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The Beloved Door and Shepherd

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Song of Solomon 1:7 Tell me, O you whom I love, Where you feed your flock, Where you make it rest at noon. For why should I be as one who veils herself by the flocks of your companions? NKJV

GNT Tell me, my love, Where will you lead your flock to graze? Where will they rest from the noonday sun? Why should I need to look for you among the flocks of the other shepherds?

Several things emerge from this passage that are enhanced by the different translations. This woman loves her Shepherd, her Beloved. She is searching for Him and will not settle for any other shepherd. She knows that in His Presence there is food and rest. She wants her veil removed so she can see Him fully. Nothing else matters! 2 Corinthians 3:13-17 states: …unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 

It’s no coincidence that Moses was a shepherd before he began shepherding Israel out of Egypt through the wilderness. Moses, His instruction, and revelation from the Law, remain veiled. Only in Jesus, our True Shepherd, is the veil removed to clearly see our Beloved. (Contrary to a lot of modern preachers foolishness Jesus can be clearly seen in the Law). For Jesus provides us with the Holy Spirit Who provides us with the desire and freedom to see.

As a pastor, or under-shepherd, I have always been captivated and amazed at spiritual blindness; the blindness in myself and others. There are revelations the Shepherd has provided in Scripture which can only be seen by the Spirit. Many have returned to “graze” upon its “manna” only to discover the veil had returned. Only through persistent prayer, and trust in the Spirit, is anyone enabled to see, to feed once again. John 10:7,11 and Revelation 3:20 remind us that Jesus is the Shepherd, and the DOOR. John 10:3 reveals that the Holy Spirit is the One Who opens Jesus the DOOR – for the sheep that are listening for Him. No matter how hard you try to pry open the DOOR in your own strength or intellect – the DOOR, the Revelation, and Understanding will never open. You must be willing to submit to the Spirit, and have a hunger to see. The whole message to the Laodiceans was, Are you willing to make room to commune with Jesus? Are you willing to listen for His knocking? Are you hungry, truly hungry, to see and know Jesus? Have you settled for other shepherds rather than going to the True and Only Shepherd?

Choices and Family Trees

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Ruth 3:7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then [Ruth] came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. 

That night Ruth made a choice. Steal enough grain to feed her and Naomi for maybe a week or heed her mother-in-laws counsel and rest at the feet of the one who owned a pile of grain and the fields it came from. She chose wisely and from that one small, seemingly insignificant choice her and Naomi were fed for the rest of their lives. What’s even more amazing? Her small choice led to her eventual marriage to Boaz, and from their union a baby was born named Obed. Obed became the father of Jesse, and Jesse became the father to a shepherd boy turned giant-killer and king. And from this king came the Messiah. From an insignificant, pagan widow’s lineage the King of kings descended. One small choice impacted, and is still impacting the world.

Now the question you have to answer: Who and what is being “birthed” from the little choices you have been making?

An American educator, A.E. Winship decided to trace the descendants of Jonathan Edwards almost 150 years after his death.  His findings are remarkable, especially when compared to another man from the same time period known as Max Jukes. Jonathan Edwards’ legacy includes: 1 U.S. Vice-President, 1 Dean of a law school, 1 dean of a medical school, 3 U.S. Senators, 3 governors, 3 mayors, 13 college presidents, 30 judges, 60 doctors, 65 professors, 75 Military officers, 80 public office holders, 100 lawyers, 100 clergymen, and 285 college graduates. Max Jukes’ legacy came to people’s attention when the family trees of 42 different men in the New York prison system were traced back to him. He lived in New York at about the same period as Edwards. The Jukes family originally was studied by sociologist Richard L. Dugdale in 1877. Jukes’ descendants included: 7 murderers, 60 thieves, 190 prostitutes, 150 other convicts, 310 paupers, and 440 who were physically wrecked by addiction to alcohol. Of the 1,200 descendants that were studied, 300 died prematurely. (Larry Ballard, YWAM, Multi-Generational Legacies – The Story of Jonathan Edwards)

Who, what and where are you “resting” your choices on? Something that may feel good for the moment or something that will greet you in eternity?