, and for having gone away. If not, then others simply resort to silence and a cold shoulder. Here the Song reassures her Solomon that the best wine is found within his mouth. For even as his mouth has drunk deeply, loved, and caressed her, so he also reaps the benefit of these affections. Of his mouth he has eaten the Words of the Lord and the praise of his Song. Oh, my friends, it is a good love indeed that calls you into the banqueting house; it spreads a warm light of love over you whereas before there had been none. It is even as the light of a room or of nature which is dim at dusk and dawn. But with the coming of the day or night it grows yet brighter still.

Some of you need to let the Lord order all your days, not just the ones to come. As he has spoken and treated her, thus he also reaps the fruit thereof. Some of you ought to be very afraid when you mistreat your spouse for it never affects just that person. For this cause do the lips of them that sleep speak. Even if the dead were as those sleeping, yet upon hearing the Word would they awaken. There is some truth in the Word. See, this is a word of power; it is a word of deliverance. It is a word that causes situations to change. It is a word that enters in and changes a man. Soon even the dead will come forth as did Lazarus under this Word of John 11:43. Some of you get in a situation then wonder why that thing never changes. Then others of you want to know why some things never seem to work out quite the way you want them. Some of you need to lay the Word upon it just as Elijah did; 1 Kings 17:21 tells of the little boy restored who had no life in his spirit. So sweet is it indeed when you are resting in Jesus. Oh, to trust him just a little more today. Someone needs to say, 'isn't God good.'

I am my beloved's, and his desire is toward me.

This is how the Song can confidently say that she is his and so he is hers. This is neither possession nor ownership of the other; but rather there is a mutual feeling of brother's keeper to be seen here. See, it is even as the situation with Cain and Abel, two brothers long ago. Jealousy arose between them causing Cain to smite Abel out of rage for his better offering of Genesis 4:7. Just before this, God spoke to Cain saying that his desire meant sin crouching at the door. Desire here can mean a few things, and not all of these are bad. It is good indeed for spouses to desire each other out of love and affection. It is quite another when the desire of the woman is towards the husband of Genesis 3:16 in that garden of Eden. For then, the man was cursed to rule over woman; no longer was she being taken out of man or fashioned from his side as at first. This is something strange to be seen here indeed. The Song says that her beloved of God has desire; even so it is towards her. Notice how she does not rule over him as some are prone to do. She simply accepts him in every way as her equal and her leader. My friends, this sounds almost exactly as intended in creation so long ago. Some of you might be saying, 'this might be when the curse is lifted.' Isaiah 43:18-19 says this is part of the new thing the Lord is doing. Even now God is changing the situation into one of blessing. Soon there will be no more curse in that garden of Heaven. As we walk through this world down here, just remember this. We walk in love and tender care towards all including our spouses. Some of you have had more curse lifted than for others. So, it is with our liberty in Christ for behold he is "making all things new" in Revelation 21:5. What a wonderful thing to have a spouse as tender as the Song and as loving as Solomon. For those of you who do not, trust the process. God will bring even this to pass in his timing.

Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages.

Their love forms quite the garden picture. It is from this place that they go into the field and the villages together testifying to what God has done. The scene here is as one of Christian ministry that starts at home and spreads even into the fields. These fields could be those of the world which are now white unto harvest as in John 4:35. Or they could refer to those of the daughters of Zion who came alongside the Song and her Solomon. Since the workman of the gospel of Luke 10:7 "is worthy of his hire," there is lodging to be found. The location is important. They stay in the villages of men where this ministry is taking place. See, God has not called us to sit together in the fields as so many orderly rows of plants or to go where we will like so many grazing animals.

Had Jesus stopped here, there would have been few distinctions between his house and the one where the wild things go. The call of is God unto the church and unto his couples tending the harvest. It is one of much order. For so it is as a call to usefulness in the house. See, it is to no purpose if you and your spouse sleep all day and party all night. That does not make a home; most of you know this. There is lodging from the fields to the villages because of the power of God. There in the villages the daughters of Zion will grow and flourish as people of the kingdom. It should be seen that the Song and her Solomon themselves do not live among the people. They stay to bless them then move again as with the Lord. See, their place is beside each other in their own house. So, their house is even near that of the Lord. They might be seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus according to Ephesians 2:6. But they also walk among men down here. It is halfway between the here and there.

Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear, and the pomegranates bud forth: there will I give thee my loves.

Next Solomon speaks up as he leads the Song from the houses of the daughters of Zion to the vineyards of her own people. As a good, kind, and caring husband he knows that is someplace she does not wish to stay. She only endures it even for his sake and for that of his ministry he started. So, he also endures the vineyards for hers. For I find no evidence in the text that she has ever left off tending the charge given her by her mother's children. This is true dedication right here. Have you ever wondered how much God can trust some of you. Maybe this is why some cannot seem to make a breakthrough with the therapist; if you did it would be manifested in your lives. Some of you cannot even be trusted to do the dishes much less be honest with your spouse. Here Solomon is a picture of what happens when justice kissed mercy in Psalm 85:10. Even so the Song is a picture of what happened when faithfulness and love has met together. I know some of you might be saying, 'that text said righteousness and peace; how can you say that?' That is because you cannot have one without the other. How many houses do you know that have righteousness and peace when there have been mass murders in the closets and bad people hiding among the family trees. Indeed, righteousness and peace are the outcome of what happens when justice kissed mercy. It might look messed up right now. The situation might seem hopeless for a little while. Give God some time. He is working all things out. When he is done, we will even see what comes next.

The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.

Now the mandrakes send forth sweet odors into the streets. The gates also are a place of righteousness and peace once more. As at first, "the rain is over and gone." The winter and fall have left. Now is the time of the turtledove heard in the land. Now is "the day that the Lord has made" in Psalm 118:24, even that of salvation for the people of God. See, there are fruits of the Spirit among the watchmen, both "new and old." How many of you know that when God is finished with the situation, there will be some old watchmen sitting in the city gates under the command of the Lord. So also there will be some new ones for what the testimony has brought forth. How many of you know that God never changes. There is never any new fruit in the house of the Lord. Some of you would be greatly concerned if your spouse suddenly came home talking, acting, and speaking differently. They might be moving in a way you have never seen before. I know you might be ready to call the doctor and then the lawyer in that order. But when God is in the house, how many of you know that nothing will ever be the same again. Some of you might not be ready to see the old watchmen that killed Solomon and beat up the Song sitting in the gates as guardians of the people once more. This is why the changes of God will be obvious to all. There are changes in God's house even down to the smell of the mandrakes in the streets. Now I know those grow in the garden, not in the streets.

Some of you might be wondering what that smell is doing among the houses of the people. In that day, mandrakes were used as a fertility booster. Now is a time of peace and fertility because of the Lord. Children are all good and wonderful. But somebody better bring forth some spiritual fruits from Galatians 5:22 in the Lord's house. This is how the people will know both they and the watchmen are different by the fruits in their lives. Matthew 7:16 speaks of how different fruits grow from various places. See now what great things are laid up in the house of the Lord for those who love him. While the Song had been working among the daughters, Solomon went to the men of the city. See how God is changing this thing. How many of you know that Solomon did not like the sons of the city, for very good reason, nor the Song the daughters of Jerusalem. She must have been shocked indeed to see how God has worked among these beaters of men. This is why 1 Corinthians 2:9 says that our eyes, ears, and hearts have not seen or heard of what God has prepared. Like Solomon, he did it just for us. Somebody get ready for the so much more. In that day, you better be ready to sing the praises of the Lord along with the Song and her Solomon.