Awaken and Aroused

DEVOTION

SONG OF SONGS

AWAKENED AND AROUSED

Song 8:1-4

8:1 If only you were to me like a brother, who was nursed at my mother's breasts! Then, if I found you outside, I would kiss you, and no one would despise me. 2 I would lead you and bring you to my mother's house — she who has taught me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, the nectar of my pomegranates.

3 His left arm is under my head and his right arm embraces me. 4 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you: Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.

NIV

We have come to the last chapter in this saga of the Lord and his church, this love affair we have with God. We are reminded of how wonderful it must have been for Adam and Eve before their fall, their act of disobedience. How they had such an intimate affair with God. He would come down and walk in the cool of the day with them, talking face to face with his creation. It is described as a paradise and indeed it had to have been the most wonderful place in all the earth, filled with fruit trees, with pomegranates, even spiced wine, from the vineyards. We can see it in our minds eye, imagining the beauty, the peace, the joy that must have been in the heart of God, having his creation, the two who he created in his own image, waiting to spend that cool of the day with him. Here in the beginning of this portion of the song, it is a continuation of the proclamation of the Shulamite or the church about the Bridegroom, the Lord Jesus Christ. There is this desire for him to be like a brother. We are brothers and sister of Jesus, Co-heirs with him in glory.

Rom 8:12-17

12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation — but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba,  Father." 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs — heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

NIV

We are called sons of God, which means sons and daughters of God and thus brothers and sisters of Jesus for He is the Son of God. We too may call out to our Father, “Abba Father” for we have received the Spirit of sonship. It is right to kiss him among the confines of the building we call the church, but here we see that as we find Jesus outside the church we too can kiss him, we can show him the affection, the praise he so deserves, as our brother, as our Savior, as our Lord. Who of us denies our relative in public? Who would ignore our brother or sister in the streets of this world? If we saw our brother or sister walk in to a store, or at our work, or some gathering, would we not embrace them, kiss them, because they were also at our mother’s breast? Yet do we ever have a tendency to deny our brother Jesus when we are with the world? We should kiss him always, embrace him publicly, show him our affection and praise whenever and wherever we are. Yes, we will give him the fruit of our lives, the love and respect, the devotion of a brother, and we will praise his name. He is the one who upholds us, he gives us honor and glory before our Father. And it is not us, as an individual, although he also does that, but it is us, as the church. We just have to notice how we speak in the plural when we pray like Jesus taught us, “Our Father”. It is not that we say my Father, or give me this day my daily bread, or forgive me my trespasses as I forgive. We all speak in the plural, Our Father, we come as a family, as brothers and sisters of Jesus asking the father for his will to be in our lives. This idea of the charge given to the daughters of Jerusalem about not awaking or arousing love until it desires seems a little strange, but it would make sense in regards to the love of the world verses the love of the Lord. We are not to arouse our love for the world, but wait for the desire inspired by the Spirit to love the Lord. We know no one can love the Lord without the Spirit.

1 Cor 12:3

3 Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord ," except by the Holy Spirit.

NIV

So the Spirit arouses our love for Jesus, he awakens our dead spirit and brings us into fellowship with Jesus. Praise God, our passions have been aroused, we have been awakened to the truth of God, the glorious life we have in Christ. We have been awakened and aroused.