“Sick of Love” (Song 5:2-8)

“I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him, that I am sick of love”.

The Son of God leaves, so that we may seek Him in His great value.  He means so much to us, that when He is gone, and we’re AWARE of His absence, we seek Him lovingly, which His elect see and hear. 

We are not useful in the high times alone, but even in the deep, we are BLESSED of God to hear and be heard, even though our strength is small.  In our times we weakness, we still speak by faith, and those appointed to salvation are brought to Christ by our faith, even in the “down times”, saying (Song 5:9; Song 6:1).

Don’t think that Christ is gone to stay; think He’s gone to teach me a lesson, to make me love Him more.

We failed when He spoke, refusing to open to Him - “I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul FAILED when he spoke: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer“ (vs6). We thought ourselves SELF-sufficient and OK without Him, so He leaves us, makes us SEE our great need, and then He gives us hope as we seek Him (vs3?)- “My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him” (vs4). 

He is gone, but not forever. He is angry with us rightfully and has departed, but He will hear our cry, He will lift up the humbled, and He teaches us BY His absence to SEEK Him when He’s near - “I sleep, but my heart wakes: it is the voice of my beloved that knocks, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night“ (vs2).   His loving embrace teaches joy, and His refusal to embrace teaches us that joy is in Him only (Eccl 3:5). The Lord is PRECIOUS and the Most Import Thing.

Do not fail, when He says “Open to me”, and do not go without seeking Him. Don’t say, “I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them (vs3)”.  When He comes in thoughts and deeds in the gospel, when He moves upon the heart and mind, then let Him in - “Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night“ (vs2). He has GOODNESS’ for you and only your highest joy in mind.  When He is gone, do not say, “It’s OK. He will return one day”, but seek Him immediately, lest your time without Him lead to sin - “I rose up to open to my beloved; and my hands dropped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock” (vs5).

When He hurts you by the messengers, and strips you of your proud self-sufficiency, then He has done good - “The watchmen that went about the city found me, they smote me, they wounded me; the keepers of the walls took away my veil from me” (vs7).  Now, make known your love for Him, even when you don’t have the highest joy (vs10-16). Preach peace, even when your peace is small, and tell the world the Lord Jesus is most important to you, that you need Him above all else.  

Many people love a happy religion, but God has a seeking religion, too, because we don’t stop, until we get Him. He DRAWS us to Himself, opening the door of our heart by mercy and causing us to turn unto Him - “My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. I rose up to open to my beloved” (vs4-5a).  All obedience is the FRUIT of Christ’s grace, so we need Him to obey, and without Him MOVING us powerfully, we sin and get misery as the result.

The gospel is for sinners and saints who’ve gone astray.  Return to your Beloved and declare how precious He is.