"I went down into the garden of nuts to see the fruits of the valley, and to see whether the vines flourished, and the pomegranates budded." (S.O.S. 6:11)
Matthew Henry has these two verses, 11 & 12, attributed to Christ, who inspects and observes the working of the garden, His church or His people; where they are and what they are up to; as to the way that they conduct themselves with the love and care He has given them. David Guzik has these verses being that of the young maiden, or the church; being motivated by a longing for a deeper relationship, she takes the time and effort to explore the goodness and qualities of all that is available to her in their relationship.
I am not out to dispute anything, as God's word has a way of speaking to many different subjects and deals with a multitude of human issues; as it should, seeing that we have so many degrees of what we believe, where we are at, or in what direction we are currently headed. They say, in navigation, whether by land or by sea or by air, if you are off by only a slight degree, your destination could be altered by a multitude of miles in either direction. This is more than just a theory, this is a fact! A small little issue of belief or interpretation could set a person off by major degrees; once you set off in that direction, you get further and further away from where you are meant to be.
As I was praying about this last night, I was reminded about the Letters to the Seven Churches; how that there were some that had certain things the Lord liked, and certain things which were, shall we say, "A However!" Each and every single one of the churches are also representations of the human heart; what we believe, what we adhere to, the things we let into our lives; how we make do, and do with, all that the Lord has given us, and all that He has entrusted us with. Are we good servants? or are we serving ourselves?
I was thinking about something the other day, not quite sure yet how it applies; but Jesus told the disciples, "In thy Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." (John 14:2) This thing that Jesus speaks of, is not about preparing or building a house, because they are already there, and there are many! He is preparing a place that is suited for us in His Father's kingdom, within that existing kingdom, of which we previously were not able to enter into, of which we could not have ever been a part, or have gained entry!
In that regard, I feel it is most important to understand what we are really expecting, why we should appreciate that which we have been given, and how massively different that place is from this place we are in now: There is absolutely no resemblance whatsoever! I hope you understand what it is that I am trying to say, because, no matter how magnificent your building or temple might be, it will never come close to the Kingdom of the LORD!
Why do I even bring that up, and why does it relate to this story? First of all, Solomon was a fanatic about making things spectacular and awesome; if it was about making people take notice, he was going to make them notice excellence and beauty. Even still, no matter how spectacular anything is in this world, it does not remain the way that it was created; it gets old, out of date, and takes on a whole new worn out look. As does just about anything that we create; but what God makes, it is spectacular and gets more awesome as time goes on; especially His church!
Do you see anything within that bunch of mumble-jumble that matches the story about to unfold? Is it clear as of yet what it is that turns our heads and our hearts? Make of it as you wish, but make sure it has a sure foundation...
"Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshipped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other's bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshipped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen." (Romans 1:21-25) NLT
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