Why do so many people think of God as an angry judge who is just waiting to pronounce guilt on humanity? In reality, I believe that God is romantic, a loving husband who adores His bride. The Spirit has recently taken me to the Song of Songs. One of the most beautiful books in the Bible. It is a series of erotic love poems that capture the story of a King and His beloved bride. Some people think that the Song of Songs is too graphic, too sensual for the Bible. And they certainly refuse to see it as a depiction of God's love relationship with man. Oh my, that would be almost obscene. Well, I think those scholars are prudes.
Who doesn't want to be loved? I find it quite comforting that God not only has saved me He loves me and wants to be with me too. The Song of Songs captures better than any other book in the Bible the essence of God's desire for relationship with His people. The story of mankind is truly a love story full of passion and beauty.
Each detail of the story adds another layer of intimacy and revelation. While reading in the Song of Songs recently, I began to see the importance of myrrh in God's plan. Myrrh is a strong, pleasant perfume used in a variety of applications including religous purification rituals and embalming corpses. Song of Songs 1:13, says, "A bundle of myrrh is a my well-beloved unto me he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts."
There's a lot going on here especially if you connect the dotes with other places in the Bible where myrrh shows up. I kind of envision the bride wearing a locket or small sack of myrrh around her neck.
It lies against her chest between her breasts giving off a pleasant aroma. Whether the King is present or not, the smell instantly reminds her of the Him. The "night" could either be a trial, time away from the King or an intimate evening alone with the King in His private chambers. The setting doesn't matter, because she is enchanted by the constant reminder of the King's love for her.
It can be kind of interesting how we associate a particular smell with a person. In grade school, I had a teacher who wore the same perfume everyday. It was quite strong, and I could always tell where she had been because the fragrance lingered wherever she had walked. I believe that God has a fragrance, and it is myrrh.
In Genesis 37:15, the Ishmeelite traders who bought Joseph carried myrrh. Joseph's brothers brought myrrh as a gift to Him when they came for food to survive the famine. This is a story of betrayal and redemption, similar to what Jesus experienced as He gave His life for the world.
In Exodus, myrrh is one of three spices used as ingredients for holy anointing oil. God instructed to take this oil and use it to anoint the tabernacle, its contents, the altar, and the priests. Typically, oil in the Bible represents the Holy Spirit and its refining power.
Esther uses myrrh as part of her beauty treatment as she prepares to meet King Xerxes. Myrrh symbolizes purity, holiness, and royalty. It is a fine fragrance worthy of a queen. And in Psalm 45, the King wears garments that smell of myrrh and aloes. One of the gifts that the wise men brough the baby Jesus was myrrh. And on the cross, the guards gave Jesus wine mixed with myrrh to weaken His pain.
Myrrh can be seen throughout the entire redemptive history of the Jewish people and God's Church. It stands today as a pleasant aroma, the smell of forgiveness. A smell associated with both atonement and death. It lets us know that God has given us a purity that is not our own. Jesus bought our purity and made us pleasant by paying the ultimate price.
When I think of the most pure love, I think of the sweet smell of myrrh. I can withstand even the darkest night because the aroma of God's love lies on my chest always reminding me that I am God's beloved.
