Introduction: In our last time together, we learned one of the sweetest truths in the Song of Solomon. The Shulamite speaks to her betrothed shepherd boy in Song of Solomon 1:12-14, "While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof. A bundle of myrrh is my wellbeloved [masculine] unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts. My beloved [masculine] is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi."
Just to refresh your memory concerning this passage, we learned that, for a short time, the shepherd was given the chance to meet with the Shulamite girl. During this time, they were able to speak to one another and speak of their love for each other.
* We know who speaks when because of the gender of the words used.
Verse 12 told us of the Shulamite's steadfast love for her shepherd, "While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof." We learned that Solomon's advances failed miserably. No matter what he did, her love for the shepherd remained unchanged.
In this short time together, she lets her lover know that she will not change. I'm sure he felt secure in what she had to say. She referred to him as a sweet smelling perfume, spikenard. While Solomon tried to sweet-talk her, she continually cried out for her shepherd.
In verse 13, she referred to him as a little bag of myrrh she wore on a necklace which laid next to her heart all night, literally, all the time. This refers not to him personally but to her love and affection for him. She kept him close to her heart.
Verse 14 is where she compared the shepherd to "...a cluster of camphire." This was a cluster of sweet-smelling flowers. She just couldn't get him out of her mind. To her, he was the handsomest man in the entire world. The thought of him just lingered and lingered.
All of this brings us to this study. As we learned in our very first study, no place in the Bible gives us as beautiful a picture of the sweet relationship that should exist between Jesus and His people as does the Song of Solomon. The Shulamite kept the shepherd close to her heart. He was constantly in her thoughts, in her heart. This is the way it ought to be with us and Jesus, the Lover of our souls. Charles Wesley penned, in 1740, what some have called the finest hymn in the English language:
Jesus, Lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Savior, hide, till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide; O receive my soul at last.Other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on Thee;
Leave, ah! leave me not alone, still support and comfort me.
All my trust on Thee is stayed, all my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenseless head with the shadow of Thy wing.Wilt Thou not regard my call? Wilt Thou not accept my prayer?
Lo! I sink, I faint, I fall. Lo! On Thee I cast my care;
Reach me out Thy gracious hand! While I of Thy strength receive,
Hoping against hope I stand, dying, and behold, I live.Thou, O Christ, art all I want, more than all in Thee I find;
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is Thy Name, I am all unrighteousness;
False and full of sin I am; Thou art full of truth and grace.Plenteous grace with Thee is found, grace to cover all my sin;
Let the healing streams abound; make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the fountain art, freely let me take of Thee;
Spring Thou up within my heart; rise to all eternity.
Is it possible for those in the 21st century to keep Jesus close to their hearts all the time?
1. Think on Him. - Proverbs 23:7
"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he..."
- Paul taught us to think on things that are lovely. Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, WHATSOEVER THINGS ARE LOVELY, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."
- People are not always lovely, but there is Someone Who is altogether lovely, "His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend..." (Song of Solomon 5:16)
- 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."
2. Hide Scripture in your heart. - Psalms 119:11
"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."
- This is more than simply memorizing Scripture. It is also meditation (rumination), "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." (Psalms 1:1-3)
- "Meditate" here means to "speak, to imagine, to study, to mutter, to utter, to roar, to talk." In other words, It should be in every corner of our minds and talk.
- Joshua 1:8 says, "This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."
3. Trust in the Lord. - Proverbs 3:5-6
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
- Fear often causes our minds and hearts to wander from the Lord. We look for AN escape route instead of looking to THE Escape Route! We lose track of Him "in the night seasons." (Psalms 16:7)
* "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee." (Psalms 56:3)
* "In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me." (Psalms 56:11)
* "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation." (Isaiah 12:2)
4. Don't trust your heart. - Proverbs 28:26
"He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered."
- Just as the Shulamite refused the allurements of the King, and just as she refused to let her heart wander from her lover, we should not allow ourselves to be changed by the allurements and enticements of the world.
- It is so easy to trust in ourselves, that is, in our own hearts. We often base what we do on how we feel instead of what is right.
- The Apostle Paul said all things were lawful to him but not all things were expedient (1 Corinthians 6:12; 10:23) This meant that all things, both good and bad, were available to him but not all things were helpful.
- Christians often confuse availability with approval. These are two different things. This is one of the many reasons we ought not trust our own hearts.
- Isaiah 26:3-4 says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength."
Conclusion: There are so many practical ways to keep Jesus next to your heart all the time. There is no way to mention all of them here. In the Old Testament, God's people would put the Scriptures on their doors and throughout their houses. They would carry Scripture with them.
You could put Scripture on 3X5 cards and carry them with you everywhere. You could tape those cards to the refrigerator door or bathroom mirror. One girl in my home youth group used to take a red ink pen and place a mark in the palms of her hands to remind her of Jesus.
What can you do to keep Jesus next to your heart all the time?
Be creative and consistent. You will, with the Lover of your soul,
be as the Shulamite was with the lover of hers.