“My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.” (Song of Solomon 2:16)
These are the words of the Bride after her Beloved (Christ) revealed Himself and His Command, the time is now. She has been prepared; they are fighting the enemy together to save the harvest.
Now the Bride makes this confession. This is the first step of standing up for Christ, having been prepared for this step in the valley of testing and conforming.
This is a bold statement of assurance and confidence by the Bride of her position to her Beloved and of His position to His Love.
“My beloved is mine, and I am his.”
What does this mean “is mine…am his”? Note the following points:
First, “I am his” speaks of her knowledge of her Beloved’s choice of her as his love; his choice of her to be his Love, excluding all others. This choice is based upon his own will, not her works or her actions to cause him to choose her and call her. Therefore, his choice and call of her lies solely in his own mind, based solely upon his own will. This choice is evidenced by his call to her to come unto him as his Love.
This knowledge of the Bride proves also that she is in full understanding of her Beloved’s choice and call. Not only does she have knowledge of his choice by his call to her; but it also implies that she has a firm assurance and sure confidence of her position to him; that she, and she alone, is his; there are no others.
This is where a wife must come to, if she is to have the confidence to fulfill her position according to the Word of God. (See Ephesians 5:22-33; 1 Timothy 2:10-14; 1 Peter 3:1-7; Titus 2:4-5.) Until the wife comes to view her real position to her husband, she cannot be in Gospel order. Also, she cannot help her husband to be what he is designed to be. And lastly, she will never reach her own potential as God designed for a wife. That is, she cannot receive the spiritual growth in Christ; she will not receive His Blessings for her obedience; and she will not have special communion with God and with her husband.
What is so sad is that when this world sees a Godly housewife following God’s instructions for her as a wife; the world degrades her, mocks her, and calls her “lazy and no-good for society.” Whether it is our educational philosophy, TV, or literature, the Godly wife is constantly being attacked for her position of walking in the home as a disciple of Christ, as a help-meet to her husband.
The world’s philosophy is aimed at deceiving the Godly housewife by telling her she is being suppressed and oppressed. Some tell her she is no more than a slave to her husband or that her husband is a dictator. Others may say she is old-fashioned, or that she is wasting her talents.
No, these are lies of the father of all lies, the devil, and the flesh; or called the system of Belial. The truth is just the exact opposite. The woman that is born of God is God’s Property (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). She is a Child of God and a Servant of Righteousness. To receive all of God’s best for her, she must obey Him. The Word of God is written by God, not by the husband. Therefore, when she submits to the Word of God (Ephesians 5:22-33; Titus 2:4-5; 1 Timothy 2:10-14; 1 Peter 3:1-7, etc.); she is submitting to God. Her submission and obedience to God is evidenced by her submission to her husband as her head.
When this happens in her spirit, she can say “I am his” totally and completely; because she understands that it is God’s Will and the way of pleasing and honoring God.
So it is with the Church, the Bride of Christ, when she submits to Christ, her Head; which is worked out daily in the marriage of a man and a woman (Ephesians 5:32-33). A Godly marriage, a God-centered, God-pleasing, God-honoring marriage, types out Christ and His Church.
Secondly, this verse speaks of her commitment to her Beloved, “My beloved is mine.” This phrase shows her choice of him as her beloved, based upon her knowledge of his choice and his call of her to be his Love. It also speaks of her assurance and confidence; she knows without a doubt that her Beloved is hers. She has committed herself totally and completely to Him, based upon his words and actions to her.
What a glorious understanding it is when a wife can say, “My Beloved is mine.” I know he is mine and no other’s. I know, because he has proven himself to me by his actions. His protection and provision of me allows me to know without a doubt that my Beloved is mine. His words are true and certain.
I have this firm persuasion in my spirit because “he feedeth among the lilies.” My Beloved has already called me a “…lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters” (verse 2:2). He has already declared me as different from the daughters. The difference being as great as a lily is over the thorns. The difference is where my Beloved feeds. My Beloved “feedeth among the lilies.” The only place my Beloved feeds is among those who are counted in the lily status.
The lily status reveals the separate position from all others. See verses 6:4-9:
“Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah, comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners.” (verse 4)
“Turn away thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me: thy hair is as a flock of goats that appear from Gilead.” (verse 5)
“Thy teeth are as a flock of sheep which go up from the washing, whereof every one beareth twins, and there is not one barren among them.” (verse 6)
“As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks.” (verse 7)
“There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, and virgins without number.” (verse 8)
“My dove, my undefiled is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.” (verse 9)
She is my undefiled.
Therefore, because he feedeth me, I am his lily. I have a witness in my spirit that he has directed his entire attention to me as he feeds me Truth, the Word of God. This shows his great care of me. It shows his desire to reveal himself; his love; his inner man; to me, and to me alone.
It shows me he desires to carry out his position as taught in the Word of God (Ephesians 5:26-33; 1 Peter 3:7-8). That is to cleanse me and purify me with the washing of God’s Word. It shows me he has me in his best interest. He desires me to please God first, as I please him; that I might attain unto all God has designed and purposed for me to be as a Child of God. It shows me that I am his flesh and his bone; that he loves me as his own flesh. It shows me that to me and me alone has he called; he has brought me to his banqueting house and placed his banner of love over me. He has allowed me to sit under his shadow; wear his name; walk as his partner; be under his authority; and eat of his fruit (Song of Solomon 2:3-6; 8-9; etc.).
My Beloved is mine; yes, because of his words and his actions toward me. But also he has sealed his love on me. I am secure in his love. Therefore, I can say “My beloved is mine.” I know it without a doubt. He has proven it by his deeds; and now it is sealed in my spirit.
So it is in the spiritual sense from the Church, the Bride of Christ. The Church can say, “My beloved is mine” because of His Words and His Deeds and His Seal upon our spirits.
Christ feeds among the lilies. The Church is the Pillar and Ground of Truth (1 Timothy 3:15). The Church is the Dwelling Place of Christ on earth (Ephesians 2:19-22; 3:21; Acts 2). Here Christ feeds Himself (or Truth) to His Love (His Sheep). Here we are taught; we grow, mature, and bear fruit (John 15:1-16). Here we are brought to our rightful position in Him (1 Peter 2:9-10). Here we are placed on a Path of Growth (of Sanctification) (Hebrews 12:1-; Philippians 3:7-14; Ephesians 4:11-16). Here we put off the “old man” and put on the “new man” (Ephesians 4:17-32). Here we are a “new creature” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Also, Christ gives us not the spirit of bondage to fear, but the Spirit whereby we cry, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:14-16; Galatians 4:1-7). Therefore, we have a true witness in our spirits that we know He is our Beloved. We know that Christ gave His all for us in His Office Works on the Cross as Prophet, High Priest, Sacrifice, Substitute, and Savior for us (Romans 3:24-25; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 2:24; etc.); and on the basis of the Eternal Purpose in Christ Jesus, worked out and ratified on the Cross in His Atonement for us (Isaiah 53:1-12). God was satisfied; and therefore we were Reconciled, Redeemed, and Justified (or declared Righteous) in His Atonement for us on the Cross. On this basis, the Holy Spirit comes and regenerates us, and gives us the witness of the Spirit that we are His and He is ours. Hallelujah!
What a glorious statement by any Sheep of God when he knows, “My beloved is mine, and I am his”; for it reveals that he knows without a doubt that he is “in Christ.” He knows he was in Him in eternity past; which is Eternal Justification (1 Peter 1:18-20; Ephesians 1:3-6). He knows he was in Christ on the Cross; which is Judicial Justification (Romans 5:1-2; 6-10; Ephesians 1:7; Romans 3:24-25). And he knows he is “in Christ,” in time, as he received Experiential Justification in Regeneration; where he was made known of God’s Eternal Purpose in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3-14). “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus…” (Romans 8:1-16).
Without this assurance, the Church cannot experience Victory over the enemy. We cannot grow and mature in our position as His Wife. We cannot come to behold His Glory; of Perfection, Preeminence, Perception, and Power as One in our Beloved (John 17:21-24). We cannot receive the blessings and rewards of being submissive to our Head and obedient to His Commands; nor will we please and honor God as His Wife, because we must be “born of the Spirit” to see and have the power to enter into the Kingdom of God (or to our sphere of service to God in His Rule and Reign).
Men, as husbands, we have failed to type out Christ and His Bride when our wives cannot say “My beloved is mine, and I am his.” It is not the wife’s fault; it is the husband’s fault.
There has never been a time in history when the marriage is under attack as it is now.
To God’s men who are married, it is time to stand for marriage as taught in the Word of God (Genesis 2). This union is made of one man and one woman. This world needs a great witness of Christ and His Bride, which can only be found in the marriage that follows Christ’s instructions.
There is no society that can endure when the institution of marriage does not follow God’s Word. All sorts of perversions result from the failure of marriage.
Therefore, Man of God, now it is the time to feed your wife by the Shepherd’s Tent. It is time to be a type of Christ and to carry out your position as head. This is the only hope of marriage being the Beacon of Light to this dark world of sin.
Leave a Reply