Plants in the Garden of the Lord (1)

A garden enclosed
Is my sister, my spouse,
A spring shut up,
A fountain sealed. Song of Solomon 4.12

The Bride of Christ
One of the New Testament’s favorite images of the Church is that of the Bride of Christ. John the Baptist seems to have been the first to use this image (Jn. 3.29), but Jesus also picked up on it and made it His own, as we see in several of His parables.

The image of the Church as the Bride of Christ also appealed to the Apostles Paul (Eph. 5) and John (Rev. 19). This is an altogether fitting way to think about the relationship between the Lord and His Church. It allows us to capture the intimacy, mutual adoration, continuous collaboration, and eternal bond between the Lord and His people that the Scriptures hold out as the promise of salvation and the life of full faith.

It is precisely this image that has led many commentators and students of the Bible – particularly in the earlier years of the Church – to regard the Song of Solomon as a kind of extended metaphor expressing the love that exists between the Lord and His people. In this dramatic love story Solomon is seen to stand for the Lord – the King Who comes to claim His Bride and take her to Himself in blissful love – while his bride-to-be represents all those for whom Christ died, and who seek to know, love, and serve Him by grace through faith.

While the Song offers many helpful insights concerning ways to nurture human love in marriage, its primary message seems to be one of comfort and hope to the people of God: Their Lord is coming to redeem them from their isolation and loneliness and take them to Himself forever.

Fruitfulness and life
In that light, therefore, we must consider what the Lord meant us to understand about His Church when Solomon referred to his own bride as a garden, a spring, and a fountain. What does it mean for us to think of ourselves and our church in these terms? How should such images counsel us to think about the life of full faith to which we have been called in the Lord?

Each of these items was acknowledged as a vital source of life, fruitfulness, refreshment, and wellbeing in ancient Israel, as, indeed, they are to this day. A garden provides both an abundance of food for a family as well as flowering plants and fragrant spices to lend beauty to a home. It is a source of life and fruitfulness to bless those who care for it.

The waters of a spring or a well would have been crucial to survival, particularly in a land like Israel that is dry so much of the time. We recall the struggles Isaac had with his Philistine neighbors over the wells in Gerar.

Solomon viewed his bride in this light – like a garden, spring, and well – to express just how much he valued her and what high hopes and great prospect he held out for her to become a wellspring of life, fruitfulness, and blessing as his wife.

The Bride of the Lord
By means of this metaphor, the Lord is giving us a glimpse of how He views His own Bride, the Church, and of the expectations He holds out for each one who strives to know full faith.

Each believer in Jesus is a plant in the garden of the Lord. Jesus intends His plants and garden to bring forth abundant spiritual nourishment, the sweet fragrances of new life in Christ, and living waters of the Spirit to redeem and transform men and reconcile culture and creation back to God. The Lord holds out high expectations and precious and very great promises for those who live in full faith before Him.

But note that Solomon’s bride was a garden enclosed or locked, a spring shut up or dammed, and a fountain sealed. That is, she was not yet realizing her potential, for the simple reason that she was not yet united with her husband, the king. Only when Solomon and his bride were bound together and growing in love could the full potential of their mutual love spring forth in the fullness God intended for them.

In many ways the same thing can be said of the Church today. As believers and churches, we are not realizing our full potential to bring the blessings of God and His Word to the world. This is obvious on every hand, particularly in the West, where, even though outwardly churches appear to be thriving, yet the culture and society in which they are embedded continues spiraling downward away from the Lord (Rom. 1.18-32).

The reason for this can be found in one of two places, or both: First, the Church may not have a proper understanding of itself or its mission; or, second, the Church may not be sufficiently intimate with its Lord to bear the fruit and realize the potential He holds out for her.

Christians have great possibilities as the Bride of Christ, for bearing fruit, sharing light and life, and refreshing the parched souls of our neighbors. But do we really understand this, and are we seeking it as earnestly as Solomon’s betrothed sought her king?

For reflection
1.  Think about your own life in Christ. What do the ideas of a garden, spring, or well suggest about what your life should be like?

2.  Why do you think churches today – especially in the West – are not having the kind of impact their numbers might suggest?

3.  What do you hope to learn from this study, as you think about your life in the terms Solomon indicates in Song of Solomon?

Next steps: What would a church look like that was a garden, spring, and well in its community? Talk with some of your fellow church members about this question.

T. M. Moore

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This week’s ReVision study is Part 5 of a 10-part series, “Full Faith.” You can download “Plants in the Garden of the Lord” as a free PDF, prepared for personal or group study. Simply click here.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.