“Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.” (Song of Solomon 1:4)
Song of Solomon is one book I can’t even begin to understand. But this Scripture has emerged for our study. The book is very symbolic and poetic. Bible scholars have compared it to the love of Christ. I admit that I have no understanding of the book, but the last phrase of this Scripture, “the upright love Thee,” is one I can begin to understand and one the Holy Spirit can use to teach us.
Those who have been snatched out of the kingdom of sin and darkness, out of the bondage and slavery of sin have a profound love for the Lord that not even persecution of any means can separate them from that love. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Romans 8:35) Men influenced by the wickedness of the devil have tried and even now in certain countries still try to sever this relationship we have with the Lord. That is the sole purpose of the devil. To rip us from the hand of the Lord. But Jesus said, “My Father, which gave them Me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand.” (John 10:29)
In our lives the wiles of the devil are subtle. It may be an unintentional slide in the church which causes one to leave the fellowship of the church. It may be an insult by a spouse that causes one to abandon one’s vows. There are a zillion hardships that hurt us and may cause us to throw in the towel. It’s shallow love that the difficulties of this life would cause us to give up on our love for the Lord. It is empty love indeed that the cross we have to bear would cause us to abandon our Lord. What does the Lord require of us? “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” (Hebrews 10:36) The word “patience” means endurance and constancy. In the trials of life, we must continue in the love of the Lord and in obedience to the Holy Spirit. It’s easier to give in to sin, to retaliate, to rail against and to give up. But God hasn’t called us to that. He has called us to love like He loves. “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8)
God has called us to love the unlovable, to show mercy to the undeserving and to die to ourselves. I am the first to say it’s not easy because it’s humanly impossible in the natural. This is a divine order which cannot be done without divine help. It’s a commitment, a vow of a sort of our love for our Lord. How deep is your love? How strong is your allegiance to the Lord? Could you truly love those who hurt you? God is calling us to that kind of love. “But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.” (Luke 6:27-30) It’s easy to love those who are kind to us. But the Lord is asking more of us. “For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.” (Luke 6:32)
Will our love for the Lord withstand the assaults of the world, the flesh and the enemy? It can. And it will.
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