“The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.” (Song of Solomon 7:13)
Song of Solomon is a book I don’t understand, neither literally nor metaphorically. So, we lean heavy on the Holy Spirit to help us understand what God is saying. Song of Solomon is a book of the Bible. Today, the Lord leads us to this Scripture. It’s about the bride and her offering of all her love to her beloved. We need to look at this Scripture in the light of Jesus Who is our beloved. So, we will study it’s meaning metaphorically.
The meaning of mandrakes is disputed, but Bible scholars have concluded it must be some kind of plant or fruit which gives off a fragrance. The bride has invited the beloved to go to the field and vineyards. (Song of Solomon 7:11,12) In the Old Testament the vineyards refer to God’s people, the Jews and in the New Testament, the church. “Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah His pleasant plant: and He looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.” (Isaiah 5:1-7) Isaiah prophesied how the Lord had done everything to make His vineyard or His people flourish, but it didn’t produce as He wanted it to produce. So, He takes His hand off His vineyard and allows it to be destroyed.
In the New Testament, Jesus made references to His vineyard. “For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.” (Matthew 20:1) There are also other parables the Jesus told about His vineyard. (Matthew 21:33-44; Luke 20:9-18; Luke 13:6-9)
We can conclude then that the bride invites Jesus to His vineyard to see how it’s thriving and growing, producing good fruit. The Scripture says “pleasant” fruit which means valuable fruit. So, in the Lord’s vineyard there is valuable fruit, some new fruit and some old fruit, but it’s all valuable. We are drawn to John when Jesus makes a very understandable and metaphorical comparison of the Father, Himself and the church as a vineyard. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 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. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples. As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love.” (John 15:1-10)
Is the church ripe for picking? Are we giving off a beautiful fragrance? Are we good and valuable fruit? Can we and do we invite Jesus to come see His vineyard? I know we’re being pruned so that we will thrive even more, produce more and become even more valuable, now that we’ve matured some in the vineyard. Everywhere I hear about the hardships and victories of the brethren. In Jesus’ vineyard there is old and new fruit. That old fruit of our first encounters with the Lord may be old, but it’s good and valuable fruit that has not rotted. “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matthew 7:20) Those early struggles that have matured us are good and priceless to the Lord. And yes, we’re being pruned today, to thrive even more, drawing more life from the Lord, depending and leaning on Him more, bring strengthened more and becoming even more valuable in His eyes.
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