Come Into My Garden!

"I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse: I have gathered my myrrh with my spice; I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk: eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved" (Song 5:1).

Many believers are ignorant of, or aloof towards, the idea that we are the garden of the Lord. You and I are His garden - the very place where His fruit is born, cultivated, pruned and matured. We are God's garden, separated, enclosed, and protected from the world. But what is the purpose of a garden?

Jesus longs to reside there.. Simply said, a garden is a place to be visited and delighted in. In the Song of Solomon, upon the Shulamite's proposal (Song 4:16), the Lord quickly answers, "I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse" (Song 5:1). Such is a speedily answered prayer.. and why? It's because Jesus longs to dwell and reside in the garden of her heart. The bride cries "come", and He comes! To Him, there must be no greater place to reside; there must be no greater longing pulsating through the Divine Heart, for His own holy blood is the title deed which purchased that precious garden plot, paid in full. Now His garden is to be the place of perpetual communion, the "bed of spices" (Song 6:2) which lovingly flow from our hearts to His! What a habitation! What a choice place! He has chosen this people to Himself (Ps 135:4; Isa 43:21; Eph 1:18), so why wouldn't He want to reside there? "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me... and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him" (Jn 14:21-23). And again Jesus said, "He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him" (Jn 6:56). Jesus longs to reside in your garden!

Jesus longs to feed there.. A residence would be incomplete if there were not also a feasting! Not only does the Lord long to reside and dwell with you, in the garden of your heart, but He also longs to feed upon the gracious goodness's which He has brought forth: "Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits" (Song 4:16). There is no greater house guest than the Lord of Hosts! There is no greater reason to allow God's fiery pruning than to possess real fruit for Him when He comes (Ps 1:1-3; 72:16; etc).. "Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing" (Ps 92:13-14).. Remember the barren bush (Matt 21:19)? Jesus cursed it because it had no fruit, but leaves only (Jude 12)! Remember the fruitless vineyard (Isa 5:1-2)? It brought forth mere "wild grapes". Friends, God is looking for real substance - He is searching for diligent, genuine hearts! And why? Because He wants to feed upon much fruit: "My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies" (Song 2:16). Jesus longs to drink from your plentifully "watered garden... whose waters fail not" (Isa 58:10-11). Will we offer Him a substantial drink today?

And how do we suppose Jesus finds fruit to feed upon? How is real and plentiful fruit to be cultivated and ripened in the hearts of God's people? Reader, it's only by His pruning! A garden left untended will quickly become a wild, weedy and worthless wasteland - having nothing to offer! But a garden carefully tended to by the counsel of Scripture will be one in which the Master will always find fruitful delight! "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby" (Heb 12:11). There are no shortcuts; There are no detours. To repeatedly strive to take shallow shortcuts to fruitfulness is to make your substance bitter upon Divine tastebuds! And who would willingly want that? A vineyard must first be pruned before real fruit can be gathered and eaten by it's caretakers (Lev 25:3). Jesus said, "Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit" (Jn 15:2).

Jesus longs to share His fruit.. Men are mistaking if they assume the fruit wrought in them is for them alone. Of course, it benefits the garden, but it also is to feed the nations! Of course God has the chiefest place - He is the very foundation of all that is birthed, and is the Chief recipient too, "for the Lord's portion is His people" (Deut 32:9). However, what God does in you, He would also like to do through you. He's turning your desert into a garden, your wilderness into Eden, and for good reason (Isa 51:3). What He picks as choice fruit is to likewise be spread throughout the earth: Of this fruit, He says "eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly..." (Song 5:1). What a marvelous thought to ponder! God wants you to become fruit for the nations to partake of - not only fruit for God Himself, but fruit for His many friends! "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples" (Jn 15:8). The earth is waiting to see such a fruitful people, budding as King Jesus, possessing His scent (Ps 45:8), His character (Gal 4:19), His image (2 Cor 3:18), and His fruitfulness: "For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations" (Isa 61:1).

"Oh to be the garden of God - there's no greater honor, and no greater cause.
I'm watered and pruned with God's holy fire - the idols torn down, the filth and the mire.
Planted with goodness, seeded with promise - my fruitfulness budding, my scent by His furnace.
My visage is different, there's coming an end - fruit for my Master, and fruit for His friends!
Oh to be the garden of God - there's no greater honor, and no greater cause!"

The Spirit of the Word..

Jesus said "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (Jn 6:63)?

Many people are surprised to discover that the Bible is primarily a spiritual book. Symbolism, typology, prophecy and the like are all divinely accredited within the pages of Holy Writ (Job 12:7-9; Ps 19:1-3; Rom 10:17-18; 1:20; Matt 13; Heb 10:1; 8:4-5; Col 2:16-17; 1 Cor 10:1; Rom 15:4; etc). Why then should we refuse such a practice? No, we don't over-spiritualize everything, but we don't ignore the counsel of God either. "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter" (Prov 25:2).

Ask yourself today, do I read the Bible with spiritual eyes? Or am I limited by a natural, and often carnal, mindset and thought pattern? The words of our Lord are dense words, full of meaning, varied in shade, nuance, implication and application. They aren't to be applied on a mere natural level of significance alone; they aren't to be understood according to the mere flesh of man's natural understanding, or solely viewed through mere flesh colored glasses. While a literal interpretation is of course useful and of aid, we should never orphan the Spirit's breath for the sake of a literal tone. Rather, His words are living; they "liveth and abideth forever" (1 Pet 1:23). His Words are to be spiritually understood, and the life they promise is of a spiritual nature too. His Words are deep (Dan 2:22; Ps 42:7; 1 Cor 2:10; Rom 11:33; Eph 3:8; Job 5:8-9; Ps 145:3-7; 139:17-18; 92:5; 40:5; 1 Tim 1:17); His wisdom is manifold (Jer 10:6-10; Ps 111:2; 104:24; Eph 3:10; Rom 11:33), while the flesh (the bare, carnal, literal meaning) profits relatively little by comparison. The spiritual truth of Jesus' words are to continually pierce through the facade of man's natural wisdom, penetrating the very core of his spiritual reality. Jesus' words are spirit and life, "the works of the Lord are exceeding great" (Ps 111:2, HV).

Yet, for some reason, in studying Scripture, we constantly find ourselves relating primarily naturally, by the flesh. We seem to cling to a literal significance alone.. perhaps that's what we're most comfortable with? But did you realize that the Bible actually accredits at least a three-fold interpretation of itself? Are you shocked? It's true. There is a natural interpretation, of course, but there is also a spiritual interpretation, and a prophetic. Observe what King Solomon said: "Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, That I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?" (Prov 22:20-21). This word "excellent" in Hebrew means, "three-fold; weighty". Thus, the words of Scripture are manifold in significance and application - they are weighty; they are living!

All throughout the Bible, we see this principle applied: Jesus continually spoke in spiritual truths. Very rarely were His words meant to be taken literally and via a natural interpretation. Phrases such as "poor in spirit" were all to convey a deeper spiritual truth. Sadly, often the Jews missed His point altogether because they sought to cling to a natural meaning alone.

The apostle Paul recognized this truth and prayed for his readers to receive it too: "[I] Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints"(Eph 1:16-18). He spoke of the letter of the law (literal interpretation) AND the Spirit of the Word, that is, the dense spiritual truth contained behind the mere literal significance. He admonishes us to serve in the "newness of the Spirit" (Rom 7:6; 2 Cor 3:6), not solely in the letter. One example he gave was concerning circumcision. Circumcision has an obvious literal interpretation, but the Spirit of the word concerning circumcision is a spiritual truth: "he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God" (Rom 2:29). Furthermore, he likened the Scriptures to a 2-edged sword.. And what edges can these refer to but to a literal and a spiritual interpretation? Such an application is the only way it can be said to be "quick [living], and powerful"... "piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb 4:12-13).

We see this truth evidenced by the Tabernacle too. The priest's daily bread, also known as the bread of faces, and the bread of His presence, was located in the Holy Place, far from any natural sunlight. The only light that was present to enable the ministry of the priests was that which shone from the golden lamp stand, symbolic of the Holy Ghost. In that place, the bread (symbolic of the Word of God) was illuminated by the lamp (symbolic of the Holy Ghost). Even so today, as we search the Scriptures, we too should allow the Spirit of God to speak His deep mysteries to our hearts, often bypassing our mere natural understanding and interpretation. The outer court had natural sunlight (a literal interpretation), but the inner court had only supernatural light! Which would you prefer? Which court would you rather reside in?

Friends, surely "Thy commandment is exceeding broad [roomy, wide, large, free]" (Ps 119:96).. For "we know that the law is spiritual..." (Rom 7:14). Thus, shouldn't we take heed to and seek after Paul's prayer for the church? Shouldn't we likewise ask for and seek the "spirit of revelation", that is, His daily portion of bread, mingled with the sweet wine of spiritual enlightenment (Prov 9:5)? Don't you want to eat "angel's food", the blessed "corn of heaven" (Ps 78:24-25), that precious manna that's veiled and hidden from the carnal thoughts of man's natural wisdom? I sure do! I want to eat my full! Such a word is spiritual, such a word is glorious - far more glorious than that engraven in literal stones (2 Cor 3:6-8).

Friends, Jesus' words are spirit and life! Which does your palate crave?

The Secret of the Lord..

"The secret of the LORD is with them that fear Him; and He will shew them His covenant" (Ps 25:14).

Does God really have secrets? What an astounding idea to ponder! And what's better is that He will reveal His secrets to those who fear Him, while the casual believer will be kept in the proverbial dark. The "friends" are they who are made partakers of God's great mysteries, while the "servants" are without. Which would you rather be? A servant or a friend? To Jesus' disciples He said, "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you" (Jn 15:14-15).

Does God have secrets?

The Hebrew word for "secret" means, "a thing that is hid", from a root that means, "to veil from sight, to conceal, to hide". Many people are surprised to discover that this is exactly what God has done! "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter" (Prov 25:2). God purposely conceals things for His glory's sake, and He will only show them openly to those who prove willing to search and seek after Him diligently: "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart" (Jer 29:13). "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law" (Deut 29:29; Isa 48:6; Dan 2:28-29, 47; Amos 3:7; Rev 1:1; Gal 1:12; Eph 1:9; 3:3-5; 1 Cor 2:7; 4:1; etc).

His secret place?

For most people (even Christians), Zion is a secret too! When we say "Zion", most people assume we're talking about the mere natural hill in the Middle East; the secret place of the Lord (Spiritual Zion) is often a foreign concept. How sad! Many are ignorant of this great truth, yet the Bible reveals it to be a tangible reality: "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty" (Ps 91:1). This "secret place of thunder" is to be our perpetual abode (Ps 81:7). It's the "secret of Thy presence" (Ps 31:20). No man is to defile that realm (Ezek 7:22). Rather, it's to be our hiding place (Ps 27:5), our home, our "pavilion" (Ps 31:20). It shouldn't be a secret to us! To us, it should rather be said, "His secret is with the righteous" (Prov 3:32).

Why does He hide Himself?

"Verily Thou art a God that hidest Thyself..." (Isa 45:15; Job 23:8-10; 34:29; Ps 104:29; Isa 8:17; etc). But why? I believe it's simply because He wants to be whole-heartily sought after! This has been His desire from ages past (Eph 5:25-27)! The bride in Scripture says His head is of the "most fine gold" (Song 5:11), and similarly today, God has sought to be pursued with the same integrity and sincerity, as men search for gold, silver, and hidden treasure. Only when men draw nigh with a true heart, and call upon Him in truth, and search for Him with eagerness, and with a hearty desire to find him, will He be found, and dispose of His secrets: "seek, and ye shall find" (Lk 11:9). "I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears" (Ps 34:4)... "they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing" (Ps 34:10).

Initiated into His mysteries!

In whose ear does God whisper? Simply said, secrets and close friends go hand-in-hand. Wouldn't you like to be His confidant? How can we ever realize the secret of the Lord if we don't spend time with Him, minister to Him, and learn of Him? We cannot. God hides Himself so that He will be genuinely and sincerely sought after. Jesus spoke to the multitudes in parables, but to His disciples He revealed His mysteries: "Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables" (Mk 4:11). Why? Because the disciples followed Him wherever He went. The multitudes came to get blessed, and then went on their merry way. The Greek word for "mystery" (Mk 4:11) is "musterion" and means, "that which is known by initiation". This is to be our testimony too, if we are the disciples of Christ. Paul says that we're to be "stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Cor 4:1). He had this revelation (Gal 1:12), and even prayed for his readers to receive such an initiation too: "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints" (Eph 1:17-18).

Do we want such a glorious testimony? "The secret of the LORD is with them that fear Him; and He will shew them His covenant" (Ps 25:14).

"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but He revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7).