A bundle of myrrh is my Wellbeloved unto me; He shall lie all night betwixt my breasts (Song of Solomon 1:13).
The Song of Solomon is the song of songs. It is, to me, a most valuable part of the Word of God. It should be regarded as the holy of holies of the sacred writings. You may go to other books for doctrine, or history, or prophecy, but if you would know the love union between Christ and His Church, then you must come to this book. It is written of Christ and His Church, and no other interpretation will suffice. The language is the language of lovers.
The Title She Gives Him
“My Wellbeloved.” This is how the elect bride, the Church, speaks of her Bridegroom-Lover, Christ. He is not wellbeloved to the world, nor is He to those who have little desire but to live in the low valleys of spiritual life. For them the Saviour has but little charm save to forgive their sins and save their souls from hell. But to the mature believer who climbs the mountain of spiritual elevation He is wellbeloved.
It is a heart appreciation of the bride for what her Bridegroom-Lover is in Himself, for undertaking her cause, dying in her room and stead, espousing her to Himself in resurrection life, and giving her love, which is unchangeable and everlasting. It is an expression of her love to Him which springs from His love shown to her. There is nothing which so charms her soul as the love of her Bridegroom-Lover. Compared with that, how low and mean are the joys of earth which are but husks and empty of any eternal goodness.
The Figure She Uses of Him
“A bundle of myrrh is my Wellbeloved unto me.” By this figurative language she means, first, He is her precious-ness. Myrrh in those ancient times was the most costly and principal of spices. It was used in the anointing oil of Exodus 30:23, which was a divinely arranged compound for the anointing of prophets, priests, and kings. It was never to come upon the flesh, nor was it ever to be duplicated for man. The figure speaks of the Lord Jesus as most precious in His Person, His offices, and His graces. “Unto you therefore which believe He is precious” (1 Peter 2:7).
He is also her perfuming. Myrrh is called “sweet smelling myrrh” (Song of Solomon 5:5), and the Church is said to be perfumed with the merits of our Saviour. Worship, praise, prayer, thanksgivings, and intercessions, which rise out of the natural heart of man, are as the breathings of corrupt lungs and nothing but a stench to the holiness of God. It is only Christ present in the heart who can perfume such sacrifices of worship and praise that they rise sweet-smelling and acceptable and delightfully fragrant before God.
How sweet is Christ then to those who find their joy in the fellowship and communion of love with Him! He is so sweet to the heart of believers that they would not be without Him though they were to suffer much for His Name’s sake. He is the tree of life in the bitter waters of Marah (Exodus 15:25).
Again, He is the bride’s preservative. Myrrh was used in old times to embalm the dead and so to arrest corruption. Thus the elect bride is saying of her Bridegroom-Lover that it is He who keeps her from the corruptions which are in the world through lust. Without Christ, human life lies in deep corruption which rots the soul. All we are must be sweetened by Christ, or else we will surely sink into a deep pit.
The Place Where She Holds Him
“He shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.” She will not cast Him behind her back, nor will she put Him on her shoulder as a burden. She will not have Him anywhere but in front of her, where she can behold His blessed face. And she will have Him near her heart where no other is allowed to come. Nothing is more desirable to a great lover of Christ than His near presence and the sight of Him before the eyes. It is an expression of the bride’s desire that she have a living consciousness of His sensible presence.
She would have Him near and close to her “all night”— that is, throughout this long dark night of man’s sinning, until the shadows are past and the day of glory breaks. She would not have any interrruption to this near communion. How important it is to guard His near presence—to be sure He is with us, not in dreams and fancies, but in reality and truth.
When some sent messages to David’s house, Michal, his wife, took an image and laid it in the bed. We must be careful we do not have an image of Christ in our hearts but, rather, His living and real presence. This will surely be for our own comfort and refreshment and delight, for nothing charms the saints so much as close and intimate fellowship with the Wellbeloved.
Lord Jesus, Thine,
No more this heart of mine
Shall seek its joys apart from Thee;
The world is crucified to me,
And I am Thine.
Thine, Thine alone,
My joy, my hope, my crown;
Now earthly things may fade and die,
They charm my soul no more, for I
Am Thine alone.
Thine, ever Thine,
Forever to recline
On love eternal, fixed, and sure;
Yes, I am Thine forevermore,
Lord Jesus, Thine.
Albert Midlane