Smothering Instincts

Song of Solomon 6:9-13

My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.

Solomon himself testifies that to him his little Song is the only one. She was the only of her mother's house that was for him; so, she also was Pharoah and his wife's choice for Solomon himself. Yes, she might have been Pharoah's wife's sister, but to them she was the one. Whether betrothed or not, it is good to have parental blessings and support in your spousal union. Some of you have not that and it shows by the strife in the family. To her mother before that she was also as one chosen. Before time, God had known the role she would play as in Jeremiah 1:5. When Solomon took her away, he rescued her from a bad situation and a place of no favor. See, she had favor in the beginning but because of the children it was lost. How many of you know that when the favor of God is on your life it matters not come hell or high water. For Philippians 1:6 says he that "has begun a good work in you" will surely complete it "until the day of Christ Jesus" our Lord. Here the Song will walk in the favor she had been given. This favor was not found with the other children. It came not from them, but rather from the Lord of Psalm 75:6. That is why when Solomon's other brother went down to Egypt in 1 Kings 11:29-33, he found there was no favor upon his return.

Some of you familiar with the story might be saying to yourselves, 'it sounds like Jeroboam was blessed instead.' Maybe at first glance, how many of you know that God always has set before his people both blessing and cursing. What in Deuteronomy 30:1 happened next was always of their own choosing. Walk in your favor, Song of Solomon. God is with you. So also, was the little Song approved by the same daughters of Jerusalem which had once smote her. More than that, for her dealings with them they had called her blessed; we see these also are like so many lost children without a home or a family. The concubines, who had been through some things, were glad to have the little Song. Imagine if you would, going through a hard time and being brought into a safe place; then you find a little Songbird tweeting nonsense about how his eyes are on them too. She sings of how everything will be alright. Now you know she wants you to look to Jesus also. Instead of praising him, the wives and concubines praise her instead. It may sound twisted, but then watch this. God will bring beauty even from their stories. I have a song in my heart even now that I wish to share with all of you. But I know not quite how. If you are anything like me and end up with a busy playlist, I am sorry.

Who is she that looketh forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?

Some of you open the curtains and the windows every morning to peer outside and say, 'it's going to be a very good day.' Fewer of you look out at night up at the stars to say that it will be an equally nice night. I have a dog that must be toileted frequently, regardless of the weather. Therefore, I am out in the day and at night also. But how many of you wake up expecting to see an army outside. Not very many of you I am sure unless you live in those parts of the world. I would not know about that; I have wolves outside where I live. On nice nights you can hear them chirping except for when they get their days and nights confused. Such a thing is very nice for me because I am used to raising their pups. But I am sure such an occurrence must be quite terrible for some of you. It all depends on your perspective and whose side you are on. When you are at the Lord's side, all the days, nights, and armies cannot dismay you. But if you are not, I imagine these must feel like a terrible trial indeed. Indeed, the Song is against the daughters of Jerusalem and is camped around them even unto their hurt. But for the daughters of Zion these she is for even unto their defense. It is important to see that the little Song's portion and strength is the Lord. Now such as she was to those daughters of Jerusalem, so also was she more to Solomon himself. It is nice to call your beloved yours. Just as he is her sun, to him she is as his moon. The two go together in the sky as the day and night, opposite each other in situation yet similar in position and role. The sun, just as Solomon did, ruled the day; the moon, just like the Song, ruled the night. Then at dusk and dawn they come together again. This is such a beautiful picture seen here of covenant love, leadership, and roles in the house of God. See some of you might be confused about your roles and authority just as you would by seeing a full army outside your home in the morning. It is not until you break it down, that the Spirit of God explains things to you. Only then do you begin to see clearly. Because of God's goodness and your place in the household of faith, you know it will indeed turn out to be a better life.

I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vine flourished and the pomegranates budded.

Here Solomon continues to tell his story. This is where he had been during the time he was gone from his little Song. He went "into the garden of nuts" first to see the "fruits of the valley." Now if I had no spiritual eyes, ears, or understanding at all I would be very much inclined to take a different view. You could almost say that these are some crazy people he is dealing with here. Others of you are even inclined to call your spouse crazy also. Be very careful when you do so for the crazy one just might be you. How you can take a seat in the therapist's office. This thing is much bigger than you. It is not always about you but rather the Lord. The going down carries the image of a sweet chariot; from there it moves into the valley where the fallen things lie. Other things lay here too covering the ground such as nuts and other seeds. It is important to see these as more than simply things littering the ground in so many rows. For here the fallen things take root. How many of you know that unless the grain of wheat, of John 12:24, falls into the ground "it abides alone". But when it falls and dies, it brings forth many fruits. Here in time also the fruits in that valley grow; there are many mighty trees arising also from the nuts of the ground. How many times has it been said, death is not the end nor a final sleep. But it is a temporary resting place and a doorway into eternity.

This is why when Jesus says you have eternal life through him, John 6:57 relates this to eating of him. Indeed, then you shall live again just as did Mary and Martha's brother in John 11:23-26. It is in this valley that the vine grows also with the pomegranates. There are temples to worship God found within this valley just as there are many entanglements of the wild things that are sweet to eat. Both must flourish for he has willed it so. It is a scary place indeed to be like a little church in that valley surrounded by all the nuts in their neat little rows. Oh no, my friends, it is not welcome to any wildwood church. Instead, it is a holy and a sacred place where the master and administrator thereof is the Lord. But how many of you know that soon the harvest of Matthew 13:29-30 will come. Then will arise all sorts of things you never knew were there before. Somebody says, 'amen.' He puts the anointing on the sacred things. He turns our ashes into beauty and our mourning into much dancing of Isaiah 61:3. You might not see it yet. But that is why some of you need to shout, 'amen, so let it be.'

Or ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots of Amminadib.

Well now, this is a fine place we find ourselves in at this time. Solomon is speaking of how when he was in the valley visiting the fruits thereof, suddenly he found himself caught up. Well indeed the sweet chariot has come to carry him off. There is an interesting thing seen here among "the chariots of" Dan. The text does not really use the term Dan. Some additional research is required to find this out. The name Amminadib refers to the willingness of God's people to follow him swiftly. Close relations to Amminadib include an ancient prince of the tribe of Dan, Sampson, and those that stayed on the other side of the river called Jordan. These are strong people indeed which possessed some spiritual sight. More than that, they are some perceiving people spoken of in Isaiah 43:19. This is God's way of saying that he is "doing a new thing;" so even for those who perceive will it spring forth. This is just a fancy way of saying that Solomon was caught up as was John into third heaven as told in 2 Corinthians 12:2. Sometimes God calls his children to other places also. At no time does Solomon snatch himself out of the grave and from the valley of nuts. Rather it is the Lord's call that brings him and to him returns. Some of you might say that "Solomon got carried away." No, raptured is too strong a term. This is rather speaking to the calling of the ages as it has been from the beginning of time. Enoch, Moses, and Elijah were all taken without seeing death. So are all who chose to remain at the Lord's command of John 21:22. The promises of God apply for the here and now as we will soon see. If you do not already know this, try looking with a different set of eyes. This spiritual vision from 1 Samuel 3:9 says, 'speak Lord.' It is important to see that the administrator of all this coming and going is Christ.

Return, return, O Shulamite; return, return, that we may look upon thee. What will ye see in the Shulamite? As it were the company of two armies.

After all this journeying, the children of Jerusalem now call for the Shulamitish Song to return to them along with her Solomon. Now some of you will object to my use of that term. Of that, I am sure. However, it is time someone faced the truth of the rich heritage of culture and tradition flowing through the Song, Solomon, and their people. There was a time of much integration as we see in this period. The people's calls are growing less harsh and more in tune with those of the Song and her Solomon. In fact, I can barely tell the voice of Solomon from the people, so it is muted. After all, for one feeding by the lilies of field, his voice should indeed be quite close to theirs but not quite of them. Nowhere does Solomon directly call his Song by this term of Shulamite. He does on the other hand have other choice words and phrases for her which speak of her ancestry, her looks, and her personality. My, it would be a dry relationship indeed if you could never joke with your spouse. But too much joking is inclined to produce anger in the right people. This is why those husbands must love their wives even as "Christ loved the church and gave himself" for her according to Ephesians 5:25. More than that, the daughters of Zion are beginning to grow wise indeed with some spiritual sight also.

Either that, or Solomon has become confused from sniffing so many different flowers and spices. How else would the daughters of Zion know of the two armies spoken of by Daniel the prophet. Such a speech was ages before the end of the book was even written in Daniel 11:40. This knowledge is only possible with the Spirit of God, some mothering, and some catching up of the Spirit. Now I know some of you have smothering instincts, but we are not speaking of those at this time. Some of you familiar with 1 Thessalonians 5:19 know better than to smother the move of God anyway. This is why Jesus preached ministry in and out of seasons when it is inconvenient to do so in 2 Timothy 4:2. Because if you give into the smothering instincts, you might accidentally kill something God meant to live: the lilies of the field, the roses of Sharon, the chariots of Amminadib, or the daughters of Zion. You might not like it and that is okay. But God is at work here and he is bringing all things together. The people will soon be as they should with nothing lost, missing, or broken in the house of God.