Song of Solomon 8: The Leaning Bride

The Bride has come to the final chapter in her spiritual journey.  She has grown into a beautiful, mature bride.  She has learned 4 realities in her spiritual journey, from Shulamite (a young, immature bride) to the mature bride we see in chapter 8:
1) Intimacy with Jesus is the most important priority in her life  
2) Maturity (growing in Bridal love & character)
3) Submission (living under Jesus' leadership)
4) Serving (for God's purposes, not her own)

The last three confessions of the Bride that I will focus on are found in SoS 8:5-7, "Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning upon her Beloved?  I awakened you under the apple tree.  There your mother brought you forth; there she who bore you brought your forth.  Set Me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death, jealousy as cruel as the grave; its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame.  Many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it.  If a man would give for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly despised."  

Let these words settle in your heart, so they too can become your confessions.  Meditate on the words and ask the Holy Spirit to quicken them into your being.  Let this language become part of your prayer life, so that these confessions will be on your lips...

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 "Who is this coming up from the wilderness?  Leaning on her Beloved"
 Song of Songs 8:5

Jesus, her Beloved gives a prophetic statement about the Bride's final victory.  He is the ONE who awakened her under the apple tree in SoS 2:3.  The Bride refused to give up or withdraw, but continued to press on, trusting her Beloved One.  In the wilderness (those times of trials & suffering) we don't see what God is producing in us, but He is cultivating a true dependence upon Him during those seasons.  Throughout this song, the bride has learned to sit, to run, to look, to leap upon the mountains but now she is doing something she hasn't done before~ leaning.  

She is leaning upon the One she loves and trusts.  Not only is she lovesick, but she is leaning~ giving herself in a new way to Jesus' leadership.  The wilderness weakens our own strength and independence.  Jesus isn't looking for a Bride who is "capable" on her own, He is looking for leaning lovers whose weakness is made perfect through His strength. 


The ways that we lean on Jesus, our Beloved:  1) For Salvation ~ it's His work on the cross, not by any works we have done or will do; 2) For Victory~ Power comes from the Holy Spirit, not by our own "might" or traditions, disciplines, or even past victories;  The Holy Spirit is the source of power for all victories; 3) For Wholeness~ We are completely vulnerable to Jesus, nothing hidden; He is the healer of all body, soul & spirit; 4) For Direction~ Proverbs 3:5 is the reality. We no longer lean upon our own understanding; trusting the Holy Spirit's guidance into all Truth for all areas of our lives and to share the Father's heart with us; 5) For Provision~ The Lord alone is the source of our supply; we have confidence in His perfect plans of provision.


My confession: 
 I will come up from the wilderness leaning on my Beloved.  Jesus, I am a leaning bride.

"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm,"  Song of Songs 8:6

Jesus is the bridal seal.  The young bride started this song with a longing for His kisses and ends with a seal of love upon her heart.  The seal is like an impartation of fiery love upon her heart. 

Jesus invites us too.  Will we set Him as a seal of love upon our hearts? 


{A seal in ancient days was  a wax seal.  Important documents were sealed with the King's signet ring, so that the one who received the document would know who it came from.  The seal spoke of the king's ownership, protection and authority (like his signature). A king's seal was sacred and the army fully protected the king's seal.  The entire army backed it up.  The power of the empire would be behind the king's seal.  God is putting a seal on the hearts of His people and He protects and guarantees what is in the seal.}


The seal that Jesus invites us to take is the seal of DIVINE FIRE! The Holy Spirit seals us the day we are born again (Ephesians 1:13-14).  This includes the manifest presence of God on our hearts that causes us to grow in love over the years.  


This invitation is one of the 2 great commandments:
1) Set me as a seal of fiery flames of love upon your heart~ this speaks of the first commandment "love God with all your heart..."
2) The seal upon your arm speaks to the love for people~ arm represents our ministry, so this is the ability to impart passion for Jesus to others


My confession:
Jesus, I place You as a seal of fiery love upon my heart and upon my arm.  

"...Many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it..." 
 Song of Songs 8:7

"Many waters" speaks to the obstacles and pressures of every day life that try to hinder us from receiving the impartation of Divine fiery love.  Water naturally puts out fire.  But this is a supernatural fire!  The very flame of God Himself is to be the seal upon our hearts.  The source of love is GOD~ so this seal has nothing to do with our temperament or how we feel or our personality.  It is stronger than any FLAME because it is the FIERY FLAME of GOD imparted to our hearts. 

"Floods" speak of persecution. Floods speak of great obstacles that create crisis.  A flood is not a positive thing.  In the natural, floods are very destructive, drowning out a fire.  BUT not even a violent flood can put out this fiery seal of love!  


Jesus' seal of love is stronger than death...nothing to destroy it.  This is the strength of the bridal seal.  It is HIS love that burns like a blazing fire.  And He desires to impart His fire into the very core of our beings.  He longs to set us ablaze like never before because He is an all-consuming fire!   


My confession:
Jesus, Your fiery Love is unstoppable.  There is no water or flood that can quench it.  I am a BURNING BRIDE with the seal of Your FIRE!