Spring means the harvest is ready

 Song of Solomon 2:11-13

See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. The flowers are springing up, the season of singing birds has come, and the cooing of turtledoves fills the air. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.

Song of Solomon can also be interpreted as the journey of the bride of Christ from the moment she meets Him, her Beloved Jesus, and through the seasons of her life thereafter. The above verses stood out for me because it is now spring in South Africa, and we can physically relate to what the writer is describing here. 

Up to this point the Shulamite shepherd girl (identify yourself with her) has met and fallen in love with the King (Jesus), as described in Chapter 1.  He is her First Love, and she yearns to spend time with Him, but the more she experiences His perfectness and beauty, the more she becomes aware of just how dirty and unkept she is, and this makes her feel ashamed and unworthy.  And yet she remembers how He sees her as perfect and lovable, without spot or blemish!  This sustains her, so that she renews her efforts to be of service to Him and to introduce Him to her friends.

This could be a dangerous place for the bride to find herself in, because often, and I would venture to say more often than not, the religious community (my mother’s sons in 1:6) sees her vigour and passion for Jesus and puts her to work in the church, using her anywhere and everywhere because she is willing and able. The day then inevitably arrives where she finds herself having less and less time to spend alone with her Beloved, even while spending more and more time serving Him! As soon as she realises this, she withdraws herself from many responsibilities and returns to His chamber of rest, and this is the best decision she could make, even if she then must endure the criticism of those who do not understand.  Now she can fall in love all over again, and her Beloved sternly adjures her brothers and sisters not to awaken her love until it pleases Him, until He considers her ready to be sent out again.

And this is what the above verses refer to:  He has seen that she is ready and is now calling her forth from her place of worship and rest in the King’s chambers, inviting her to come to the nations with Him.  He has prepared the ground with rain, the cooing of turtledoves shows that her love for Him is restored, and He has already prepared the harvest to be gathered. On reading further you will see that she does not respond immediately.  This does not keep Him from calling her His darling, His beautiful one.  Nothing you will ever do, or not do, can change His love for you!

Points to ponder:  Where are you on this journey of the bride and her Beloved?  Are warning lights flashing as you realise that you are not spending time with Him because you are so busy working in other people’s vineyards that you neglect your own? Return to Him, He is waiting with open arms to receive you!

Song of Solomon