June 10, 2009 Pleasant Fruit
Today’s Bible Reading: Song of Solomon 1–4; Ephesians 6
Scripture Focus:
Song of Solomon 4:16 Awake, O north wind,
And come, O south!
Blow upon my garden,
That its spices may flow out.
Let my beloved come to his garden
And eat its pleasant fruits.
Observation:
It’s always so refreshing to read the Song of Solomon because the Beloved and the Shulamite model a rare kind of love—one where the words spoken to each other and to others about each other are uplifting and life-giving. So many times I hear words from married couples that tear each other down, and it is so rare (with the exception of my dear husband) to actually hear a married couple speak words of praise and adoration about each other.
In the verse I picked from today’s reading I loved the imagery of the Shulamite’s intimate life being a garden filled with precious spices and pleasant fruit. She refers to this garden as “my garden” and “his garden.” It is a part of her she shares with her beloved. The imagery suggests that she tends this garden to make sure it is filled with pleasant fruits.
Application:
I have a choice to tend my garden and fill it with pleasant fruit or to neglect it and have little to offer my beloved. My garden should be a place he longs to come, a place he finds pleasant and satisfying.
Two other thoughts: my intimate garden is only to be shared with my husband and no other, and I must make time to share this part of me with my husband. A garden is to be enjoyed and savored, not neglected.
Prayer:
Father God, I’ve been refreshed by your Word today and given a fresh vision of what it means to be in the covenant relationship called marriage. May my beloved delight in my garden—his garden—and find only pleasant fruit!
